''Begin to Hope'' is the fourth album by
Soviet-born American singer-songwriter
Regina Spektor. It was released June 13, 2006. The album debuted at number 70 on the
''Billboard'' 200, but due to the popularity of the single "Fidelity", it peaked at number 20 and was labeled a "pace setter" by ''Billboard''. ''
Rolling Stone'' named it the 21st-best album of 2006. The album was
certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for shipments to U.S. retailers of 500,000 units.
The album was nominated for the 2006
Shortlist Music Prize.
Track listing
All songs written by Regina Spektor.
# "
Fidelity" – 3:47
# "Better" – 3:22
# "
Samson" – 3:10
# "
On the Radio On the Radio may refer to:
* "On the Radio" (The Concretes song), 2006
* "On the Radio" (Donna Summer song), 1979
*'' On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II'', a 1979 album by Donna Summer
* "On the Radio" (Groove Coverage song), 2006
* "On the ...
" – 3:22
# "Field Below" – 5:18
# "Hotel Song" – 3:29
# "Après Moi" – 5:08
# "20 Years of Snow" – 3:31
# "That Time" – 2:39
# "
Edit
Edit may refer to:
Concepts
* an action that is part of an editing process (including of images, video, and film)
* a particular version that is the result of editing, especially of film (for example, fan edit), or music (for example, radio ...
" – 4:53
# "Lady" – 4:45
# "Summer in the City" – 3:50
;Deluxe Edition bonus disc
# "Another Town" – 4:07
# "Uh-Merica" – 3:16
# "Baobabs" – 2:02
# "Düsseldorf" – 3:09
# "Music Box" – 2:11
;iTunes Store/Amazon MP3 bonus tracks
#
"Hero" – 3:44
# "Bartender" – 3:12
;Vinyl edition disc 2, side A
# "Another Town" – 4:10
# "Uh-Merica" – 3:19
# "Baobabs" – 2:04
# "Düsseldorf" – 3:12
# "Music Box" – 2:07
;Vinyl edition disc 2, side B
# "Better" (Piano and Voice) – 3:09
# "Better" (Radio Recut) – 3:12
# "Hero" – 3:45
# "Bartender" – 3:12
;Vinyl 10th Anniversary edition disc 2, side B Bonus Track
# "Baby Jesus" – 2:43
Personnel
* Regina Spektor – piano, vocals, guitar, percussion
* Nick Valensi – guitar on "Better"
* David Kahne – bass on "Better"
* Zhao Gang – erhu on "Field Below"
* Ralph U. Williams – saxophone on "Lady"
* Shawn Pelton – drums on "Fidelity", "Better", "On the Radio", "Hotel Song", "Après Moi" & "That Time"
* Rachel Beth Egenhoefer – album design
* David Kahne – mainstream pop producer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Single success
In 2006, Regina Spektor's first single, "Fidelity", premiered on VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
. Soon after, VH1 included her among "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise".
Spektor performed "Fidelity" on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in July 2006 and on ABC's ''Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' in April 2007. She also performed "On The Radio" on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' in November 2006. She performed the song again on ''Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
'' in April 2007, and on the Australian Rove McManus show in 2007.
"Better" was released to US radio in late July 2007.
Even though it was not released as a single, "Hotel Song" has reached No. 11 in the Irish music download charts and No. 16 in the Irish Top 50 Singles Chart as of May 2007.
"Samson" is a new recording of a song originally released on 2002's '' Songs''. Gwen Stefani used the song for her Season 9 battle between Korin Bukowski and Chase Kerby on ''The Voice''.
"Après Moi" was covered by Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
on his 2010 album '' Scratch My Back''.
In popular culture
*The song, "Better" appeared in the fourth season of the CBS TV show, How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...
, in an episode titled "Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After may refer to:
Film and television Film
* ''Happily Ever After'' (1985 film), a Brazilian romantic drama film directed by Bruno Barreto
* ''Happily Ever After'' (1989 film), an animated movie continuing the adventures of Snow ...
." A piano version of the song appeared prominently throughout the series finale of '' The Good Wife'' in 2016.
*"Hotel Song" is featured in mobile phone company Vodafone's TV commercial in Ireland, contributing to the song's popularity in the country. The song was also featured in the 2011 Jennifer Westfeldt film '' Friends with Kids''.
*"Music Box" is featured on a JCPenney commercial.
*"Samson" was featured on '' CSI: NY'' in the second-season episode "All Access".
*"Field Below" was on an episode of '' Criminal Minds''.
*"That Time" was featured in the 2008 Martin McDonagh
Martin Faranan McDonagh (; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and brought up in London, he is the son of Irish parents. He is known as one of the most acclaimed modern playwrights whose ...
film '' In Bruges'' starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
*"Hero" was featured in the film ''(500) Days of Summer
''500 Days of Summer'' (stylized as ''(500) Days of Summer'') is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars ...
'', along with " Us" from Spektor's previous album, ''Soviet Kitsch
''Soviet Kitsch'' is the major label debut and third album by American singer/songwriter Regina Spektor. It was originally released on Shoplifter Records in May 2003 but was reissued in August 2004 when Spektor signed with Sire Records. The title ...
''.
*"Fidelity" is one of the songs featured in "Elephant Love Medley," a number in '' Moulin Rouge! The Musical''.
Sales
*In New Zealand, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 7,500.
*In Australia, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 35,000.
*In the United States, the album was certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies.
References
{{Authority control
2006 albums
Regina Spektor albums
Sire Records albums
Albums produced by David Kahne