''The Story'' is the second
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Americana singer & Songwriter
Brandi Carlile, and was released on April 3, 2007. The album peaked at number 41 in the
''Billboard'' 200 on May 5, 2007.
''The Story'' was produced by
T Bone Burnett and recorded over eleven days on two-inch audio tape in The Warehouse Studios in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
. The album also features the guitarists and songwriters
Phil and Tim Hanseroth, drummer Matt Chamberlain, cellist Josh Neumann and backing vocals by the
Indigo Girls on "Cannonball". The album was re-recorded as ''
Cover Stories'' featuring various artists covering the songs such as
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...
and
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
in aid of the charity
War Child.
Television exposure
"
The Story" was used in an episode of ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...
''. A video was created, first airing on the season 3 recap episode, "
Every Moment Counts". The video helped boost sales and downloads of the album increased. "The Story" was also used in television advertisements promoting the final season of the
Travel Channel
Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United ...
series ''
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations'' and the Australian drama series ''
McLeod's Daughters
''McLeod's Daughters'' is an Australian drama television series created by Posie Graeme-Evans and Caroline Stanton for the Nine Network, which aired from 8 August 2001, to 31 January 2009, lasting List of McLeod's Daughters episodes, eight seas ...
''.
On 25 April 2008 Carlile performed "The Story" and "Turpentine" on the
BBC2 show ''
Later...with Jools Holland''. The song "The Story" was also used in the 2008 commercial for
Super Bock, one of the most popular beer brands in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal:
:* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
, which led to the album ''The Story'' reaching number 4 on the Portuguese album chart. The song was used in a
General Motors television commercial aired on American and Canadian television showcasing their new line-up of more fuel efficient cars. Due to the ad airing heavily during the
2008 Beijing Olympics,
the song increased in downloads.
"The Story" was used in a montage of
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...
football coach
Joe Paterno during the opening and closing of the Ohio State-Penn State football game on
ABC on October 25, 2008. The song was also used in a
Tracker television commercial that aired on South African television.
It was also used in the film ''
The Lucky One'' (2012) and in an episode of ''
A Million Little Things'' at the end of season 2 episode 1.
Track listing
# "Late Morning Lullaby"
(Brandi Carlile) - 3:27
# "
The Story"
(Phil Hanseroth) - 3:58
# "Turpentine"
(Carlile) - 2:58
# "My Song"
(Carlile) - 4:28
# "Wasted"
(Carlile) - 3:47
# "Have You Ever"
(Phil Hanseroth) - 2:32
# "Josephine"
(Carlile, Tim Hanseroth) - 3:02
# "Losing Heart"
(Carlile, Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth) - 3:35
# "Cannonball"
(Carlile) - 3:52
# "Until I Die"
(Carlile) - 4:06
# "Downpour"
(Carlile) - 3:14
# "Shadow on the Wall"
(Carlile, Tim Hanseroth) - 3:15
# "Again Today"
(Carlile) - 10:38
#* Contains a hidden track, "Hiding My Heart"
(Tim Hanseroth)
Personnel
*
Brandi Carlile -
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
, lead vocals, background vocals
*
Matt Chamberlain -
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
* Keith Ciancia -
keyboards
*
Phil Hanseroth -
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...
, background vocals
* Tim Hanseroth - guitar, background vocals
* Josh Neumann - cello
*
Dave Palmer - keyboards
*
Amy Ray - background vocals
*
Emily Saliers - background vocals
Commercial performance and reception
In response to the increase in album downloads caused by the adverts in the U.S. (mentioned above), the album saw a 368% increase in sales from 1,323 to 6,198, causing it to return to the Billboard 200 at #88. To date the album has currently sold 257,776 copies in the United States. The lead single, "The Story," saw an increase in downloads of 28,091 digital copies, causing it to the chart at #48 on the Billboard Hot Digital songs chart.
Charts
Certifications
Covers
*
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...
season 9 finalist
Lacey Brown performed "The Story" during the top 16 week, receiving praises from the judges. Her cover was released as an American Idol live performance single on the iTunes Store and was available for purchase during the show's run.
*English singer
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
covered Carlile's hidden track "Hiding My Heart" as a bonus track for the limited edition of her 2011 album
''21'', which was then used on the soundtrack of the 2010 South Korean film ''Secret Love''.
*Actor and singer
Sara Ramirez covered "The Story" on their 2011 album ''
Sara Ramirez EP
''Sara Ramirez'' is the debut extended play (EP) by the Mexican-American recording artist and actor of the same name, released on March 27, 2011. Released to the iTunes Store through Atrevida Records, the EP features four songs, including a cove ...
''. This cover was used on the ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...
'' episode "
Song Beneath the Song" during the
seventh season.
*The singer/songwriter known as Cranius covered "The Story" in 2009. Cranius is known best for his World of Warcraft-based machinima songs, most popular of which is "Big Blue Dress".
*"The Story" was covered by country singer
LeAnn Rimes and was released as the first single from her 2016 album
Remnants.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Story (Brandi Carlile album)
2007 albums
Columbia Records albums
Brandi Carlile albums
Albums produced by T Bone Burnett