''Third Eye Blind'' is the debut studio album by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...
, released on April 8, 1997, by
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
. The album was collectively written by
Stephan Jenkins and
Kevin Cadogan
Kevin Rene Cadogan (born August 14, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. A founding member of the band Third Eye Blind, he performed with the band from 1993 to 2000. He co-wrote some of Third Eye Bl ...
, while production was helmed by Jenkins and
Eric Valentine
Eric Dodd, known professionally as Eric Valentine, is an American record producer who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride.
He subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, Tak ...
. Recorded in and around San Francisco at Toast Studios,
Skywalker Ranch
Skywalker Ranch is a movie ranch and workplace of film director, writer and producer George Lucas located in a secluded area near Nicasio, California, in Marin County. The ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road, named for an early-20th-century l ...
, and H.O.S., the album incorporates elements of
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
,
post-grunge
Post-grunge is a derivative of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox and Collective So ...
, and
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
. Thematically, the album focuses on topics such as relationships, drug addiction, suicide prevention, and the band's experience of being signed to a major record label. ''Third Eye Blind'' was promoted with five singles: "
Semi-Charmed Life
"Semi-Charmed Life" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their eponymous debut studio album (1997). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on February 18, 1997, by Elektra Records. Frontman Stephan Jenkins ...
", "
Graduate", "
How's It Going to Be
"How's It Going to Be" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their eponymous debut studio album (1997). It was released to radio as the third single from the album on October 20, 1997, by Elektra Records. Frontman Stephan Jenkin ...
", "
Losing a Whole Year", and "
Jumper
Jumper or Jumpers may refer to:
Clothing
*Jumper (sweater), a long-sleeve article of clothing; also called a top, pullover, or sweater
**A waist-length top garment of dense wool, part of the Royal Navy uniform and the uniform of the United State ...
".
Music and lyrics
The central theme of ''Third Eye Blind'' is loss, with the album exploring subjects such as suicide, crystal methamphetamine addiction, and sexual abuse.
"
Semi-Charmed Life
"Semi-Charmed Life" is a song by American rock band Third Eye Blind from their eponymous debut studio album (1997). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on February 18, 1997, by Elektra Records. Frontman Stephan Jenkins ...
", an
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
song composed with a
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
-influenced singing style, was one of the first songs recorded for the album. The song focuses on a crystal methamphetamine addiction, although Jenkins contends that it more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life.
Title and artwork
When developing a band name and a title for their debut record, Jenkins sought a name with "wit and a sense of punk-rock irony".
The name "Third Eye Blind" is meant to refer to a metaphysical
third eye
The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In ...
, however, the band also intended to satirize the concept.
Alli and Ro-Starr were responsible for the album's art direction, with the latter also crafting the band's "falling man" logo.
Kate Garner
Kathryn Mary Garner (born 9 July 1954) is a British photographer, fine artist and singer.
Early life
Born in Wigan, Lancashire to Anne Philomena Shannon and George Sandeman Garner, a factory worker and a sailor, Garner was expelled from high s ...
was responsible for the album's photography, with the exclusion of the album cover which was shot by Christine Alicino on December 16, 1996, in San Francisco, California.
The shot features model Shandra Boatwright, eyes closed with her mouth wide open, as her and Jenkins' hands are placed on her forehead. Alicino commented that she was hired to "photograph a young woman with an expressive mouth in my edgy polaroid style".
In order to achieve this expressive appearance, Boatwright wore bright red lipstick and dark eyeliner.
The first pressing of ''Third Eye Blind'' in the United States featured a sepia-toned album cover with a red band logo. This pressing was limited to approximately 500,000 copies in the country, however, it was still employed in the United Kingdom and other European nations. The second pressing of the album featured these colors reverted, with a red-toned cover and yellow band logo. In Japan, the album was released with a cyan,
negative photo cover. The 20th anniversary edition of the album features a black-toned version of the cover.
In April 2022, Jenkins stated on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the sepia-toned cover is "how
he artwork issupposed to be," although the artwork was changed to a red-tone due to Elektra Records finding the latter to be "more flashy."
Documentary
In December 2019, a 22-minute
documentary short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
titled ''Motorcycle Drive By'' was announced on Third Eye Blind's
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
page. The documentary is directed by
David Wexler and focuses on the backstory of the song of same name.
The documentary was originally planned to premiere on April 17, 2020, at the 19th
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...
, although the film festival was indefinitely postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. The documentary was then released on May 29, 2020, on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
as part of the
We Are One: A Global Film Festival.
Touring
Third Eye Blind performed across the United States alongside
Eve 6
Eve 6 is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Southern California, best known for their hit singles "Inside Out," "Leech," " Here's to the Night," and "Promise." They disbanded in 2004, returned for numerous tours in 2007 with a new lineup ...
on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
's Campus Invasion tour. The band also performed as an opening act for
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
and
U2 on their respective tours.
Reception
Critical reception to ''Third Eye Blind'' was generally positive.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
described ''Third Eye Blind'' as "easy on the ears," stating that "its straight-ahead professionalism makes it a pleasurable listen for post-grungers".
David Grad of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' described the album as "balancing a cheery ear for harmonies with a finely honed sense of despair".
''Third Eye Blind'' was a
sleeper hit
In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little promo ...
, entering the ''Billboard'' album charts at number 135 and then peaking at number 25 nearly a year after release. The album spent a total of 106 weeks on the chart, and was certified 6x
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
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 ...
in August 2001.
As of April 2017, ''Third Eye Blind'' has sold over 6 million units in the U.S., selling approximately 84,000 units in its best week. The album remains as Third Eye Blind's most successful release, accounting for the plurality of their career sales.
Legacy
In 2022,
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
cited the album as one of the biggest influences in her music career.
Track listing
Standard edition
20th Anniversary edition
Personnel
Third Eye Blind
*
Kevin Cadogan
Kevin Rene Cadogan (born August 14, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist. A founding member of the band Third Eye Blind, he performed with the band from 1993 to 2000. He co-wrote some of Third Eye Bl ...
– lead guitar ; backing vocals ; autoharp
*
Brad Hargreaves – drums
*
Stephan Jenkins – lead vocals ; percussion ; brushes ; guitar ; programming ; keyboard arrangements ; drums ; acoustic guitar
*
Arion Salazar
Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recor ...
– bass guitar ; backing vocals ; piano
Additional musicians
*
Michael Urbano
Michael Urbano (born March 19, 1966 in Sacramento, California, USA) is a musician, programmer, and record producer.
Career
One of Urbano's first gigs was as a member of Bourgeois Tagg, a 1980s band that was fronted by Brent Bourgeois and Larr ...
– drums
*
Eric Valentine
Eric Dodd, known professionally as Eric Valentine, is an American record producer who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride.
He subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, Tak ...
– programming ; piano ; guitar ; keyboards
* Ari Gorman – cello
Design
* Alli –
art direction
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...
* Ro-Starr – art direction, logos/design
* Christine Alicino – front cover photo
*
Kate Garner
Kathryn Mary Garner (born 9 July 1954) is a British photographer, fine artist and singer.
Early life
Born in Wigan, Lancashire to Anne Philomena Shannon and George Sandeman Garner, a factory worker and a sailor, Garner was expelled from high s ...
– photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
References
External links
Audio for the albumon YouTube
{{Authority control
Third Eye Blind albums
1997 debut albums
Elektra Records albums
Albums produced by Eric Valentine