''Who We Are'' is the fourth studio album by American
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 ...
band
Lifehouse. It was first released via
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
in the United States on June 18, 2007 by
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
. It was released via digital download the next day on June 19, 2007. The band entered the studio without any demos recorded and only had lyrics from Lifehouse lead singer
Jason Wade
Jason Michael Wade (born July 5, 1980) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Lifehouse.
Career
Lifehouse
At the age of 15, Wade co-founded Lifehouse (originally called Blyss) wit ...
.
The album received positive reviews from critics, and peaked at number fourteen on the
''Billboard'' 200, selling 49,000 copies in its first week. It also managed to chart in the top twenty of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s
Alternative Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
,
Digital Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
, and
Rock Albums charts the first week it was released. It was certified Gold in the United States 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 ...
on October 22, 2008.
The album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
, "
First Time", was released May 7, 2007, and charted in several countries. The second single, "
Whatever It Takes", was released on November 13, 2007, and charted on several ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' charts. The third single, "
Broken" was released January 8, 2008, and had commercial success in the United States and Canada, and eventually other countries.
Background
The album was produced by American record producer
Jude Cole,
Lifehouse, and
John Fields.
Lifehouse started recording ''Who We Are'' without any demos, and only had lyrics from
Jason Wade
Jason Michael Wade (born July 5, 1980) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Lifehouse.
Career
Lifehouse
At the age of 15, Wade co-founded Lifehouse (originally called Blyss) wit ...
when they entered the studio.
When asked about creating a song for the album, Lifehouse lead percussionist
Rick Woolstenhulme, Jr. said, "Nobody really knew what they would be playing. We just cut it, listened to it and realized it was pretty electric… the kind of song where you just turn up the radio."
The album focused on the different emotions of love, bliss, struggles, and pain.
Musically, the album was a combination of rock, alternative, and adult alternative.
After being asked about the title of the album, Wade stated, "We established camaraderie on the road and gelled as a unit. This record defines 'Who We Are,' which is why that’s the title. The sound fits where we’re at right now."
Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade had many inspirations when writing songs for ''Who We Are''. When asked about the background of lead single "
First Time", Wade said, "It just felt urgent, like a first kiss, a first love. Like the first time you realize there's more to that relationship than you thought. I had to dig a little for that one, but I find myself at a place where I can write stuff that's a little deeper than your average love song in terms of emotion."
Wade was inspired to write "The Joke" after he read a newspaper article that detailed the story of a British boy who hung himself as a result of being bullied by his fellow schoolmates.
The song "
Broken" was written by Wade after he visited a friend in Nashville that needed a kidney transplant.
"Make Me Over" was inspired by the band's love of British rock, while strains of "Learn You Inside Out" were inspired by the
Plastic Ono Band
The Plastic Ono Band was a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name.
Lennon and Ono began a personal and artistic relati ...
.
When asked about the song "Learn You Inside Out", Wade said, "I wrote it really quick. We decided just to freestyle. It was one of those moments when we really grew as a band, being able to reach each other and know where we're going."
The song "Disarray" was inspired by Wade's strict and religious family. When asked about the song, he said, "Angels, demons. We all fight them both, and anyone who pretends they don’t is not someone I want to hang out with."
"Storm" was originally written by Wade at the age of sixteen, when he was going through difficult times.
When asked about the song in an interview, Wade said, "That was fun to record because of its starkness. We love the idea of the title, surrounded by negative space, like the a cappella beginning. Because when you’re lost in confusion, no matter how much is going on around you, you’re still alone."
Singles
"
First Time" was released as the album's
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
on May 7, 2007 and was solicited to
mainstream
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
radio on May 15, 2007.
The song peaked at number twenty-six on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number forty-seven on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
.
It also appeared on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Mainstream Top 40
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
,
Hot 100 Airplay
The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...
,
Digital Songs
The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally sta ...
, and
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
charts.
In 2007, the song was nominated for the "Choice Music: Love Song" award at the
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
.
"
Whatever It Takes" was released as the album's second single on November 13, 2007.
The song peaked at number thirty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 during its twenty weeks on the chart.
It also placed on the ''Billboard'' Pop Songs, Radio Songs, Digital Songs, Adult Contemporary, and
Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...
charts.
"
Broken" was released as the album's third and final single on July 8, 2008. It appeared on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Canadian Hot 100, and Digital Songs charts.
On October 10, 2007, "Broken" was played in the ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...
'' episode "Scared to Death".
Several months later, the song appeared in 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 se ...
'' episode "Lay Your Hands On Me" on January 10, 2008.
It featured in the ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'' episode "For Tonight You're Only Here to Know" on February 26, 2008.
Reception
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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 the album as "post-alternative guitar rock preserved in amber, all shallow angst and earnestness, communicated through music that surges without hooks."
However, he further commented that "Lifehouse
spleasant enough, but hardly memorable, and hardly
nswersthe question of who they are no matter how they try."
Alex Lai of
Contact Music
Contactmusic.com is an online magazine of cultural criticism based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, and ...
called "the ballads on this record amongst the best the band has produced" and further commented that "
he album
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is very well balanced and though far from groundbreaking, show that Lifehouse have returned to their consistent best."
John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout said that the album "isn't much different from their previous chapters."
However, DiBiase said that "there
replenty of accented new flavors among the tracks to keep things fresh and interesting."
Chart performance
In the United States, ''Who We Are'' debuted and peaked at number fourteen on the
''Billboard'' Hot 200, selling 49,000 copies in its first week.
It stayed on the chart for seventy-six non-consecutive weeks.
The album debuted and peaked on the
''Billboard'' Rock Albums chart at number five.
On the
''Billboard'' Digital Albums chart, the album debuted and peaked at number four and stayed on the chart for five consecutive weeks.
It debuted and peaked at number eighteen on the
''Billboard'' Alternative Albums chart and stayed there for ten non-consecutive weeks.
It was certified Gold in the United States 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 ...
on October 22, 2008.
As of June 28, 2010, the album's singles have garnered over three million digital downloads.
Promotion
In support of ''Who We Are'', Lifehouse went on the "Disarray Tour", which was highlighted by dates in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
American singer-songwriter
Matt Nathanson
Matthew Adam Nathanson (born March 28, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter whose work is a blend of folk and rock and roll music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic (sometimes a 12-string) and electric guitar, and has played both sol ...
and HoneyHoney joined Lifehouse on select dates throughout the tour.
Lifehouse continued to promote the album on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...
'' on July 9, 2007 where they played "
First Time".
They also performed the song on ''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...
'' on August 15, 2007.
The band made an appearance at the
2008 NFL Pro Bowl on February 10, 2008.
On February 15, 2008, the band performed on ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
''.
They performed on ''
Live with Regis and Kelly
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
'' playing "First Time" and "
Whatever It Takes" on April 1, 2008.
Track listing
All songs produced by
Jude Cole and Lifehouse, except "Broken" produced by
John Fields.
Credits and personnel
Adapted from
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 ...
.
*
Jason Wade
Jason Michael Wade (born July 5, 1980) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Lifehouse.
Career
Lifehouse
At the age of 15, Wade co-founded Lifehouse (originally called Blyss) wit ...
– composer, group member, guitar, piano, vocals
*
Bryce Soderberg
Bryce Dane Soderberg (born April 10, 1980) is a Canadian-American musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and vocalist for American rock band Lifehouse.
Early life
Soderberg was born in Victoria, British Columbia, and raised outside ...
– bass, group member, background vocals
*
Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. drums, group member
*German Villacorta – assistant
*Mark Somgynari – assistant
*Will Sandalls – engineer
*Jeff Rothschild – mixing
*
Jack Joseph Puig – mixing
*
Evan Peters
Evan Thomas Peters (born January 20, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his multiple roles on the FX anthology series '' American Horror Story''; as Detective Colin Zabel in the HBO crime drama limited series '' Mare of Easttown'', w ...
– A&R
*
Thom Panunzio
Thom Panunzio is a music producer and engineer.
His career began in 1974 at the Record Plant Studios NYC, working with John Lennon. Later, he became a staff engineer at the Record Plant, and later at The Hit Factory.
Panunzio worked often with ...
– A&R, mixing
*Dean Nelson – mixing assistant
*Tim McCloy – assistant
*Stephen Lu – conductor, string arrangements
*
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...
– mixing
*Pamela Littky – photography
*
Lifehouse – producer
*
Pat Leonard – keyboards
*Jenn Johnson – production coordination
*Erik Johnson – design
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Biography
Ted ...
– mastering
*Ross Hogarth – engineering
*Tina Hagio – design
*Kunio Hagio – paintings
*
Eric Gorfain
Eric Gorfain is an American violinist and founder of The Section Quartet, a string quartet that plays cover versions of rock songs. He is married to singer-songwriter Sam Phillips, with whom he has toured and recorded.
Gorfain studied music at UC ...
– violin
*
Mark Goldenberg
Mark Goldenberg (born April 10, 1952) is an American guitarist and songwriter, noted for his session work and composition of successful songs for Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, and others.
Biography Early career
Raised in Chicago, Illin ...
– guitar
*
John Fields – producer
*Scott Faircloff – engineering, vocal producer
*
Richard Dodd
Richard Dodd (born April 25, 1965) is an English cellist, recording artist and musician. He has appeared on numerous records beginning from The Three O'Clock's Album Sixteen Tambourines, and spanning different musical genres in Pop, with acts l ...
– cello
*Rocco Deluca – organ
*
Jude Cole – composer, guitar, keyboards, piano, producer, background vocals
*Daphne Chen – violin
*Leah Katz – viola
*Keith Armstrong – mixing assistant
*Florian Ammon – engineering, mixing
*
Thom Panunzio
Thom Panunzio is a music producer and engineer.
His career began in 1974 at the Record Plant Studios NYC, working with John Lennon. Later, he became a staff engineer at the Record Plant, and later at The Hit Factory.
Panunzio worked often with ...
– mixing, A&R
*Jeff Rothschild – mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Who We Are (Lifehouse Album)
2007 albums
Lifehouse (band) albums
Geffen Records albums
Interscope Geffen A&M Records albums