Save Me San Francisco
Encyclopedia
Save Me, San Francisco is the fifth album from California rock band
Train
and was released on October 27, 2009, through Columbia Records
. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 09/09/10.
The album's first single, "Hey, Soul Sister
", which marked a return to the group's folk-rock roots, was released to digital retailers on August 11, 2009. The single has since become Train's fourth career Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and second career top 10 hit, reaching number three twenty six weeks after it was released. It is also the band's highest-peaking single to date in their native United States, as well as Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
The follow-up single, "If It's Love
", became Train's fourth-career chart-topping single on the Adult Top 40 and peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Marry Me
" was released on October 25 as the third single off the record — it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #95 and has reached #34. "Save Me, San Francisco" was released on April 25, 2011 as the fourth single off the record, and peaked at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
and garnering numerous positive reviews, the band's previous album, For Me, It's You, was a commercial failure, lacking longevity on the aforementioned chart and being the first Train album to fail to garner an RIAA certification or spawn a Billboard Hot 100-charting single.
The band has since attributed the album's failure to resonate to listeners to their own internal struggles at the time. After considering breaking up altogether at one point, the band finally decided to take a hiatus and pursue solo projects. Lead singer and lyricist Pat Monahan
recorded his debut solo record, Last of Seven, which was released in September 2007, shortly after the band went on hiatus. Despite garnering positive reviews, the album was a commercial failure, debuting and peaking at a disappointing #82 on the Billboard 200 composite chart.
In early 2009, in an effort to try and restore the band, the now-trio regrouped. Lead guitarist Jimmy Stafford reflected on their intentions at the time:
After deciding to change management and restore the band to its core trio, the band found motivation in writing new songs; reportedly writing a total of 80. The band also made a habitual departure from collaborating with a sole producer each previous album era in deciding to record and collaborate with numerous producers, including famed producer and frontman of OneRepublic
Ryan Tedder
, Dave Katz
and Sam Hollander
of the 2008 Rolling Stone Hot List Producers of the Year-awarded recording duo S*A*M & Sluggo, and Espen Lind
and Amund Bjørklund of the famed Norwegian producing duo Espionage
, who produced and co-wrote the album's single "Hey, Soul Sister" and the album track "Brick by Brick".
Lead singer and lyricist Pat Monahan attributed the band's new-found momentum to approaching their work ethic with a happy disposition:
The recording sessions, according to the band, also marked a return to the band's roots; both musically as well as culturally to their native San Francisco:
However, buoyed by the breakout success of Train's biggest single to date ("Hey, Soul Sister"), the album has since enjoyed a resurgence; steadily climbing the Billboard 200 back to a position of #20 the chart week of August 21, 2010, 39 weeks after its release. The album was certified Gold in the US on 09/09/2010, with sales of over 500,000 copies.
The album has also enjoyed modest levels of international success to date. After their previous album For Me, It's You failed to chart the ARIA Albums chart altogether, Save Me San Francisco reached a peak of #8 on the aforementioned chart: their best chart showing since Drops of Jupiter
peaked at #3 in 2001.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
and was released on October 27, 2009, through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 09/09/10.
The album's first single, "Hey, Soul Sister
Hey, Soul Sister
"Hey, Soul Sister" is a song by the American rock band Train, written by Patrick Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is their highest...
", which marked a return to the group's folk-rock roots, was released to digital retailers on August 11, 2009. The single has since become Train's fourth career Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and second career top 10 hit, reaching number three twenty six weeks after it was released. It is also the band's highest-peaking single to date in their native United States, as well as Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
The follow-up single, "If It's Love
If It's Love (Train song)
"If It's Love" is the second single from Train's fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco.It debuted at #31 on Billboard 's Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart. and has since become Train's second-consecutive #1 hit from the album, as well as their fourth #1 overall...
", became Train's fourth-career chart-topping single on the Adult Top 40 and peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Marry Me
Marry Me (song)
"Marry Me" is the title of a song written by Patrick Monahan and recorded by the group Train, for their fifth studio album Save Me, San Francisco. The song was released on October 25, 2010 as the album's third single...
" was released on October 25 as the third single off the record — it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #95 and has reached #34. "Save Me, San Francisco" was released on April 25, 2011 as the fourth single off the record, and peaked at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background
Despite debuting in the Top Ten of the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and garnering numerous positive reviews, the band's previous album, For Me, It's You, was a commercial failure, lacking longevity on the aforementioned chart and being the first Train album to fail to garner an RIAA certification or spawn a Billboard Hot 100-charting single.
The band has since attributed the album's failure to resonate to listeners to their own internal struggles at the time. After considering breaking up altogether at one point, the band finally decided to take a hiatus and pursue solo projects. Lead singer and lyricist Pat Monahan
Patrick Monahan
Patrick Monahan is the lead singer and songwriter for the Grammy award winning band Train. He also has recorded a solo album, and has collaborated with multiple artists.-Life and career:...
recorded his debut solo record, Last of Seven, which was released in September 2007, shortly after the band went on hiatus. Despite garnering positive reviews, the album was a commercial failure, debuting and peaking at a disappointing #82 on the Billboard 200 composite chart.
In early 2009, in an effort to try and restore the band, the now-trio regrouped. Lead guitarist Jimmy Stafford reflected on their intentions at the time:
After deciding to change management and restore the band to its core trio, the band found motivation in writing new songs; reportedly writing a total of 80. The band also made a habitual departure from collaborating with a sole producer each previous album era in deciding to record and collaborate with numerous producers, including famed producer and frontman of OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
, Dave Katz
Dave Katz
Dave Katz has co-written and/or produced songs for The Cab, Hey Monday, All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Gym Class Heroes, Kelly Rowland, The Academy Is..., Mandy Moore, Cobra Starship, Roger Daltrey, Coheed and Cambria, Metro Station, We The Kings, Blake Lewis, Hollywood Undead, and others.In 2005,...
and Sam Hollander
Sam Hollander
Sam Hollander is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written and/or produced hits for the likes of Train, Boys Like Girls, Gym Class Heroes, Good Charlotte, Carole King, Neon Trees, Cobra Starship, 3OH!3, Coheed and Cambria, All Time Low, Metro Station, We The Kings, O.A.R., Uncle...
of the 2008 Rolling Stone Hot List Producers of the Year-awarded recording duo S*A*M & Sluggo, and Espen Lind
Espen Lind
Espen Lind, , is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.- Solo records :...
and Amund Bjørklund of the famed Norwegian producing duo Espionage
Espionage (production team)
Espionage is a New York-based Norwegian songwriting and music production team consisting of Espen Lind and Amund Bjørklund. Their breakthrough came in 2006 as co-writers of Beyoncé's worldwide smash "Irreplaceable", which was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 consecutive weeks and the best...
, who produced and co-wrote the album's single "Hey, Soul Sister" and the album track "Brick by Brick".
Lead singer and lyricist Pat Monahan attributed the band's new-found momentum to approaching their work ethic with a happy disposition:
The recording sessions, according to the band, also marked a return to the band's roots; both musically as well as culturally to their native San Francisco:
Reception
With their diminished commercial standing at the time of its release, Save Me San Francisco debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200, their first album not to debut in the chart's Top Ten since their self-titled debut release. The album quickly descended the chart in subsequent weeks until, at one point, it exited the Billboard 200 altogether.However, buoyed by the breakout success of Train's biggest single to date ("Hey, Soul Sister"), the album has since enjoyed a resurgence; steadily climbing the Billboard 200 back to a position of #20 the chart week of August 21, 2010, 39 weeks after its release. The album was certified Gold in the US on 09/09/2010, with sales of over 500,000 copies.
The album has also enjoyed modest levels of international success to date. After their previous album For Me, It's You failed to chart the ARIA Albums chart altogether, Save Me San Francisco reached a peak of #8 on the aforementioned chart: their best chart showing since Drops of Jupiter
Drops of Jupiter
Drops of Jupiter is Train's second album, released in 2001. The album's title is derived from "Drops of Jupiter ", its first single which was extremely popular and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song....
peaked at #3 in 2001.
Track listing
Chart performance
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 8 |
| Dutch Albums Top 100 | 13 |
| German Albums Chart | 43 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 64 |
| US Billboard 200 | 17 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Albums | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart | 33 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
57 |