Yourself or someone like you
Encyclopedia
Yourself or Someone Like You is the debut album by American rock
band Matchbox Twenty
, released in 1996. Featuring a traditional rock
sound and themes of loneliness
, psychological abuse
, humiliation
, anger
, and alcoholism
, the album sold more than twelve million copies in the U.S and was certified Diamond
. It was also certified multi-platinum in Australia
, Canada
and New Zealand
. To date, the album has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
resident Frank Torres, whose photo was on the cover of the album, sued Matchbox Twenty, claiming that the band had never sought his consent
to use his photo on the album's cover. In the litigation
, Torres claimed the photo was taken as he was walking down the street after being asked to pose. He also claimed the photo had caused him mental anguish. Torres justified the delay in suing Matchbox Twenty by claiming he had only seen the album photo within the last two years.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
, released in 1996. Featuring a traditional rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
sound and themes of loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships. However, it is a subjective experience...
, psychological abuse
Psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder...
, humiliation
Humiliation
Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It can be brought about through bullying, intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment or trickery, or by embarrassment if a person is revealed to have...
, anger
Anger
Anger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
, and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, the album sold more than twelve million copies in the U.S and was certified Diamond
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
. It was also certified multi-platinum in Australia
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
, Canada
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
and New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
. To date, the album has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
Controversy
In May 2005, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
resident Frank Torres, whose photo was on the cover of the album, sued Matchbox Twenty, claiming that the band had never sought his consent
Consent
Consent refers to the provision of approval or agreement, particularly and especially after thoughtful consideration.- Types of consent :*Implied consent is a controversial form of consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather inferred from a person's actions and the facts and...
to use his photo on the album's cover. In the litigation
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, Torres claimed the photo was taken as he was walking down the street after being asked to pose. He also claimed the photo had caused him mental anguish. Torres justified the delay in suing Matchbox Twenty by claiming he had only seen the album photo within the last two years.
Track listing
- All tracks were written by Rob ThomasRob Thomas (musician)Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas is an American rock recording artist and songwriter. He is the primary songwriter and lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty. Thomas also records and performs as a solo artist...
unless otherwise stated.
- "Real WorldReal World (song)For the song by Queensrÿche, see Real World "Real World" is the fourth single off Matchbox Twenty's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You....
" – 3:50 - "Long DayLong Day"Long Day" is the first single and second track from Matchbox Twenty's debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. The song starts off with just an acoustic guitar; then switches to electric guitars for most of the song. The vocal style is typical of Rob Thomas, a mixture of soft and soulful and...
" – 3:45 - "3 A.M." (Thomas, John Leslie Goff, John Joseph Stanley, Brian YaleBrian YaleBrian Joseph Yale is the bass guitarist for the band Matchbox Twenty. He likes to quote Austin Powers, "Do I Make you horny, baby?"...
) – 3:46 - "Push" (Thomas, Matt SerleticMatt SerleticMatt Serletic is a record producer who has worked with several popular bands and artists for Atlantic Records, including Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, Edwin McCain, Stacie Orrico, Taylor Hicks, Rob Thomas, and singer/songwriter Angie Aparo. Serletic will be working with...
) – 3:59 - "Girl Like That" – 3:45
- "Back 2 GoodBack 2 Good"Back 2 Good" is a song by Matchbox Twenty, released as the fifth single from their multi-platinum debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. This song would prove to be their biggest hit from this album according to the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at number 24 in 1998...
" (Thomas, Serletic) – 5:40 - "Damn" – 3:20
- "Argue" – 2:58
- "Kody" – 4:03
- "Busted" – 4:15
- "Shame" – 3:35
- "Hang" – 3:47
- "Tired" – 3:57 (Japanese bonus trackBonus trackIn terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
)
Personnel
- Rob ThomasRob Thomas (musician)Robert Kelly "Rob" Thomas is an American rock recording artist and songwriter. He is the primary songwriter and lead singer of the band Matchbox Twenty. Thomas also records and performs as a solo artist...
– lead vocals, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
on "Hang" - Kyle CookKyle CookDavid Kyle Cook born August 29, 1975 in Frankfort, Indiana, is a member of the band Matchbox Twenty. He plays lead guitar, banjo and sings backing vocals for the band. He attended the Atlanta Music Institute. He also lived in Oviedo, Florida for a time...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals, lead and chorus vocals on "Hang" - Adam Gaynor – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals - Brian YaleBrian YaleBrian Joseph Yale is the bass guitarist for the band Matchbox Twenty. He likes to quote Austin Powers, "Do I Make you horny, baby?"...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Paul DoucettePaul DoucettePaul John Doucette is the rhythm guitarist and former drummer for the band Matchbox Twenty. A native of North Huntington, Pennsylvania – a suburb located roughly 15 miles SE of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County – Doucette graduated from Norwin High School in June 1990. He now lives in...
– drums
Additional Musicians
- Matt SerleticMatt SerleticMatt Serletic is a record producer who has worked with several popular bands and artists for Atlantic Records, including Collective Soul, Matchbox Twenty, Blessid Union of Souls, Edwin McCain, Stacie Orrico, Taylor Hicks, Rob Thomas, and singer/songwriter Angie Aparo. Serletic will be working with...
- keyboards, percussion - Elizabeth Burkhardt - BassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
, Woodwind Leader (on "Back 2 Good") - Amy Porter - FluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(on "Back 2 Good") - Yvonne Powers - OboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
(on "Back 2 Good") - Ted Gurch - ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
(on "Back 2 Good") - Douglas Smith - Bass ClarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
(on "Back 2 Good")
Production
- Matt Serletic - Producer
- Jeff Tomei - Engineer
- John Neilson - Assistant Engineer
- Greg Archilla - Mixing Engineer
- Matt Serletic - Mixing Engineer
- Malcolm Springer - Assistant Mixing Engineer
- Stephen Marcussen - Mastering Engineer
- Don C. Tyler - Digital Editing
- Tony Adams - Drum Tech
- Craig Poole - Guitar Tech
- Jan Smith - Vocal Coach
- Valerie Wagner - Art DirectionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Valerie Wagner - Graphic DesignGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- Katrin Thomas - PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Chris Cuffaro - Band Photo
Charts
| Charts (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Top Canadian Albums Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
11 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
50 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
21 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
3 |
| Swiss Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... Albums Chart |
46 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
50 |
| U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... 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... |
5 |
| Charts (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 28 |
Certifications
| Country | Providers | Certification | Sales or Shipments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
9× Platinum | 630,000 |
| Canada | CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
8× Platinum | 800,000 |
| New Zealand | RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
5× Platinum | 75,000 |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Silver | 100,000 |
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
12× Platinum (Diamond) | 12,000,000 |
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. Modern Rock |
U.S. Main- stream Rock |
U.S. Adult Top 40 |
U.S. Top 40 Main- stream |
U.S. Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
CAN Alt. RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Long Day Long Day "Long Day" is the first single and second track from Matchbox Twenty's debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. The song starts off with just an acoustic guitar; then switches to electric guitars for most of the song. The vocal style is typical of Rob Thomas, a mixture of soft and soulful and... " |
— | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | 83 | 43 | 18 |
| 1997 | "Push" | — | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | — | 38 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| 1997 | "3 A.M." | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | 64 | 31 | 1 | 1 |
| 1998 | "Real World Real World (song) For the song by Queensrÿche, see Real World "Real World" is the fourth single off Matchbox Twenty's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You.... " |
38 | 13 | 17 | 3 | 4 | — | 119 | 40 | 5 | 8 |
| 1998 | "Back 2 Good Back 2 Good "Back 2 Good" is a song by Matchbox Twenty, released as the fifth single from their multi-platinum debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. This song would prove to be their biggest hit from this album according to the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at number 24 in 1998... " |
24 | — | — | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | 11 | — |
| 1998 | "Girl Like That" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |