Fallen (album)

Infobox Album
Name = Fallen
Type = studio
Artist = Evanescence


Released = March 4, 2003
Recorded = Track Record Inc. & NRG Recording Studios, Ocean Studios, Conway Recording Studios.
Genre = Alternative metal
Length = 48:55 (latest version)
Label = Wind-up
Producer = Dave Fortman, Ben Moody
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Axqn8b5b4zsqj link]
*"Blender" rating|3|5 [http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=746 link]
*"Entertainment Weekly" (B-) [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,450488,00.html link]
*"Rolling Stone" rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/evanescence/albums/album/319429/review/5947042/fallen link]
*The Metal Observer rating|10|10 [http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=2108 link]
Last album = "Mystary EP"
(2003)
This album = "Fallen"
(2003)
Next album = "Anywhere but Home"
(2004)
Misc = Singles
Name = Fallen
Type = studio
single 1 = Bring Me to Life
single 1 date = April 22, 2003
single 2 = Going Under
single 2 date = September 9, 2003
single 3 = My Immortal
single 3 date = December 8, 2003
single 4 = Everybody's Fool
single 4 date = June 7, 2004
single 5 = Imaginary
single 5 date = 2004 as a radio-only single in Spain

"Fallen" is the first full-length album by American alternative metal band Evanescence. It was released on the Wind-up Records label, and was their first album to be released worldwide.

Recording

The album was recorded at Track Record Inc. & NRG Recording Studios (both in North Hollywood), Ocean Studios, (Burbank), Conway Recording Studios (Hollywood), all in California. The strings were recorded at The Newman Stage, 20th Century Fox.

Reception and sales

"Fallen" spent 58 weeks on the Billboard Top 20, and 100 weeks on the Billboard Top 200. In the UK, the album spent 33 weeks on the Top 20, and 60 weeks on the Top 75 and reached #1. However, "Fallen" reentered the UK charts at Number 35 during week 41 of 2006, the week that "The Open Door" opened at #2. [cite web |url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_albums_last.php?week=9&end=08/10/2006%20-%2014/10/2006 |title=Top 40 Albums Archive :: Week 41 : 08/10/2006 - 14/10/2006 |work=The Official UK Charts Company |accessdate=2006-12-12] "Fallen" advanced to #34 the following week, before falling back out of the Top 40 two weeks later. [cite web |url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_albums_last.php?week=8&end=15/10/2006%20-%2021/10/2006 |title=Top 40 Albums Archive :: Week 42 : 15/10/2006 - 21/10/2006 |work=The Official UK Charts Company |accessdate=2006-12-12] [cite web |url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_albums_last.php?week=7&end=22/10/2006%20-%2028/10/2006 |title=Top 40 Albums Archive :: Week 43 : 22/10/2006 - 28/10/2006 |work=The Official UK Charts Company |accessdate=2006-12-12]

"Fallen" was #1 on the United World Chart for a total of ten weeks, (nine weeks in 2003, and one week in 2004), and spent a total of 82 weeks on the chart.

Since falling out of the Billboard 200, as of April 2008, "Fallen" has remained on the "Billboard" Top Pop Catalog chart for over 223 weeks.cite web |url=http://www.webcitation.org/5XAxnhhod |title=Top Pop Catalog |work=Billboard.com |accessdate=2008-04-18]

In the U.S., the album was certified platinum by the RIAA in April 2003 (having also gone gold earlier in the same month), double platinum in June 2003, and triple platinum in October 2003. It was certified four times platinum in January 2004, five times in April 2004, six times in November 2004, and finally seven times in June 2008.cite web |url=http://www.webcitation.org/5ZghLkowD |title=Gold & Platinum: Search Results |work=RIAA.org |accessdate=2008-07-29]

"Fallen" was the eighth best-selling album in the U.S. in 2004, with about 2.61 million copies sold that year.cite news |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=186cc8e5-821b-4c8a-8755-e755e82551ae&page=2 |title=Usher No. 1 in 2004? Yeah! |work=E! Online |first=David |last=Jenison |date=2005-01-05 |accessdate=2006-12-03] The album is listed at number 95 on the all-time United World Chart. The album has gone on to sell 7 million copies in the U.S. as of April 2008, according to the "Billboard" Top Pop Catalog,cite web |url=http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1222786#1222786 |title=US Billboard Charts (26/04/2008) |work=UKMix.org |date=2008-04-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18] and over fifteen million copies worldwide.cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/09/earlyshow/saturday/secondcup/main3481821.shtml |title=Second Cup Cafe: Amy Lee Of Evanescence |work=CBS News |date=2007-11-10 |accessdate=2007-11-21]

Lyrical themes

Amy Lee said in an interview in "Australia MTV's The Lair", that she never wrote together with Ben, she always started on her own, then presented her ideas to Ben and made arrangements. However, they were Amy's feelings that inspired many songs on "Fallen". "Going Under" is about a previous emotionally and physically damaging relationship. This was the last song written for "Fallen" and would have been the first single had "Bring Me to Life" not been put onto the "Daredevil" soundtrack. It became the second single.cite news |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1472270/20030604/evanescence.jhtml |title=Evanescence Singer Pairs Metal Chains, Fairies For Upcoming Video |work=MTV News "via" MTV.com |first=Joe |last=D'Angelo |date=2003-06-04 |accessdate=2007-02-12]

"Bring Me to Life", also written by Amy Lee, is inspired by an incident that occurred while she was sitting in a restaurant.cite web|url=http://72.166.46.24//boston/events/state/documents/03148215.asp|title= Amy Lee on bringing Evanescence's 'Bring Me to Life' to life|accessdate=2007-02-27|publisher=BostonPhoenix.com|last=Carioli|first=Carly] Lee has also recently stated that the song was written about her old friend, and now husband, Josh.cite web|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=2076|title=Amy Lee: Back In Black|accessdate=2007-02-27|last=Eelss|first=Josh] Amy's sister, Carrie Lee had a fascination with pop stars such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and it was the inspiration for "Everybody's Fool". Amy Lee said that Carrie, 8 at the time, started to dress as those two superstars and that it angered Amy.cite news |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1488307/06102004/evanescence.jhtml |title=Evanescence's Amy Lee Hopes To Get Into Film, Rages Against Cheesy Female Idols |work=MTV News via VH1.com |first=Corey |last=Moss |date=2004-06-10 |accessdate=2006-11-07]

"My Immortal" was written by Evanescence's former guitarist, Ben Moody, with Amy Lee adding the bridge. Like all songs written by Moody, the lyrics are based on a short story he wrote. According to Moody, the song is about a spirit staying with you after its death and haunting you until you actually wish that the spirit were gone because it won't leave you alone. Ben also stated in the Fallen booklet that he dedicated the song to Bill Holcomb, his grandfather. [cite book|title=Fallen booklet|publisher=Wind-up Records|year=2003]

"Haunted" is based on a story written by Ben Moody that served as an inspiration for Amy Lee to write the lyrics. The story is about a little girl that gets trapped in a mansion that turns into a decaying mess. This story was posted by Moody at EvBoard.com.cite web| url=http://www.evboard.com/showthread.php?p=43068|authorlink=Ben Moody|last=Moody|first=Ben|accessdate=2007-02-27|title=WHAT "HAUNTED" IS ABOUT|date=2003-02-17]
"Hello" is written in memory of Amy Lee's sister, as is "Like You" on "The Open Door"."Tourniquet", written by Rocky Gray for his band Soul Embraced, is a song coming from a Christian standpoint, but it's about suicide. It is from the perspective of someone who has just committed suicide.cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1472058/20030523/evanescence.jhtml|title=Evanescence|Fallen To The Top|last=Kaufman|first=Gil|date=2003-05-09|accessdate=2007-03-10]

Track listing

Tracklist
writing_credits = yes
title1 = Going Under
writer1 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length1 = 3:35
title2 = Bring Me to Life
note2 = featuring Paul McCoy
writer2 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length2 = 3:58
title3 = Everybody's Fool
writer3 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length3 = 3:16
title4 = My Immortal
writer4 = Moody, Lee
length4 = 4:24
title5 = Haunted
writer5 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length5 = 3:06
title6 = Tourniquet
writer6 = Moody, Lee, Hodges, Gray
length6 = 4:38
title7 = Imaginary
writer7 = Moody, Lee
length7 = 4:17
title8 = Taking Over Me
writer8 = Moody, Lee, Hodges, LeCompt
length8 = 3:50
title9 = Hello
writer9 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length9 = 3:40
title10 = My Last Breath
writer10 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length10 = 4:08
title11 = Whisper
writer11 = Moody, Lee
length11 = 5:27
title12 = My Immortal
note12 = Band version; unlisted bonus track on later pressings
writer12 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length12 = 4:33

Japanese edition bonus tracks

The Japanese edition was released July 22, 2003.

Tracklist
writing_credits = yes
title12 = Farther Away
writer12 = Moody, Lee, Hodges
length12 = 3:58
title13 = My Immortal
note13 = Band version, only on later pressings
writer13= Moody, Lee, Hodges
length13 = 4:33

Charts

:"See also: Evanescence discography"

Personnel

*Ben Moody – guitars
*Amy Lee – vocals
*David Hodges – piano, keyboards

;Additional musicians
*Francesco DiCosmo – bass guitar
*Josh Freese – drums
*Paul McCoy – guest vocals on "Bring Me to Life"
*Millennium Choir – background choir on "Everybody's Fool", "Haunted", "Imaginary" and "Whisper"

References

succession box
before = "Hail to the Thief" by Radiohead
title = UK number one album
years = June 28 2003 – July 4 2003
after = "Dangerously in Love" by Beyoncésuccession box
before = "Just As I Am" by Guy Sebastian
title = Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
years = January 26, 2004 – February 15, 2004
after = "That's What I'm Talking About" by Shannon Noll