The Reason (Hoobastank album)

The Reason
Studio album by Hoobastank
Released	December 9, 2003
Recorded	March–August 2003 at Bay 7 in North Hollywood, California
Genre	Post-grunge alternative metal pop rock alternative rock funk metal
Length	42:00
Label	Island
Producer	Howard Benson
Hoobastank chronology
The Target (2002) The Reason (2003) Every Man for Himself (2006)
Singles from The Reason
"Out of Control" Released: November 4, 2003 "The Reason" Released: April 27, 2004 "Same Direction" Released: October 5, 2004 "Disappear" Released: January 31, 2005

The Reason is the second album by American post-grunge band Hoobastank. It was released on December 9, 2003 and has been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. To date, the album has sold more than 2.3 million copies in the United States alone.^[1] This was the last album to feature Markku Lappaleinen prior to his departure in 2005.

Writing and recording

The band entered the studio in 2003 with producer Howard Benson, who has produced records by P.O.D., Cold and The Crystal Method. However, recording was disrupted for a month when guitarist Dan Estrin was seriously injured in a minibike accident in August. Estrin had recovered by October and the band headed off on a Nokia Unwired Tour with the All-American Rejects and Ozomatli in November.

Lyricist and vocalist Doug Robb said in a biography on the band's website that several songs on the album are about questioning what you are told. "A lot of it is about asking questions or questioning all that people see. It's not all about religion. "Out Of Control" is about that and about opening your eyes after being blinded by being devoted to anything".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
ARTISTdirect	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	C[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]

The Reason garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Johnny Loftus of AllMusic found the album's teenage poetry and soft-sounding instrumentation too similar to the band's self-titled album but found their musicianship more expertly done, concluding that "In the end, The Reason is really a better version of Hoobastank, written and played by more mature versions of Hoobastank."^[2] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone saw promise in the album's opener "Same Direction" but felt it was dragged down by middling sentiment and angst, saying that "Fugazi-esque guitars and memorable melodies occasionally poke through on The Reason's overbearing attack, reminding you of Hoobastank's promise."^[5] Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly credited Hoobastank for crafting a radio-ready Incubus album but concluded that "they’re still just a crummy Hydrox answer to Incubus’ creamy Oreo."^[4]

Chart success

The Reason was released in December 2003. The first single "Out Of Control" was featured on MX Unleashed, and made available for download on the band's website. The song would reach number nine on the U.S. modern rock chart, and number sixteen on the mainstream rock chart. The Reason initially reached a peak of number forty-five on the Billboard 200.

The title track was released as a single in the first half of 2004. It became a massive hit worldwide, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the U.S. and world modern rock charts and number ten in Australia. The song's success pushed the album back into the charts, reaching #3 on the Billboard 200. The Reason was also the 24th best selling album of 2004.

"Same Direction" is featured as the main soundtrack for Madden NFL 2005. "Just One" is the title track for Top Spin 2 in the US and the Asahi Super Dry Beer Commercials of Japan in 2007.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Daniel Estrin and Doug Robb.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Same Direction"	3:15
2.	"Out of Control" (featuring Ian Watkins and Jamie Oliver)	2:42
3.	"What Happened to Us?"	4:00
4.	"Escape"	3:44
5.	"Just One"	3:19
6.	"Lucky"	2:59
7.	"From the Heart"	3:03
8.	"The Reason"	3:52
9.	"Let It Out"	3:18
10.	"Unaffected"	3:33
11.	"Never There"	3:03
12.	"Disappear"	5:06

(The Japanese release contains extra tracks: "Never Saw It Coming" and "Open Your Eyes")

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 23 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 19 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] 51 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[9] 9 French Albums (SNEP)[10] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 51 Italian Albums (FIMI)[12] 15 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 31 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 13 UK Albums (OCC)[16] 41 US Billboard 200[17] 3

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 100,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 60,000^^ United States (RIAA)[20] 2× Platinum 2,300,000[1] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Hoobastank

• Doug Robb – lead vocals on all tracks, background vocals on all tracks
• Dan Estrin – acoustic guitar on "What Happened to Us", "Lucky", "The Reason", "Unaffected", and "Disappear", electric guitar on all tracks
• Markku Lappalainen – bass guitar on all tracks
• Chris Hesse – drums on all tracks

Additional musicians

• Howard Benson – keyboards on "What Happened to Us?" and "The Reason"
• Sam Fisher – violin on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Victor Lawrence – cello on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• David Low – cello on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Deborah Lurie – string arrangements on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Rene Mandel – violin on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• David Mergen – cello on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Jaime Oliver – group vocals on "Out of Control"
• Simon Oswell – viola on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Shanti Robertson – string contractor and violin on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Michael Valerio – upright bass on "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"
• Ian Watkins – group vocals on "Out of Control"
• Evan Wilson – viola "Lucky", "The Reason", and "Disappear"

Produced by Howard Benson

Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge

References

1. Cohen, Jonathan (October 13, 2008). "Hoobastank Eyeing January For New Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
2. Loftus, Johnny. "The Reason - Hoobastank". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
3. "The Reason by Hoobastank". ARTISTdirect. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
4. Farber, Jim (December 12, 2003). "The Reason Review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
5. Hoard, Christian (January 6, 2004). "The Reason : Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
6. "Australiancharts.com – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Hoobastank – The Reason" (in German). Hung Medien.
8. "Ultratop.be – Hoobastank – The Reason" (in French). Hung Medien.
9. "Hoobastank – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Hoobastank. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
10. "Lescharts.com – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
11. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
12. "Italiancharts.com – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
13. "Charts.org.nz – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
14. "Swedishcharts.com – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Hoobastank – The Reason". Hung Medien.
16. "Hoobastank | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
17. "Hoobastank – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Hoobastank. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
18. "Canadian album certifications – Hoobastank – The Reason". Music Canada.
19. "British album certifications – Hoobastank – The Reason". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Reason in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
20. "American album certifications – Hoobastank – The Reason". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH