Where You Want to Be

Where You Want to Be
Studio album by Taking Back Sunday
Released July 27, 2004
Recorded March–April 2004
Studio Mission Sound, Brooklyn, New York; Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey
Genre Pop punk
Length 43:22
Label Victory
Producer Lou Giordano
Taking Back Sunday chronology
Tell All Your Friends
(2002)		 Where You Want to Be
(2004)		 Louder Now
(2006)
Singles from Where You Want to Be
  1. "A Decade Under the Influence"
    Released: June 22, 2004
  2. "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)"
    Released: January 11, 2005

Where You Want to Be is the second studio album by the American rock band Taking Back Sunday. While touring to promote Tell All Your Friends (2002), guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left the group and were replaced by Fred Mascherino and Matt Rubano, respectively. After a co-headlining tour with Saves the Day in fall 2003, the band began working on Where You Want to Be. Dismissive of several early songs, they wanted to "grow musically with this [new album]".[1] In March 2004 recording of Where You Want to Be began, with Lou Giordano as producer. The band recorded at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, New York for two weeks before moving to Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey, finishing recording by April.

The first single from Where You Want to Be was "A Decade Under the Influence", which was released to radio in late June 2004. While Taking Back Sunday was on the 2004 Warped Tour, Where You Want to Be was released in late July on Victory Records. After an appearance at the Reading Festival in England, the group toured Europe and began a U.S. fall tour. They worked with Blink-182 member Tom DeLonge to create a music video, "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)", which was filmed in 48 hours. The band went on a winter tour with Atreyu and Funeral for a Friend, and "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" was released to radio in early January 2005. Taking Back Sunday then began a co-headlining tour with Jimmy Eat World.

Where You Want to Be has received mixed-to-positive reviews, selling 163,000 copies in its first week. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, remaining there for an additional 19 weeks. It topped the Independent Albums chart and remained on that chart for 50 weeks. "A Decade Under the Influence" reached number 16 on the Alternative Songs chart and the UK Top 75 chart. Where You Want to Be is Victory's highest-charting album; in July 2005 it was certified gold in the U.S. for sales of 500,000 copies, and sales have since exceeded 720,000.

Background and writing

Taking Back Sunday released its debut album, Tell All Your Friends, in March 2002[2] and spent most of the year and 2003 touring.[2] Guitarist John Nolan left the band, citing exhaustion from touring, and bassist Shaun Cooper followed shortly afterwards.[1] According to vocalist Adam Lazzara, Nolan and Cooper were "having trouble because everything was happening so fast. Going from being home ... to being gone all the time and having your whole life consumed and almost defined by the band that you’re in is a lot to handle".[1] The group briefly considered breaking up.[1] Guitarist Eddie Reyes contacted his friend, Breaking Pangaea frontman Fred Mascherino, who auditioned for Nolan's spot;[1] bassist Matt Rubano, who grew up with drummer Mark O'Connell, then joined the group.[1] They joined just in time for the band's fall 2003 tour.[2]

Mascherino and Rubano (who both attended jazz college)[3] were, according to Lazzara, "really schooled in music and they know their instruments really well".[1] When they joined the band, they "cleaned up and tightened our sound."[1] The new lineup's first song was "Bonus Mosh Pt. II".[4] They began writing new material, and in a few months the group had enough songs for a second album.[1] The band initially dismissed a number of songs, since the material wasn't "taking us anyplace new. We really wanted to grow musically with this [new album]."[1] They pushed themselves, trying to write the best songs they could.[5] According to Mascherino, the group "didn’t spend as much time playing together in order to do exactly what we wanted to because some of us were new".[6]

Recording

After a September–November 2003 co-headlining tour with Saves the Day,[7] according to Rubano, the group had "about 45 minutes to rest" before starting work on Where You Want to Be.[8] Despite an MTV report that the band was recording in January 2004,[9] recording for Where You Want to Be did not begin until March 1.[10] Taking Back Sunday self-financed the recording sessions.[11] Unable to obtain Eric Valentine as producer,[6] the band worked with Lou Giordano. Two weeks of recording were done at Mission Sound in Brooklyn, New York, with Giordano assisted by Oliver Strauss and Barbra Vlahides. Stuart Karmatz was a technician, and Todd Parker the engineer.[10]

After recording drums, bass and most of the guitars, the band, Giordano and Parker moved to Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey. The rest of the guitars and the vocals, strings and cowbells were recorded there,[10] and recording was complete by April.[12] Giordano, Parker and Ted Young mixed the recordings, and Ted Jensen did the mastering; Mike Sapone contributed programming to the songs. Girl Next Door String Quartet provided the strings, arranged by conductor Ray Zu-Artez (who played piano). Neil Rubenstein of These Enzymes and Nick Torres of Northstar contributed vocals to some songs.[10] In retrospect, Fred Mascherino considered the sessions rushed.[11]

Music and lyrics

Where You Want to Be's sound has been called pop punk.[13] According to MTV, the album was "driven by punchy, melodic hardcore riffs and yearning vocals" similar to that of The Movielife and Lifetime, with the band "expand[ing] its musical boundaries and tak[ing] some chances".[1] Like Tell All Your Friends, the album's song titles were gleaned primarily from TV. The title of "Bonus Mosh Pt. II" came from a friend of the band; the group was playing demos for the friend, and during one section of a song the friend exclaimed: "Whoa, that's a bonus mosh part two, man, that's cool."[14] "A Decade Under the Influence" is about a person's realization that they understand less about the world than they had thought.[1] The title of "One-Eighty by Summer" came from a bet Reyes lost, to weigh 180 pounds (82 kg) by summer.[14]

Release

On April 9, 2004, Where You Want to Be was announced. A week later the band headlined the Skate and Surf Festival, and supported Blink-182 and Cypress Hill in May.[12] In May, a music video directed by Adam Levite was filmed for "A Decade Under the Influence".[1] In the video, the band is in circles in a warehouse.[1] Remote-control monster trucks with cameras were placed on tracks on the circles; according to Lazzara, "it made everything look really sweet."[1] "A Decade Under the Influence" was released as a radio single on June 22.[15] A CD single of the song was released, with Mike Sapone-produced demos of "Little Devotional" and "A Decade Under the Influence" and "A Decade Under the Influence"'s music video.[16] The group toured the UK, including a date at Download Festival.[12] From June to August, they were part of the 2004 Warped Tour.[17] Where You Want to Be was made available for streaming via MTV on July 22,[18] and it was released on July 27[1] on Victory Records.[nb 1] The album's Japanese version includes a bonus track: a new version of "Your Own Disaster".[20]

After an appearance at the Reading Festival, Taking Back Sunday made a brief European tour.[8] They toured the U.S. from September to November,[21] supported by Fall Out Boy, Matchbook Romance and Funeral for a Friend.[14] During the tour, the band filmed a video for "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" with Blink-182's Tom DeLonge.[22] Over a 48-hour period, they flew from Dallas to Los Angeles to Nashville, Tennessee to film the video.[22] According to MTV, Taking Back Sunday posted on its website that DeLonge had "a great visual concept and was a very enthusiastic, focused and attentive first-time director".[22] In November, the band began a tour with Atreyu and Funeral for a Friend.[23] "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" was released as a radio single on January 11, 2005.[15] In April and May, the band went on a co-headlining tour with Jimmy Eat World.[24] In May, a music video for "Set Phasers to Stun" featured the Hungarian dance group Troup de Pozolo de Zav. Victory Records was uncertain whether to make the video an internet-only release or send it to MTV,[25] and on May 11 it was posted on Yahoo! Launch.[26]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100 [27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [28]
Chart AttackFavorable [29]
Drowned in Sound4/10 [13]
Entertainment WeeklyB+ [30]
Rolling Stone [31]
SpinFavorable [32]
Sputnikmusic2/5 [33]
Stylus MagazineD+ [34]
USA Today [35]

Critical response

According to AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares, Taking Back Sunday "sometimes comes off as less than distinctive, and the album can sound like a generic soundtrack to generic teenage angst".[28] Phares called Where You Want to Be "definitely a solid album ... but crafting something a little more unique would take Taking Back Sunday's music that much farther."[28] On Chart Attack, despite the album's being "overwrought" its "quality songwriting and some killer arrangements conceal Where You Want to Be's occasional off-the-chart cheese readings".[29] Although Drowned in Sound writer Mat Hocking expected the album to be one of the "grittiest, most emotionally driving punk-pop records of the year", it turned out to be "an album that's playing it far too safe: melodies rise and fall, soaring and curving with painful predictability".[13]

In a brief review for Entertainment Weekly, Sean Richardson wrote that Taking Back Sunday was "best suited for multipart campfire sing-alongs" and struck "rock-radio gold" with Where You Want to Be.[30] Rolling Stone reviewer Laura Sinagra noted Mascherino and Rubano as assisting "the will to power in Lazzara's Cure-like croon".[31] Sinagra called "A Decade Under the Influence" the nearest that the singer gets to the "emotional tensions and ragged-rock edge" of Tell Your Friends.[31] Spin writer Andy Greenwald wrote that nearly every song on the album "begins in the moment just before a fight or a tear-filled breakdown".[32] Citing "New American Classic" and "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)", Greenwald noted Adam Lazzara's use of "anthemic choruses like 15-year-olds use emoticons: as sweeping shorthand placeholders for feelings too complicated to puzzle out and express".[32]

Sputnikmusic reviewer John Hanson called the album "extremely repetitive, with many songs sounding exactly the same".[33] Calling more than half the album "essentially the same song", Hanson wrote: "Despite all the shortcomings becoming far more apparent here, Where You Want To Be is still a tolerable, if very average and common, album."[33] According to Stylus Magazine reviewer Todd Burns, Taking Back Sunday "smooth[ed] away all of the interesting bits and only focus[ed] on what works immediately and viscerally", providing "cheap thrills and obvious answers".[34] Edna Gundersen of USA Today wrote that the group "cobbled together a host of emo clichés" to create a record that is "miraculously, more winsome than generic".[35] Despite some "bittersweet confessional" songs which "resort to tired teen-angst whines", "an arresting tug-of-war between raw emotions and charged rhythms" pushes the band beyond "the everyday emo-rock ensemble".[35]

Commercial performance

Where You Want to Be debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number three, selling 163,000 copies in its first week[36] and remaining on the chart for 19 weeks.[37] Victory Records' highest-charting release, it surpassed the previous record held by Atreyu's The Curse (which peaked at number 34).[38] The album topped the Independent Albums chart, remaining on the chart for 50 weeks,[39] and charted at number 70 in the UK.[40] "A Decade Under the Influence" peaked at number 16 on the Alternative Songs chart[41] and number 70 on the UK Singles Chart.[40] After three weeks, 260,000 copies of the album had been sold.[42] By the end of 2004, album sales stood at 458,000 copies.[36] Where You Want to Be was ranked on the Billboard 200 Albums year-end chart at number 159,[43] and by February 2005 sales had reached 566,000.[24]

It became one of the best-selling independent rock albums within a year, selling 634,000 copies by June.[44] As a result of this success, the group signed to Warner Bros. in the same month.[2] The album was certified gold the following month by the RIAA.[45] Taking Back Sunday was the first Victory Records band with a gold album;[11] although the label did not intend to certify the album, it was certified by the group's label at the time, Warner Bros. According to Victory Records founder Tony Brummel, "From where I sit, this is another attempt by the RIAA and its major-label partners to victimize, abuse and belittle an independent record company."[46] Band manager Jillian Newman responded, "I don't understand how a label gets victimized by receiving a sales award."[46] By September, 667,000 copies had been sold;[47] in early 2006 album sales stood at 700,000 copies,[48] and by July its sales were over 720,000.[49]

Legacy

In 2005, JJ Koczan of The Aquarian Weekly wrote that Where You Want to Be might "perhaps go down in pop culture history as the record that broke the emo scene commercially."[50] Six tracks from the album were included on the 2007 Notes from the Past compilation.[51] In 2014, Alternative Press' Brian Kraus wrote that it was "the closest they've come to the elusive 'perfect album'". Calling it "catchy" in comparison to Tell All Your Friends, the album "matured the words past freshman year and flexed the rhythm guitar to a new level".[52] In 2016, Fuse.tv ranked Where You Want to Be its number-one Taking Back Sunday album. According to Jason Lipshutz, the album "still smacks harder" than the band's other releases due to "a masterful sequencing, tighter hooks and most transcendent single ("A Decade Under The Influence")."[53]

Track listing

Side one
  1. "Set Phasers to Stun" – 3:03
  2. "Bonus Mosh Pt. II" – 3:06
  3. "A Decade Under the Influence" – 4:07
  4. "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" – 4:11
  5. "The Union" – 2:50
  6. "New American Classic" – 4:35
Side two
  1. "I Am Fred Astaire" – 3:43
  2. "One-Eighty by Summer" – 3:53
  3. "Number Five with a Bullet" – 3:49
  4. "Little Devotional" – 3:07
  5. "...Slowdance on the Inside" – 4:26
Bonus track

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[10]

Taking Back Sunday
  • Eddie Reyes – rhythm guitar
  • Mark O'Connell – drums
  • Fred Mascherino – lead guitar, vocals
  • Adam Lazzara – lead vocals
  • Matt Rubano – bass guitar
Additional musicians
  • Mike Sapone – programming
  • Ray Zu-Artez – string arrangement, conductor, piano
  • Girl Next Door String Quartet – strings
  • Neil Rubenstein – vocals
  • Nick Torres – vocals
Production
  • Lou Giordano – producer, mixing
  • Oliver Strauss – assistance
  • Barbra Vlahides – assistance
  • Todd Parker – engineer, mixing
  • Stuart Karmatz – technician
  • Ted Young – mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Brad Filip – layout, artwork

Chart positions and certifications

Peak positions

Chart (2004) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[40] 71
US Billboard 200[37] 3
US Billboard Independent Albums[39] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 Albums Year-end[43] 159

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[54] Gold 720,000[49]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ U.S. Victory VR228[19]
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Wiederhorn, Jon (June 24, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday Are Taking Back The Summer This Year". MTV. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Spano, Charles. "Taking Back Sunday | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Ex-Taking Back Sunday bassist opens up about getting kicked out". Alternative Press. January 21, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ Parker, Lyndsey (March 11, 2005). "Fan Reports In: Head Automatica's New Songs". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 20, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ Montgomery, James (November 7, 2005). "Taking Back Sunday Record New Album, Duck Crazy People In Los Angeles". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Sciarretto, Amy (April 26, 2006). "Interview With Taking Back Sunday: Now Tell Them Louder". The Aquarian Weekly. p. 2. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  7. ↑ Goldstein, Jeremy P. (September 14, 2003). "Saves The Day Is Taking Back Sunday (Out On The Road)". The Fader. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Montgomery, James (August 5, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday: Road Warriors With No Champagne". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ Staff (January 5, 2004). "For The Record: Quick News On Pharrell, Ray Davies, Courtney Love, Eminem, Taking Back Sunday, Ozzy & More". MTV. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Where You Want to Be (Booklet). Taking Back Sunday. Victory. 2004. VR228.
  11. 1 2 3 Sciarretto, Amy (April 26, 2006). "Interview With Taking Back Sunday: Now Tell Them Louder". The Aquarian Weekly. p. 1. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 "Taking Back Sunday Record New Album, Tour With Blink". Ultimate Guitar Archive. April 9, 2004. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Hocking, Mat (August 13, 2004). "Album Review: Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 Kaufman, Jared (August 4, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday - 08.04.04". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  16. ↑ A Decade Under the Influence (Booklet). Taking Back Sunday. Victory. 2004. VR236.
  17. ↑ DuFour, Matt (February 9, 2004). "Warped Tour 2004 Is Here With Your Summertime Punk Rock Fix". The Fader. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday Leak". Ultimate Guitar Archive. July 22, 2004. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  19. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2005, p. 304
  20. ↑ Grace, Eleanor (August 12, 2014). "Tuesday Ten: Our Favorite B-Sides". idobi. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ Staff (August 25, 2004). "For The Record: Quick News On Ashanti, Usher, Phil Spector, Taking Back Sunday, Kanye West, Jay-Z & More". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Montgomery, James (October 29, 2004). "Blink-182's DeLonge Directs Video For Taking Back Sunday". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  23. ↑ Team Retail 2004, p. 8
  24. 1 2 "Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday To Tour". Billboard. February 7, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  25. ↑ Montgomery, James (May 9, 2005). "Taking Back Sunday Give Video Over To 'Hungarian' Child Dancers". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  26. ↑ Wells, TJ (May 11, 2005). "Yahoo Launch Update". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on May 12, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Critic Reviews for Where You Want To Be - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Where You Want to Be - Taking Back Sunday | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Taking Back Sunday — Where You Want To Be". Chart Attack. July 27, 2004. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  30. 1 2 Richardson, Sean (August 6, 2004). "Where You Want to Be Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  31. 1 2 3 Sinagra, Laura (September 2, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday: Where You Want to Be". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  32. 1 2 3 Greenwald, Andy (August 3, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday, 'Where You Want to Be' (Victory)". Spin. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  33. 1 2 3 Hanson, John (April 24, 2006). "Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be (album review 3) - Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  34. 1 2 Burns, Todd (August 5, 2004). "Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  35. 1 2 3 Gundersen, Edna (August 23, 2004). "Welcome prodigal son Mase; Steve Earle's 'Revolution'". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  36. 1 2 Martens 2004, p. 78
  37. 1 2 "Taking Back Sunday - Chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  38. ↑ D'angelo, Joe (August 4, 2004). "Now! 16 Debuts At #1; Taking Back Sunday Take Third". MTV. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  39. 1 2 "Taking Back Sunday - Chart history (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  40. 1 2 3 "TAKING BACK SUNDAY | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday - Chart history (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  42. ↑ Miller, Kirk (August 30, 2004). "Major Victory for Indie". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  43. 1 2 "Taking Back Sunday - Chart history (Billboard 200 Year-end)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  44. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (June 10, 2005). "Taking Back Sunday Signs With Warner Bros.". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 2, 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  46. 1 2 Paoletta ed. 2005, p. 110
  47. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday Begins Work On WB Debut". Billboard. September 21, 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday Plans Spring U.S. Tour". Billboard. February 17, 2005. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  49. 1 2 Kohli, Rohan (July 26, 2006). "Soundscan Results: Week Ending July 23rd, 2006". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  50. ↑ Koczan, JJ (April 13, 2005). "Taking Back Sunday: Interview with Adam Lazzara". The Aquarian Weekly. p. 1. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Notes from the Past - Taking Back Sunday | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  52. ↑ Kraus, Brian (June 27, 2014). "And the best Taking Back Sunday album of all time is…". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  53. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (September 16, 2016). "Taking Back Sunday's Albums, Ranked: Where Does 'Tidal Wave' Crash In?". Fuse.tv. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  54. ↑ "American album certifications – Taking Back Sunday – Where You Want to Be". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Sources
  • Martens, Todd (December 25, 2004). "TVT's Bright Picture". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 116 (52). ISSN 0006-2510. 
  • Paoletta, Michael, ed. (September 3, 2005). "Inside Track". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 117 (36). ISSN 0006-2510. 
  • Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal (1st ed.). New Plymouth, NZ: Zonda Books. ISBN 9780958268400. 
  • Team Retail (August 9, 2004). "Points of Impact". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. ISSN 0890-0795. 
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