A Lesson In... 10.06.09: Paramore
Posted by Alistair McGeorge on 10.06.2009
After just three albums, they’re one of the fastest-rising stars today. With new album Brand New Eyes released last week, they could be ready to take over the world. Join Alistair McGeorge for A Lesson In... Paramore.
Hello and welcome to another edition of A Lesson In... with Alistair McGeorge. This week's column will be a bit shorter than usual, because I've been swamped with various aspects of university life (work-load, drama meetings and auditions, plus needing a bit of time to myself), so this is being finished roughly 8 hours before the deadline, but during the only spare few hours I have today. So, apologies for that.
That said, this week's lesson is on a band quickly becoming one of the biggest acts in music today (for the teen audience, at least). Without further ado…STOP!
It's banner time.
This week's band just released their third album last week, and it's already been getting solid reviews (including here at 411mania.com). Despite not having a long history, they are on the verge of becoming superstars. This column maybe could've waited until a year down the line, but Paramore are very relevant now with the new release, and Hayley Williams is becoming a poster-girl for a generation. Excuse the hyperbole, but even as someone who isn't a huge fan of the band (I do like them, and have seen them live, but I'm not a super-fan or anything to that extent), I can't deny their successes over such a short period of time.
Their latest album almost never happened though, so let's head back to the beginning and begin our look at the story and career of the Tennessee rockers…
Conspiracy…
Formed just 7 years ago, Paramore have come a long way in a relatively brief time-span, and it's easy to forget how young its members actually are. The band met in 2002, when Hayley Williams was just 13. Two years later, the band officially formed, getting their name from the maiden name of a former bass player. The first official Paramore line-up was made up of Williams on lead vocals, brothers Josh and Zac Farro on guitar and drums respectively, and Jeremy Davis on bass guitar. Jason Bynum later joined as a rhythm guitarist. The first song the band wrote together was "Conspiracy", later featured on their debut album.
For the time being, Paramore just started playing gigs around the Nashville area, and started to spread outside it, including a spot on the Warped Tour. After getting hold of a demo tape of the band, Fueled by Ramen co-founder and CEO John Janick saw the band perform at the Florida date of the Taste of Chaos tour, a spot they got after winning a Battle of the Bands competition. After seeing them at a smaller private performance, he signed them to a record deal with the label in April 2005.
Davis left the band during the writing of the album, with "personal reasons" being the given reason. The four remaining members continued working on the album without a replacement, but the gap Davis left is hinted at a lot in the album. The first track "All We Know" is about his departure, and that theme is continued at various times throughout the record. Also, the couch on the album art (conveniently, just scroll down a bit to see that in all its glory) is empty to show the feelings Paramore had following his departure.
The band, with the exception of Davis, promoted the album, which took three weeks to record. Before the band embarked on tour Josh Hembree was brought in on bass guitar to replace Davis. By July, the band's debut would be release, and their quick rise to the top would begin…
We've got everybody singing…
All We Know is Falling was released on July 26 2005 in the U.S. to good critical acclaim. A true sign of things to come, the album combined catchy melodies (made to seem more than they were because of Williams' commendable vocals) and well-crafted riffs, and as of April this year had sold over 405,000 copies in the States. It peaked at #30 in the Top Heatseekers Chart. Although Davis does not actually play bass guitar on any of the tracks here, he is still credited, along with Hembree.
The debut single taken from the album was "Pressure", which disappointingly failed to chart. However, it was apparently featured on Sims 2 if you interact with a radio or stereo. The second single ("Emergency") followed on from this in the track-listing on All We Know Is Falling, and similarly didn't perform particularly well (I couldn't find any notes on its chart performance anyway, so I'm assuming it didn't chart well- please correct me if I'm wrong). That said, it was included in the Kerrang! magazine compilation Class of '06, which featured what the magazine considered the most popular rock songs released that year in the UK. Around this time, Bynum was replaced on guitar by Hunter Lamb, who featured in the video for the song.
The final single from the album was "All We Know", a track that followed the lyrical theme for the album- the departure of Davis and the divorce of Williams' parents. All three singles were released as download singles, and promo CDs, which will have harmed their performance. Regardless of sales, this is a good track and a great selection to open the album, summing up the feelings of the band and the issues they were dealing with at the time. Here it is…
A month or so after the release of the album, Davis made his return to Paramore, after the remaining members of the band asked him to rejoin. For much of the next two years, the band would tour extensively, both supporting other bands (such as Bayside) and on their own tours in the UK. They also took part again in the Warped Tour, and in August 2006, they embarked on a sold-out headline tour of the US, with support from bands including Cute Is Wait We Aim For.
Before that tour, the band recorded an acoustic cover of Foo Fighters' "My Hero" for Sound of Superman, the accompanying soundtrack to the 2006 movie Superman Returns. I know we just had a video a paragraph or so ago, but this absolutely deserves a listen, especially if you're of the mind that Hayley Williams can't sing. In my humble opinion, this cover destroys that opinion, and features Williams at her emotive best…
Recording for Paramore's sophomore effort began in January 2007, and by the time production ended in March that year, Lamb had left the band as a newlywed. Farro played both lead and rhythm guitar parts on the album, but eventually Taylor York replaced Lamb on rhythm guitar. By June 2007, Paramore would release the album that turned them into stars…
In the business of…
Riot! was released on June 12 to very mixed reviews. Hailed by some as a fantastic pop-punk/rock album, others saw it as bland and generic. The buying public seemed to subscribe to the former point of view, with the album peaking at #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. In the UK, it reached #24 in the Albums Chart, and peaked at #2 in the Rock Chart. Last summer, it was certified platinum. In its first week, Riot! sold 42,000 copies, and has gone on to sell at least 1,196,000 copies in the States alone, an incredible feat considering the relatively small attention Paramore's debut received.
"Misery Business" was the first single released from the album, peaking at #26 in the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it peaked at #17 in the Singles Chart when it was re-released in 2008. It is easily Paramore's biggest hit to date, the song they're undoubtedly best known for.
The next single was a UK-only release, the vocally-soaring "Hallelujah". No, don't worry…it's not a cover of the Leonard Cohen classic, but from the range Williams shows here, it sounds like she could definitely nail that track. It would only hit #139 in the Singles Chart here in the UK, but is one of my personal favorite tracks on the album. Well, besides this incredible moment…
"Crushcrushcrush" was the third single taken from Riot!, but was download-only in the UK. It still managed to perform better than the last single did though, peaking at #61. In the States, it reached #54 in the Hot 100, and in September 2008 (11 months after its release), it was certified gold.
The final single from the album was released on March 24 2008, with an accompanying video shoot that's notable just for the drama surrounding it. The band's European tour was cancelled to allow them to work on "personal issues", which began rumors of a break-up. This wasn't helped by the rest of the band apparently feeling that Paramore was becoming more the "Hayley Williams Experience", with the focus on her rather than the rest of the band. But really…
…I'm just saying, out of the four?
Anyway, during the "break", Paramore filmed the video for "That's What You Get" in a low-key way, filming with family and friends in their homes. The song peaked at #55 and 66 in the UK Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts respectively.
In November 2008, The Final Riot! was released, a live CD/DVD, the second live release of the band's career (a limited edition Live in the UK 2008 double-disc was released via Concert Live, or at the gigs themselves, at the beginning of the year). It has sold over 500,000 copies, and has been certified Gold.
A month earlier, the band released "Decode" for the movie Twilight. An acoustic version was also recorded for a special edition of the soundtrack. Peaking at #52 and 33 in the UK Singles and U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts, it was generally well-received. Here's a live acoustic version…
In early 2009, Paramore wrote and recorded their newest album. On July 7, the first single from the album was released. "Ignorance" is a commentary on the troubles the band were going through internally. After growing up together and essentially in this band, the pressure (no pun intended) was becoming too much. Instead of breaking them, it resulted in a damn fine album. The single itself performed slightly disappointingly in the States, peaking at #67 in the Billboard Hot 100. However, it was the band's highest charting single in the UK, reaching #14.
Playing God...
Released on September 29, brand new eyes is the latest offering from the Tennessee quintet, and was their first to be produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Shinedown and Goo Goo Dolls, amongst others). It has done exceptionally well, topping the UK Album Chart. A few days ago, 411mania's Daniel Wilcox wrote a fine review of the album, so check that out if you get the chance. Because of that, I'll keep my opinions fairly brief.
I'd say it feels, at times, like Riot! take two, but that's no bad thing. It does boast a much more mature sound though, and the effect of the near-split can be heard throughout, with some brutal lyrics. Everything compliments each other, and there are a few stand-out tracks. One of them is the beautiful "Misguided Ghosts"…
That does us for a slightly shorter edition of A Lesson In… but I hope you've all enjoyed it regardless. We'll be continuing the pop-punk/rock theme next week, so let's get onto the clues…
Homework:
1. One their albums, they've done it, danced whilst drunk, got hangovers, ate burritos and apologized.
2. A character in one of their songs was "Livin' on a Prayer".
3. They want to party in your pants.
So there we go. Another week, another lesson. Thank you for joining me once again and sticking with me over the last few months, and I'll see you all next week. As always, comments insulting or praising the column are hugely appreciated, so feel free to rant or rave about whatever you want. Until then…
