How Far We've Come
Encyclopedia
"How Far We've Come" is the lead single from Matchbox Twenty
's retrospective collection, Exile on Mainstream
, which was released on October 2, 2007. The music video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown on September 1, 2007. The CD single comes with two live covers as B-sides; "Remedy
" by The Black Crowes
and "Modern Love
" by David Bowie
. These two songs are also on the Best Buy
version of Exile on Mainstream.
The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia announced that “How Far We’ve Come” was the most played recording in Australia in 2008. The PPCA also announced that Matchbox Twenty was the third most played artist in 2008.
In December 2007, the title track was used in promotions
for the 2008 programs on The Discovery Channel, History Channel and the Sci Fi Channel
, and also by NASCAR
for their 60th Anniversary promotions, complete with videos of notable races.
The song was used prior to New York Mets
games at Shea Stadium
in 2008
to commemorate the final year for the venue, was replaced by Citi Field at the end of the season; the song is also played prior to announcing the starting lineup at San Diego Padres
home games, with the scoreboard showing a montage of highlights of that franchises 40-year history. The song was used in a promo for season 2 of The Riches
, a trailer for Role Models
and at rallies for Barack Obama
in Seattle, Washington and Madison
, Wisconsin
.
, but after being released digitally, it jumped to #12 - making it the second-biggest jump of 2007 behind Beyoncé
and Shakira
's "Beautiful Liar
" (which jumped 91 spots). It peaked at #11 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #3 on the U.S. Adult Top 40. On the Australian ARIA
Singles Chart it debuted at #8, becoming their most successful single in Australia since the band's 1997 breakout hit "Push". It later rose to #7 there, becoming the band's highest charting single there. In Canada
it reached the top five, and it peaked at #11 in New Zealand
.
The video ends with many of the clips flashing quickly across the screen in reverse order at the end of the song.
The video peaked at number 2 on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown on November 3, 2007.
In Australia a different video was released, featuring the band performing in a neighbourhood filled with children. Around the middle of the song a girl with a piece of chalk walks out into the middle of the street and begins to draw a large circle. As she draws that circle a solar eclipse begins. The moment the girl finishes the circle the eclipse becomes complete, and everyone vanishes from the neighbourhood. The clip ends with pictures of the toys the children were playing falling to the ground.
There are 4 remix videos (2 of them are epilogues of a each remix): the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Deeper Club Mix, the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Deeper Dub, the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Rock Royalty Vocal Mix and the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Rock Royalty Dub
Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995...
's retrospective collection, Exile on Mainstream
Exile on Mainstream
The Best Buy version of the CD has the following bonus tracks, which are also on the "How Far We've Come" CD single:-Charts:-Singles:-References:...
, which was released on October 2, 2007. The music video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown on September 1, 2007. The CD single comes with two live covers as B-sides; "Remedy
Remedy (The Black Crowes song)
"Remedy" is the second track by The Black Crowes from their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. It reached #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in May 1992 and stayed at #1 for 11 weeks. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song peaked at #48...
" by The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
and "Modern Love
Modern Love (song)
"Modern Love" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie, and the first track on his album Let's Dance. It was issued as the third single from the album in 1983....
" by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. These two songs are also on the Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
version of Exile on Mainstream.
The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia announced that “How Far We’ve Come” was the most played recording in Australia in 2008. The PPCA also announced that Matchbox Twenty was the third most played artist in 2008.
In December 2007, the title track was used in promotions
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
for the 2008 programs on The Discovery Channel, History Channel and the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
, and also by NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
for their 60th Anniversary promotions, complete with videos of notable races.
The song was used prior to New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
games at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in 2008
2008 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* Regular Season Champions* World Series Champions – Philadelphia Phillies** American League Champions – Tampa Bay Rays** National League Champions – Philadelphia Phillies* Postseason – October 1 to October 29...
to commemorate the final year for the venue, was replaced by Citi Field at the end of the season; the song is also played prior to announcing the starting lineup at San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
home games, with the scoreboard showing a montage of highlights of that franchises 40-year history. The song was used in a promo for season 2 of The Riches
The Riches
The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...
, a trailer for Role Models
Role Models
Role Models is a 2008 American comedy film directed by David Wain about two energy drink salesmen who are ordered to perform 150 hours of community service as punishment for various offenses. For their service, the two men work at a program designed to pair kids with adult role models. The film...
and at rallies for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
in Seattle, Washington and Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Track listing
EP Version- "How Far We've Come" (Radio Edit) - 3:31
- "Remedy" (Live) - 4:31
- "Modern Love" (Live) - 3:51
Chart performance
The single debuted at #93 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, but after being released digitally, it jumped to #12 - making it the second-biggest jump of 2007 behind Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
and Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
's "Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
" (which jumped 91 spots). It peaked at #11 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. It also reached #3 on the U.S. Adult Top 40. On the Australian ARIA
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...
Singles Chart it debuted at #8, becoming their most successful single in Australia since the band's 1997 breakout hit "Push". It later rose to #7 there, becoming the band's highest charting single there. In Canada
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...
it reached the top five, and it peaked at #11 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA 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... Singles Chart |
7 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
4 |
| 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... Singles Chart |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard 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... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard 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... |
13 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 14 |
| Entertainmenthit Top 40 http://www.entertainmenthit.com | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 132 |
Music video
The music video is a 3-minute and 26-second montage of many historical events around the world, tying in with the lyrics on human affairs and its role in cultural development. The video debuted on VH1's top twenty countdown on September 1, 2007. It contains many important events that changed the world in a roughly chronological order. The events are:- Scenes from the Civil Rights MovementCivil rights movementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
(1950s) - Astronauts on the moonMoon landingA moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
(1969) - John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's election campaign (1961) - Muhammad AliMuhammad AliMuhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
winning a boxing match (1960s) - Woodstock FestivalWoodstock FestivalWoodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
(1969) - Women marching for equal rights (1970s)
- PeléPeléHowever, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
in a football match - The tearing down of the Berlin WallBerlin WallThe Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
(1989) - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989Tiananmen Square protests of 1989The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
- Early personal computers on an assembly line (1970s, 1980s)
- Live AidLive AidLive Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
(1985) - New Year's celebrations across the world at the beginning of the 21st century (including Egypt, Paris) (2000)
- Princess Diana in Angola (1997)
- The Oslo AccordsOslo AccordsThe Oslo Accords, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or Declaration of Principles , was an attempt to resolve the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict...
(1993) - Live EarthLive Earth-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
including Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
(2007) - Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Hillary Clinton, DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidates for the 2008 United States presidential campaign
The video ends with many of the clips flashing quickly across the screen in reverse order at the end of the song.
The video peaked at number 2 on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown on November 3, 2007.
In Australia a different video was released, featuring the band performing in a neighbourhood filled with children. Around the middle of the song a girl with a piece of chalk walks out into the middle of the street and begins to draw a large circle. As she draws that circle a solar eclipse begins. The moment the girl finishes the circle the eclipse becomes complete, and everyone vanishes from the neighbourhood. The clip ends with pictures of the toys the children were playing falling to the ground.
There are 4 remix videos (2 of them are epilogues of a each remix): the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Deeper Club Mix, the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Deeper Dub, the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Rock Royalty Vocal Mix and the Ralphi Rosario & Craig J Rock Royalty Dub