Ocean Avenue
Encyclopedia
Ocean Avenue is the fourth studio album
by the American pop punk
band Yellowcard
. It was produced by Neal Avron, and was released on July 22, 2003 through Capitol Records
. The album is the major-label debut for the band. Shortly after releasing The Underdog EP, Yellowcard signed with Capitol Records
, which was looking to sign pop punk groups at the time.
The album was a commercial success in the United States, led by hit single "Ocean Avenue
". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and has been certified platinum
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) and gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA).
in some countries. The enhanced CD includes a video entitled "The Making of Ocean Avenue" and a previously unreleased video of the song "Powder" (from The Underdog EP
). In 2005, this album was released as a Special Edition import, with live videos and music videos.
Artwork
Additional musicians
Production
Singles
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the American pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...
. It was produced by Neal Avron, and was released on July 22, 2003 through Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The album is the major-label debut for the band. Shortly after releasing The Underdog EP, Yellowcard signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, which was looking to sign pop punk groups at the time.
The album was a commercial success in the United States, led by hit single "Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue (song)
"Ocean Avenue" is the title of a song recorded by American pop punk group Yellowcard. It was released in September 2004 as the second single from Ocean Avenue and the third track. It is known for bringing them into the mainstream, as it received numerous spins on MTV and increasing radio airplay...
". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and has been certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) and gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA).
Commercial performance and promotion
Ocean Avenue sold 11,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., debuting at #61. It is Yellowcard's most successful album and has been certified Platinum for sales in excess of 1,000,000. It was released as an enhanced CDEnhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
in some countries. The enhanced CD includes a video entitled "The Making of Ocean Avenue" and a previously unreleased video of the song "Powder" (from The Underdog EP
The Underdog EP
The Underdog EP is an extended play by Yellowcard that was released in 2002. Although publicized very little, it tried new styles in Yellowcard's music, making the transition between One for the Kids and Ocean Avenue and was overall well-accepted by fans. It is often mentioned by listeners that...
). In 2005, this album was released as a Special Edition import, with live videos and music videos.
Track listing
Personnel
Yellowcard- Ryan KeyRyan KeyRyan Key is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the American pop punk band Yellowcard, and one of the two lead singers in his side project Big If.-Early life:...
– Lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Sean MackinSean Mackin (musician)Sean Mackin is an American rock musician. He is best known as the violinist and backing vocalist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up, along with bandmate Longineu W. Parsons III.-Early life:Mackin was...
– ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, backing vocals - Ben HarperBen Harper (musician)Not to be confused with Ben HarperBenjamin Eric Harper is an American rock musician. He is best known for being the former lead guitarist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard, as well as for the bands Amber Pacific and HeyMike!. Harper is co-owner of Takeover Records.-Yellowcard :Harper formed...
– Lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Peter MoselyPeter MoselyPeter Michael Mosely is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarist, vocalist and pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12 as well as the former bassist for the American pop punk band Yellowcard. He joined Inspection 12 in 1996 but left in 2004 to be the bassist for...
– BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Longineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. Parsons IIILongineu W. "LP" Parsons III is a French-born American rock musician. He is best known for being the drummer for the American pop punk band Yellowcard and is now one of the two remaining full-time members of the band from its original line-up along with bandmate Sean Mackin.-Early life:Longineu...
– DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Artwork
- Brittany Nash – Cover model
- Tait Hawes – Album design
- Sasha Eisenman – Photography
- Corrie Christpher – Booking
Additional musicians
- Alieka Wijnvelat – Additional vocals on "View From Heaven"
- Rodney Wirtz – ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Christine Choi – CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Production
- Neal AvronNeal AvronNeal Avron is an American musician, record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Working predominately in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Everclear's 1997 album So Much For The Afterglow...
– ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineer, string arrangements - Travis Huff – Engineer
- Ryan Castle – Assistant Engineer
- Sean Mackin – String arrangements
- Tom Lord-Alge – Mixing
- Ron Laffitte & Louie Bandak – A&R
- Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
– Mastering - Femio Hernández – Assistant
- Baron Bodnar – Management
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | New Zealand Albums Chart | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
23 | |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
149 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Way Away Way Away "Way Away" is the first single and opening track of Yellowcard's album Ocean Avenue. The song and music video both reflect the band's choice about leaving their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida to California in hopes of making a name for themselves in the Southern California music scene."Way Away"... " |
U.S. Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
15 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
63 | ||
| "Ocean Avenue Ocean Avenue (song) "Ocean Avenue" is the title of a song recorded by American pop punk group Yellowcard. It was released in September 2004 as the second single from Ocean Avenue and the third track. It is known for bringing them into the mainstream, as it received numerous spins on MTV and increasing radio airplay... " |
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... |
37 | |
| U.S. Modern Rock Tracks | 21 | ||
| U.S. Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
22 | ||
| U.S. Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
13 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 65 | ||
| 2005 | "Only One" | U.S. Modern Rock Tracks | 15 |
| U.S. Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) | 28 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Recording Industry Association | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Gold | CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
50,000+ |
| United States | Platinum | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
1,000,000+ |
Trivia
- "Breathing" is featured in the video games FlatOut 2FlatOut 2FlatOut 2 is a racing video game developed by Bugbear Entertainment and published by Empire Interactive and Vivendi Universal Games. It is the sequel to the 2004-2005 releaseFlatOut....
and Burnout 3. - "Way Away" is featured in the video games SSX 3SSX 3SSX 3 is a snowboarding extreme racing game published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Sports BIG, which was released in late 2003. It is the third installment in the SSX series, and is THX approved. Like the previous installments, the game was critically acclaimed...
and Madden NFL 2004Madden NFL 2004Madden NFL 2004 is the 14th installment of the Madden NFL series of American football video games. Michael Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is on the cover. New features in Madden 2004 include a new owner mode option that allows the player to control a franchise...
and is featured on the episode "The Outsider" of the tv series The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
and the episode "Extinction" of the tv series SmallvilleSmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
. - "Miles Apart" is featured in the video game Madden NFL 2007 and MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The InfernoReal World/Road Rules Challenge: The InfernoThe Inferno is the eighth season of Real World/Road Rules Challenge. It aired in 2004 on MTV, composed of twenty cast members, and took place in Acapulco, Mexico. In this challenge, the winning teams would receive a prize at the end of each mission. They would then nominate two players from their...
. - "Ocean Avenue" is the name of the street of the Amityville murders.
- The song "Empty Apartment" was also featured on an episode of the TV Show One Tree HillOne Tree Hill (TV series)One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
. - The verses of "Twentythree" are sung by Sean, singing from a third person perspective, and Ryan singing the choruses from the first person.
- The title "Life of a Salesman" references the Arthur MillerArthur MillerArthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
play Death of a SalesmanDeath of a SalesmanDeath of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
. - "Believe" is a tribute to September 11, especially to the rescue members who saved many, but did not come out alive.
- On March 23, 2004 Ocean Avenue was certified Gold by the RIAA.
- On July 14, 2004 Ocean Avenue was certified Platinum by the RIAA.