Over My Head (Cable Car)

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For other uses, see Over My Head
“Over My Head (Cable Car)”
“Over My Head (Cable Car)” cover
Single by The Fray
from the album How to Save a Life
Released September 2005
July 2007 (Brazil)
Format CD single, digital download
Recorded Bloomington, Indiana July 24, 2005
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:58
Label Epic Records
Writer(s) Isaac Slade, Joe King
Producer Mike Flynn, Aaron Johnson
Certification Platinum
The Fray singles chronology
N/A "Over My Head (Cable Car)"
(2005)		 "How to Save a Life"
(2006)


The Fray UK singles chronology
"How to Save a Life"
(2007)		 "Over My Head (Cable Car)"
(2007)		 "All At Once"
(2007)


The Fray Brazil singles chronology

"Over My Head (Cable Car)"
(2007)		 "How to Save a Life"
(2007)


How to Save a Life track listing
"She Is"
(1)		 "Over My Head (Cable Car)"
(2)		 "How to Save A Life"
(3)

"Over My Head (Cable Car)" (originally performed as "Cable Car") is an alternative rock song by Colorado-based rock band The Fray on their debut album How to Save a Life (2005). It was their debut single from the album, and hit the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single helped propel their album from the Top Heatseekers chart to the top 20 of The Billboard 200 chart. The single is available exclusively as a digital download. Some CD singles of the song were given out to attendees of a concert on December 17, 2004. The CD single was backed with "Heaven Forbid" and a live version of "Hundred". In the UK, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" will be released as the second single from the album, following "How to Save a Life".

[edit] History

The song was written about lead singer Isaac Slade's relationship with his brother, Caleb, nicknamed 'Cable Car' (which the song shares its name with). He wrote the song because he and his brother were allegedly not speaking and were at odds with each other.

[edit] Track listings

UK CDS1

  1. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Album Version
  2. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Acoustic Live Version

UK CDS2

  1. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Album Version
  2. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - Acoustic Live Version
  3. "Heaven Forbid" - Live
  4. "Over My Head (Cable Car)" - CD-Rom Video

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical

Billboard called the tune "a timeless pop-rock smash that soars with lightness and ease."[1]

[edit] Commercial

As of October 8, the song has sold 1.3 million digital singles in America, giving the single Platinum status.[2] As of July 13, the song was the fifth most downloaded single of 2006.[3] The song appeared on the American top hits compilation NOW 22, which debuted at #1 on The Billboard 200 chart. It has also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Stealth. It was also featured in promotionals for What About Brian in Australia. The song particularly found a home on modern adult contemporary radio stations, causing the song to hit the top three of the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, and overall reached the top ten of the Hot 100 chart, reaching a peak of #8 on the chart. The success that the song saw in the US prompted Epic Records to release the single in Australia and New Zealand as well, where it has found modest success, hitting the top 30 of the singles charts in both countries. In the UK, it hit the Top 20, peaking at #19. In Australia, though the single went gold (35,000+ units shipped), its peak position was only number 22. It has also charted in the top 100 of the German singles chart. In the beginning of 2007 the song became popular in the Netherlands.

[edit] Music Video

Micah Slade in the music video
Micah Slade in the music video

The music video was directed by Elliott Lester and was filmed on July 24, 2005 at East High School (Denver, Colorado) and at Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado. The video shows the members of the band as children, who attract the attention of other children by playing various instruments. Micah Slade, the youngest brother of Isaac, assumes the role of Isaac as a child in the music video. While the video was not granted very much airplay on MTV, it peaked at #2 in the VH1 Top 20 Countdown. It was ranked number 8 on VH1's "Top 40 Videos of 2006."[4]

[edit] Trivia

  • The song is played for Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Chad Bradford due to his wind-up style when pitching.
  • It also appears as a selectable track in SingStar Pop (US version) and in the DS game Jam Sessions.
  • There is a slightly different version of the song which is 4:10.
  • Was released as a limited time free download on Xbox Live as part of their "Artist of the Month" promotion.
  • This song plays in the background of McGee's apartment in the NCIS Episode "Bloodbath"
  • The song was performed by Crosby Loggins, the winner of the show Rock the Cradle in Spring 2008.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Adult Top 40 2
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 8
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 8
U.S. Adult Contemporary Recurrants 10
U.S. Adult Contemporary 15
U.S. Hot Ringtones 20
Spanish Los 40 principales 18
U.S. Modern Rock 37
Brazilian Hot 100[5] 5
Canada Airplay Chart 11
UK Singles Chart 19
Dutch Top 40 20
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 22
World Singles 24
Irish Singles Chart 25
New Zealand Singles Chart 25
Germany Singles Top 100 83
Swiss Singles Top 100 96
Eurochart 141

[edit] Sample

[edit] References

  1. ^ Philipp, Sven (2006-03-25), "Over My Head (Cable Car)". Billboard. 118 (12):66
  2. ^ "Over My Head (Cable Car)" was certified Double Platinum in May 2006. However, the RIAA changed their prerequisites for single sales, and it has since been reduced to single Platinum.
  3. ^ First half sales: Downloads up; CDs, revenues down. USA Today (July 13, 2006).
  4. ^ Shows: Top 40 of 2006. VH1. Last accessed February 14, 2007.
  5. ^ Brazilian Hot 100 Songs & Tracks. Hot100Brasil. Retrieved on September 30, 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Fray
Isaac Slade · Joe King · Dave Welsh · Ben Wysocki
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
"Over My Head (Cable Car)" · "How to Save a Life" · "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" · "Look After You" · "All at Once"