We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Released

May 13, 2008

Recorded

2007–2008 at:
Kensaltown Recording Studios
(London, England)
Little Big Sound Studio
(Nashville, TN, USA)
Casa Nova Studio
(Oceanside, CA)

Genre

pop rock^[1]

Length

50:49

Label

Atlantic

Producer

Martin Terefe

Jason Mraz chronology

Singles from We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
We Steal Things. (2008)	We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)	Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live On Earth (2009)
"I'm Yours" Released: February 12, 2008 "Make It Mine" Released: August 8, 2008 "Lucky" Released: January 2009

Alternative cover

Limited edition cover

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. is the third studio album by Jason Mraz released on May 13, 2008.^[2] The album peaked at number three in the Billboard 200, Mraz's highest-peaking album thus far. The title of the album refers to a piece of art by David Shrigley which caught Mraz's attention while he traveled through Scotland.^[3]

1 Background and production
2 Track listing
3 Critical reception
4 Personnel
5 Chart performance
- 5.1 Year-end charts
6 Certifications
7 References
8 External links

Background and production

Progress of the recording of the album has been documented on the YouTube series "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" which contain clips from San Diego and London, where most of the album was formed. "I'm Yours" is the first single from the album and was made available on iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and Amazon.com on February 12, 2008. The album features collaborations with James Morrison on the track "Details in the Fabric" and with Colbie Caillat^[4] on the track "Lucky."

The album was preceded by three EPs released monthly for a limited time. We Sing. was released on March 18. We Dance. was released on April 15. The third installment, We Steal Things., was released as part of a digital bundle through iTunes, JasonMraz.com, and AtlanticRecords.com upon the release of the album. The third EP was only released along with the new studio album May 13, 2008.^[5] As of March 17, 2010 the album has sold 1,491,736 copies in the U.S. and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

On November 18, 2008 the album was re-released with the name We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Limited Edition. The re-released album is a three disc set that includes the original 12-track CD, the second disc includes all three We Sing., We Dance., and We Steal Things. EPs all on one disc, and the third DVD includes an unreleased full-band concert Live at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, a 30-minute documentary titled "Here We Are," and a preview to his "a thousand things." polaroid book. The packaging also includes a 20 page CD booklet with full lyrics and additional artwork.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Make It Mine"	Jason Mraz	3:08
2.	"I'm Yours"	Jason Mraz	4:03
3.	"Lucky" (feat. Colbie Caillat)	Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, Timothy Fagan	3:09
4.	"Butterfly"	Jason Mraz	5:00
5.	"Live High"	Jason Mraz	4:12
6.	"Love for a Child"	Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek	4:06
7.	"Details in the Fabric" (feat. James Morrison)	Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson	5:45
8.	"Coyotes"	Jason Mraz	3:38
9.	"Only Human"	Jason Mraz, Sacha Skarbek	4:03
10.	"The Dynamo of Volition"	Jason Mraz	3:36
11.	"If it Kills Me"	Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek	4:33
12.	"A Beautiful Mess"	Jason Mraz, Mona Tavakoli, Chaska Potter, Mai Bloomfield, Becky Gebhardt	5:38

iTunes Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Make it Mine (Live: London Sessions)" (iTunes Bonus Track)	Jason Mraz	3:30
14.	"Life is Wonderful (Live from Amsterdam)" (iTunes Bonus Track)	Jason Mraz	4:35

Limited Edition Bonus Tracks (Disc 2)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'm Yours (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	4:47
2.	"Live High (From an Avocado Salad Session)"	4:01
3.	"If it Kills Me (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	5:00
4.	"A Beautiful Mess (From a Raining Jane Session)"	5:17
5.	"Make it Mine (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	3:23
6.	"Butterfly (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	5:10
7.	"Only Human (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	4:47
8.	"The Dynamo of Volition (From an All-Night Session)"	4:43
9.	"Love for a Child (From the Casa Nova Sessions)"	3:54
10.	"Coyotes (From A Girl in New York Sessions)"	4:20
11.	"Man Gave Names to All the Animals (From the Gospel Collection Sessions)"	4:18
12.	"Mudhouse/Gypsy MC (Live from Amsterdam)"	7:00

The Latin American and Spanish re-release of the album includes a Spanish version of the song Lucky which was recorded by Mraz and Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana.^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[7]
Billboard	(positive)^[8]
Blender	^[9]
Dot Music	^[10]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)^[11]
PopMatters	(7/10)^[12]
Slant Magazine	^[13]
Sputnikmusic	^[14]
The Big Issue	^[15]
The Boston Globe	(positive)^[16]

The album overall, gained positive to mixed reviews. Commenting on the album's "pleasantly lightweight jams", "beachy guitars", "R&B horns" and "playful scat singing", Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+.^[17] In an overall positive review, Billboard said "Mraz emerges even bolder than before on an album loaded with strings, horns, formidable grooves and a dozen songs dripping with mantra-like positivity."^[18]

Allmusic said that "The nice thing about the soulful shimmer of We Sing is that it's so slick that it's easy to ignore the gibberish spilling out of Mraz's mouth and just enjoy the sunny, easy sound".^[19]

PopMatters wrote that "The album sounds great, and Mraz knows what he is up to. Less clear, I think, is whether the razzle-dazzle wordsmith who loves his Eminem records is ready to truly enter the marketplace as a serious vocalist and a sober songwriter", giving the album a positive rating of seven out of ten overall.^[20]

Giving the album two-and-a-half out of five stars, Blender concluded that whether "Pondering his parents divorce or describing intricate and delicate sex acts, Mraz's tasty tenor remains a modestly classy pleasure. But he's lost crucial cool."^[21]

Even less flattering, Uncut magazine said that "Listening to [the album] is like being followed home by a puppy— initially cute and guilelessly affecting, but rapidly irritating".^[22] Writing for The Big Issue in December 2008, Lianne Steinberg stated that "listening to this album is akin to being woken from a comfortable deep sleep by a circus clown with a water pistol full of warm urine", singling out the "terrible lyrics and hamfisted rhymes" for their "hilarity".^[15]

Personnel

Jason Mraz – vocals, guitar

Additional personnel

Martin Terefe – bass on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, piano on tracks 2 and 3, guitar on track 2, drums on tracks 6 and 11, choir vocals on track 8, production on all tracks
Karl Brazil – drums on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 10
Luke Potashnick – guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10
Nikolas Torp Larsen – keyboards on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12, choir vocals on track 8
Carlos Sosa – tenor saxophone on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 9, baritone saxophone on tracks 1, 4 and 9, flute on track 4, horn arrangements
Fernie Castillo – trumpet on tracks 1, 4, 5, and 9, flugelhorn on track 4, horn arrangements
Raul "Ralo" Vallejo – trombone on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 9, horn arrangements
Noel "Toca" Rivera – backing vocals on tracks 1, 2 and 12
Abby Scwartz – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2
Gianna Muir-Robinson – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2
Lauren De Rose – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2
Taylor-Tay – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2
Kristoffer Sonne – drums on tracks 2, 3, 8, 9 and 12
Colbie Caillat – vocals on track 3
David Davidson – violin on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12, string arrangements
David Angell – violin on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12
Kristin Wilkinson – viola on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12
Keith Nichols – cello on tracks 3 and 12
Judy Renea Flenoid – choir vocals on track 5
Shardie Flenoid – choir vocals on track 5
Karen Mills – choir vocals on track 5
Betty Mills – choir vocals on track 5
Chirell Warren – choir vocals on track 5
Tanya Tolver – choir vocals on track 5
Tanya Murphy – choir vocals on track 5
Ida Rhem – choir vocals on track 5
Sia Thompson – choir vocals on track 5
Connie Corn – choir vocals on track 5
Sacha Skarbek – piano on track 6, keyboards on track 9
John Catchings – cello on tracks 6, 7 and 11
James Morrison – vocals on track 7

Bushwalla – voicemail message on track 7, backing vocals on track 12
Andreas Olssen – synthesizer on track 8, 808 on track 10, programming on all tracks
Aaron Leibowitz – saxophone on track 8
Justin Kirk – trombone on track 8
Ben Adamson – trumpet on track 8
Noah Terefe – choir vocals on track 8
Rita Ora – choir vocals on track 8
Kiera McGuinness – choir vocals on track 8
Olivia Ansah-Smith – choir vocals on track 8
Julia Morgan – choir vocals on track 8
Julia Cailleteau – choir vocals on track 8
Kiera Zekra – choir vocals on track 8
Teymor Gray – choir vocals on track 8
Joseph Alfille-Cook – choir vocals on track 8
Sofia Loopuit – choir vocals on track 8
Walid Massoud – choir vocals on track 8
Thomas Picard – choir vocals on track 8
Hanna Terefe – choir vocals on track 8
Tia Terefe – choir vocals on track 8
Pete Ibsen – choir vocals on track 8
Nick Whitecross – choir vocals on track 8
Jon Hall – choir vocals on track 8
Savanna Sparks – choir vocals on track 8
Rebecca Lacey – choir vocals on track 8
Zatac Sylwiz – choir vocals on track 8
Xoreal Harrison – choir vocals on track 8
Millet Oliver – choir vocals on track 8
Jane Tomes – backing vocals on track 12
Alexis Fedorowich – backing vocals on track 12
Tricia Huffman – backing vocals on track 12
Tony Maserati – mixing on all tracks
Szyyd Drullard – mixing assistance on all tracks
Adam Thompson – mixing assistance on all tracks
Chris Gehringer – mastering on all tracks
Bil Zelman – interior album photo

Chart performance

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Argentina Albums Chart^[23]	18
Australian Albums Chart^[24]	3
Belgian Albums Charts (Wallonia)^[25]	15
French Albums Chart^[26]	6
Spanish Albums Charts^[27]	9
U.S. Billboard 200^[28]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
Swiss Albums Chart^[29]	67

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)^[30]	2× Platinum	140,000^{^}
France (SNEP)^[31]	2× Platinum	200,000^*
Germany (BVMI)^[32]	Gold	100,000^{^}
New Zealand (RIANZ)^[33]	Gold	7,500^{^}
Sweden (GLF)^[34]	Gold	20,000^{^}
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[35]	Gold	15,000^x
United States (RIAA)^[36]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)^[37]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "((( We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things )))". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1348819. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
^ Jasonmraz.com - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things Jason Mraz Official Store Pre-Order
^ http://www.gua.com.my/jasonmraz/about/index.htm
^ iTunesLive - iTunesLive London Sessions
^ Via Atlantic Records - Jason Mraz releases/Tour talk!
^ "Graba Ximena Sariñana video de la suerte". esmas. 22 May 2009. http://www2.esmas.com/ritmoson/noticias/065221/graba-ximena-sarinana-video-suerte. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
^ "Allmusic review". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1348819.
^ "Billboard review". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i4c48acfb0da84a314ab0b2daf77c86ad.
^ "Blender review". http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=5133.
^ "Dot Music review". http://uk.launch.yahoo.com/090109/33/220f4.html.
^ "Entertainment Weekly review". http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20198685,00.html.
^ "PopMatters review". http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/jason-mraz-we-sing-we-dance-we-steal-things.
^ "Slant Magazine review". http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1390.
^ "Sputnikmusic review". http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=25732.
^ ^a ^b Steinberg, Lianne. "Review: JASON MRAZ - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things (Atlantic Records)". The Big Issue In The North (The Big Life Company) (753, 23 December-4 January 2009): 25.
^ "The Boston Globe review". May 20, 2008. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2008/05/20/we_listened_we_like_it_but_just_a_little/.
^ Wood, Mikael (May 09, 2008) "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things". Entertainment Weekly. (accessed 2009-01-13)
^ Graff, Gary (May 24, 2008), "News". Billboard. (accessed 2009-01-13)
^ [1]. All Music Guide. (accessed 2009-01-13)
^ PopMatters Review.
^ Christgau, Robert (June 2008), "Conservatory-trained one-hit marvel aims for another hit by emphasizing the obvious". Blender. :75 (accessed 2009-01-13)
^ Byline unknown (July 2008), [2]. Uncut. :104 (accessed 2009-01-13)
^ "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?CodOp=ESCS&CO=6. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
^ "ARIA Chart". http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display.asp?chart=1G50. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
^ "Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Jason+Mraz&titel=We+Sing%2C+We+Dance%2C+We+Steal+Things&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
^ "Tops : Britney et Seal conservent leurs places". Chartsinfrance.net. 2008-12-23. http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Britney-Spears/news-67282.html. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
^ [3]
^ Hasty, Katy (21 May 2008). "Jason Mraz's Atlantic album 'We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things' enters at No. 3 with 73,000". Billboard magazine. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003806082. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
^ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. http://swisscharts.com/year.asp?key=2009. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Albums.htm.
^ "French album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things." (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=2009&type=13.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin.&strInterpret=Jason+Mraz&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked.
^ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/guld-platina-20082.pdf.
^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Jason+Mraz+We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin..
^ "American album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22We+Sing.+We+Dance.+We+steal+thin.%22. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2009". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2009.html.

External links

Jason Mraz's official YouTube channel - contains aforementioned "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" series

Jason Mraz

Studio albums	Waiting for My Rocket to Come · Mr. A–Z · We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

Live albums	Live at Java Joe's · Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom · Selections for Friends - Live from: Schubas Tavern, Chicago, Montalvo Winery, Saratoga California · Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess - Live On Earth

EPs and other albums	A Jason Mraz Demonstration · From the Cutting Room Floor · Sold Out (In Stereo) · The E Minor EP in F · Extra Credit · Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jason Mraz · Geekin' Out Across the Galaxy · iTunes Live: London Sessions · We Sing. · We Dance. · We Steal Things.

Singles	"The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" · "Curbside Prophet" · "You and I Both" · "Wordplay" · "Geek in the Pink" · "The Beauty In Ugly" · "I'm Yours" · "Make It Mine" · "Lucky" · "The World As I See It" · "I Won't Give Up"

Related articles	Discography · Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen