Riot!

For other uses of "riot", see Riot (disambiguation).
Riot!
Studio album by Paramore
Released June 12, 2007
Recorded January–March 2007 at the House of Loud, New Jersey
Genre
Length 38:58
Label Fueled by Ramen
Producer
Paramore chronology

The Summer Tic EP
(2006)		 Riot!
(2007)		 Live in the UK 2008
(2008)
Alternative cover
MVI+CD re-release
Singles from Riot!
  1. "Misery Business"
    Released: July 15, 2007
  2. "Hallelujah"
    Released: September 10, 2007
  3. "Crushcrushcrush"
    Released: November 26, 2007
  4. "That's What You Get"
    Released: March 24, 2008

Riot! is the second studio album by the American rock band Paramore, succeeding their debut album, All We Know Is Falling, and was released in the United States on June 12, 2007 and in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2007. The album was certified Platinum in The US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 11, 2008 and in Ireland by Irish Recorded Music Association, and Gold in the UK. Riot! produced 4 singles: "Misery Business", "Hallelujah", "Crushcrushcrush" and "That's What You Get".

"Misery Business" is included in the video games Saints Row 2, NHL 08, Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero World Tour (the latter featuring a computer-generated replica of lead vocalist Hayley Williams), while "That's What You Get" is included as a playable song on Rock Band 2. "Crushcrushcrush" is featured on Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades and is available as a downloadable track for play on the three Rock Band games. A cover version of the song is also featured on the game Ultimate Band. The album cover also resembles the cover artwork of No Doubt's album Rock Steady.

Music

Recording and production

The album was produced and mixed by David Bendeth. Lead vocalist, Hayley Williams, explained the album was called Riot! because, "For us, the title ‘Riot!’ literally means an unbridled outburst of emotions. When we were writing, it seemed like our thoughts and emotions were coming out so fast that we couldn't control them. It felt like there was a riot within us. So the album takes our passion to a new level; it’s just all raw energy."[5]

The track "For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic" comes from what lead guitarist Josh Farro reflects as "putting your faith in someone and they blow it." Farro composed the song and gave the demo to Williams. Farro is known as saying "I wrote the music specifically to be awesome live and to be extremely energetic. It all came out at once. I showed it to Hayley and she just nailed it lyrically. She completely got the feeling I wanted the song to have."[5]

During production, Paramore held an online contest, titled "The Last Song You'll Ever Sing", where fans submitted videos on YouTube for the opportunity to sing back-up vocals on the track "Born for This". The winner was Mary Bonney of McLean, Virginia.[6]

Singles

The album has yielded four singles, with "Misery Business" being the first. Its origins came from a message Williams posted on the band's LiveJournal, asking fans to post what they're ashamed of. "I found that people really were reaching out to someone to spill their guts to," she recalls, "so I did the same thing lyrically in the song and let everything out. It's more honest than anything I've ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically."[5] The song became an instant hit, eventually receiving heavy rotation on MTV and other music television networks.

The album's second single was "Hallelujah". As Williams recounts, "It's one of the oldest songs we've got, but we wanted to save it for this record, and it's the perfect home for it. It's a claim of victory for both ourselves and our fans."[5]

The album's third single was "Crushcrushcrush" and was released January 15, 2008, in the US and the January 23 in the UK.

The album's fourth single, "That's What You Get", was released just over a week after Paramore canceled their European tour to work on "personal issues",[7] amidst media speculation of the band breaking up. Williams explained that, given the fragile state of the band, they all thought it best if they kept the shoot low-key, surrounding themselves with their friends and family, keeping it simple. Williams added, "We had tons of friends there, and it really just felt like a hangout session. And Marcos [Siega, the director] was so cool about it. He said, 'Bring your friends.' We shot it in some of our friends' houses, and it just felt so real... and I think it's the first time in a video you're gonna get to see who we really are."[8]

The track "Born for This" contains the line "we want the airwaves back", from the song "Liberation Frequency" taken from the album The Shape of Punk to Come by the influential Swedish hardcore band Refused. Williams has explained that this song was written "about the fans" and "that the whole pre-chorus is actually inspired by that one line of the song."[9]

Release

Riot! was released in the United States on June 12, 2007, following the debut of "Misery Business" on the radio. It entered the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart at 20 in late 2007. Riot! sold 42,000 albums in the U.S. in its first week and three months later the album hit its peak at 15 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified Platinum on July 11, 2008.[10] The hit single "Misery Business" has also been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[11] The album achieved some success in the UK reaching #24 on the albums chart sales and selling 250,094 copies to date. The album was re-released in late 2007 as a U-MYX MVI CD/DVD. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number 15, and was certified Gold on February 1, 2009, shipping over 15,000 copies.[12][13]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 67/100[14]
Review scores
Source Rating
AbsolutePunk 71%[15]
AllMusic [3]
Alternative Press 3/5[16]
Drowned in Sound 4/10[17]
IGN 7/10[18]
Jesus Freak Hideout [19]
Kerrang!
NME 5/10[20]
Spin [21]
Stylus Magazine B+[22]

Critical opinion for Riot! was generally positive.[14] Jason Lymangrover of Allmusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and commented that, "Ultimately, this disc has enormous crossover potential, and will probably appeal to those who are fans of the genre, and for those who aren't, there's a good chance of it becoming a guilty pleasure."[3] Stylus Magazine gave the album a B+ and said, "Riot! is immediately appealing because it focuses on sounds that have been neglected by the genre's front-runners. This is an uncomplicated album of strikingly uncomplicated music, entirely lacking in 15 word song titles."[22]

Gareth Dobson of Drowned in Sound gave the album 4 out of 10 stars and said, "At 38 minutes long, it's mercifully brief, but still manages to feel like a double album for those who endure it. That is, those who don't manage to forget that it's on the stereo at all. People, get your pop-punk thrills somewhere else. At least somewhere where there are actual thrills to be had."[17] IGN gave the album a 7 out of 10, saying "This is by no means a must have album and is not going to be remembered as the band's defining moment by any stretch of the imagination. But what Riot! will do is serve as a foundation from which the kids can continue to learn, grow and improve." and comments that it shows more maturity compared to similar bands.[18]

Riot! Tour

Williams said, "We're hoping to do one more tour across the States before we really get started with all the (European summer) festivals. Of course, I want to do more Warped Tour dates, 'cause it's, like, my favorite tour ever. We'll see what works out and hopefully just have another great year."[23]

After the album release the band went on an American tour, following it up with a world tour. After their fourth single from Riot! was released the band canceled their European tour to work on "personal issues."

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Hayley Williams and Josh Farro, except where noted[24]. 

No. Title Length
1. "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic"   3:48
2. "That's What You Get" (Williams, Farro, Taylor York) 3:40
3. "Hallelujah"   3:23
4. "Misery Business"   3:31
5. "When It Rains" (Williams, Farro, Zac Farro) 3:35
6. "Let the Flames Begin"   3:18
7. "Miracle"   3:29
8. "Crushcrushcrush"   3:09
9. "We Are Broken" (Williams, Farro, David Bendeth) 3:38
10. "Fences" (Williams, Farro, Bendeth) 3:18
11. "Born for This"   3:58

Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 47
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 66
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[28] 61
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[29] 26
Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] 53
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[31] 31
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 24
UK Rock Albums (OCC)[34] 2
US Billboard 200[35] 15
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[36] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[37] 4

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[38] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 0^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[42] Platinum 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Paramore
Additional musicians
Production

References

  1. ↑ "Fueled By Ramen: Celebrating Today for 15 Years - MTV Hive". MTV Hive. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Paramore". Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lymangrover, Jason (2007-06-12). "Riot! - Paramore". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  4. ↑ "Paramore - Riot! - Review - Stylus Magazine". Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Paramore band info". paramore.net.
  6. ↑ "Sophomore rocker lands back-up gig". theflathatnews.com. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
  7. ↑ "Paramore Cancel European Tour". mtv.com. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  8. ↑ "Paramore Explain Why 'That's What You Get' Video Shoot Was Top Secret". mtv.com. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  9. ↑ "Organised-Sound interview with Paramore". Organised-sound.com. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  10. ↑ Paramore RIAA Certifications
  11. ↑ "Paramore RIAA Certifications". Riaa.com. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  12. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums - RadioScope New Zealand". Radioscope.net.nz. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  13. ↑ "RIANZ". RIANZ. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Riot! Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ Tate, Jason. "Paramore - Riot!". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  16. ↑ Heisel, Scott. "Not quite ready for the majors. - Paramore - Riot!". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Dobson, Gareth. "Review / Paramore: Riot!". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Paramore - Riot! Review". IGN. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  19. ↑ "Paramore, "Riot!" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  20. ↑ Elan, Priya. "Paramore: RIOT!". NME. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  21. ↑ Kelley, Trevor. "Paramore, 'Riot!' - Fierce Benatar heir leads enterprising pop punkers.". Spin. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Bradley, Jonathan. "Paramore - Riot!". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  23. ↑ "Paramore, Gym Class Heroes Lead Warped Lineup". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
  24. ↑ Riot! (CD). Paramore. Fueled by Ramen Records. 2009.
  25. ↑ ["iTunes - Music - Riot! (Deluxe Version) -by Paramore]". iTunes. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Paramore – Riot!". Australiancharts.com. Hung Medien.
  27. ↑ "Paramore – Riot!" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien.
  28. ↑ "Paramore – Riot!" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien.
  29. ↑ "Paramore: Riot!" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  30. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  31. ↑ "Paramore – Riot!". Mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien.
  32. ↑ "Paramore – Riot!". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien.
  33. ↑ "Paramore | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  34. ↑ UK Rock Chart BBC. Archived on 2009-02-11.
  35. ↑ "Billboard chart search / title = Riot! / chart = The Billboard 200 / dist. = Fueled By Ramen". Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  36. ↑ "Billboard chart search / title = Riot! / chart = Alternative Albums / dist. = Fueled By Ramen". Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  37. ↑ "Billboard chart search / title = Riot! / chart = Top Rock Albums / dist. = Fueled By Ramen". Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  39. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Paramore – Riot!". Music Canada.
  40. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Paramore – Riot!". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  41. ↑ "British album certifications – Paramore – Riot!". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 October 2013. Enter Riot! in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  42. ↑ "American album certifications – Paramore – Riot!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 October 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH