Hotel Paper

Hotel Paper
Studio album by Michelle Branch
Released	June 24, 2003
Recorded	2002–2003
Studio	Henson Recording Studios, Ocean Way Recording and Cello Studios (Hollywood, California) NRG Studios and Larrabee North (North Hollywood, California) Rocket Carousel Studio (Culver City, California) Image Recording Studios and Westlake Audio (Los Angeles, California) The Big Space (Santa Monica, California) Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, California) Noise New York (New York City, New York) Seventeen Grand Recording (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Alternative rock pop rock
Length	47:05
Label	Maverick
Producer	Josh Abraham Rick Depofi John Leventhal John Shanks Greg Wells
Michelle Branch chronology
The Spirit Room (2001) Hotel Paper (2003) Everything Comes and Goes (2010)
Singles from Hotel Paper
"The Game of Love" Released: September 23, 2002 "Are You Happy Now?" Released: May 19, 2003 [1] "Breathe" Released: September 22, 2003 [2] "'Til I Get Over You" Released: February 9, 2004

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	57/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Blender	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	C [5]
Q	[3]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Slant Magazine	[7]
Stylus Magazine	C− [8]
Spin	6/10 [9]
Yahoo! Music UK	[10]

Hotel Paper is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Michelle Branch. It was released on June 24, 2003 through Maverick. The production on the album was handled by a variety of record producers such as Josh Abraham, Rick Depofi, John Leventhal, John Shanks & Greg Wells.

Hotel Paper was supported by three singles: "Are You Happy Now?", "Breathe" and "'Til I Get over You". The album received mixed critical reviews and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 157,000 copies in its first week. ^[11] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2003. ^[12]

Background

Some of the major themes on Hotel Paper are leaving things behind, constantly being on the move, independence, the mysteries of bus stations and spirituality. ^[6] The album's cover is a photograph of Branch by Sheryl Nields.

Singles

"Are You Happy Now?", the album's first single, peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Branch's third nomination. The second single was "Breathe", which reached number 36 on the Hot 100 and became a top five club hit. A third single, "'Til I Get over You", was released with no music video and failed to chart.

Commercial performance

Hotel Paper debuted at number two on US Billboard 200 chart, selling 157,000 copies in its first week. ^[11] This became Branch's first US top-ten debut and highest first-week sales to date. ^[11] In its second week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, selling an additional 85,000 copies. ^[13] In its third week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, selling 65,000 more copies. ^[14] The album spent a total of 33 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart. ^[15] On December 9, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over a million copies. ^[12] As of March 2009, the album had sold 1,116,000 copies in the United States. ^[16]

In Canada, the album peaked at number four on the Canadian Album Chart and was certified gold for shipments of over 50,000 copies. ^[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michelle Branch, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"		0:12
2.	"Are You Happy Now?"	Branch John Shanks	3:50
3.	"Find Your Way Back"		3:45
4.	"Empty Handed"		4:50
5.	"Tuesday Morning"		4:43
6.	"One of These Days"		3:23
7.	"Love Me Like That" (with Sheryl Crow)	Branch Shanks	4:35
8.	"Desperately"		3:06
9.	"Breathe"	Branch Shanks	3:32
10.	"Where Are You Now?"		3:26
11.	"Hotel Paper"		4:19
12.	"'Til I Get Over You"	Branch Shanks	4:10
13.	"It's You" (Outro begins at 2:30)		3:14

International edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Everywhere"	Branch Shanks	3:36
14.	"The Game of Love" (with Santana)	Alex Ander Rick Nowels	4:15
15.	"It's You"		3:14

Digital deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"It's You" (Outro excluded)		2:29
14.	"Wanting Out"		3:48
15.	"Lay Me Down"	Branch Jessica Harp Greg Wells	3:14
16.	"A Case of You"	Joni Mitchell	4:15
17.	"'Til I Get Over You" (Acoustic live from AOL Sessions)	Branch Shanks	4:06

iTunes Store deluxe edition bonus videos

No.	Title	Length
18.	"Are You Happy Now?" (Music video)	4:02
19.	"Breathe" (Music video)	3:32

Personnel

Musicians

• Michelle Branch – vocals, acoustic guitar (3–5), guitars (8, 10, 13), percussion (10), keyboards (13), backing vocals (14)
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (1–3, 9)
• Patrick Warren – keyboards (4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
• Josh Abraham – keyboards (6), programming (6)
• Oliver Goldstein – acoustic piano (6), keyboards (6), programming (6)
• Greg Wells – acoustic piano (8, 10), organ (8, 10), guitars (8), bass (8),Wurlitzer electric piano (10)
• John Leventhal – keyboards (11), guitars (11), bass (11)
• Lars Fox – programming (13)
• Rick Nowels – keyboards (14), acoustic guitar (14), backing vocals (14)
• Chester D. Thompson – acoustic piano (14), organ (14)
• Dave Navarro – guitars (2)
• John Shanks – guitars (2–5, 7, 9, 12, 13), bass (3, 9, 13), programming (13)
• Stuart Smith – mandolin (7)
• Carlos Santana – electric lead guitar (14), horn arrangements (14)
• Rusty Anderson – additional electric guitar (14)
• Paul Bushnell – bass (2)
• Chris Chaney – bass (4, 5, 7, 9, 12)
• Mike Elizondo – bass (9)
• Dan Rothchild – bass (10)
• Benny Rietveld – bass (14)
• Kenny Aronoff – drums (2–5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
• Brian MacLeod – drums (8, 10)
• Shawn Pelton – drums (11)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (13)
• Brian Collier – drums (14)
• Wayne Rodrigues – drum programming (14)
• Luis Conte – percussion (8), additional percussion (14)
• Chris Reynolds – percussion (10)
• Rick Depofi – percussion (11)
• Karl Perazzo – percussion (14)
• Raul Rekow – congas (14)
• Jeff Cressman – trombone (14), horn arrangements (14)
• Marty Wehner – trombone (14)
• Julius Melendez – trumpet (14)
• Bill Ortiz – trumpet (14), horn arrangements (14)
• David Campbell – string arrangements (4)
• Sheryl Crow – vocals (7)
• Jessica Harp – backing vocals (8)
• Siedah Garrett – backing vocals (14)
• Niki Haris – backing vocals (14)
• Tony Lindsay – additional vocals (14)
• Andy Vargas – additional vocals (14)

Production

• Danny Strick – A&R
• John Shanks – producer (1–5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
• Josh Abraham – producer (6), mixing (6)
• Greg Wells – producer (8, 10)
• John Leventhal – producer (11, 15)
• Rick Depofi – co-producer (11), engineer (11)
• Alex Anders – producer (14)
• Rick Nowels – producer (14)
• Dan Chase – recording (2–5, 7, 9, 12)
• Marc DeSisto – recording (2–5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
• Lars Fox – recording (2–5, 7, 9, 12, 13), Pro Tools editing (13)
• Jeff Rothschild – recording (2–5, 7, 9, 12)
• Ryan Williams – engineer (6)
• Brian Scheuble – engineer (8, 10)
• Greg Collins – engineer (14)
• Chris Garcia – engineer (14)
• Jim Gaines – engineer (14)
• Michael Rosen – engineer (14)
• Randy Wine – engineer (14)
• Brian Humphrey – assistant engineer (2–5, 7, 9, 12)
• Eric Reichers – assistant engineer (2–5, 7, 9, 12)
• Mark Valentine – assistant engineer (2–5, 7, 9, 12)
• Mark J. Ciccula – assistant engineer (6)
• Chris Reynolds – second engineer (8, 10)
• Jorge Velez – assistant engineer (11)
• Ben Conrad – assistant engineer (14)
• Scott Holderby – assistant engineer (14)
• Kieron Menzies – assistant engineer (14)
• Alec Veucasovic – assistant engineer (14)
• Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2–5, 7, 9, 12, 13)
• Jim Scott – mixing (8, 10)
• Roger Moutenot – mixing (11)
• Manny Marroquin – mixing (14)
• Jesse Gorman – mix assistant (6)
• Chris Holmes – mix assistant (10)
• Rob Clark – mix assistant (11)
• Josh "Tone" Weaver – Pro Tools editing (14)
• Brian Gardner – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
• Jill Dell'Abate – production coordinator (11)
• Robert Cappadona – project coordinator (14)
• Kirsten Johnson – project coordinator (14)
• Frank "Flem" Maddocks – art direction, design
• Sheryl Nields – photography
• Jeff Rabhan – management

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Hotel Paper

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [18]	18
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19]	4
French Albums (SNEP) [20]	79
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21]	43
Irish Albums (IRMA) [22]	53
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [23]	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24]	4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [25]	34
UK Albums (OCC) [26]	35
US Billboard 200 [27]	2

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Hotel Paper

Chart (2003)	Position
US Billboard 200 [28]	86

Certifications

Certifications for Hotel Paper

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [29]	Gold	35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [30]	Gold	50,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [31]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [12]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records . No. 1504. May 16, 2003. p. 28.
2. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1522. September 19, 2003. p. 24.
3. Critic reviews at Metacritic
4. Allmusic review
5. Chris Willman (June 27, 2003). "Hotel Paper Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
6. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
7. Sal Cinquemani (June 25, 2003). "Michelle Branch: Hotel Paper". Slant Magazine . Retrieved October 20, 2011.
8. Todd Burns (September 1, 2003). "Michelle Branch - Hotel Paper". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
9. Spin review
10. "Yahoo! Music UK review". Archived from the original on August 10, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
11. Martens, Todd (July 2, 2003). "Beyonce, Branch Albums Storm The Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
12. "American album certifications – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Recording Industry Association of America.
13. "Ashanti Returns To No. 1 With 'Chapter II'". Billboard . July 9, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
14. "Ashanti, Beyonce Albums Remain On Top". Billboard . July 16, 2003. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
15. "Michelle Branch". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
16. Trust, Gary (March 13, 2009). "Ask Billboard: Pink, Katy Perry". Billboard . Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
17. "Search Certification Database" Archived April 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Canadian Recording Industry Association.
18. "Australiancharts.com – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
19. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
20. "Lescharts.com – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
22. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
23. "「ホテル・ペイパー」 ミシェル・ブランチ│オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
24. "Charts.nz – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
25. "Swisscharts.com – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
26. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
27. "Michelle Branch Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
28. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
29. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
30. "Canadian album certifications – Michelle Branch – Hotel Paper". Music Canada.
31. "Gold disc certification". Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved February 4, 2021. Note: Select 2003年7月 in the "Certification date" dropdown menu.