How to Save a Life

For other uses, see How to Save a Life (disambiguation).

"How to Save a Life"
Single by the Fray
from the album How to Save a Life
Released	March 26, 2006
Recorded	2005
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:22
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Isaac Slade Joe King
Producer(s)	Mike Flynn Aaron Johnson
The Fray singles chronology
"Over My Head (Cable Car)" (2005) "How to Save a Life" (2006) "Look After You" (2007)
Audio sample
file help

"How to Save a Life" is a song by American alternative rock band the Fray, released in March 2006 as the second single from their debut studio album of the same name. ^[1] The song is one of the band's most popular airplay songs and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, becoming the band's highest charting song. It became the joint seventh longest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, tying with Santana's "Smooth" (1999), at 58 consecutive weeks. The song has been certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, ^[2] and has sold 4.7 million downloads as of January 2015, the fourth best-selling rock song in digital history. ^[3]

"How to Save a Life" is the band's biggest hit single, topping the Adult Top 40 chart for 15 consecutive weeks and topping the Canadian Airplay Chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2007, but lost to "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lyrically, the song is a lamentation from the perspective of a person unable to help a troubled friend.

Background and writing

According to lead singer Isaac Slade, the song was composed and influenced by his experience while working as a mentor at a camp for troubled teenagers:

One of the youngsters I was paired up with was a musician. Here I was, a protected suburbanite, and he was just 17 and had all these problems. And no one could write a manual on how to save him.

Slade claims that the song is about all of the people that tried to reach out to the boy but were unsuccessful. As Slade says in an interview, the boy's friends and family approached him by saying, "Quit taking drugs and cutting yourself or I won't talk to you again," but all he needed was some support. The boy was losing friends and going through depression. He lost his best friend and could not deal with it. The verses of the song describe an attempt by an adult to confront a troubled teen. In the chorus, the singer laments that he himself was unable to save a friend because he did not know how.

While this was the original intent of the song, the band has opened the song to interpretation. They created a website where fans were welcome to submit music videos they had made for the song. This arose from the response that Slade got from the song: ^[4]

I got a lot of e-mails about it (...) One boy died in a car accident, and I guess it had been the last song he downloaded from his computer. They played it at his funeral, and some of his friends got Save a life tattooed on their arms. The response has been overwhelming.

During an interview in Sauce, Bob Wilson asked Slade, "'How to Save a Life' was apparently inspired by an experience you had as a mentor to a boy who had a drug problem. What's the story behind that?" Slade answered: ^[5]

Well there's a group home here in Denver called Shelterwood, and it takes in teens who've had a tough time; their parents don't want to send them to jail, but they can't keep track of them themselves... A friend of mine was actually the president for that particular school, so he asked Joe and I to come up for one of their weekend retreats... I was paired up with one boy in particular. His story was just amazing – all the relationships that he had put at risk because of the decisions he made, and eventually losing the relationships... the cost of his lifestyle and his choices, and kind of relating them to my own life and my own stories; seeing all the relationships I've threatened for one reason or another. It was a really inspiring weekend.

Composition

Written in the key of B-flat major, it has a moderately fast tempo of 120 beats per minute. The Fray's vocals range from the note of B♭₃ and F₅. ^[6]

Commercial performance

The song is the band's first to achieve significant popularity outside of the United States. "How to Save a Life" was a top five hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Due to an early leak by BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, where it was the band's debut single, the song was released in the territory five weeks earlier than planned. It debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart on January 21, 2007, via downloads alone. Instead of its planned release date which was to be March 26, 2007, the single was physically released in the United Kingdom on February 28 and gradually rose up the chart, reaching number five on February 25, staying there for four weeks. It eventually peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart on April 8 and became Britain's eleventh biggest-selling song of 2007. ^[7] On March 29, "How to Save a Life" peaked at number 1 in Ireland, becoming their first and only number one single in the country to date. The song only stayed at the top spot for a week but sales still proved strong after it fell from number 1.

The song was ranked No. 24 on Billboard's Best Adult Pop Songs of the Decade, ^[8] and No. 47 on Billboard's Top 100 Digital Tracks of the Decade. ^[9] It was also ranked No. 58 on Billboard's Hot 100 Songs of the Decade ^[10] and No. 56 on Rhapsody's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade. ^[11] The song was the 25th most downloaded song of all time on iTunes as of February 2010. ^[12] The song has sold over 4.7 million copies in the US as of January 2015. ^[13]

Music videos

The original music video, which premiered on VH1 on September 12, 2006, featured the recurring themes of light and stopped time. This music video shows the scene of a car crash and all of its presumed victims in pause. There is a recurring light throughout the video shining brightly in the dark woods that the video takes place in. Scenes of the band playing in a dark warehouse are intercut with the story going on outside. This version of the video was placed at No. 21 of the year by VH1's "Top 40 Videos of 2006".

Another version of the music video juxtaposes scenes from Grey's Anatomy to scenes of the original music video. However, all the scenes of the presumed car crash victims are excluded and only scenes of the Fray playing in a warehouse are shown.

A third music video, directed by Mark Pellington, was released for the song on December 6, 2006. The video features various adolescents, most of which seem to be between 12 and 18 in age, all who appear to be depressed and suicidal, or possibly mourning the loss of a loved one, as hinted by one of the individuals holding a portrait of an old man. All of these children have lost a significant loved one prior to the video, and many of them cry and scream in the video, all against a white background. Scenes of the band playing the song against this same white background are also shown throughout the video. Many numbered steps are shown alongside them, such as "Remember", "Cry", or "Let It Go". The video ends with each child finding a catharsis and making peace with themselves or others. This version of the video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live (TRL) at No. 9, and went on to top the countdown at No. 1 on December 21, 2006, becoming the band's first TRL No. 1, and also becoming the last No. 1 video on TRL for 2006.

Track listings

CD 1

1. "How to Save a Life" (single mix) – 4:00
2. "She Is" – Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real

;CD 2

1. "How to Save a Life" (album version) – 4:22
2. "How to Save a Life" – Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real – 4:22
3. "She Is" – Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real
4. "How to Save a Life" – CD-R

Personnel

The Fray

• Isaac Slade – lead vocals, acoustic piano
• Dave Welsh – lead guitars
• Joe King – rhythm guitars, backing vocals
• Dan Battenhouse – bass
• Ben Wysocki – drums

Production Produced by Aaron Johnson and Mike Flynn

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2006–2013) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [14] 2 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [15] 46 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [16] 7 Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [17] 2 Canada AC ( Billboard ) [18] 4 Canada CHR/Top 40 ( Billboard ) [19] 4 Canada Hot AC ( Billboard ) [20] 1 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [21] 17 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [22] 12 France (SNEP) [23] 35 Germany (Official German Charts) [24] 45 Ireland (IRMA) [25] 1 Italy Digital Singles (FIMI) [26] 5 Italy Physical Singles (FIMI) [27] 29 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [28] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [29] 46 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [30] 7 Norway (VG-lista) [31] 10 Portugal ( Billboard ) [32] 7 Scotland (OCC) [33] 6 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [34] 83 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [35] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [36] 28 UK Singles (OCC) [37] 4 US Billboard Hot 100 [38] 3 US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [39] 1 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [40] 1 US Adult Top 40 ( Billboard ) [41] 1 US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [42] 31 US Christian Songs ( Billboard ) [43] 4 US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) [44] 3

Year-end charts Chart (2006) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [45] 27 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) [46] 23 Chart (2007) Position Australia (ARIA) [47] 18 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [48] 40 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [49] 35 Ireland (IRMA) [50] 10 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [51] 38 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [52] 93 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [53] 95 UK Singles (OCC) [54] 11 US Billboard Hot 100 [55] 24 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) [56] 2 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) [57] 5 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–09) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [58] 58

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [59]	Platinum	70,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [60]	Platinum	40,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [61]	2× Platinum	180,000‡
Germany (BVMI) [62]	2× Platinum	600,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [63]	2× Platinum	100,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [64]	Gold	7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI) [65]	4× Platinum	2,400,000‡
United States (RIAA) [66]	5× Platinum	5,000,000‡
United States (RIAA) [67] Mastertone	Platinum	1,000,000*
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [68]	Gold	900,000†
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

In popular culture

The song was first featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy , after Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for the show, saw the band perform in Los Angeles. Alexandra then incorporated the song into the second-season episode "Superstition". After its usage in the episode, the song became a minor Hot 100 hit. The song became an "unofficial theme" for the other members of the Grey's Anatomy production after the episode aired, leading to the decision that the song would be used in the main promotion for the third season in the show. Grey's Anatomy is credited with bringing popularity to the song. It was also used in the show's musical episode when Callie was having surgery to save her and baby Sofia's life. It was also used when Derek died and Meredith stood at his bedside. ^[69] The song also featured prominently in the season five Scrubs episode "My Lunch", and was used as the song of choice for the 'best bits' of season 8 of Big Brother UK . ^[70]

"How to Save a Life" was also featured in One Tree Hill . ^[71]

References

1. Paoletta, Michael (October 14, 2006). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p.  16 – via Internet Archive.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
2. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
3. Polk, Christopher (January 31, 2015). "The 15 Most Downloaded Songs in Rock History". Yahoo! Music . Retrieved February 5, 2015.
4. Gardner, Elysa (July 12, 2006). "Debut 'How to Save a Life' takes on a life of its own". USA Today. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
5. "Diving Into – The Fray" (PDF). Sauce. June 9, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2011.
6. "How to Save a Life By The Fray - Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. May 19, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
7. BBC Music. "Top 40 Singles of the Year 2007 ". Retrieved December 27, 2007
8. "Best of the 2000s: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 27, 2010.
9. "Best of the 2000s: Digital Songs". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 27, 2010.
10. "Best of the 2000s: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 21, 2009.
11. Editorial, Rhapsody (December 9, 2009). "Top 100 Tracks of the Decade – Rhapsody: The Mix". Blog.rhapsody.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
12. Herrera, Dave (February 25, 2010). "The Fray, Frank E and Ryan Tedder make list of Top 25 iTunes downloads – Denver Music – Backbeat". Blogs.westword.com. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
13. "Top 10 Rock songs downloaded (Of all time)". i99radio.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015.
14. "The Fray – How To Save A Life". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
15. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
16. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
17. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
18. "The Fray Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
19. "The Fray Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
20. "The Fray Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
21. "The Fray Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
22. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 119, no. 16. April 21, 2007. p. 63. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
23. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
24. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
25. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – How To Save A Life". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
26. "Top Digital Download – Classifica settimanale dal 11/05/2007 al 17/05/2007" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
27. "Classifica Mix e Singoli – Classifica settimanale dal 24/08/2007 al 30/08/2007" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
28. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Fray" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
29. "The Fray – How To Save A Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
30. "The Fray – How To Save A Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
31. "The Fray – How To Save A Life". VG-lista. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
32. "Portugal Digital Songs – Peak". Billboard . Retrieved May 19, 2013.
33. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
34. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200650 into search.
35. "The Fray – How To Save A Life". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
36. "The Fray – How To Save A Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
37. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
38. "The Fray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
39. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
40. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
41. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
42. "The Fray Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
43. "The Fray Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
44. "The Fray Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
45. "Hot 100 Songs: Year End 2006". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
46. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
47. "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2007". ARIA. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
48. "Jaaroverzichten 2007". Ultratop (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
49. "European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
50. "Best of singles 2007". IRMA. IRMA. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
51. "Top Selling Singles of 2007". NZTop40. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
52. "Årslista Singlar – År 2007". Hitlistan (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
53. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2007 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
54. "Official UK Singles Chart of 2007" (PDF). Retrieved April 15, 2012.
55. "Billboard Hot 100 Year-End 2007". Billboard . Retrieved April 15, 2012.
56. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
57. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
58. "Decade End Charts – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
59. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved December 12, 2014.
60. "Canadian single certifications – The Fray – How to Save a Life". Music Canada . Retrieved February 6, 2012.
61. "Danish single certifications – The Fray – How To Save a Life". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved August 12, 2023.
62. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Fray; 'How to Save a Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved July 6, 2023.
63. "Italian single certifications – The Fray – How to Save a Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "How to Save a Life" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
64. "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. August 21, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
65. "British single certifications – Fray – How to Save a Life". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved March 1, 2024.
66. "American single certifications – The Fray – How to Save a Life". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 31, 2009.
67. "American ringtone certifications – The Fray – How to Save a Life". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 27, 2022.
68. "Danish single certifications – The Fray – How To Save a Life (Steaming)". IFPI Danmark.
69. "How 'Grey's' got that catchy new "theme" song". New York Post. September 24, 2006. Archived from the original on May 12, 2007.
70. "Scrubs – Music". www.scrubs-tv.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
71. Sorren, Martha (February 1, 2019). "Every Time The Fray's "How To Save A Life" Was Used To Soundtrack Your Fave TV Shows". Bustle . Retrieved March 12, 2020.