| If I Left the Zoo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 9, 1999 | |||
| Recorded |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:54 | |||
| Label | Essential | |||
| Producer | Dennis Herring | |||
| Jars of Clay chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Cross Rhythms |  [2] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [3] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [4] |
If I Left the Zoo is the third full-length studio album of the band Jars of Clay. It was released November 9, 1999, by Essential Records.
The band's third album brought about another stylistic shift, away from the lush sound of Much Afraid and into more of a raw and quirky pop/rock sound with occasional folk overtones. Keyboard player Charlie Lowell was featured much more prominently on this album. Due to the influence of producer Dennis Herring and drummer Ben Mize, this album had more of a Counting Crows influence.
This album produced several Christian radio singles, most notably "Unforgetful You", which also appeared in the soundtrack to the 1999 film Drive Me Crazy .
The band found a picture in a stock book of an elephant whom they have affectionately named 'Agnes. They bought the picture for the album cover and then had to come up with a title. Before landing on the name If I Left the Zoo, the band tried working the titles Already, Not Yet and If I Ran the Zoo for the album. However, the latter title ran into copyright issues with a Dr. Seuss title of the same name.
The song "Headstrong", which appears on the compilation album Roaring Lambs , is an outtake from the If I Left the Zoo recording sessions. The song was set to be released on If I Left the Zoo since it appeared as the album's eleventh track on several internet sites before its release. The version that appears on Roaring Lambs is the version that would have made the album cut as it was also produced by Dennis Herring. The demo version of "Headstrong" appears on The White Elephant Sessions .
The name of the recording sessions for If I Left the Zoo was called the Tweed Horse Sessions. Many of the songs that made the final track listing were recorded in raw form during these sessions. However, only "Collide" and "Can't Erase It" appears on The White Elephant Sessions.
This album was their second in a row to earn a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
All tracks are written by Dan Haseltine, Matt Odmark, Stephen Mason, Charlie Lowell, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye, Goodnight" | 2:53 | |
| 2. | "Unforgetful You" | 3:20 | |
| 3. | "Collide" | 4:46 | |
| 4. | "No One Loves Me Like You" | 3:48 | |
| 5. | "Famous Last Words" | 3:26 | |
| 6. | "Sad Clown" | 4:27 | |
| 7. | "Hand" | Haseltine, Mason, Jonathan Noël | 3:36 |
| 8. | "I'm Alright" | 3:40 | |
| 9. | "Grace" | Haseltine, Odmark, Mason, Lowell, Mark Hudson, Greg Wells | 4:31 |
| 10. | "Can't Erase It" | 3:35 | |
| 11. | "River Constantine" | 4:48 | |
| Total length: | 42:50 | ||
Jars of Clay
Additional musicians
Oxford Coffee Choir on "Goodbye, Goodnight"
The Darwin Hobbs Gospel Choir on "I'm Alright
Production
| Release year | Billboard | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 44 | Gold |
Front Yard Luge is a live, mini-album that was available with pre-order of If I Left The Zoo from select retailers.
| Front Yard Luge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Live album by Jars of Clay |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows" | Bob Hartman | 5:22 |
| 2. | "No Matter What" | Peter Ham | 2:53 |
| 3. | "The Coffee Song" |
| 3:35 |
| 4. | "Crazy Love" | Rusty Young | 2:36 |
| 5. | "Liquid" |
| 5:11 |
| 6. | "God Only Knows" | 3:09 | |
| 7. | "Swingtown" |
| 4:42 |
| Total length: | 27:28 | ||
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.
Jars of Clay is the first full-length studio album by Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Essential Records. The album was released to commercial and critical acclaim, becoming one of the few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status.
Much Afraid is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released in 1997 by Essential Records. Following the charting success of the band's debut album, Much Afraid was moderately successful, but was unable to achieve the level of its predecessor.
The Eleventh Hour is the fourth full-length studio album by the band Jars of Clay. It was released in 2002 by Essential Records and marked the band's first attempt at producing a full album by themselves.
Who We Are Instead is the fifth full-length studio album recorded by Christian rock band Jars of Clay and produced by Mitch Dane. It was released in 2003 by Essential Records.
Redemption Songs is the sixth full-length studio album by Jars of Clay. It was released by Essential Records on March 22, 2005.
City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise is the first in the City on a Hill series of compilation albums by popular Contemporary Christian Music musicians. It received the Gospel Music Association's Special Event Album of the Year award for 2001.
The White Elephant Sessions is a rarities and demo version album by American Christian band Jars of Clay, released in conjunction with the band's third studio album If I Left the Zoo. Several of the tracks come straight from the demo recording sessions for If I Left The Zoo, entitled the Tweed Horse Sessions.
Drummer Boy is an EP release by Christian folk group Jars of Clay featuring a new interpretation of the classic 1958 Christmas Carol "Little Drummer Boy". The EP was originally released by Essential Records in the Christmas following the release of Jars Of Clay in 1995. The EP was re-released as a two-pack with Jars of Clay prior to their second album, Much Afraid.
"Overjoyed" is a song by American Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was the fourth single from the band's second album, Much Afraid, and the fourth consecutive No. 1 radio single from the album. An acoustic rendition of the song appears on the band's 2003 double album, Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage. This song was also the compilation album WOW 1998.
"Crazy Times" is a song recorded and performed by Jars of Clay. The song was a writing collaboration between the band members Dan Haseltine and Stephen Mason with songwriters Mark Hudson and Greg Wells. It was the first single from their second studio album, Much Afraid. The single fared well in the mainstream, peaking at No. 38 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The demo version of the song can be found on the album The White Elephant Sessions, while a live version of the song is included on the 2003 double album, Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage. This song also appears on the WOW 1999 compilation album.
Christmas Songs is the eighth full-length studio album and first Christmas album from Jars of Clay, that was released on October 16, 2007, through Gray Matters/Nettwerk. This is the first ever release from the band through their newly created Gray Matters imprint via Nettwerk Music Group.
"This Road" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay that appears on the compilation album City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise that was released in 2000 through Essential Records. The song was also featured on the bonus CD that was packaged with the Brother Andrew-penned book entitled The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together. A live version of "This Road" appears on disc two of the 2003 double album Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage.
The Essential Jars of Clay is a greatest hits album from Jars of Clay that was released on September 4, 2007 through Essential Records/Legacy Recordings. This is the last release from the band through Essential Records as they have since moved on to the Nettwerk Music Group's Gray Matters imprint. The album is part of the Sony BMG series The Essential, which is a series of greatest hits collections.
"Frail" is a song written and performed by Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It has appeared on many recordings by the group and lends its name to their debut demo release, Frail, from 1994. The song has never been released as a single.
"Five Candles (You Were There)" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It is the second radio single from their 1997 studio album Much Afraid. The song was initially written for the soundtrack to the motion picture Liar Liar, starring Jim Carrey. However, the ending credits, when the song would have been played, were changed to an outtakes and bloopers reel, thus cutting the song from the film. A working title of the song during the writing and recording studio sessions was "The Wish", which fits in with the themes of Liar Liar, just as the eventual title, "Five Candles", as the story of the film revolves around the wish Max made as he blew out the five candles for his fifth birthday. The song was later used in the 1998 Michael Keaton film, Jack Frost, and was featured on that film's soundtrack.
"Sunny Days" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It is the second out of two radio singles from the band's 2003 studio album, Who We Are Instead. The first recording of the song during the album's sessions was produced by the band, while the version that ended up on the album was produced by Ron Aniello, who also produced Lifehouse's debut album, No Name Face.
The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009 through Gray Matters and Essential Records.
Roaring Lambs is a collaborative album based on the book, Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World, by Bob Briner. Conceived and directed Dave Palmer, and produced by Steve Taylor, the recording includes a number of CCM artists' musical interpretations of Briner's message about the need to have a positive impact on their culture. The work was nominated for three GMA Dove awards, winning for "Recorded Music Packaging of the Year". Critical reception of the album was mixed, but it was noted for its eclectic artist pairings.
Inland is the eleventh full-length studio album by rock band Jars of Clay, which was released on August 27, 2013, by Gray Matters label. The album was produced by Tucker Martine at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, Oregon. It has seen significant charting successes, and has garnered critical acclamation. It was nominated for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year by the GMA Dove Awards.
