Much Afraid | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 46:06 | |||
Label | Essential | |||
Producer | Stephen Lipson | |||
Jars of Clay chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Cross Rhythms | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | C− [3] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [4] |
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 title is a reference to Hannah Hurnard's 1955 novel Hinds' Feet on High Places , whose main character was named Much Afraid.
The album marked various musical and lyrical differences to its predecessor.
"Fade to Grey" and "Frail" were both previously from the group's demo recording Frail in 1994. All other tracks from that demo were recorded for the debut album Jars of Clay in 1995. Both songs were changed significantly, especially "Frail", which was previously an instrumental piece and now contained lyrics. Notably, these songs were two of the first songs written by Jars of Clay.
The album features the multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells, who went on to produce OneRepublic, Katy Perry, Pink, and Rufus Wainwright, playing drums and bass guitar on almost every song; he also co-wrote "Tea and Sympathy" and the single "Crazy Times".
The song "Five Candles (You Were There)" was originally written for the soundtrack to the Jim Carrey film Liar Liar , as the film is centred on a five-year old's birthday wish, but it was cut from the credits in favor of a blooper reel. The song was subsequently featured on a few other movie soundtracks, like the movie Jack Frost (1998 film).
One song recorded during the Much Afraid sessions that did not make the final track listing is "Fly Farther". The song, featuring vocals by Alison Krauss, was later released in 1999 on the band's early rarities collection The White Elephant Sessions .
Much Afraid earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
All tracks are written by Jars of Clay (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matt Odmark), except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Overjoyed" | Jars of Clay, Greg Wells, Mark Hudson | 2:58 |
2. | "Fade to Grey" | Jars of Clay, Matt Bronleewe | 3:34 |
3. | "Tea and Sympathy" | Haseltine, Wells, Hudson | 4:51 |
4. | "Crazy Times" | 3:34 | |
5. | "Frail" | 6:57 | |
6. | "Five Candles (You Were There)" | 3:48 | |
7. | "Weighed Down" | 3:39 | |
8. | "Portrait of an Apology" | 5:43 | |
9. | "Truce" | 3:11 | |
10. | "Much Afraid" | 3:53 | |
11. | "Hymn" | 3:53 |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "The Chair" (from the Long Kiss Goodnight soundtrack) | 5:22 |
13. | "Sleepers" | 1:54 |
A bonus three-track disc was bundled with early copies of the album and made available exclusively through Family Christian Bookstores. All three tracks were recorded live acoustically on July 3, 1997, at the Quad, with no remastering or editing of the songs.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Crazy Times" | |
2. | "Liquid" | |
3. | "The Coffee Song" |
The album was highly anticipated due to the success and acclaim of the band's eponymous debut album, but was not as well received. Despite debuting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 (the group's first record had failed to reach the Top 40), it quickly slid down the chart, its sales failing to match those of its predecessor. The lead single, "Crazy Times", did not perform well on mainstream radio. It was, however, better received on Christian radio.
Year | Billboard 200 | RIAA Certification |
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1997 | 8 | Platinum |
Year | Song | Chart | Position |
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1997 | "Crazy Times" | Modern Rock Tracks | 38 |
Chart (1997) | Position |
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US Billboard 200 [5] | 199 |
Jars of Clay
Additional musicians
Production
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
"Truce" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It is the fifth and final radio single from the band's second studio album, Much Afraid. In addition, it was the fifth straight single from Much Afraid to reach number one on the Christian radio airplay charts. No promotional single was shipped to radio stations for airplay. Instead, radio stations played the track directly from the album.
"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.
"Fade to Grey" is the first song ever written by Jars of Clay. It originally was recorded for the group's debut demo album, Frail, which was released in 1994. However, when the group recorded tracks for their self-titled debut album, time and budget issues were problems in being able to record the track.
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.
"Out of My Hands" is a song by Christian rock act Jars of Clay that appears on their 2010-released album, The Shelter. The song, which was the first radio single released in support of the album, features vocal contributions from Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer. The single peaked at No. 27 on Billboard's Christian Songs chart on September 25, 2010. "Out of My Hands" was co-written by two members of the band's touring ensemble, Gabe Ruschival and Jeremy Lutito.
"Closer" is a song written and performed by Christian rock act Jars of Clay. The radio single was released in promotion of the band's 2008-released EP, Closer. Although the track also appears on the band's 2009 album The Long Fall Back to Earth, the single was released far in advance of its announcement and release to be considered that album's first single. The version of the song that appears on The Long Fall Back to Earth is a different mix than the one that appears on the Closer EP, containing a longer intro and song length. "Closer" was co-produced by Ron Aniello, who also helped co-produce the band's 2003 release Who We Are Instead and helped co-write a handful of tracks from their Good Monsters studio album.
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.