Yourself or Someone Like You

Last updated
Yourself or Someone Like You
Matchbox Twenty - Yourself or Someone Like You.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1, 1996 (1996-10-01)
RecordedMay−June 1996
StudioTriclops Recording, Atlanta, Georgia
Genre
Length46:51
Label
Producer Matt Serletic
Matchbox 20 chronology
Yourself or Someone Like You
(1996)
Mad Season
(2000)
Singles from Yourself or Someone Like You
  1. "Long Day"
    Released: September 16, 1996 [1] [2]
  2. "Push"
    Released: June 10, 1997
  3. "3AM"
    Released: November 23, 1997
  4. "Real World"
    Released: March 24, 1998 [3]
  5. "Back 2 Good"
    Released: September 22, 1998 [4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Yourself or Someone Like You is the debut album by American rock band Matchbox 20. It was released on October 1, 1996, [8] by Lava Records and Atlantic Records. Nine years after the album was released, Matchbox Twenty was sued by New York City resident Frank Torres, The man on the front cover. The album was certified 12x Platinum By the Recording Industry Association of America.

Contents

Composition and release

The album features a sound similar to traditional rock and post-grunge. [9] The album features themes of adolescence, adultery, loneliness, domestic violence, psychological abuse, humiliation, depression, anger, and alcoholism.

According to Rob Thomas, the album's title was originally to be Woodshed Diaries. However, that changed when Thomas and Paul Doucette were at a woman's musical performance at Café Largo when the singer said "this song is for you, or someone like you". They loved the phrase so much that they insisted on changing the album's title, despite the fact that 3,500 copies of the album with the original title had already been made. Their labels agreed, however the name change resulted in the album's release being delayed. [10]

The album sold a mere 610 copies in its first week, but eventually went on to sell several million copies in the United States. Yourself or Someone Like You became one of the few albums to achieve the prestigious Diamond certification, and it was also certified multi-platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. To date, the album has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. [11]

Artwork lawsuit

In 2005, almost a decade after the album's release, the band was sued by Frank Torres, the man on the album's cover. Torres claimed the band never asked for his permission to use his image on the sleeve. In the litigation, Torres claimed the photo was taken as he was walking down the street after being asked to pose. He also claimed the photo had caused him emotional distress. Torres justified the delay in suing Matchbox 20 by claiming he had first seen the album photo within two years of the litigation. [12] Torres died in 2016 at age 73. [13]

Track listing

Original release

All tracks are written by Rob Thomas except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Real World" 3:50
2."Long Day" 3:45
3."3AM"
  • John Leslie Goff
  • John Joseph Stanley
  • Thomas
  • Brian Yale
3:46
4."Push"3:59
5."Girl Like That" 3:45
6."Back 2 Good"
  • Serletic
  • Thomas
5:40
7."Damn" 3:20
8."Argue" 2:58
9."Kody" 4:03
10."Busted" 4:15
11."Shame" 3:35
12."Hang" 3:47
Total length:46:51

Australian limited edition bonus CD

No.TitleLength
1."Girl Like That" (live)3:57
2."Kody" (live)4:01
3."Damn" (live)3:32
4."Mercy, Mercy Me" (live)3:01
5."Push" (acoustic)4:12
6."3AM" (acoustic)3:56

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Yourself or Someone Like You
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [32] Diamond500,000
Canada (Music Canada) [33] 8× Platinum800,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [34] 5× Platinum75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [35] Gold100,000*
United States (RIAA) [36] 12× Platinum12,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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