Riot! Totally Explained

Everything about Riot totally explained

}} Riot! is the second studio album from the band Paramore, and was released in the United States on June 12, 2007 and in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2007.

Music

Recording and production

As Riot! is the second studio album by Paramore. The album was produced by the known producer David Bendeth. Hayley said the album was called Riot! because “For us, the title ‘RIOT!’ literally means an unbridled outburst of emotions. When we were writing, it seemed like our thoughts and emotions were coming out so fast that we couldn’t control them. It felt like there was a riot within us. So the album takes our passion to a new level; it’s just all raw energy.”
The title for "For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic" comes from what Josh reflects as "putting your faith in someone and they blow it." But in the writing of the song. Josh composed the song and gave the demo to Hayley. Josh is known saying "I wrote the music specifically to be awesome live and to be extremely energetic. It all came out at once. I showed it to Hayley and she just nailed it lyrically. She completely got the feeling I wanted the song to have."

Songs

The album has released four singles. "Misery Business", the album's fourth track and first single. The song "Misery Business" has it's origins in a message Hayley put on the band’s Live Journal page, asking her fans to post what they’re ashamed of. I found that people really were reaching out to someone to spill their guts to,” she recalls, So I did the same thing lyrically in the song and let everything out. It’s more honest than anything I’ve ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically." The song became an instant hit, eventually receiving heavy rotation on MTV and other music television networks.
   The albums second single "Hallelujah". As Hayley recounts, "It’s one of the oldest songs we’ve got, but we wanted to save it for this record, and it’s the perfect home for it. It’s a claim of victory for both ourselves and our fans."
   The albums third single was "Crushcrushcrush" and was released the 15 of January in the US and the 23 of January in the UK.
   The albums fourth single "That's What You Get" was released just over a week after Paramore canceled their European tour to work on "personal issues", amidst media speculation of the band breaking up. Hayley Williams explained that, given the fragile state of the band, they all thought it best if they kept the shoot low-key, surrounding themselves with their friends and family, keeping it simple. And, in the process, the whole thing evolved from just another video shoot into an impromptu band therapy session, which Paramore desperately needed.
   Hayley added "We had tons of friends there, and it really just felt like a hangout session. And Marcos was so cool about it. He said, 'Bring your friends.' We shot it in some of our friends' houses, and it just felt so real ... and I think it's the first time in a video you're gonna get to see who we really are."

Release

Riot! was released in the United States on June 12, 2007 following the debut of "Misery Business" on the radio. It entered the U.S. Billboard 200 charts at 20 in late 2007. Riot! sold 42,000 albums in the U.S. in its first week and three months later the album hit it's peak at 15 on the Billboard 200. The album achieved some success in the UK reaching #24 on the albums chart. The album was certified Gold in late 2007. The hit single "Misery Business has also been certified Gold by the RIAA. The album was re-released in late 2007 because of it's low sales.

Reception

Critical opinion for Riot! was mixed. Some critics gave the album positive reviews; Jason Lymangrover of All Music Guide gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and commented that "Ultimately, this disc has enormous crossover potential, and will probably appeal to those who are fans of the genre, and for those who aren't, there's a good chance of it becoming a guilty pleasure." Stylus Magazine gave the album a B+ and said "Riot! is immediately appealing because it focuses on sounds that have been neglected by the genre’s front-runners. This is an uncomplicated album comprising of strikingly uncomplicated music, entirely lacking in 15 word song titles." Gareth Dobson of Drowned in Sound gave the album 4 out of 10 stars and said "At 38 minutes long, it’s mercifully brief, but still manages to feel like a double album for those who endure it. That’s those who don’t manage to forget that it’s on the stereo at all. People, get your pop-punk thrills somewhere else. At least somewhere where there are actual thrills to be had."

Riot! Tour

Hayley said "We're hoping to do one more tour across the States before we really get started with all the (European summer) festivals. Of course, I want to do more Warped Tour dates, 'cause it's, like, my favorite tour ever. We'll see what works out and hopefully just have another great year."
After the album release the band went on an America tour following it up with a World tour. After their fourth single from Riot! was released the band canceled their European tour to work on "personal issues", amidst media speculation of the band breaking up.

Track listing

"For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" - 3:48 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"That's What You Get" - 3:40 (J. Farro/H. Williams/T. York)

"Hallelujah" - 3:23 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"Misery Business" - 3:31 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"When It Rains" - 3:35 (J. Farro/Z. Farro/H. Williams)

"Let the Flames Begin" - 3:18 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"Miracle" - 3:29 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"Crushcrushcrush" - 3:09 (J. Farro/H. Williams)

"We Are Broken" - 3:38 (D. Bendeth/J. Farro/H. Williams)

"Fences" - 3:19 (D. Bendeth/J. Farro/H. Williams)

"Born for This" - 3:58 (J. Farro/H. Williams) Riot! Special/Limited Edition MVI

"When It Rains" (Demo) - 3:24

"Misery Business" (Acoustic) - Live from Q101 Chicago - 3:17.

"Pressure" (Acoustic) - Live from Q101 Chicago - 3:01

"For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" - Live from London - 3:59

"Born for This" - Live from London - 4:20 Riot! Best Buy and iTunes UK release

"Rewind (demo)" - 3:47

"Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody)" - 3:24 Riot! Rhapsody Release

"My Hero (Electronic Remix)" - 3:33

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	15
U.S. Billboard Comprehensive Albums	15
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums	7
U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums	20
U.S. Billboard Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums	2
U.S. Billboard Top Digital Albums	10
European Top 100 Albums	76
UK Albums Chart	24
Australian ARIA Albums Chart	69
New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart	39
Finnish Album Chart	36
Dutch Album Chart	61
Austrian Album Chart	66
World Albums Top 40	39
Ireland Albums Top 75	53

Further Information

Get more info on 'Riot'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://riot.totallyexplained.com">Riot! Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.