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''The Beautiful Letdown'' is the fourth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...
, released on February 25, 2003, by
RED Ink Records RED Ink Records is an American record label founded in 1997 and owned and co-distributed by Sony Music Entertainment, along with RED Distribution. Artists signed or recorded for RED Ink * Nicky Wire *Cage the Elephant * Low vs Diamond *MGMT *G-Ea ...
, and later re-released through
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. It marked the band's first release on a major label and their first release with keyboardist
Jerome Fontamillas Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, ba ...
. The album was produced by John Fields and Switchfoot and recorded over a span of around two weeks; all songs on the album were written either in part or entirely by lead singer
Jon Foreman Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976) is an American musician who is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. As a solo act, Foreman has released 14 extended plays and two st ...
. The album thematically covers the
human condition The human condition can be defined as the characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, reason, morality, conflict, and death. This is a very broad topic that has been and continues to be pondered ...
, with its lyrics expressing a " dissatisfaction with the status quo"; it focuses more on asking questions rather than answering them, a writing style Foreman described as " Socratic". Compared to the band's previous "
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
" efforts, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' adopts a more "polished" production style. Musically, the album has been described as alternative rock and
post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...
while also incorporating electronic instruments and digital effects. The album received acclaim from critics. It received praise for its musical diversity and for discussing difficult themes and spiritual topics without being evangelistic. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' and its singles were nominated for multiple awards at the 35th GMA Dove Awards and 36th GMA Dove Awards, winning several of them. Critics labeled it one of the best Christian albums of 2003 and the 2000s, and it has since been regarded as one of the best Christian albums of all time. The album sold 14,000 copies in its first week; the singles " Meant to Live" and "
Dare You to Move "Dare You to Move" is a song by American alternative rock band Switchfoot from their fourth studio album, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' (2003). The song was originally called "I Dare You to Move", and was on the 2000 album ''Learning to Breathe (Swit ...
" became mainstream hits, charting in the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top ten on the ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
chart. Their crossover success led ''The Beautiful Letdown'' to ultimately peak at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and it spent the 10th-longest run on the chart of the 2000s. It spent a record-breaking 38 weeks atop the ''Billboard''
Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart, and ranked as the second-best-selling Christian album of the 2000s. Five of its singles ultimately peaked at number one on at least one Christian radio format. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' has been certified triple platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and certified gold by
Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...
; as of 2023, it has sold over three million copies.


Background and recording

''The Beautiful Letdown'' marked Switchfoot's first album released on a mainstream record label; their prior three albums had been released on
Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...
labels. Lead singer
Jon Foreman Jonathan Mark Foreman (born October 22, 1976) is an American musician who is the lead singer, guitarist, primary songwriter, and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. As a solo act, Foreman has released 14 extended plays and two st ...
felt that the decision of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
to sign the band was interesting given how "spiritually driven" the album is. Prior to recording the album, the band added a new member, keyboardist
Jerome Fontamillas Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, ba ...
. A longtime friend of Foreman, Fontamillas quit his day job as a "suit" in an office building and asked to join the band as a keyboardist. The album was recorded quickly, over a span of around two weeks. Foreman said this is the "best way" to make an album because it "hits hard" and allows "the mistakes and the beautiful parts" to be together. Switchfoot did not want to "waste time screwing around in a $1000 a day studio"; the album was pre-produced in Foreman's bedroom and recording was handled over a two-week session with minimal breaks. According to Foreman, many of the songs on ''The Beautiful Letdown'' were written years before the album was recorded. Switchfoot opted to re-record "
Dare You to Move "Dare You to Move" is a song by American alternative rock band Switchfoot from their fourth studio album, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' (2003). The song was originally called "I Dare You to Move", and was on the 2000 album ''Learning to Breathe (Swit ...
" - a song previously on their 2000 album '' Learning to Breathe'' - because they felt it "hadn't lived its shelf life yet"; in addition to regarding it as a "defining song" that they wanted people being introduced to their music to hear, they felt that years of performing it live had given them a better idea of how they wanted it to sound. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' was produced by John Fields and
Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...
; Charlie Peacock was also credited with production on "Dare You to Move". The album was recorded at Mansfield Lodge, Jon Foreman's house, and Sage and Sound, and it was mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios, Image Recording Studios, South Beach Studios, and Ocean Way Recording. The album artwork for ''The Beautiful Letdown'' was taken at a hotel pool in north
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Originally, the band had purchased a cheap guitar with the intent of breaking it in half and setting it on fire. However, the hotel did not allow the band to set the guitar on fire, and Jon Foreman became "too attached" to the guitar to break it in half. Instead, they threw the guitar on the bottom of the pool.


Composition

''The Beautiful Letdown'' has been described as a
post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...
, and
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
. Compared to their previous "
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...
" efforts, it sports a greater emphasis on
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and has a higher production quality. It also incorporates electronic instruments,
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s, and digital effects. The album's lyrical themes cover "doubt, questioning, and fear" and the human condition; Jon Foreman described it as "an honest attempt to reflect on the great and terrible aspects of being human, the tension of existence." Most songs on the album express a "dissatisfaction with the status quo." ''
Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...
'' writer Russ Breimeier noted that the track order thematically follows the spiritual path to Christianity but rarely mentions
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
or explicitly spiritual themes overtly; this approach had previously achieved commercial success through crossover bands like Jars of Clay, dc Talk, and P.O.D. Mark Joseph of ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'' said that ''The Beautiful Letdown'' generally eschews answering questions and instead focuses broadly on asking questions, with answers " indingtheir voice in lines that could be easily missed." Joseph compared this lyrical approach to that of Jesus, who frequently asked vague or cryptic questions aimed at "those who have ears to hear." Foreman described this lyrical approach as " Socratic", "where the listener is actually the one who is being forced to think and ask themselves the question." " Meant to Live" features "chunky", distorted guitars and presents an "a simple, yet impassioned plea for us to stop, look at our lives and evaluate what's really important", with the bridge expressing a longing for more than the "wars of our fathers" and instead for "second life." Although interpreted by some as a criticism of the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
, the song was written before the war. According to Jon Foreman, the lyrics of "Meant to Live" are about "being put off by pop culture... It's a song that ays 'When I look at the magazine pages or a TV screen, I know there's nothing they can sell me that will satisfy me. And when I look at the sunset or the stars, I am reminded that there's something inside of me that's meant to live for more than what pop culture often sells us." "This Is Your Life", a ballad with electronic influences, opens with electronic instruments before shifting to incorporate acoustic guitar and drums. The song focuses on the theme of living in the moment instead of for yesterday, declaring that "today is all you've got now/and today is all you'll ever have." The chorus asks the listener if their life is what they imagined it would be when they were younger. "More Than Fine", an
alternative pop Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
song; Stephanie Ottosen of ''
CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is an online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music and media, published by Logan and Amanda Sekulow. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has been owned by Salem since 1999. O ...
'' compared its musical style to the work of
John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...
. The song encourages listeners to look inward and to not be content with things as they are. Foreman described the song as being inspired lyrically by
punk music Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
's "commitment to change" and lack of contentment with how things are, and said it could be considered a "punk tune disguised as pop." The upbeat rock song "Ammunition" presents mankind as "the fuse and ammunition" responsible for the human condition. It features distorted guitars and an aggressive music style comparable to the
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
style of Switchfoot's first album, ''The Legend of Chin'' (1997). "Dare You to Move" was originally written for and featured on the band's previous album ''Learning to Breathe''. According to Jesse Lord of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'', it musically adopts a slower tempo mixed with "elements of
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
". It presents a contrast between "who you are and who you could be" and urges the listener to live for the day. "Redemption" adopts a musical style similar to that of ''Learning to Breathe''. The title track is the longest on the album and focusses on the themes of not belonging in the world and the futility of pursuing wealth. " Gone", an upbeat
alternative hip hop Alternative hip-hop (also known as alternative rap and experimental hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip-hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip-hop group ...
and alternative rock song, discusses the inevitability of death; its musical style, incorporating "
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
beats, lite-funk guitar, ndfree-associative barbershop harmonies", was compared to
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...
's " Semi-Charmed Life". "On Fire", a "gentle" ballad, is one of the slower-tempo songs on the album. "Adding to the Noise", a rock song, criticizes radio and media for creating hype and "noise." It also questions the band's place and tells listeners to stop listening to them if they are adding to the noise. The album closes with "24", a ballad that lyrically focuses on belief in the midst of questions and the progress to become more like Christ. Foreman described the song as about "wanting to be united in one person" and as his personal favorite song on the album.


Critical reception

According to ''Christianity Today'', ''The Beautiful Letdown'' received "universal acclaim" from critics. It received four out of five stars from
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, and reviewer Johnny Lotfus praised it as being "melodic and well paced" despite feeling that it was "kind of all over the place" musically. Russ Breimeier of ''Christianity Today'' gave it five out of five stars, calling it as "wholly satisfying modern-rock effort" while praising the album's "thought-provoking" lyrics and production value, pointing to "Dare You to Move" as being "clearly an improvement" over the previous version on ''Learning to Breathe''. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' received an honorable mention from
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
, who praised the album's lyrical focus and listed "Ammunition" and "Gone" as its highlights. The album received ten out of ten squares from Tony Cummings of ''
Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. His ...
'', who called it a "truly brilliant album" and praised its heavier musical tone compared to the band's previous albums, describing it as "harder and punchier than ever".
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's Jesse Lord gave the album a score of 9.0 out of 10, offering praise for its lyrics for drawing from the band's Christian beliefs but for not being "overtly preachy". Pär Winberg of ''
Melodic A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...
'' gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and described the album as "easily witchfoot'sbest to date" and a "sure buy".
CBN CBN, or cbn, may refer to: Broadcasting organizations * Radio stations in St. John's, Newfoundland: ** CBN (AM), CBC Radio One ** CBN-FM, CBC Music * Chronicle Broadcasting Network, the predecessor of ABS-CBN * CBN (Australian TV station), a TV ...
reviewer Mark Weber applauded ''The Beautiful Letdown'' as being "musically potent" and "hopeful". Stephanie Ottosen of ''
CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is an online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music and media, published by Logan and Amanda Sekulow. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has been owned by Salem since 1999. O ...
'' called the album a "thinking man’s rock ’n’ roll" and praised it being "one of the best lbumsI’ve heard in some time". Mikael Wood of ''
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
'' said it "might be the most intelligent, least hysterical piece of alt-rock evangelism I’ve ever heard" and praised its musical diversity. Gary Glauber of
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
called the album "well executed and well produced" and praised its lyrical focus on the "human condition", saying that "when rocking out to them on some beach somewhere, it's cool to think that some folks might just stop for a second and ponder the meaning of life." In ''National Review'', Mark Joseph favorably contrasted the album's lyrical focus on "profoundly disturbing and troubling questions" on the meaning of life with the "comfortable, safe, and nice American brand" of
evangelical Christianity Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
. He also lauded the band for focusing more on presenting questions to listeners and encouraging them to "change themselves from within" rather than offering specific answers, noting parallels to Jesus's approach in the
gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the second century AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message was reported. In this sen ...
. Jesus Freak Hideout writer Blake Garris gave ''The Beautiful Letdown'' 4.5 out of 5 stars and felt that it would allow Switchfoot to go from "one of Christian music's best kept secrets" to a successful mainstream band. '' HM'' writer Doug van Pelt awarded the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, while managing editor David Allen gave it 2 out of 5 stars. Indie rock editor Chris Rose said "there is one word in the title of Switchfoot’s latest project that could accurately describe the entirety of the CD – and it is not 'Beautiful'". Rose lambasted the album as having "songs and instruments watered-down with mediocrity", and said it was "well produced" on the whole but "machine-fed and extremely CCM".


Awards and accolades

At the 35th GMA Dove Awards, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' won the award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. "Meant to Live" won the award for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year and was also nominated for Song of Year, "Ammunition" won the award for Rock Recorded Song of the Year, and "Gone" was nominated for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. "Meant to Live" was nominated again for Song of Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards along with "Dare You to Move", which won the award for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' won the awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 2003
San Diego Music Awards The San Diego Music Awards is an awards show held annually in San Diego, California, United States, to recognize the best artists and bands in local music. The awards show benefits the San Diego Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedica ...
, and at the 2004 San Diego Music Awards, "Dare You to Move" won the award for Song of the Year. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' was ranked as the best Christian album of 2003 by ''Christianity Today''. Jesus Freak Hideout's staff all listed the album as the best or second-best album of the year and Kevin McNeese of New Release Today placed it among his top ten albums of the year. It has since been regarded as one of the best Christian albums of all time. In 2010, ''HM'' ranked ''The Beautiful Letdown'' as the 11th-best Christian rock album of all time and repudiated their initially negative review of the album as "wrong"; in 2016, van Pelt described his unfavorable review and the magazine's initial assessment of the album as "wrong". Alex Eaton of ''
The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...
'' described it as "arguably the best and most influential Christian album of all time" in 2011. In 2016, Kevin Sparkman, the managing editor of ''CCM Magazine'', described ''The Beautiful Letdown'' as "the album of the 2000s" and noted that "Dare You to Move" had "transcended genres and formats". The magazine also ranked it as the band's best album in 2019. In 2015, Joel Heng Hartse of ''Christianity Today'' called the album the last of the "golden era" of contemporary Christian music.


Release and promotion

When
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
signed Switchfoot from
Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Barry McGuire was the fi ...
, Columbia gained the rights to sell the band's records to mainstream outlets while Sparrow retained the right to sell them in the Christian market. Mainstream sales of ''The Beautiful Letdown'' were handled by the Columbia-owned
RED Ink Records RED Ink Records is an American record label founded in 1997 and owned and co-distributed by Sony Music Entertainment, along with RED Distribution. Artists signed or recorded for RED Ink * Nicky Wire *Cage the Elephant * Low vs Diamond *MGMT *G-Ea ...
, while sales to Christian outlets were handled by Chordant, which was a distributor of
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...
. Although the band had signed to a major record label, support from Sony itself was lacking. Prior to promotion, the band went to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to perform some of the songs for record executives. According to Foreman, the performance went poorly; the record executive went into a "profanity-induced tirade" midway through the first song. As a result, the band received no support from the label for touring, marketing, or radio. According to Jim Farber of the ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'', this deal, combined with the album's mainstream release on the "tiny farm label" Red Ink, was a sign that Columbia had "little faith" in the band. Originally, the album was planned for a release in October 2002, but this release was pushed back to February 2003. Jon Foreman attributed the delay in release to the size of Sony Records and said it "just takes a little bit longer" when working with a "big battleship" of a company. In hindsight, Foreman felt the relegation to Red Ink was "actually the best thing that could’ve happened to us, because not only did everyone at Red Ink believe in this album and fight for it, it galvanized why we do what we do, and the idea that we don’t play music for the people who don’t understand it. We’re not for everyone, we’re going to be for ourselves. Irrespective of whether people get it or not, we’re going to sing our songs." "More Than Fine" was released as the first single to
Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...
while "Meant to Live" was released as the first single to the Christian rock,
college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
, and alternative radio formats; the singles reached the number one position on the ''
Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'' Christian CHR and Christian Rock charts, respectively. According to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', ''The Beautiful Letdown'' sold 14,000 copies in its first week; 70% of sales came from Christian bookstores. The album opened at number 85 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number two on the ''Billboard''
Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart. "Gone" began charting on Christian radio in June 2003, peaking at number one on the Christian CHR chart. By the time "Gone" had spent its fifth week atop the Christian CHR chart in October 2003, "Meant to Live" had advanced to the top 20 on the alternative radio charts. "Meant to Live" reached its peak of number five on the ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
in January 2004 and in 2004 it charted in the top 10 on the ''Billboard''
Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...
and Pop Airplay charts and number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also charted internationally, peaking at number 29 in the UK, number 52 in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and number 92 in
the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. "Dare You to Move" was released to Christian radio on February 2, 2002 and peaked at number one on the Christian CHR chart. "Dare You to Move" also achieved success on mainstream radio, reaching the top ten on the Alternative Songs, Adult Top 40, and Pop Airplay charts, number 17 on the Hot 100, and number 35 in Australia. Another single, "This Is Your Life", became the album's fifth number-one single on Christian radio and also charted on the Alternative Songs and Adult Top 40 charts. The crossover success of "Meant To Live" and "Dare You to Move" led to an increase in sales for ''The Beautiful Letdown'' in both the Christian and mainstream markets. It reached the peak position of the Christian Albums chart on January 17, 2004, its 45th week on the chart; It would ultimately spend 38 weeks atop the Christian Albums chart, the longest run at the top spot since the chart had switched to a weekly format in 1995. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' had sold 435,000 copies by March 2004, and by June 2004 it had sold over a million copies on the RED Ink label, which led Columbia records to move the album to the
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
label. It reached its peak of number 16 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in July 2004 and by October 2004 it had sold another 500,000 copies on the Sony Music label. According to ''Billboard'', ''The Beautiful Letdown'' ranked as the 40th-best selling album of 2004 and the bestselling Christian album of 2004. In 2005, it ranked as the 98th-best selling album and the second-best selling Christian album. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' would ultimately spend 118 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200, the tenth-longest run on the chart of the 2000s. As of January 2007, ''The Beautiful Letdown'' had sold 2.6 million copies in the United States, and it has sold 2.7 million copies as of 2013. It ranked as the 198th-best selling album of the 2000s in the United States and the second-best selling Christian album of the 2000s, behind only P.O.D.'s ''
Satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
''. The album has been certified triple platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), signifying shipments of over three million copies in the United States, and it has been certified gold by
Music Canada Music Canada is a non-profit Industry trade group, trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 in Toronto to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It also offers benefits to s ...
, indicating shipments of 50,000 copies. As of September 2023, the album has sold over three million copies.


Reissues

A special edition version of ''The Beautiful Letdown'' featuring a bonus
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
was released in June 2004. The DVD included a music video for "Dare You to Move", a featurette on the making of the music video, an acoustic performance of "On Fire", and excerpts from the band's '' Switchfootage'' DVD, as well as two audio tracks - "Monday Comes Around", a song which was included on early promotional copies of the album but was ultimately excluded from the commercial release, and a live performance of "Meant to Live". The album was released on
DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group ...
in January 2005, with the DVD side featuring the entire album in 5.1 surround sound as well as additional video content. ''The Beautiful Letdown'' received a hybrid
Super Audio CD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the compact disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows multiple a ...
release in December 2005 and a digital "Deluxe Edition" of the album was released in 2007 featuring "Monday Comes Around" and as well as an alternate version of "Dare You to Move" and an acoustic version of "Meant to Live". The album was released on
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
for the first time in December 2014. On May 5, 2023, the band released ''The Beautiful Letdown (Our Version)'', a re-recorded version of the album. A deluxe edition, released on September 15, 2023, includes contributions from
Relient K Relient K () is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Matt Hoopes, and Brian Pittman during their third year in high school and time at Malone University in Canton. The band is named after guitarist ...
,
Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (American musician), Adam Young, who created the project while exp ...
, Ryan Tedder, Sleeping at Last,
Noah Gundersen Noah Gundersen (born May 31, 1989) is an American indie folk singer-songwriter from Seattle. Early life Born in Olympia, Washington, Gundersen is the oldest of five biological and three adopted siblings, in a family that moved to Centralia, Was ...
, Ingrid Andress,
Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his 2016 single "All Time Low," which peaked at ...
,
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...
,
Tyler Joseph Tyler Robert Joseph (born December 1, 1988) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman for the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside bandmate Josh Dun. Across his career he has r ...
, and others.


Track listing


Personnel

(Credits from the album liner notes) Switchfoot * Chad Butler * Jerome Fontamillas * Jon Foreman * Tim Foreman Additional musicians * John Fields – keyboard, FX, percussion, tasty bits * Stephan Hovsepian – violin * Ameena Khawaja – cello Technical and miscellaneous * Mike Buzbee – computers * Dorian Crozier – computers * Erin Familia – assistant * John Fields – production, recording, mixing *
Chris Lord-Alge Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic range compression for molding mixes that ...
 – mixing ("Meant to Live) *
Tom Lord-Alge Tom Lord-Alge (born January 17, 1962) is an American music engineer and mixer. He began his career at Unique Recording in New York. Subsequently, he was the resident mixer at what used to be known as "South Beach Studios", located on the ground ...
 – mixing ("This Is Your Life", "Dare You to Move") * Charlie Peacock – production ("Dare You to Move") * Jack Joseph Puig – mixing ("More Than Fine", "The Beautiful Letdown", "On Fire") * Aaron Redfield – drum tech * Ted Reiger – assistant * Switchfoot – production, remix ("Dare You to Move")


Charts and certifications


References

;Notes ;Footnotes {{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful Letdown, The 2003 albums Albums produced by Charlie Peacock Albums produced by John Fields (record producer) Albums produced by Switchfoot Columbia Records albums Switchfoot albums