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| The Beautiful Letdown | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 25, 2003 | |||
| Studio | Jon Foreman's house, Mansfield Lodge, Sage and Sound | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 44:18 | |||
| Label | RED Ink, Columbia/Sony BMG | |||
| Producer | John Fields, Switchfoot | |||
| Switchfoot chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Beautiful Letdown | ||||
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The Beautiful Letdown is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot, released on February 25, 2003, by RED Ink Records, and later re-released through Sony Music. It marked the band's first release on a major label and their first release with keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas. 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.
The album thematically covers the human condition, 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" efforts, The Beautiful Letdown adopts a more "polished" production style. Musically, the album has been described as alternative rock and post-grunge 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" became mainstream hits, charting in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten on the Billboard Alternative Songs 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 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 (RIAA) and certified gold by Music Canada; as of 2023, it has sold over three million copies.
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