Dead Letters
{{Short description|2003 studio album by the Rasmus}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{hatgrp|{{About|the Rasmus album||Dead letter (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Not Like the Other Girls|the album by S.O.A.P.|Not Like Other Girls{{!}}Not Like Other Girls}}}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Dead Letters
| type = studio
| artist = The Rasmus
| cover = DeadLettersCover.jpg
| alt =
| released = 21 March 2003 (EU)
See release dates below
| recorded = June–December 2002
| venue =
| studio = Nord Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
| genre = alternative rock, pop rock
| length = 52:14
| label = Playground Music
| producer = {{flatlist |
- Martin Hansen
- Mikael Nord}}
| prev_title = Into
| prev_year = 2001
| next_title = Hide from the Sun
| next_year = 2005
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Dead Letters
| type = studio
| single1 = In the Shadows
| single1date = 3 February 2003
| single2 = In My Life
| single2date = 1 August 2003
| single3 = First Day of My Life
| single3date = 15 October 2003
| single4 = Funeral Song
| single4date = 25 April 2004
| single5 = Guilty
| single5date = 4 August 2004
}}
{{Extra album cover
| header = Alternative cover
| type = studio
| cover = DeadLettersCoverUKUSA.png
| border =
| alt =
| caption = UK/US cover
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r681442}}
| rev3 = Melodic
}}
Dead Letters is the fifth album by Finnish band The Rasmus released in 2003. It was released later in 2004 in the US, UK and Australia. Their previous album, Into, had seen some success in some parts of Europe, particularly Scandinavia and Germany, but Dead Letters signified the band's major break-through. The album received 8 Gold and 6 Platinum music certification awards. Lead single "In the Shadows" received 6 gold and 2 platinum awards,[http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/therasmus-awards.htm Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515140941/http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/therasmus-awards.htm |date=15 May 2010 }} selling over 1 million copies and breaking the record for performance royalties received abroad on a Finnish composition (overtaking the works of Jean Sibelius).[http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Rock+piece+by+The+Rasmus+overtakes+Sibelius+in+foreign+music+royalties/1135219646427 I Rock piece by The Rasmus overtakes Sibelius in foreign music royalties] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225215126/http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Rock+piece+by+The+Rasmus+overtakes+Sibelius+in+foreign+music+royalties/1135219646427 |date=25 February 2014}}
Making of the album
The Rasmus recorded Dead Letters in June–December 2002 at Nord Studios in Sweden, reuniting with Mikael Nord Andersen and Martin Hansen, who had produced their Scandinavian hit album Into.
Lead singer Lauri Ylönen explained the title of the album on the band's website. "Each song is a letter to somebody. It could be an apology, confession or cry out for help".[http://www.therasmus.com/biography/ Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610054336/http://www.therasmus.com/biography/ |date=10 June 2004}} The back side of the album booklet reads:
{{cquote|A dead letter is a letter that has never been delivered because the person to whom it was written cannot be found, and it also cannot be returned to the person who wrote it.Dead Letters album booklet, original version (2003).}}
Critical reception
Allmusic rated the album 3 stars out of 5. The review said "This Finnish group is more than capable of presenting dark and moody yet very finely tuned rock songs". It rated the best tracks as "Time to Burn", "Not Like the Other Girls" and the re-recording of "F-F-F-Falling", of which the original version appears on the Into album, and was added to the UK release as a bonus track.
Commercial performance
Dead Letters was released in Europe in early 2003. It reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as in Finland, where it stayed in the Top 20 Album chart for over a year. The album was released in the UK in 2004, being the first record to be released in the country by the band, and was one of the Top 50 best-selling albums of 2004. Commercial success in Europe led to the release of the album in other parts of the world. Dead Letters and lead single "In the Shadows" both reached the Top 50 of the Australian ARIA charts in 2004, as well as the Top 20 of the American Billboard Heatseeker charts.
The Rasmus received numerous music awards across Europe, winning the 'Best Nordic Act' category in the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards, and five Finnish EMMA awards for Best Group, Best Album, Best Video (In My Life), Best Artist and Export in 2004. The band also won an ECHO award for best international newcomer and were awarded "Best International Artist" at the 2004 MTV Russia Music Awards. "In The Shadows" was on the nominations list for the 2004 Kerrang! Award for Best Single.[http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/therasmus-awards.htm Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515140941/http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/therasmus-awards.htm |date=15 May 2010 }}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = The Rasmus
| title1 = First Day of My Life
| length1 = 3:42
| title2 = In the Shadows
| length2 = 4:08
| title3 = Still Standing
| length3 = 3:27
| title4 = In My Life
| length4 = 4:01
| title5 = Time to Burn
| length5 = 4:32
| title6 = Guilty
| length6 = 3:40
| title7 = Not Like the Other Girls
| length7 = 5:43
| title8 = The One I Love
| length8 = 3:14
| title9 = Back in the Picture
| length9 = 3:41
| title10 = Funeral Song
| length10 = 3:17
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = UK Bonus Tracks
| title11 = F-F-F-Falling
| length11 = 3:52
| title12 = If You Ever
| length12 = 3:48
| title13 = What Ever
| length13 = 3:11
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = US Bonus Tracks{{Cite AV media notes |title=Dead Letters |others=The Rasmus |year=2004 |publisher=Interscope Records |location=Santa Monica, CA, USA}}
| title11 = F-F-F-Falling
| length11 = 3:56
| title12 = In the Shadows
| note12 = Video
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = China/Taiwanese Limited Edition Bonus VCD
| title11 = In the Shadows
| note11 = Original Version – Video
| title12 = In the Shadows
| note12 = European Version – Video
| title13 = In the Shadows
| note13 = American Version – Video
| title14 = First Day of My Life
| note14 = Video
| title15 = Funeral Song
| note15 = Video
| title16 = In My Life
| note16 = Video
| title17 = Epk
| note17 = Interview
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Dead Letters Finnish Edition
| title1 = First Day of My Life
| note1 = US Remix
| length1 = 3:44
| title2 = In the Shadows
| length2 = 4:05
| title3 = Still Standing
| length3 = 3:31
| title4 = In My Life
| length4 = 4:01
| title5 = Time to Burn
| length5 = 4:32
| title6 = Guilty
| note6 = US Remix
| length6 = 3:41
| title7 = Not Like the Other Girls
| length7 = 5:43
| title8 = The One I Love
| note8 = US Remix
| length8 = 3:15
| title9 = Back in the Picture
| length9 = 3:41
| title10 = Funeral Song
| length10 = 3:17
| title11 = F-F-F-Falling
| note11 = US Remix
| length11 = 3:52
| title12 = If You Ever
| length12 = 3:48
| title13 = What Ever
| length13 = 3:11
| title14 = Everything You Say
| length14 = 2:48
| title15 = In The Shadows
| note15 = Meadows Remix
| length15 = 4:38
| title16 = In The Shadows
| note16 = Nordic Version – Video
| title17 = In The Shadows
| note17 = Nordic Version (Making of video)
| title18 = The Rasmus Computer Stuff
| note18 = Screensavers, Desktops, Photo Gallery, Extra Video Material
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Italian Edition Bonus DVD
| title1 = First Day of My Life
| note1 = US Remix
| length1 = 3:44
| title2 = In the Shadows
| length2 = 4:05
| title3 = Still Standing
| length3 = 3:31
| title4 = In My Life
| length4 = 4:01
| title5 = Time to Burn
| length5 = 4:32
| title6 = Guilty
| note6 = US Remix
| length6 = 3:41
| title7 = Not Like the Other Girls
| length7 = 5:43
| title8 = The One I Love
| note8 = US Remix
| length8 = 3:15
| title9 = Back in the Picture
| length9 = 3:41
| title10 = Funeral Song
| length10 = 3:17
| title11 = If You Ever
| length11 = 3:48
| title12 = Everything You Say
| length12 = 2:48
| title13 = What Ever
| length13 = 3:11
| title14 = Since You've Been Gone
| length14 = 3:03
| title15 = First Day of My Life
| note15 = Acoustic Demo
| title16 = In The Shadows
| note16 = Nordic Version – Video
| title17 = In My Life
| note17 = Video
| title18 = First Day of My Life
| note18 = Video
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = European Limited Edition – Bonus CD
| title1 = In the Shadows – Video
| length1 = 03:57
| title2 = The Making of the Video "In The Shadows"
| length2 = 13:17
| title3 = Making the video screensaver
| title4 = Logo screensaver
| title5 = Desktop wallpapers
| title6 = Photo Gallery
| title7 = Computer stuff
| title8 = Photos taken by Henrik Walse, Nauska and the Rasmus
}}
Personnel
The Rasmus
- Lauri Ylönen – vocals
- Pauli Rantasalmi – guitar
- Eero Heinonen – bass
- Aki Hakala – drums
Additional musicians
- Rutger Gunnarson – strings
- Ylva Nilsson, Håkan Westlund, and Anna Wallgreen – cellos
- Jörgen Ingeström – additional keyboards
Production and design
- Mikael Nord and Martin Hansen – record producer, mixdown, programming, keyboards, and additional sounds
- George Marino – mastering
- Lars Tengroth – A&R
- Seppo Vesterinen – business management
- Dina Hovsepian – design
- Henrik Walse – logo
- Henrik Walse and Nela Koenig – photos
B-sides, outtakes and non-album tracks
| class="wikitable sortable"
!width=30% | Song !width=30% | Releases |
| "What Ever"
| B-Side of "In My Life" |
| "Since You've Been Gone"
| B-Side of "First Day of My Life" UK Edition |
| "Everything You Say"
| B-Side of "Funeral Song" |
| "If You Ever"
| B-Side of "Funeral Song" |
Release history
A list of countries and the date when the album was released.[http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/discography-DeadLetters.htm Dead Letters album release history] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927120336/http://www.therasmus-hellofasite.it/en/discography-DeadLetters.htm |date=27 September 2007}} The Rasmus – HellofaSite
| class="wikitable"
! Country ! Date |
| Italy
| 26 November 2003 |
| Spain
| 5 January 2004 |
| US/UK
| 22 March 2004 |
| Japan
| Early 2004 |
| Taiwan
| June 2004 |
Music videos
- In the Shadows – Finnish "Bandit" version (2003)
Video directed by Finn Andersson for Film Magica Oy in Helsinki, Finland.
- In My Life (2003)
Video directed by Niklas Fronda and Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film/Topaz.
- In the Shadows – European "Crow" version (2003)
Video directed by Niklas Fronda & Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film in Stockholm, Sweden.
- First Day of My Life (2003)
Video directed by Sven Bollinger and produced by Volker Steinmetz (Erste Liebe Filmproduktion) in Lausitzring, Germany.
- In the Shadows – US/UK "Mirror" version (2004)
Video directed by Philipp Stöltzl in Bucharest, Romania.
- Funeral Song (The Resurrection) (2004)
Video directed by Niklas Fronda and Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Guilty (2004)
Video directed by Nathan Cox in Los Angeles.
See also
- Live Letters, a live DVD released in 2004.
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2003–04)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Australia|49|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Austria|1|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|25|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|20|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Denmark|32|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|29|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Finland|1|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|France|3|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|1|id=4585|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Hungary|3|year=2004|week=10|rowheader=true|access-date=27 November 2021}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland2|28|artist=The Rasmus|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Italy|22|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|New Zealand|16|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|61|date=20040403|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Sweden|17|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|1|artist=The Rasmus|album=Dead Letters|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|10|date=20040403|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|18|artist=The Rasmus|rowheader=true|accessdate=28 July 2020}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2003)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria){{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=a&id=2003|title=Jahreshitparade Alben 2003|website=austriancharts.at|accessdate=28 July 2020}}
| 19 |
| scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100){{cite web |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2003|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|language=German|work=GfK Entertainment|publisher=offiziellecharts.de|accessdate=28 July 2020}}
| 27 |
| scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web|url=https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/83?dspy=2003&dspp=1|title=Årslista Album – År 2003|publisher=Sverigetopplistan|language=Swedish|accessdate=28 July 2020}}
| 53 |
| scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade){{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/2003|title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003|website=hitparade.ch|accessdate=28 July 2020}}
| 14 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications and sales
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Austria|artist=The Rasus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2003|relyear=2003|accessdate=25 July 2023}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Finland|artist=The Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Platinum|number=2|salesamount=78,363|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|domestic=true|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Germany|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Platinum|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Hungary|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Mexico|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|relmonth=7|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Poland|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2004|certmonth=9|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=album|award=Gold|certyear=2005|artist=The Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|relyear=2003|accessdate=February 23, 2024}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Sweden|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2004|relmonth=03|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Switzerland|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Platinum|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|award=Gold|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|accessdate=12 March 2019|id=1711-818-2}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Europe|artist=The Rasmus|title=Dead Letters|type=album|nocert=true|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref={{cite web|url=https://www.impalamusic.org/docum/04-press/Awards%20total%20as%20of%20January2008.pdf|title=Impala Sales Award Winner June 2005 – January 2008|publisher=Impala|date=3 December 2008|accessdate=1 September 2019|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806180113/http://www.impalamusic.org/docum/04-press/Awards%20total%20as%20of%20January2008.pdf|url-status=dead}}}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080224115250/http://www.playgroundmusic.com/Global/Articles.aspx?ProductId=PGMCD%2014 Dead Letters] on Playground Music
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090603090016/http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg Dead Letters review] at Allmusic
{{The Rasmus}}
{{Authority control}}