White Ladder

White Ladder
Studio album by
David Gray
Released27 November 1998[1]
RecordedApril–August 1998
StudioHome studio (London)
GenreFolktronica[2]
Length52:37
Label
Producer
David Gray chronology
Sell, Sell, Sell
(1996) 		White Ladder
(1998) 		Lost Songs 95–98
(2000)
Singles from White Ladder
  1. "This Year's Love"
    Released: 29 March 1999[3]
  2. "Babylon"
    Released: 12 July 1999[4]
  3. "Please Forgive Me"
    Released: 22 November 1999[5]
  4. "Babylon (re-mix)"
    Released: 19 June 2000[6]
  5. "Please Forgive Me (re-mix)"
    Released: 16 October 2000[7]
  6. "This Year's Love (re-issue)"
    Released: 5 March 2001[8]
  7. "Sail Away"
    Released: 16 July 2001[9]
  8. "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
    Released: 17 December 2001[10]

White Ladder is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter David Gray. It was first released in November 1998 through Gray's own record label, IHT Records, but failed to chart. On 24 April 2000, the album was re-released by Dave Matthews' label ATO Records and debuted at number 69 on the UK Albums Chart, before climbing to number one on 5 August 2001, more than a year later. White Ladder produced five singles, including the hit "Babylon", which ignited interest in the album and shot Gray to worldwide fame. Other singles released from the album were "This Year's Love", "Please Forgive Me", "Sail Away", and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye".

White Ladder spent almost three full years on the UK top 100, consistently charting between May 2000 and March 2003. Its total charting time as of 2020 was 176 weeks,[11] making it one of the longest-charting albums in UK chart history. It was massively successful in Ireland, where it spent six consecutive weeks at number one on the Irish Albums Chart and had sold 350,000 copies by 2002. In 2015, it was still the biggest-selling album of all time in that country.[12] White Ladder was the fifth-best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK, with 2.9 million copies sold.[13] The album has sold over 3 million copies in the UK,[14] making it the country's eleventh-best-selling album of the 21st century[15] as well as the 28th-best-selling album of all time.[16] The record has sold over seven million copies worldwide.[12]

Background

White Ladder was self-financed and recorded in Gray's London flat.[17][12] To support the album, Gray toured the United States with the Dave Matthews Band, with Matthews releasing White Ladder in the United States on his label, ATO, in 2000, as the label's first release.[18] Following the album's success, Gray toured the US and UK extensively between 2000–2001 to promote the record.[19][20]

A hidden track, "Through to Myself", can be found in the pregap of the original 1999 IHT Records release (by rewinding from the start of "Please Forgive Me").[21] The US CD release does not include the secret track but instead includes the audio bonus track "Babylon II" as well as an enhanced section that includes a mini-documentary with a live performance of "Babylon", a brief biography, and web links.[22] The Japanese release includes the bonus track "Over My Head", which also appears as a B-side on the 1999 "Babylon" single.[23]

The cover of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", originally recorded by Soft Cell, features additional lines from the Van Morrison songs "Madame George" and "Into the Mystic".

Commercial reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
Entertainment WeeklyB[25]
The Guardian[26]
Hot Press11/12[27]
NME6/10[28]
Pitchfork7.9/10[29]
Q[30]
Rolling Stone[31]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[32]
Uncut[33]

White Ladder was originally released on Gray's own label, IHT Records. It spent six weeks at number one in Ireland, selling 100,000 copies in that time.[34] By September 2001, the album had been certified 20× Platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) for sales of over 300,000 units;[35] it remains the biggest-selling album in that country.[36]

It was only after its re-release in April 2000 on ATO that the album managed to chart in the UK, debuting at number 69 on the UK Albums Chart. On 5 August 2001, sixteen months after the re-release and almost three years after its original publication, it reached number one.[37] White Ladder has spent a total of 175 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.[38] Aside from "Please Forgive Me", which charted at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart, all other single releases charted within the top 20:[38] the re-issued "Please Forgive Me" charted at number 18, and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and "Sail Away" peaked at number 26. White Ladder was the UK's fifth best-selling UK album of the 2000s.[39] It had sold 2,940,575 units in the UK by 24 July 2011[40] and reached the three-million mark by March 2015. As of October 2019, it is the 11th best-selling UK album of the 21st century.[41]

In the United States, the album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200, spending a whole year on the chart.[42] It earned Gray a nomination in the United States at the 44th Grammy Awards for Best New Artist.[43]

Reflecting on White Ladder's success in 2010, Gray stated: "I still pinch myself when I think about it. That record will be there for ever. It just connected in such a big way with people. [...] It was the period that came after that was difficult. [...] I'm sort of seen as a pop artist. I'm dismissed as slight, I'd say, because of White Ladder."[44]

In Ireland, White Ladder entered the Irish chart at number 25. 61 weeks later, and for the first time, the album went to number one on 24 January 2000, spending six weeks in that position and subsequently spending much of the next four years in and around the top ten. It remains the best-selling album in the Republic of Ireland. At one stage, it was said that one in every four Irish households had a copy.[45]

Legacy

Gray believes that the success of White Ladder paved the way for "soul-baring" artists such as James Blunt, Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, James Bay, and Tom Walker. In an interview with the Daily Star, he said: "When I started out, a man with a guitar baring his soul wasn't in vogue at all. Suddenly, it's everywhere! [The album's] success came from nowhere, and it changed how the business thought about what music should be. Since then, there have been lots of artists who've taken it on and done their own thing."[46]

Track listing

All tracks written by David Gray, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Forgive Me" 5:35
2."Babylon" 4:25
3."My Oh My"Gray, McClune4:37
4."We're Not Right"Gray, McClune, Polson3:03
5."Nightblindness" 4:23
6."Silver Lining" 6:00
7."White Ladder"Gray, McClune, Polson4:14
8."This Year's Love" 4:05
9."Sail Away" 5:15
10."Say Hello Wave Goodbye"Almond, Ball, Morrison9:03
UK hidden pregap track
No.TitleLength
0."Through to Myself"1:56
US-only bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Babylon II"3:38
Japanese version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Forgive Me" 5:35
2."Babylon" 4:25
3."My Oh My"Gray, McClune4:37
4."We're Not Right"Gray, McClune, Polson3:03
5."Nightblindness" 4:23
6."Over My Head" (bonus track) 4:23
7."Silver Lining" 6:00
8."White Ladder"Gray, McClune, Polson4:14
9."This Year's Love" 4:05
10."Sail Away" 5:15
11."Say Hello Wave Goodbye"Almond, Ball9:03
20th Anniversary Edition (Disc 2)
No.TitleLength
1."Lights of London"4:44
2."Over My Head"4:22
3."Monday Morning"3:28
4."Tired of Me"3:36
5."Roots of Love"4:30
6."Walking in Circles"3:49
7."Through to Myself"1:57
8."Over My Head (Demo)"2:40
9."What on Earth (Demo)"5:04
10."Silver Lining (Demo)"6:13
11."This Year's Love (Demo)"3:58
12."Please Forgive Me (Demo)"5:01

Personnel

  • David Gray – vocals, guitar (1–7 & 9–11), piano (1–3, 6, 8, 9, 11), keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 9)
Additional musicians
  • Craig McClune – drums (1–7 & 9–11), vocals (1–7 & 9–11), keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 9), bass (2, 5, 8, 9, 11)
  • Tim Bradshaw – keyboards on tracks 2, 3, 6, 8, and 10
  • Simon Edwards – bass on tracks 3, 6, and 10
  • Colm Mac Con Iomaire – violin on track 6
  • Terry Edwards – string arrangements on track 11
Technical personnel
  • Iestyn Polson – producer, engineer, programmer
  • Marius de Vries – additional production and programming on "Sail Away"
  • Steve Sidelnyk – additional programming on "Sail Away"
  • Dave Turner – mastering
  • Donal Dineen – photography
  • Phil Knott – photography

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for White Ladder
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[68] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[69] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[70] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[71] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[72] Gold 100,000*
Ireland (IRMA)[35] 20× Platinum 350,000[12]
Netherlands (NVPI)[73] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[74] 5× Platinum 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[75] 10× Platinum 3,017,085[14]
United States (RIAA)[77] Platinum 2,400,000[76]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[78] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*

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

See also

Release history

Country Date Label Format Category no.
United Kingdom 8 March 1999 IHT Records CD IHT CD001
24 April 2000[79] IHT/EastWest CD (re-issue) 8573-82983-2
14 February 2020 IHT 20th Anniversary Edition IHTCD 1912
United States 21 March 2000 RCA/ATO CD (11 tracks/enhanced) 07863 69351-2
Japan 11 October 2000 EastWest/WEA CD (11 tracks) AMCE-7198

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