#ThrowbackThursday: “How to Save a Life” by The Fray

by Sean Smith

The Fray is set to release a new album this week. The project is titled Through the Years: The Best of The Fray, and will be their first official non-live compilation album to be released. The album is slated to include some of the band’s biggest hits from their first 11 years on the national music scene.

Despite the fact that The Fray has only released four original albums in that 11 year span, they certainly have a solid enough body of work in those albums to warrant a greatest hits release. The album will include 12 tracks and will include major radio hits like “Over My Head (Cable Car),” “How to Save a Life,” “You Found Me” and “Never Say Never.” It will also feature the Fray’s cover of “Heartless” by Kanye West, which while it was never officially released as a single did enter the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to grassroots support for the record.

The Fray began their musical journey to stardom in Denver, Colorado in the early 2000s, where three of the founding members of the band went to a private Christian high school together. They all got their individual starts in music playing and singing in church. The band put out their first EP in 2002, and another in 2003. The latter Reason EP got the group some local notoriety and got them some radio play on local stations in the Denver area. One of the tracks included on the Reason EP called “Vienna” got the attention of an A&R rep for Epic Records who signed the band to a major label record deal. That same track would be included on their major label debut album in 2005.

The Fray’s first full-length album in 2005 was How to Save a Life. The first single to be released was “Over My Head (Cable Car)” which was a song that the band had circulated on local radio prior to signing to Epic under the title of simply “Cable Car.” That song was a breakthrough hit for the band and even achieved a Billboard Top 10 spot, getting as high as the eighth position. The success of “Over My Head (Cable Car)” set a high bar for the band’s follow-up single. Albeit a bar that it would surpass. The album’s second single was the album’s title track “How to Save a Life,” and it is the focus of this week’s #tbt here on Clizbeats.

The single “How to Save a Life” was released in late August 2005, just over two weeks prior to the full album hitting shelves. The song was an even bigger radio hit than “Over My Head” and it eventually broke into the Hot 100 Top 5, peaking at the number three position. The song charted in the Billboard Hot 100 for over a year, ending after 58 consecutive weeks.

It was written by The Fray frontman Isaac Slade and guitarist Joe King. The song came about after an experience Slade had volunteering as a mentor for troubled teens. He was paired with a teen musician who was dealing with some issues including drugs and depression after losing a close friend. Slade was confronted with the question: What is the best way to try and reach this young man and save his life? The teen’s parents had threatened to cut ties with the boy if he didn’t change his ways. That didn’t work. Should he instead sympathize with him? Slade didn’t have the answer, hence the subject matter of “How to Save a Life.”

So in light of The Fray putting out their new compilation album Through the Years: The Best of The Fray, this week we take time to remember their emotional 2005 hit single “How to Save a Life.” Enjoy.

The Fray 

“How To Save A Life”

From How To Save A Life

Epic Records

The Fray 

“”Over My Head (Cable Car)”

From How To Save A Life

Epic Records

The Fray 

“”You Found Me”

From The Fray

Epic Records

The Fray 

“”Never Say Never”

From The Fray

Epic Records

The Fray 

“”Heartless” (Kanye West Cover)

From The Fray

Epic Records