Yourself or Someone Like You
Studio album by
Matchbox 20
ReleasedOctober 1, 1996 (1996-10-01)
StudioTriclops Recording, Atlanta, Georgia
Genre
Length46:51
Label
ProducerMatt Serletic
Matchbox 20 chronology
Yourself or Someone Like You
(1996)		 Mad Season
(2000)
Singles from Yourself or Someone Like You
  1. "Long Day"
    Released: September 16, 1996[1][2]
  2. "Push"
    Released: June 10, 1997
  3. "3AM"
    Released: November 23, 1997
  4. "Real World"
    Released: March 24, 1998[3]
  5. "Back 2 Good"
    Released: September 22, 1998[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Yourself or Someone Like You is the debut album by American rock band Matchbox 20. It was released on October 1, 1996,[8] by Lava Records and Atlantic Records.

Composition and release

The album features a sound similar to traditional rock and post-grunge.[9] The album features themes of adolescence, adultery, loneliness, domestic violence, psychological abuse, humiliation, depression, anger, and alcoholism.

According to Rob Thomas, the album's title was originally to be Woodshed Diaries. However, that changed when Thomas and Paul Doucette were at a woman's musical performance at Café Largo when the singer said "this song is for you, or someone like you". They loved the phrase so much that they insisted on changing the album's title, despite the fact that 3,500 copies of the album with the original title had already been made. Their labels agreed, however the name change resulted in the album's release being delayed.[10]

The album sold a mere 610 copies in its first week, but eventually went on to sell several million copies in the United States. Yourself or Someone Like You became one of the few albums to achieve the prestigious Diamond certification, and it was also certified multi-platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. To date, the album has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.[11]

Artwork lawsuit

In 2005, almost a decade after the album's release, the band was sued by Frank Torres, the man on the album's cover. Torres claimed the band never asked for his permission to use his image on the sleeve. In the litigation, Torres claimed the photo was taken as he was walking down the street after being asked to pose. He also claimed the photo had caused him emotional distress. Torres justified the delay in suing Matchbox 20 by claiming he had first seen the album photo within two years of the litigation.[12] Torres died in 2016 at age 73.[13]

Track listing

Original release

All tracks are written by Rob Thomas except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Real World" 3:50
2."Long Day" 3:45
3."3AM"
  • John Leslie Goff
  • John Joseph Stanley
  • Thomas
  • Brian Yale
3:46
4."Push"
3:59
5."Girl Like That" 3:45
6."Back 2 Good"
  • Serletic
  • Thomas
5:40
7."Damn" 3:20
8."Argue" 2:58
9."Kody" 4:03
10."Busted" 4:15
11."Shame" 3:35
12."Hang" 3:47
Total length:46:51

Australian limited edition bonus CD

No.TitleLength
1."Girl Like That" (live)3:57
2."Kody" (live)4:01
3."Damn" (live)3:32
4."Mercy, Mercy Me" (live)3:01
5."Push" (acoustic)4:12
6."3AM" (acoustic)3:56

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Yourself or Someone Like You
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] 10× Platinum 700,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[33] 8× Platinum 800,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] 5× Platinum 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[36] 12× Platinum 12,000,000^

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2118. August 16, 1996. p. 20.
  2. ↑ "September's Tunes". Radio & Records. No. 1162. September 6, 1996. p. 89.
  3. ↑ "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2197. March 20, 1998. p. 18.
  4. ↑ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1266. p. 39.
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Yourself or Someone Like You – Matchbox Twenty". AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Matchbox 20: Yourself or Someone Like You". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ Harris, Keith (2004). "Matchbox Twenty". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 519. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ↑ "Rob Thomas reflects on Matchbox Twenty's debut album 20 years later". The A.V. Club.
  9. ↑ "Matchbox Twenty | Biography, Discography, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Behind the Vinyl: "3 AM" Rob Thomas" – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Bio". Matchbox Twenty. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  12. ↑ "Matchbox Twenty sued over album cover". Archived from the original on 2005-05-27.
  13. ↑ "Frank Torres - January 27, 2016".
  14. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Charts.nz – Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Matchbox 20 – Yourself or Someone Like You". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  22. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1997". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1998". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1999". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  31. ↑ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 20 Catalogue Albums | Australia's Official Top 20 Catalogue Records - ARIA Charts". www.ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-09-12.
  33. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You". Music Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Press Releases- Newsroom". Time Warner. Retrieved 2011-12-03.
  35. ↑ "British album certifications – Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  36. ↑ "American album certifications – Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
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