Riot! is the second studio album by Paramore, released in the US on June 12, 2007, and in the UK on June 25th. The album has been certified as a double Platinum in many countries which shows the height of its success. From Riot! there were 4 singles produced: "Misery Business," "Hallelujah," "Crushcrushcrush" & "That's What You Get."
"Misery Business" is included in the video games Saints Row 2, NHL 08 and Guitar Hero World Tour (the latter featuring a computer-generated replica of lead vocalist Hayley Williams), while "That's What You Get" is included as a playable song on Rock Band 2. "Crushcrushcrush" is featured on Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades and is available as a downloadable track for play on both Rock Band games. A cover version of the song is also featured on the game Ultimate Band.
The name Riot! was used for the album as it represented, for the band members, an "outburst of emotions... it felt like there was a riot within us." Josh Farro composed the song "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" (the first track of the album) and said it was "specifically to be awesome live and to be extremely energetic."
Background[]
The album was called Riot! because, as Hayley explained, because the word to them "literally means an unbridled outburst of emotions. When we were writing, it seemed like our thoughts and emotions were coming out so fast that we couldn't control them. It felt like there was a riot within us. So the album takes our passion to a new level; it’s just all raw energy."
The first song on the album is "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" and was composed by Josh Farro. He said it reflects as "putting your faith in someone and they blow it." He said he "wrote the music specifically to be awesome live and to be extremely energetic. It all came out at once. I showed it to Hayley and she just nailed it lyrically. She completely got the feeling I wanted the song to have."
The fourth song on the album is "Misery Business", where the origins of the song came from a message Hayley Williams posted on the band's LiveJournal, asking fans to post what they're ashamed of. "I found that people really were reaching out to someone to spill their guts to," she recalls, "so I did the same thing lyrically in the song and let everything out."
Tracklisting[]
All music and lyrics are written by Hayley Williams and Josh Farro except where noted.
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "That's What You Get" (Williams, Farro, Taylor York) | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Hallelujah" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Misery Business" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "When It Rains" (Williams, Farro, Zac Farro) | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Let the Flames Begin" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Miracle" | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Crushcrushcrush" | 3:09 |
| 9. | "We Are Broken" (Williams, Farro, David Bendeth) | 3:40 |
| 10. | "Fences" (Williams, Farro, Bendeth) | 3:19 |
| 11. | "Born for This" | 4:00 |
Special/Limited Edition MVI
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "When It Rains" (demo) | 3:24 |
| 13. | "Misery Business" (acoustic - live from Q101 Chicago) | 3:17 |
| 14. | "Pressure" (acoustic - live from Q101 Chicago) | 3:01 |
| 15. | "For a Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic" (live from London) | 3:59 |
| 16. | "Born for This" (live from London) | 4:20 |
iTunes/Amazon.com MP3 Release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Misery Business" (acoustic) | 3:14 |
Fueled by Ramen webstore release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Temporary" (demo) | 3:24 |
Hot Topic Release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Decoy" | 3:17 |
FYE Release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Here We Go Again" (live) | 3:23 |
Rhapsody Release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Misery Business" (acoustic) | 3:16 |
| 13. | "My Hero" (Electronic mix) (Foo Fighters cover) | 3:32 |
Best Buy and iTunes UK Release
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody)" | 3:23 |
| 13. | "Rewind" (demo) | 3:47 |
| 14. | "Emergency" (live) | 4:23 |
iTunes Deluxe Edition
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Misery Business" (acoustic) | 3:14 |
| 13. | "Pressure" (live from Anaheim) (vide) | 3:45 |
| 14. | "Misery Business" (live from London) (video) | 3:47 |
Personnel[]
Paramore[]
- Hayley Williams - Lead Vocals
- Josh Farro - Guitars, Backing Vocals
- Jeremy Davis - Bass, Backing Vocals
- Zac Farro - Drums, Backing Vocals
Additional Musicians[]
- Sebastian Davin - Piano
- Taylor Robinson - Backing Vocals
- Kathleen Smith - Backing Vocals
- Brian Weaver - Bass, Additional Drums and Keys programming (Hallelujah, Crushcrushcrush)
- John Freund - Hammond Organ
Production[]
- John Bender – arranger, digital editing, engineer, strings, vocal producer, backing vocals (on "Hallelujah")
- David Bendeth – producer, mixer, writer, arranger
- Dan Korneff – digital editing, engineer, explosions
- Tim Flanzbaum – assistant engineer, digital editing
- Kato Khandwala – audio engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound Studios
- Isaiah Abolin – assistant mixing engineer
Artwork[]
- Mark Obriski – art direction and album design
- Josh Rothstein – photography
Management[]
- Mark Mercado and Dave Steunebrink – management
- Jason Childress Business Management at Curo Financial Management LLC
- Ken Fermaglich and David Gelea – booking agents for The Agecy Group
- Steve Robertson – A&R
- Anne DeClemente – A&R administration
- Denise Stevens – legal counsel for Loeb & Loeb Nashville
- David Burrier – marketing and product development
Release[]
Singles[]
Supporting/Promotional Albums[]
Critical Reception[]
| Source | Rating |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 67/100 |
| Allmusic | 4/5 |
| Alternate Press | 3/5 |
| Blender | 3/5 |
| Drowned in Sound | 4/10 |
| IGN | 7/10 |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | 4/5 |
| NME | 5/10 |
| Spin | 3.5/5 |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 |
| Stylus Magazine | B+ |
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified Units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Platinum | 2,000,000 |
| United Kingdom | Platinum | 419,000 |
| New Zealand | Gold | 7,500 |
| Canada | Gold | 50,000 |
| Australia | Gold | 35,000 |
Trivia[]
- All of the singles covers have the same scratch style writing as the album cover, except 'That's What You Get'.
- This is Paramore's first platinum album.
Streaming[]
  |
Riot! |
|---|---|
| Songs | For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic • That's What You Get • Hallelujah • Misery Business • When It Rains • Let the Flames Begin • Miracle • Crushcrushcrush • We Are Broken • Fences • Born for This |
| Bonus Tracks | When It Rains (Demo Version) • Misery Business (Acoustic) • Temporary • Decoy • My Hero • Stop This Song (Lovesick Melody) • Rewind |
| Members | Hayley Williams • Josh Farro • Jeremy Davis • Zac Farro |
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