name	Lose Yourself
cover	Lose Yourself.jpg
artist	Eminem
album	Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile
released	October 22, 2002
format	CD single, digital download
recorded	2001 - 2002; (Detroit, Michigan)
genre	Hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock
length	(album version) (clean radio edit)
label	Shady, Aftermath, Interscope
writer	Eminem, Luis Resto, Jeff Bass
producer	Eminem, Jeff Bass (additional producer)
last single	"Cleanin' Out My Closet"(2002)
this single	"Lose Yourself"(2002)
next single	"Superman"(2003)
misc	}}

"Lose Yourself" is a song by American hip-hop artist Eminem, released as the first single from the original soundtrack to the movie 8 Mile (2002) on October 22, 2002. It was written and produced by Eminem himself, along with longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers, along with brother Mark Bass. The song was largely written during the filming of ''8 Mile'', including several elements written entirely on set by Eminem. The song largely plays to the themes of the film, as it is largely based around, and written from the viewpoint of, the character of Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr., the role taken on by Eminem in the film, and the events of the film itself. Lose Yourself became the first rap song to win The Academy Award for Best Original Song.

"Lose Yourself" is a mid-tempo hardcore hip-hop track, which incorporates several aggressive themes, largely dealing with the struggles dealt with by "B-Rabbit" during the film, and how he eventually overcomes his many problems and obstacles to gain the respect of other rappers, as this is his ambition, but he has constantly been held back by his own personal problems. The song's production incorporates elements of several instruments, including piano, violins and several other string instruments. The song is one of three new Eminem solo songs featured on the soundtrack, the other two being titled "8 Mile" and "Rabbit Run". Several critics cited this trio of songs as the best three from the soundtrack, as well as the most aggressive songs ever recorded by Eminem. "Lose Yourself" itself was also received very positively, with many critics praising the song's aggressive themes and describing it as Eminem's best work to date. Eminem's rapping ability, the lyrics and the production were also praised as well. In many retrospective reviews and lists, critics have cited the song among Eminem's finest, as well as one of the best hip-hop songs of all time.

The song's accompanying music video, directed by Eminem himself, manager Paul Rosenberg and Phillip G. Atwell, was released on October 7, 2002. The video is a mixture of several scenarios, largely including several scenes from ''8 Mile'': however, it also contains scenes addressing problems the real life Eminem has addressed, as well as "B-Rabbit"'s difficulties, including the ostracism by rap communities towards him due to his colour, and his difficult personal life.

Upon its release, "Lose Yourself" was an enormous worldwide chart success, peaking at number one on twenty-four national charts worldwide, making it the most successful single of Eminem's mainstream career: these included the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Eminem's first number-one hit in the United States, peaking at the top spot for twelve consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number one in numerous other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, among others. The song also earned Eminem several accolades and awards, including five Grammy nominations at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2002, making it the first ever rap song to have received this accolade. It is also one of only three hip-hop songs from the twenty-first century to have been included on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'', and is also the highest ranking, at number 166. As of August 14, 2011, it has had over 4,000,000 downloads in the United States alone, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States.

Background

Eminem says that ''Lose Yourself'' was written on set, during breaks during the filming of ''8 Mile''. Taryn Manning, who played Eminem's ex-girlfriend Janeane in the movie 8 Mile, said in an interview with MTV, that during the filming of the movie, in any downtime, Eminem was writing and that "you could just see him formulating stuff in his head." According to studio engineer Steven King, who spoke to Rolling Stone magazine, Eminem recorded the song in a portable studio on the set while he was on a break from shooting, recording all three verses in one take. The sheet on which he wrote the song appears in ''8 Mile'' in a scene where his character is writing while riding the bus. This sheet was sold on eBay for $10,000.

The song's lyrics explicitly sum up the background info about Eminem's character in ''8 Mile'', B. Rabbit, with the first verse summing up much of the plot of the movie.

Success and legacy

"Lose Yourself" is the most successful single of Eminem's mainstream career. It had a 12-week run at #1 in the United States & Australia, and topped the charts in many other countries as well, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Denmark among others. It debuted at number nine in Canada and moved up to #1 the following week. According to the ''Guinness Book Of World Records'', "Lose Yourself" became the "Longest Running Single at Number One for a Rap Song" at 23 weeks.

In the United States, "Lose Yourself" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart the week of October 5, 2002, at #43. A week later, the single jumped to #18, and hit #1 by November 9. The single spent 16 total weeks in the Top 10, and a total of 23 weeks in the Top 50. While in the #1 spot (from 11/09/02 through 1/25/03), "Lose Yourself"'s impressive run kept several top contenders for the #1 spot from ever reaching #1, including Jay-Z, Nelly, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, and especially Missy Elliott, whose single "Work It" was at #2 for 10 weeks.

The song went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first time a rap song ever won this award), beating potential winners such as, "The Hands That Built America", by U2. Eminem, who was not present at the award ceremony believing he would not win, said in a Shade 45 Behind The Boards interview with Cipha Sounds that he was actually sleeping at the time the award was announced. This was the first time in 14 years the winner of the Best Original Song category did not perform at the ceremony. Luis Resto, one of the song's co-writers, had attended the ceremony and accepted the award instead. "He's creative, he has symphonies in his head," Resto said at the lectern about Eminem. The American Film Institute later ranked it #93 on their list of the 100 Greatest Songs from American Films.

At the Grammy Awards of 2004, "Lose Yourself" became Eminem's second career nomination for Record of the Year (following "Without Me"), and the first rap song ever to be nominated for Song of the Year. It won Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song, which was a brand new category at the time.

At #166, "Lose Yourself" is the highest ranked of the three songs from the 21st century featured in the 2004 List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (joining "Stan" at #290). Outkast's "Hey Ya!" was the other, at #180. The magazine later ranked the song the twelfth best of the decade. The song was the 51st best-selling single of the 2000 decade in UK.

"Lose Yourself" was later released on Eminem's compilation album, ''Curtain Call: The Hits'', in 2005.

The song was also covered by The Script for the compilations album live lounge released in 2008 .

Music video

The music video for "Lose Yourself" was filmed in Detroit, Michigan, and thus contains numerous shots of the city, including the Ambassador Bridge. The video is a mixture of multiple scenarios, including scenes from and reminiscent of the movie ''8 Mile'', and Eminem rapping next to the "8 Mile Rd. Mobile Court" sign that appears on the cover of the movie's soundtrack.

It contains scenes focusing on Rabbit's and the real life Eminem's character, for example, the difficulties he has to face while rapping, the insult and booing of crowds as he is a white rapper and the trouble he has to face due to his alcoholic mother and people he hangs out with.

He won a MuchMusic Video Award in 2003 for Favorite International Artist with the video for "Lose Yourself".

At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards it received the award for Best Video from a Film in the final year this award was given out. It also received nominations for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Rap Video, and Viewer's Choice.

The official video (uploaded by Eminem) has been viewed over 65 million times on YouTube making it one of Eminem's most popular videos on that site. However, it was restricted form viewing in 2011, spawning various privately uploaded versions.

Uses in popular culture

In spring of 2001, dancer Judson Laipply dances to Eminem's song briefly in his "Evolution of Dance" video leaked on YouTube. In 2003, a part of the tune of the song is used as the theme music on the German detective series Lenßen & Partner. In 2005-2006, Queen + Paul Rodgers (an collaboration between the band and the singer) used the song as the house music for all of the concerts on their Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour. On May 15, 2006, Jodie Foster quoted the chorus of the song in her commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, the teen drama series ''Instant Star'' named its season premiere episode after this song.

It is used as the pregame song at all USC home games.

Many athletic teams use this song over their PA system before games.

George Sotiropoulos used this as his entrance song at UFC 101.

Mostapha Al-turk used this as his entrance song at UFC 99.

Jack Evans uses this as his entrance song at AAA.

ABC Radio Grandstand commentator Kerry O'Keeffe recited the chorus of "Lose Yourself" on air as cricketer Steve Waugh headed towards his famous last-ball century at the Sydney Cricket Ground test match in January 2002.

An instrumental version of the song is sometimes played before kick off or during half time at Nottingham Forest F.C..

Leicester Tigers also use the tune before their matches.

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team uses the song during game time when the visiting team scores a goal.

On February 6, 2011, Chrysler premiered a 2-minute television commercial for the Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan, with an instrumental track of "Lose Yourself" playing in the background. Eminem appears in the commercial, which first aired on Fox during Super Bowl XLV.

Cover versions

"Weird Al" Yankovic made a parody of the song, titled "Couch Potato", on his 2003 album ''Poodle Hat''. Eminem had given him permission to parody the song.

Irish pop rock band The Script did an alternative cover to this song in the BBC Radio's live lounge.

In 2003, the Australian comedy duo Scared Weird Little Guys produced a rap version of the folk song "Waltzing Matilda" called "Cleanin' Out My Tuckerbag", which parodies both "Lose Yourself" & "Cleanin' Out My Closet", but does not credit Eminem.

Christian parody band ApologetiX parodied the song as "Look Yourself". It is available on their 2003 album, ''Adam Up''.

The show ''Robot Chicken'' parodied part of the film in the rapping sequence involving Bugs Bunny and a collection of other ''Looney Tunes'' characters.

Lupe Fiasco sampled this song on his track "Lu Myself" (Jypsyeye on bass) on his mixtape, ''Lupe the Jedi'' and the ''Touch the Sky'' mixtape.

During an October 2006 interview with the K102 Morning Crew in (Minneapolis, MN), country artist Taylor Swift did an acoustic rendition of the intro and first verse of "Lose Yourself" live on the air, citing it as her favorite workout song.

The East Village Opera Company performs this song live, usually as an encore with full orchestra backing.

Fabolous made a remix to this track to honor Eminem.

Singer Justin Bieber performed a part of "Lose Yourself" on his My World Tour, in 2010.

Canadian rock band Three Days Grace have been covering "Lose Youself" in a medly with their song "Home".

During the farewell concert Polish hip-hop group Paktofonika performed their song "W moich kręgach" (In My Circles) with music background from "Lose Yourself".

Track listing

;CD single

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Lose Yourself" are adapted from the liner notes of the original soundtrack to the movie ''8 Mile''. ;Recording

Recorded at: Detroit, Michigan.

;Personnel

Eminem – vocals, audio mixing, producer, songwriting and drum programming

Jeff Bass – additional production, songwriter, guitar, bass and keyboards

Steve King – audio mixing and recording

Mike Strange – recording

Luis Resto – songwriter, keyboards and programming

Chart performance and certifications

Peak positions

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (2002/03) !Peakposition |- |Australian (ARIA) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) | style="text-align:center;"|9 |- |Denmark (Tracklisten) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |France (SNEP) | style="text-align:center;"|3 |- |Germany (Media Control AG) | style="text-align:center;"|2 |- |Hungary (Mahasz) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Ireland (IRMA) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Italy (FIMI) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |New Zealand (RIANZ) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Norway (VG-lista) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | style="text-align:center;"|1 |- |US Alternative Songs (''Billboard'') | style="text-align:center;"|14 |- |US Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs (''Billboard'') | style="text-align:center;"|4 |- |US Rap Songs (''Billboard'') | style="text-align:center;"|2 |- |US Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) (''Billboard'') | style="text-align:center;"|1 |}

Year-end charts

!Chart (2003)	!Position
Australian Singles Chart
Austrian Singles Chart
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart
Dutch Top 40
French SNEP Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
New Zealand Singles Chart
Swiss Singles Chart

Decade-end charts

{|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! 2000–2009 ! Position |- |German Singles Chart | style="text-align:center;"|44 |- |U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 | style="text-align:center;"|28 |}

Certifications

Country	!scope="col"	Sales
Australian Recording Industry Association	Australia
Austria
Belgium
Finland
France
	Bundesverband Musikindustrie>Germany
Greece
Japan
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States

See also

List of number-one singles in Australia in 2002

List of number-one singles of 2002 (Ireland)

List of number-one hits of 2002 (Italy)

List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)

List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2002 (U.S.)

List of number-one hits of 2003 (Austria)

List of number-one hits in Denmark

List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2003

List of European number-one hits of 2003

List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)

List of number-one hits in Norway

List of number-one hits of 2003 (Sweden)

List of number-one hits of 2003 (Switzerland)

List of number-one hits of 2002 (Romania)

Ultratop 50 number-one hits of 2003

Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2003

References

External links

Category:2002 singles Category:Eminem songs Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Rhythmic Airplay number-one singles Category:Billboard Pop Songs number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Number-one singles in Austria Category:Number-one singles in Denmark Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Finland Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Italy Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:Number-one singles in Sweden Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Singles certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America Category:Singles certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan Category:Songs produced by Eminem Category:Songs written by Eminem

cs:Lose Yourself da:Lose Yourself de:Lose Yourself es:Lose Yourself fr:Lose Yourself it:Lose Yourself ka:Lose Yourself nl:Lose Yourself ja:ルーズ・ユアセルフ no:Lose Yourself pl:Lose Yourself pt:Lose Yourself ru:Lose Yourself simple:Lose Yourself sv:Lose Yourself tr:Lose Yourself

Name	Taylor Swift
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Taylor Alison Swift
Birth date	December 13, 1989
Birth place	Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, ganjo, piano, ukulele
Genre	Country pop, pop, country, dance-pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actress
Years active	2006–present
Label	Big Machine
Associated acts	Nathan Chapman, Liz Rose
Website	150pxTaylor Swift's signature }}

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.

In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In November 2008, Swift released her second album, ''Fearless'', and the recording earned Swift four Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year, at the 52nd Grammy Awards. ''Fearless'' and ''Taylor Swift'' finished 2008 at number-three and number-six respectively, with sales of 2.1 and 1.5 million. ''Fearless'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 for 11 non-consecutive weeks. Swift was named ''Artist of the Year'' by ''Billboard'' Magazine in 2009. Swift released her third album ''Speak Now'' on October 25, 2010, which sold 1,047,000 copies in its first week.

In 2008, her albums sold a combined four million copies, making her the best-selling musician of the year in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. ''Forbes'' ranked Swift 2009's 69th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $18 million, 2010's 12th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million and 2011's 7th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million, too. Swift was ranked the 38th Best Artist of the 2000s by ''Billboard''. In January 2010 Nielsen SoundScan listed Swift as the most successful digital artist in music history with over 34.3 million digital tracks sold. On June 2011, renowned site The Boot named Swift and Carrie Underwood ''The Country Royalty'', as they were the only female country artists to be ranked on ''Rolling Stone'' Queens of Pop list. , she has sold over 20 million albums and 34.3 million singles worldwide. She has been listed in the 2012 ''Guinness Book Of World Records'' as the Fastest Selling Digital Album by a Female Artist for her album ''Speak Now'', and Most Simultaneous U.S. Hot 100 Hits by a Female Artist. In 2011, ''Billboard'' named her woman of the year.

Early life

Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She is the daughter of Andrea Gardner (née Finlay), a homemaker who previously worked in finance, and Scott Kingsley Swift, a stockbroker. Her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay (née Moehlenkamp), was an opera singer. Swift has a younger brother, Austin. She grew up on a Christmas-tree farm.

When Swift was in fourth grade, she won a national poetry contest with a three-page poem, "Monster in My Closet". At the age of ten, a computer repairman showed her how to play three chords on a guitar, sparking her interest in learning the instrument. Afterwards, Swift wrote her first song, "Lucky You". When Swift was 12, she devoted an entire summer to writing a 350-page novel, which remains unpublished. She began writing songs regularly and used it as an outlet to help her with her pain from not fitting in at school. Swift was a victim of bullying, and spent her time writing songs to express her emotions. She also started performing at local karaoke contests, festivals, and fairs.

Swift began to regularly visit Nashville, Tennessee, and work with local songwriters. When she was 14, her family relocated to Nashville. Her first major show was a well-received performance at the Bloomsburg Fair. In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School, but was subsequently homeschooled for her junior and senior years. In 2008, she earned her high school diploma.

Swift's greatest musical influence is Shania Twain. Her other influences include LeAnn Rimes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, and Swift's grandmother. Although her grandmother was a professional opera singer, Swift's tastes always leaned more toward country music. In her younger years, she developed a love for Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. She also credits the Dixie Chicks for demonstrating the impact that one can have by "stretching boundaries".

Music career

2000–2005: musical beginnings

At age 11, Swift made her first trip to Nashville, hoping to obtain a record deal by distributing a demo tape of her singing with karaoke songs. She gave a copy to every label in town, but was rejected. After Swift returned to Pennsylvania, she was asked to sing at the US Open tennis tournament, where her rendition of the national anthem received much attention.

When Swift was 15, she rejected RCA Records because the company wanted to keep her on an artist development deal. After performing at Nashville's songwriters' venue, The Bluebird Café, she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who signed her to his newly formed record label, Big Machine Records. At age 14, she became the youngest staff songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.

2006–2008: ''Taylor Swift''

Swift released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", in mid-2006, reaching No.6 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot Country Songs chart. Her self-titled debut album was later released on October 24, 2006. Debuting high on the ''Billboard'' 200, the album sold 39,000 copies during its first week. It peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No.5 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Her debut album spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the Top Country Albums charts and remained at the top for 24 out of 91 weeks. The only other country artists this decade to achieve the number-one sales position for 20 weeks or more are The Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood. The music video for "Tim McGraw" won Swift an award for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Her pursuit of country music stardom was the subject of "GAC Short Cuts", a part-documentary, part-music-video series airing since the summer of 2006. On May 15, 2007, Swift performed "Tim McGraw" at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Swift has been an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul 2007 tour. She has opened in the past for George Strait, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts as well. The second single from the ''Taylor Swift'' album, "Teardrops on My Guitar", was released February 24, 2007. In mid-2007, the song peaked at No.2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and No.33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was re-released with a pop remix that brought "Teardrops on My Guitar" to No.13 on the Hot 100 and No.11 on the Pop 100. In October 2007, Swift was awarded Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Assn. Intl., making her the youngest artist ever to win the award. Her third song off her debut album, "Our Song" spent six weeks at No.1 on the Country charts, peaked at No.16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and rose to No.24 on the ''Billboard'' Pop 100. Swift recorded a holiday album, ''Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection,'' which was released exclusively at Target in late 2007. Swift was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist, but lost to Amy Winehouse. Swift's successful single, "Picture to Burn", was the fourth single from her debut album. The song debuted and soon peaked at No.3 on the Billboard Country chart in spring 2008. left|upright|thumb|Swift performing at Yahoo HQ in 2007 "Should've Said No" became Swift's second No.1 single. In Summer 2008, Swift released ''Beautiful Eyes'', an EP sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. In its first week of release, the album sold 45,000 copies, debuting at No.1 on ''Billboard'''s Top Country Albums chart and No.9 on the ''Billboard'' 200. With her self-titled debut album sitting at No.2 during the same week, Swift became the first artist since 1997 to hold the Top 2 positions of the Top Country Albums chart. In October 2008, Swift performed a duet with best selling rock band Def Leppard in a taped show in Nashville, Tennessee, and their collaboration was up for both Performance of the Year and Wide Open Country Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards in 2009.

2008–2010: ''Fearless'' and MTV VMA incident

Swift's second studio album, ''Fearless'', was released in the United States on November 11, 2008. The album debuted at No.1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Album Chart. Its sales of 592,304 were the highest debut of any country artist in 2008. This is also the largest opening U.S. sales week in 2008 by a female artist in all genres of music, and the fourth biggest overall behind Lil Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay. Its lead single "Love Story" became a hit on both the country and pop charts. During the first week of release, more than 129,000 of Swift's sales were sold digitally. This gives Swift the best online start for any country album in history. It also makes Swift the fourth biggest week for a digital album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking them in 2004. Through its eighth week of release, ''Fearless'' has sold more than 338,467 downloads, making it the bestselling country album in digital history. In second place is Swift's debut ''Taylor Swift'' with sales of 236,046 downloads as of April 18, 2009. In its debut week, seven songs in total on ''Fearless'' were charted on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, tying Swift with Miley Cyrus for the most by a female artist in a single week. With "White Horse" charted at #13, this gave Swift her sixth top 20 debut of 2008, a calendar year record for any artist in the history of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Of the 13 tracks on ''Fearless'', 11 have already spent time on the Hot 100. "Change", a song from the album, was selected as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack of NBC's broadcast package of the Olympics. The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released on September 12, 2008. The Fearless album includes the "Love Story" music video which is based on ''Romeo and Juliet''. The song has reached No.2 on iTunes Store Top Downloaded Songs and No.4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Fifteen weeks after being added to pop radio, "Love Story" also became the first country crossover recording to hit number one on the Nielsen BDS CHR/Top 40 chart in the 16-year-history of the list, as well as number one on the Mediabase Top 40 Chart. The second single from ''Fearless'', "White Horse", was released on December 8, 2008. The music video for the song premiered on CMT on February 7, 2009. Though it missed the No.1 spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs as of the week April 11, 2009, "White Horse" claimed the No.1 spot atop the USA Today/Country Aircheck chart (powered by Mediabase) in that week. "Forever & Always", another song from the album, was based on Swift's relationship with singer Joe Jonas. She was the first artist in the history of Nielsen SoundScan to have two different albums in the Top 10 on the year end album chart. It also was the first album by a female artist in country music history to log eight weeks at No.1 on The ''Billboard'' 200. In mid-January 2009, Swift became the first country artist to top the 2 million mark in paid downloads with three different songs. Swift is ''Billboard'''s Top Country Artist and Hot Country Songwriter of 2008; she is also country music's best-selling artist of 2008. Swift ranked seventh on Nielsen SoundScan Canada's top-10 selling artists across all genres in 2008. ''Fearless'' and ''Taylor Swift'' took the No.1 and No.2 slots on 2008 Year-End Canadian Country Albums Chart. Swift sang the Star-Spangled Banner at game three of the World Series in Philadelphia on October 25, 2008. In January 2009, Swift announced her North American Fearless Tour planned for 52 cities in 38 states and provinces in the US and Canada over the span of 6 months. The tour kicked off April 23 in Evansville, Indiana. In the same month, Swift made her first musical guest appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''. On February 8, 2009, Swift performed her song "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus at the 51st Grammy Awards. As of the week ending February 8, 2009, Swift's single "Love Story" became the country song with the most paid downloads in history. Since the release of Swift's second album, ''Fearless'', she has released one new song "Crazier" for the soundtrack of the feature film ''Hannah Montana: The Movie''. At the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift picked up Album of the Year honors as a performer and producer for ''Fearless''. Swift is the youngest artist in history to win the ACM ''Album of the Year'' award. The Academy lauded her for career achievements including selling more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre of music, the breakthrough success of her debut album, and the worldwide crossover success of her No.1 single "Love Story". The Academy also cited Swift's contribution to helping country music attract a younger audience. As of late April 2009, Swift has sold more than 14 million downloads, as well as three Gold Mobile Ringtones. On April 28, 2009, Swift gave a free, private concert to students at Bishop Ireton High School, a small Catholic school in Alexandria, Virginia after the school won a national "TXT 2 WIN" contest from Verizon Wireless. The students sent over 19,000 text messages to Verizon during a roughly one month long contest. Swift played for about an hour during the school's field day, an annual day-long recess with games and activities. On October 8, 2009 Swift's official website announced that her sold-out Fearless Tour would return to North America for 37 additional dates in 2010.

Scheduled to perform on September 13, 2009, Swift attended the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. This was her first VMA performance, where she became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award. During the show, as Swift was on stage accepting the award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me," singer/rapper Kanye West came on stage and took the microphone from Swift, saying that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time," an action that caused the many audience members to boo West. He handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech. When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech. Following the awards show, West apologized for his verbal outburst in a blog entry (which was subsequently removed). He was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and even by President Barack Obama who called West a "jackass" in an "off the record" comment. He later posted a second apology on his blog and made his first public apology one day after the incident on the debut episode of ''The Jay Leno Show''. On September 15, 2009, Swift talked about the matter on ''The View'', where she said she was at first excited to see West on stage and then disappointed once he acted out. She said West had not spoken to her following the incident. Following her appearance on ''The View'', West contacted her to apologize personally; Swift said she accepted his apology. However, on November 8, 2010, in an interview with a Minnesota radio station, West seemed to recant a bit of his past apologies by attempting to describe the act at the 2009 awards show as "selfless" and downgrade the perception of disrespect it created. Swift would later perform a song at the 2010 VMA called "Innocent" which is about the incident and in the song she absolves West of his actions. On November 11, 2009, Swift became the youngest artist ever to win the Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the year, and is one of only six women to win the Country Music Association's highest honor. On the chart week of November 14, 2009, Swift set a record for the most songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 by a female artist at the same time with eight singles from the re-release of her 2008 album ''Fearless'' namely five debut new songs in the top 30: "Jump Then Fall" at #10, "Untouchable" at #19, "The Other Side of the Door" at #22, "Superstar" at No.27 and "Come in With the Rain" at No.30 and three already-charted songs that were released as singles—"You Belong with Me" (#14), "Forever & Always" which re-entered the chart at #34, and "Fifteen" (#46). In addition, the song "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls which features Swift, debuted at No.80 in the same issue. This gives Swift six debuts in one week, the biggest number of debuts by any female artist of all time. It also lifts the number of her simultaneously-charting songs to nine, setting another record for the biggest number of charting songs by the same female artist in the same week. When "Fifteen" reached No.38 on the chart week of November 21, 2009, Swift became the female artist with the most Top 40 singles this decade, surpassing Beyoncé. "Fifteen" became Swift's twentieth Top 40 single overall. "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls and John Mayer's "Half of My Heart" both featured Swift, peaking at No.40 and No.25 respectively. The two songs are her 21st and 22nd Top 40 singles. ''Fearless'' was the best-selling album of 2009 in the US with more than 3.2 millions copies sold in that year. Swift claimed both the No.1 and No.2 positions atop Nielsen's BDS Top 10 Most Played Songs chart (all genres), with "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story," respectively. She also topped the all format 2009 Top 10 Artist Airplay chart with over 1.29 million song detections, and the Top 10 Artist Internet Streams chart with more than 46 million song plays.

2010–present: ''Speak Now''

Swift released the track "Today Was a Fairytale" as a digital download on iTunes on January 19, 2010. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the film ''Valentine's Day'', in which she made her feature-film acting debut. The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 2, becoming her sixth Top 10 and 23rd Top 40 single on that chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, with sales of "Today Was a Fairytale" more than 325,000 in its first week, Swift has broken the record for first-week download sales by a female artist. The song also debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, making it Swift's first number one hit in Canada. In February 2010, Swift brought her Fearless Tour to 5 cities in Australia. Opening acts included Gloriana. In mid-July 2010, ''Billboard'' revealed that Swift's new album is called ''Speak Now''. It was released on October 25, 2010. She has written the album completely by herself in Arkansas, New York, Boston and Nashville with Nathan Chapman serving as co-producer. On Wednesday, August 4, 2010, the lead single from the album, "Mine," was leaked onto the internet. Big Machine Records decided to rush the release of the song to counteract the leak. Swift appeared at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010. In 2011, Swift visited Singapore as the first stop of the Asian leg of her first world tour. Hong Kong is the last stop of the Speak Now World Tour and Swift will begin the European and American leg afterwards. Swift's first live album, ''Speak Now World Tour: Live'', featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of her concert tour, is scheduled for a November 21, 2011 release. Many dates on the Speak Now World Tour were cancelled due to Swift suffering from bronchitis and was told she is unable to perform. Swift sold approximately 4,470,000 albums in the US in 2010 (more than any other artist) and sold 9.9 million digital tracks. She was ranked second on ''Rolling Stone'''s lists of Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade. Swift appeared on the ''Hamish & Andy'' show where she performed a new song called "Chaperone Dads", which is dedicated to a select group of her fans. The week following the release of her "Sparks Fly" video Swift jumped from nineteen to ten on the ''Billboard'''s Social 50. Swift has revealed that she has already written 25 songs for an untitled follow-up album to ''Speak Now'', set to release in the later part of 2012. She commented on them, "They’re sad. If I'm being honest."

On December 23, 2011, Taylor announced via Twitter, "Something I've been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon." Several hours later, Taylor announced that she is featured on ''The Hunger Games'' Official Movie Soundtrack. Her song, entitled "Safe & Sound", was the first track released from the album. The song was co-written by The Civil Wars, who also co-recorded the song with Taylor. On January 8, 2012, Taylor was elected the fifth top artist (fourth female top artist) of all-time with the best-selling digital music tracks. Taylor has sold 41,821,000 million digital tracks as of the end of 2011 according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Songwriting style

Swift's lyrics are highly autobiographical; she has said that "If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary." For example, the song "Forever & Always" was inspired by her relationship with Joe Jonas, while the song "Hey Stephen" was written about a boy whom she toured with in the past. "Fifteen" was written about her freshman year of high school. It has been said that her lyrics "can be tinged with acid: the quiet loner girl getting one over on the cheerleaders, or a caustic payback for the boy who dumped her." She has also indicated that she tries to write so her fans can relate to the lyrics, saying "My goal is to never write songs that my fans can't relate to." She parodied her confrontational style of songwriting during her appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''; during her opening monologue, she performed an original song that featured lines such as "You might think I'd bring up Joe, that guy who broke up with me on the phone/ Hey, Joe, I'm doing real well, tonight I'm hosting 'SNL'" referring to her highly publicized relationship with Joe Jonas.

The intensely personal nature of the songs has drawn her attention in the music industry. Swift once said, "I thought people might find them hard to relate to, but it turned out that the more personal my songs were, the more closely people could relate to them." Due to the autobiographical nature of her songs, some fans have researched the songs' origins. Swift once said, "Every single one of the guys that I’ve written songs about has been tracked down on MySpace by my fans." ''The New York Times'' described Swift as "one of pop's finest songwriters, country’s foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner life than most adults".

Other work

Acting

In 2008, Swift made her acting debut in Brad Paisley's music video "Online". In that same year Swift filmed a documentary for MTV entitled ''MTV's Once Upon a Prom'' and a documentary with Def Leppard for CMT entitled ''CMT Crossroads'', which premiered on November 7, 2008. Swift collaborated with the Jonas Brothers in their 3D Concert Film, ''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''. The film was released on February 27, 2009 in North America and brought in $12.7 million on its opening weekend. Swift made her primetime television acting debut on CBS's ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' "Turn, Turn, Turn" as Haley Jones on March 5, 2009 in the U.S. and Canada. The episode was watched by 20.8 million viewers. Swift made a cameo appearance in Kellie Pickler's music video "Best Days of Your Life". Swift also appeared in ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' credited as herself. The film was released on April 10, 2009 in North America. The television show Dateline NBC showcased an hour on Swift on May 31, 2009. The episode titled ''Dateline NBC: On Tour With Taylor Swift'' included scenes from her tour bus, concert footage, and rehearsals. Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for the November 7, 2009 episode of ''Saturday Night Live''. In 2010, Swift made her feature film acting debut as Felicia in the film ''Valentine's Day''. For this role she won the Teen Choice Award for Movie Female Breakout. She has been cast to voice the role of Audrey in the animated film ''The Lorax'', set to be released in 2012. In January 2012, Swift was offered the role of Eponine in the film adaptation of the musical, ''Les Misérables''.

Cover model and recognition

Swift has been featured on the cover of a number of magazines. She has been a cover girl for ''Blender'', for which she was one of two country artists during the magazine’s fifteen year run to be a cover subject. She was included in ''People'''s annual "100 Most Beautiful People" 2008, 2009, and 2010 lists. Additionally, she was named number fifty-seven on ''Maxim's'' sexiest women of 2008, number fifty on the 2009 list and number thirty-one on the 2010 list. ''CosmoGirl'' voted Swift as the "2008 Girl of the Year". Swift was named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as one of "The RS 100: Agents of Change". She was nominated as a candidate for ''TIME''s "2009 The Time 100 Finalists" list, which is determined by online voting. ''People'' magazine named Swift one of 25 Most Intriguing People of 2009.

Merchandise

Jakks Pacific released a celebrity doll of Swift in late 2008. Swift has been the face of L.E.I. Jeans (Life Energy Intelligence) since 2008. Swift and the L.e.i. Clothing Line made a deal to create a line based on Swift's style of dressing, which will appear in Wal-Mart in the coming months. However, Swift said she does not want to be called a designer. Instead, she says she will inspire the clothing company's dress line based on her own style. "I don't look at it like I'm branching out as a designer... It's not the Taylor Swift designer line." In 2009, Swift became the National Hockey League's newest celebrity spokesperson. She appears in commercials for the Nashville Predators.

In May 2009, Swift filed a lawsuit (kept sealed until August 2010) against numerous sellers of unauthorized counterfeit merchandise bearing her name, likeness, and trademarks, where she demanded a trial by jury, sought a judgement for compensatory damages, punitive damages, three times the actual damages sustained, and statutory damages, and sought for recovery of her attorney's fees and prejudgement interest. Nashville's U.S. District Court granted an injunction and judgment against the sellers, who had been identified at Swift's concerts in several states. The court ordered merchandise seized from the defendants to be destroyed. On July 15, 2011, Swift's official website announced that she had partnered with Elizabeth Arden to launch a fragrance, which is to be released in October 2011. The fragrance's name, "Wonderstruck", is a reference to the song "Enchanted" featured on her ''Speak Now'' album. Swift is also working with American Greetings, Inc.

Philanthropy

On September 21, 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. She has teamed up with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to combat internet sex crimes. The year-long campaign, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, will distribute Internet safety information and materials to parents and students across the state. In early 2008, Swift donated the pink Chevy pick-up truck given to her by her record label to the children’s charity, the ''Victory Junction Gang''; in June 2008, Swift donated all the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the 2008 Country Music Festival to Red Cross, the ''Nashville Area Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund'' and the ''National American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund''.

Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008. Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly". Swift supports @15, a teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy to give teens opportunities to direct the company's philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund. Swift's song, "Fifteen", is featured in this campaign. Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert, reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross. Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org. On November 20, 2009 after a live performance on BBC's Children in Need night Swift announced to Sir Terry Wogan she would donate £13,000 of her own money to the cause.

On December 13, Swift's own birthday, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country which she had either attended or been involved with. Swift has donated a pair of her shoes – a gently-worn pair of black Betsey Johnson heels with her autograph on the sole – to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's Hero in Heels fundraiser for auction to raise money to benefit women with cancer.

In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted by WSMV, a Nashville television station.

On May 23, 2011, Taylor Swift transformed what was to have been the final dress rehearsal for the North American leg of her Speak Now tour into a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States southeast region. The concert in Nashville drew more than 13,000 people and raised more than $750,000 from proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise and other facets of the show. The benefit concert for tornado relief was subsequently honored at the 2011 Do Something Awards. In July 2011, Swift further aided to the cause by donating $250,000 to Alabama football coach Nick Saban's charity Nick's Kids to aid in the tornado relief efforts of West Alabama.

Personal life

In addition to her relationship with Joe Jonas, which ended in October 2008, Swift's dating history has included other celebrities: Taylor Lautner, for three months in 2009; and Jake Gyllenhaal, from late 2010 to early 2011. Swift has also been romantically linked to John Mayer. There has been speculation that the songs "Dear John" and "The Story of Us" from her album ''Speak Now'' are about Mayer. In October 2011, she revealed to Ellen Degeneres on her show ''Ellen'' that, "I don't even have, like, kind of a boyfriend. I don't have someone that I'm texting that is a guy that someday might be my boyfriend. There's like nothing going on right now."

In November 2011, Taylor adopted a Scottish fold kitten. She named her Meredith after the character Meredith Grey from the popular ABC drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. The kitten appeared in the official music video for Taylor's song ''Ours'' alongside Taylor and ''Friday Night Lights'' star Zach Gilford.

Filmography

>

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2007		Herself	Guest; Episode: Season 2 Finale
2008	''CMT Crossroads''	Herself	Episode: "Taylor Swift and Def Leppard"
2009	''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''	Herself
2009	''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Haley Jones
2009	''Hannah Montana: The Movie''	Herself	Cameo
2009	''Saturday Night Live''	Herself	Host/Musical Guest
2009		Herself	Guest; Episode: Week 6 results
2010		Felicia	Movie acting debut
2010	''Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless''	Herself	Main Role
2010		Herself	Guest; Episode: 200th episode
2012	''''	Audrey
2012	''Bruno the Robot''	Various

Discography

Albums

''Taylor Swift'' (2006)

''Fearless'' (2008)

''Speak Now'' (2010)

Awards and nominations

Tours

Fearless Tour (2009–10)

Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012)

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:American child singers Category:American country banjoists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female guitarists Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American television actors Category:Big Machine Records artists Category:Child pop musicians Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Pennsylvania Category:People from Reading, Pennsylvania Category:People from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Category:Ukulele players

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Name	Uncle Kracker
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Matthew Shafer
Born	June 06, 1974
Birth place	Mississippi, United States
Origin	Mount Clemens, Michigan, United States
Instrument	Vocals, turntables
Genre	Rock, country, pop rock, hip hop, rap rock
Occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter, DJ
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Melanie Haas (1998-present), 3 children
Label	Atlantic, Lava
Associated acts	Kid Rock, Kenny Chesney, Paradime
Website	www.UncleKracker.com }}

Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974) is an American rock, country, and rap rock musician known as Uncle Kracker. His singles include "Follow Me", "Smile", and "Drift Away". His music was more rap rock-based at the start of his career before turning in a more country and Top 40 style music direction on later releases.

Biography

Shafer was born in Mississippi but raised in Harrison Township, Michigan. In 1987, with his brother Mike Shafer, he visited a nightclub in Clawson, Michigan where a turntables competition was occurring. His older brother was competing against a then-unknown musician, Kid Rock. Shafer then spent a lot of time with Kid Rock, and they became "best friends". In those times, he was mainly rapping. He went to L'Anse Creuse High School. In 1994, Kid Rock asked Shafer to play turntables for his band called Twisted Brown Trucker. Shafer knew nothing of using turntables, but since his brother was an experienced DJ, he agreed. He only performed at live shows at the time, until he began recording for Rock's album, ''Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp''; Shafer was a featured vocalist on some of the tracks. He then began working on a solo album, but he continued being the DJ for Kid Rock. Upon the release of Rock's multi-platinum album, ''Devil Without a Cause'', Shafer decided that it was time to release his first solo album, ''Double Wide'', adopting the stage name Uncle Kracker from his favorite snack producer, the Kraft Cracker Company of Flint, Michigan.

Shafer has been married to his childhood sweetheart, Melanie Haas, since 1998. They have three daughters.

Music career

''Double Wide''

''Double Wide'' was Uncle Kracker's first solo album. Released on June 30, 2000, it peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 album chart and is Shafer's most successful and highest-selling album. "Double Wide" was produced by Kid Rock, with mixing additional production by Michael Bradford. The first single taken off the album was "Follow Me", which was co-written with Bradford, and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2001. The album spent the next ten months on the Billboard 200, and "Follow Me" also had a long chart run. His second single, "Yeah Yeah Yeah", failed to hit the Hot 100 chart. ''Double Wide'' was certified 2× Multi-Platinum on November 29, 2001.

''No Stranger to Shame''

After a great deal of touring to promote the first album, he began to work on a follow-up album. Entitled ''No Stranger to Shame'', it was released on August 27, 2002. The album reached #43 on the Billboard albums chart. A hit single was released, a cover version of Dobie Gray's 1973 Top 5 hit, "Drift Away" - also including Gray as a guest vocalist. Kracker's version of this song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it set a record for most weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, remaining atop this chart for 28 nonconsecutive weeks. Other singles released from ''No Stranger to Shame'' include "In A Little While", which peaked at #59 on the Hot 100 and #26 on the Adult Contemporary charts. A third single was released, "Memphis Soul Song", which charted on the Adult Top 40 at #35. A special remix of "Memphis Soul Song" was also released, featuring harmonies by legendary singing group The Jordanaires, who had famously sung harmonies with Elvis Presley. The album was certified gold by the RIAA within a year of its release. Soon after this period, Kracker became good friends with country music star Kenny Chesney and the two began a successful touring partnership together, brought on by the success of Kenny's hit single "When the Sun Goes Down", featuring Uncle Kracker both on the single, and prominently in the video.

''Seventy Two and Sunny''

After touring, Shafer began working on a third album which he called ''Seventy Two and Sunny''. He had completely abandoned all rap from it, and moved onto a pure country sound. The album featured two singles: "Rescue", which only charted at #20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary singles chart but didn't chart on any other charts, and "Writing It Down," which did not chart at all. Shafer did have some success that year though when he was featured on Chesney's track, "When the Sun Goes Down", which peaked at #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and went on to achieve Gold status. ''Seventy Two and Sunny'' has sold about 200,000 copies. It peaked at #39 on the Billboard 200.

''Happy Hour''

Uncle Kracker's fourth studio album is entitled ''Happy Hour''. The album has been in the works for five years and has since been delayed over because of Atlantic Records' decision to bring in Rob Cavallo to produce the album right as they were finishing their cut of the album in late 2007. An early promo version of the album contained the tracks "Happy Hour", "Vegas Baby", "I'm Not Leaving", "The One That Got Away", and "That's What's Happenin". The first single from the album "Smile" was released on July 13, 2009 and has peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was released on September 15, 2009. "Smile" also became his first solo entry on the Hot Country Songs chart, where it debuted at #57 for the week of November 7, 2009, and peaked at #6 in September 2010. A music video for the track "My Girlfriend" was released in November 2009, though there has been no official word whether it will be serviced as the album's second single. The album also features country singer Jesse Lee (also on Atlantic Records) in a duet they wrote called "Me Again." An advanced pre-order of the album off iTunes also let listeners get a special track no longer available called "Happy Hour" along with 3 other songs; Celebrate, Josephine, and Let Me Love You.

''Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions''

Uncle Kracker's new six song EP, ''Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions'', was released on June 22, 2010. The EP features country remakes of songs off the ''Happy Hour'' album. Two songs released are a remake of "Smile" and Uncle Kracker's next single, "Good to Be Me," featuring Kid Rock.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions											! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
		! scope="row"		* Release date: June 30, 2000	* Label: [[Lava Records">Music recording sales certification
! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
! scope="row"		* Release date: June 30, 2000	* Label: [[Lava Records	7	—	15	5	3	26	21	16	13	40		Australian Recording Industry Association>AUS: Gold	Canadian Recording Industry Association>CAN: Platinum	Recording Industry Association of America>US: 2× Platinum
''No Stranger to Shame''		* Release date: August 27, 2002	* Label: Lava Records	43	—	—	70	92	—	—	—	—	—		* US: Gold
''Seventy Two and Sunny''		* Release date: June 29, 2004	* Label: Lava Records	39	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
! scope="row"		* Release date: September 15, 2009	* Label: Atlantic Records	38	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
''Postcards from Home''		* To be released: 2012	* Label: Atlantic Records

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		! width="45"	! width="45"	! width="45"
''Happy Hour: The South River Road Sessions''		* Release date: June 22, 2010	* Label: Atlantic Records	66	9	17

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions										Album
		! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
	! scope="row"	5	7	1	—	3	1	1	34	1	3		AUS">Music recording sales certification	Album
! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"	! width="40"
	! scope="row"	5	7	1	—	3	1	1	34	1	3		AUS: Platinum	British Phonographic Industry>UK: Silver
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"	—	—	—	—	—	23	—	—	—	—
2002	! scope="row"	59	26	4	—	28	—	39	—	18	37
	"Drift Away" (featuring Dobie Gray)	9	1	2	—	10	—	—	—	25	—
"Memphis Soul Song"	—	—	35	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Rescue"	—	—	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"Writing It Down"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009	! scope="row"	31	3	2	6	30	3	31	44	—	—		* AUS: Platinum	Recording Industry Association of America>US: Platinum
2010	"Good to Be Me" (featuring Kid Rock)	113	—	29	28	—	—	—	—	—	—

Featured singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak chartpositions		Album
			! width="45"	! width="45"
2004	! scope="row"	[[Kenny Chesney">Music recording sales certification	Album
! width="45"	! width="45"
2004	! scope="row"	[[Kenny Chesney	1	26		Recording Industry Association of America>US: Gold	align="left"

Videography

Music videos

	"Follow Me"	Nick Egan
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"	Tom Dey
2002	"In a Little While"	Nick Quested
2003	"Memphis Soul Song"	Thom Oliphant
2004	"Rescue Me"	Trey Fanjoy
2005	"Writing It Down"	Shaun Silva
2006	"Drift Away"	Bronston Jones
2009	"Smile"	Darren Doane
2010	"Good to Be Me" (featuring Kid Rock)	Christopher Sims

Guest appearances

! Year	! Video	! Director
2004	"When the Sun Goes Down" (with Kenny Chesney)	Shaun Silva

References

External links

Official Website

Uncle Kracker at Rolling Stone

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American rock musicians Category:Musicians from Michigan Category:Musicians from Mississippi Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:People from Macomb County, Michigan Category:Rappers from Detroit, Michigan Category:People from Mississippi Category:American country singers

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