Hanging by a Moment

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"Hanging by a Moment"
Single by Lifehouse
from the album No Name Face
B-side
  • "Fairytales Sandcastles"
  • "What's Wrong with That"
  • "Fool"
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2000 (2000-09-25)
Genre
Length3:36
LabelDreamWorks
Songwriter(s)Jason Wade
Producer(s)Ron Aniello
Lifehouse singles chronology
"Hanging by a Moment"
(2000) 		"Sick Cycle Carousel"
(2001)

"Hanging by a Moment" is a song by American

Brendan O'Brien. Musically, "Hanging by a Moment" is a post-grunge song that contains influences of alternative rock.[1]

The song was first released as a radio single on September 25, 2000, rising slowly on the US charts and eventually peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's most successful single on the chart and the most successful song of 2001 in the US. The track became an international success as well, peaking atop the Australian Singles Chart for five weeks and reaching the top 40 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In 2001, the song was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and was the most-played radio track of that year in Canada. The song received positive reviews from critics, who applauded its instrumentation.

The official music video for the song premiered on

Vh1.com on December 7, 2000. In the video, Wade is seen singing the lyrics of the song in many locations around a town. The band went on tours with Matchbox Twenty and 3 Doors Down as an opening act before going on their first headline tour that featured rock band the Calling and singer Michelle Branch
.

Background and composition

"Hanging by a Moment"
A sample of "Hanging by a Moment" featuring the main chorus of "I'm hanging by a moment here with you..."
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"I was eight songs into finishing the record, doing a vocal, and I heard the melody in my head before it was written. I couldn't tell if it was a song on the radio that I had heard or if it was a song my friend wrote or something. I picked up a guitar and it was kind of creepy, because the song was almost already written by itself. Within five minutes, the lyrics and everything else were finished. We tracked it the next week and it ended up being the first single. It was funny, because I felt there was another song that needed to be written during the project that was more upbeat and less moody."

—Wade talking about the development of "Hanging by a Moment".[2]

The song was written by Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade.

Launch, Wade explained, "I wrote that song without thinking about what was gonna happen to it and then it just kinda took over from there." He also said in the interview that he wrote "Hanging by a Moment" in about five minutes.[6]

"Hanging by a Moment" was described as a post-grunge and alternative rock song that contains a strong melody.

About.com called the song "one of the biggest rock hits ever by a Contemporary Christian band crossing over into the mainstream. The song was the biggest hit of summer 2001 and was eventually named the most played song of the year on the radio."[10] Sean Rizzo of Sputnikmusic says that the song "presents one of the best with the guitar's plucking during the verses and a chorus infectious enough to infiltrate your brain for a few days."[11] In a 2017 interview with Billboard on the core theme of the song, Wade said, "I didn't really think about it when I was writing it. I knew at the end of it that it was a love song, and I kind of come from that world, so it can be interpreted as a spiritual song or a love song."[12]

Chart performance

"Hanging by a Moment" debuted at number 76 on the

Pop Songs chart during the week of March 3, 2001.[16] After moving around the chart for 37 consecutive weeks, the song peaked at number two on May 19, 2001.[16] The song debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart for the week of February 24, 2001.[17] It eventually peaked at number one on June 23, 2001, spending 74 consecutive weeks on the chart.[17]

Despite not peaking at number one on the weekly Hot 100, "Hanging by a Moment" was the most successful single of 2001 according to Billboard.[18] In 2009, Billboard named "Hanging by a Moment" as the 26th-most-successful single of the 2000s decade.[19] Even though it never peaked at number one, it was one of only four songs in the history of the Hot 100 to be named the number one single of the year without making it to the top of the chart on any of the weekly surveys. (The first was "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965, the second was "Breathe" by Faith Hill in 2000, and the fourth was "Levitating" by Dua Lipa in 2021.[20][21])

The song also achieved international success. In Australia, the song debuted at number 36 on the

UK Singles Chart for the week of September 8, 2001, which became its peak position, and it spent four weeks on the chart.[26]

Music video

Former Lifehouse bassist Sergio Andrade (left) and Lifehouse lead singer Jason Wade (right) perform in front of a crowd in a restaurant in the music video.

The music video, directed by Gavin Bowden, was first released on December 7, 2000, on

MTV Radio, Wade explained the process of making the music video, and said, "We shot the video at this really cool place in Crenshaw, in L.A., that was a bowling alley upstairs and a roller rink downstairs. It had this really weird, retro vibe to it. When they were setting up the different sets, we'd have to stop every 10 seconds because a bowling league would walk in. It was the coolest thing. At night, we got all of our friends to come down."[28]

The video begins with Wade singing and playing his guitar in a hotel room. While singing, Wade is seen packing his clothes into a suit case in separate camera shots. He then leaves the hotel room and it shows a

time-lapse
scene of a car going down a highway. Then, the video cuts to a restaurant, where Wade is seen lying on a restaurant booth and singing the lyrics of the song. After this, Wade is seen with the rest of Lifehouse in a concert setting in a restaurant. It then splits to shots of Wade singing the lyrics of the song to the camera. Toward the end of the video, it switches to Lifehouse playing the song in front of a crowd while showing shots of Wade in a car going down a highway. It ends with the scene of Lifehouse in a restaurant and then switches to a camera shot of all of the band members with the video fading out on Wade.

Promotion

On January 10, 2001,

Minneapolis and ended on March 29, 2001, in Universal City.[29] While on tour with Matchbox Twenty, Lifehouse went on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for the first time and performed "Hanging by a Moment" on March 28, 2001.[30] Several months later, the band performed the song at the River Rave Festival in Foxboro Stadium on May 26, 2001.[31] In July 2001, Lifehouse went on tour, opening for 3 Doors Down on twelve select dates, and performed songs from No Name Face, including "Hanging by a Moment".[32]

Formats and track listings
  1. "Hanging by a Moment" – 3:36
  2. "Fairytales Sandcastles" – 3:52
  3. "What's Wrong with That" – 3:54
  4. "Fool" – 4:21
  1. "Hanging by a Moment" – 3:36
  2. "Fairy Tales" – 3:52
  3. "Hanging by a Moment" (acoustic version) – 3:30
  4. CD-ROM — "Hanging by a Moment" music video

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from AllMusic.[37]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Hanging by a Moment"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] 2× Platinum 140,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Hanging by a Moment"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 25, 2000
  • alternative radio
 DreamWorks [59]
January 30, 2001 Contemporary hit radio [60]
Australia April 16, 2001 CD single [61]
United States April 24, 2001 [22]
Japan July 18, 2001 [62]
United Kingdom August 27, 2001
[63]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Hanging by a Moment (UK CD) by Lifehouse". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  2. ^ "Lifehouse: Living The Moment (Making "Hanging by a Moment")". MTV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  3. Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "Lifehouse – No Name Face (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  5. ^
    Nielsen Business Media
    . December 23, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  6. ^ Juzwiak 2006: 21
  7. Sony/ATV Music Publishing
    . Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  8. ^ Jason, Wade; Lifehouse (May 25, 2009). "Hanging By a Moment". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "Lifehouse's 'Moment' Comes". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  10. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Top 10 Pop Songs – Summer 2001". The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  11. ^ Rizzo, Sean. "Lifehouse – No Name Face Review – sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  12. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (April 27, 2017). "Lifehouse's Jason Wade on How 'Hanging By A Moment' Came Together: 'It Was Like Lightning in a Bottle'". billboard.com. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d "Lifehouse Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  14. ^ a b "Lifehouse Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  15. ^ a b "Lifehouse Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  16. ^ a b c "Lifehouse Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  17. ^ a b c "Lifehouse Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Billboard Top 100 – 2001 – Longbored Surfer – Charts". Billboard. The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  20. ^ O'Rourke, Sally (October 20, 2015). "It Was 50 Years Ago Today: 'Wooly Bully' by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs". REBEAT Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  21. ^ Trust, Gary; Caulfield, Keith (December 2, 2021). "The Year In Charts 2021: Dua Lipa's 'Levitating' Is the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 Song of the Year". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  23. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  24. ^ a b "Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  26. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
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  28. ^ "Lifehouse: Living The Moment (Shooting The Video)". MTV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  29. ^ a b D'Angelo, Joe (January 10, 2001). "Matchbox Twenty Light Up Road With Everclear, Lifehouse". MTV. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  30. ^ Brodginski, Todd (March 15, 2001). "Lifehouse Set To Make 'Tonight Show' Debut Wednesday, March 28". Mitch Schneider Organization. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  31. ^ "Festival Lineup: Marilyn Manson, Coldplay, More In Boston". MTV. April 26, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  32. ^ "3 Doors Down Hit Heartland With Lifehouse, Tantric". MTV. May 8, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  33. ^ Hanging by a Moment (Australian CD single liner notes). Lifehouse. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 912-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ Hanging by a Moment (Japanese CD single liner notes). Lifehouse. DreamWorks Records. 2001. UICW-5003.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ Hanging by a Moment (UK CD single liner notes). Lifehouse. DreamWorks Records. 2001. 450 894-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  36. ^ "Lifehouse: Single : Hanging by a Moment (UK CD)". Geffen Records. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  37. AllMusic
    . Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  38. ^ "Lifehouse – Hanging by a Moment" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  39. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lifehouse". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  40. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 2001" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  42. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  43. ^ "Lifehouse Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  44. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2001". ARIA. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  45. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2001". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. April 3, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  46. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  47. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2001". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  48. ^ "End of Year Charts 2001". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  49. Airplay Monitor
    . Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 54. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  50. ^ "America's Best: 2001 – Most-Played Mainstream Rock" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 45. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  51. ^ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2001" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 60. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  52. ^ "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2001" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 40. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  53. ^ "America's Best: 2001 – Most-Played Triple-A Songs" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 45. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  54. ^ "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  55. ^ "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-97. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  56. ^ "ARIA Chart Sales – ARIA End of Decade Singles/Top 100" (PDF). ARIA. December 31, 2009.
  57. ^ "Decade End Charts – Pop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  58. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  59. ^ "Lifehouse: Hanging by a Moment" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1369. September 22, 2000. p. 85. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  60. ^ "CHR/Pop: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1386. January 26, 2001. p. 46. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  61. ^ "The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 16th April 2001" (PDF). ARIA. April 16, 2001. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  62. ^ "新譜発売日一覧 7月分" [New Release Date List for July] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on August 11, 2001. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  63. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting August 27, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 25, 2001. p. 31. Retrieved August 16, 2021.

Works cited

  • Juzwiak, Richard (2006). Lifehouse. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.
    ISBN 1-4042-0710-4
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hanging_by_a_Moment&oldid=1219147781"