O (Damien Rice album) explained

O
Type:	studio
Artist:	Damien Rice
Cover:	Damien Rice O album cover.jpg
Released:	1 February 2002
Recorded:	2001
Genre:	Folk indie rock acoustic rock
Length:	61:27
Label:	14th Floor (Ireland/UK) Vector (US)
Producer:	Damien Rice
Next Title:	B-Sides
Next Year:	2004

O is the debut studio album by Irish musician Damien Rice, originally released on 1 February 2002, in Ireland and in the United Kingdom. The album is dedicated to Rice's friend Mic Christopher, a musician who died of a head injury shortly before the album's release at the end of 2001.^[1]

Background

Damien Rice was previously a member of the band Juniper, and upon its disbandment due to changes in creative direction, he took a sabbatical in rural Italy before returning to Ireland.^[2] He would meet with his second cousin, composer David Arnold who was impressed upon hearing Rice's songs and sent Rice's demo to music publishers to no success. Frustrated, Arnold worked with Rice to set up recording equipment for a home studio to make the album independently.^[3] He describes receiving a $500 loan from his father that would be forgiven on completion of the album.^[4] The recording process included opera singers, Gregorian chants, and a heavy influence from Lisa Hannigan, at the time Rice's personal and professional partner.^[2]

Rice wanted to release the album without the backing of a major record label, believing if he signed such a deal it would compromise his future work, forcing him to move in directions he did not wish to.^[5] The album was released as "CD-sized hardcover book filled with personal artwork, lyrics, and photos."^[6] In 2003, it would get distribution support from Vector Records for the global release, a then-newly established label focused on independent artists.^[7]

He later described his motivation as wanting "to forget about everybody else and make the next record that we're making just for ourselves again, because there's something about being in a space where you're not thinking of other people. You're just in a moment creating music and emotion and in a space with people you feel comfortable with. And that for me is the essence of what it is that we've done and what it is we do."^[8]

Reception

O was released to critical and public acclaim in Europe and then globally.^[9] It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, lasting 115 weeks on the chart, with two singles in the top 30 and "Cannonball" additionally peaking at number 9.^[10]

In 2003, it won the Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music, a then-prestigious award for albums that had sold less than 500,000 copies, though it would eventually go on to receive gold certification in America.^[8]

The video for the song "Volcano" charted in the United States on VH1's Top 20 Video countdown in October 2003.^[11]

Legacy

In 2014, John Meagher of The Irish Independent described the album as, "one of the great Irish cultural success stories of the decade."^[12] In 2015, Donte Kirby of That Music Mag called it "an album that mined the vein of melancholy that comes from a relationship. If your partner just left you, if a close friend won’t pick up your calls or there’s an ache in your chest O might speak to you."^[13] In 2015, Paul Moore of Joe.IE describes the difficulty of retrospectively ranking tracks as "the whole record plays out as one incredibly atmospheric, haunting and immersive piece of music."^[14]

Use in other media

Songs from the album are frequently featured, including use in over 37 television series and movies, and as of recently as 2017.^[15]

• "The Blower's Daughter" was featured in the trailer for the 2004 Mike Nichols film Closer, as well as in the film itself.^[16]
• "Cold Water" was featured in the 2003 film I Am David, in the end credits of the 2005 film Stay, also in the end credits of the final episode of the 2014 television crime thriller Prey and in the opening and closing scene of The Girl in the Café. In addition, it was featured in the 2010 French movie Little White Lies. The first bars are used to open several different scenes in aforementioned Closer.
• "Delicate" was featured in the opening episode of the 2014 television drama The Affair's second season, during the ending sequence of the third episode of House M.D's second season, and during the first season of Lost. In addition, it was featured in the episode "TKO" of Money Heist.

Personnel

• Damien Rice – vocals, piano, guitar, percussion, clarinet, production
• Lisa Hannigan – backing vocals, lead vocals on "Silent Night" (hidden track), piano
• Vyvienne Long – cello
• Mark Kelly – electric guitar, production
• Shane Fitzsimons – bass guitar
• Tom Osander aka Tomo – percussion, drums
• Caroline "Caz" Fogerty – djembe
• Doreen Curran – mezzo-soprano vocals on "Eskimo"
• Nicholas Dodd – conducting
• Colm Mac Con Iomaire – violin
• Conor Donovan – timpani, percussion
• Jean Meunier – improvisation, piano

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2003)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[18]	109
Chart (2004)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[19]	32
Chart (2005)	Position
UK Albums (OCC)^[20]	52

Release history

After the album's initial release and success, it was repackaged several times with additional material:

• 2003 – with bonus DVD
• 2003 – includes extended version of "Eskimo", which features "Woman Like a Man" from B-Sides, and brings the track's length to 21:42.^[21]
• 2004 – with extra track "Cannonball" (Remix)
• 2004 – double album pack: O and B-Sides
• 2005 – with extra tracks "Cannonball" (Remix) and "Unplayed Piano"
• 2018 – Deluxe and Standard vinyl editions, with 2 O "hidden" tracks and 4 B-Sides tracks^[22]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dwek . Joel . 2020-07-03 . IRELAND: O - Damien Rice . 2023-10-25 . 200worldalbums.com . en.
2. Damien Rice Sings for Lovers. Evan. Schlansky. 3 July 2003. Rolling Stone. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141615/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/damien-rice-sings-for-lovers-20030703. 2018-01-29. live.
3. Web site: First Encounters: Singer-songwriter Damien Rice and composer David Arnold. Irishtimes.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107022108/https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/first-encounters-singer-songwriter-damien-rice-and-composer-david-arnold-1.2055506. 2017-11-07. live.
4. Web site: Damien Rice: From 'O' to '9' in Four Years. Npr.org. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010706/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6958933. 2017-11-07. live.
5. Web site: Album Reviews - Damien Rice 'O'. CLUAS. 2002. 2009-03-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20081120025241/http://www.cluas.com/Music/albums/damienrice.htm. 2008-11-20. live.
6. Web site: O - Damien Rice - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic. AllMusic. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729200620/https://www.allmusic.com/album/o-mw0000598611. 2018-07-29. live.
7. Web site: Folk Alley ((Damien Rice Rereleases "O")). Folkalley.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116062139/http://www.folkalley.com/archives/000120.php. 2018-01-16. live.
8. Web site: Irish Singer Damien Rice Wins Shortlist Music Prize. Mtv.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230457/http://www.mtv.com/news/1479584/irish-singer-damien-rice-wins-shortlist-music-prize/. 2018-07-29. dead.
9. Web site: Damien Rice: O. 1 July 2003. Popmatters.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230356/https://www.popmatters.com/ricedamien-o-2496048745.html. 2018-07-29. live.
10. Web site: DAMIEN RICE - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company. Officialcharts.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230410/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12452/damien-rice/. 2018-07-29. live.
11. News: VH1's Music Radar; Wed., October 8 - Tues., October 14, 2003. 2003-10-08. Find Articles. 2008-07-05.
12. Web site: Damien Rice: hits, heartbreak and an eight-year silence . Independent.ie. 13 May 2014 . 29 July 2018.
13. Web site: That Music Magazine » Damien Rice, O (2003). Thatmusicmag.com. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180724093128/http://www.thatmusicmag.com/damien-rice-o-2003/. 2018-07-24. live.
14. Web site: REWIND: O by Damien Rice is 13 years old this week - JOE ranks its best 5 songs. Joe.ie. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180724063238/https://www.joe.ie/music/o-by-damien-rice-is-13-years-old-this-week-joe-ranks-its-best-5-songs-483674. 2018-07-24. live.
15. Web site: Damien Rice. IMDb. 29 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170416033043/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1534568/. 2017-04-16. live.
16. News: Morris. Wesley. On 'Closer' inspection, Nichols rules. 10 June 2011. Boston Globe. 3 December 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103162919/http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2004/12/03/on_closer_inspection_nichols_rules/. 2012-11-03. live.
17. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 June 2005 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222438/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20050620-0000/issue797.pdf . dead . 2008-02-22 . . . 797 . 21 May 2020.
18. Web site: The Official UK Albums Chart 2003. UKChartsPlus. 4 April 2021.
19. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004. Official Charts Company. 6 July 2021.
20. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005. Official Charts Company. 6 July 2021.
21. Web site: O (2003) | Damien Rice | MP3 Downloads | 7digital United States . 2015-07-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150723005114/https://us.7digital.com/artist/damien-rice/release/o-2 . 2015-07-23 .
22. Web site: O vinyl pre-order announcement. Damienrice.com. 2 May 2018 . 2018-05-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20180503113301/http://www.damienrice.com/o-vinyl-pre-order-announcement/. 2018-05-03. live.