| Yourself or Someone Like You | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Matchbox 20 |
| Cover: | Matchbox Twenty - Yourself or Someone Like You.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Recorded: | May−June 1996 |
| Studio: | Triclops Recording, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Length: | 46:51 |
| Producer: | Matt Serletic |
| Next Title: | Mad Season |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
Yourself or Someone Like You is the debut album by American rock band Matchbox 20. It was released on October 1, 1996,[1] by Lava Records and Atlantic Records. The album was certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album features a sound similar to traditional rock and post-grunge.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5] Torres died in 2016 at age 73.[6]
Matchbox 20
Additional musicians
Production
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 40 | |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[8] | 42 | |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 22 | |
| Chart (1998) | Position | |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] | 1 | |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] | 17 | |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 6 | |
| Chart (1999) | Position | |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 54 | |
| US Billboard 200[14] | 87 | |
| Chart (2002) | Position | |
| Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[15] | 191 |
| US Billboard 200[16] | 28 |
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