How To Save A Life By The Fray - Songfacts

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How To Save A Lifeby The Fray

Album: How To Save A Life (2005)Charted: 4 3 License This Song  artistfacts

Songfacts®:

• In an interview with USA Today, The Fray lead singer Isaac Slade explained that he wrote this song about an experience he had working at Shelterwood, a camp for troubled teens in Denver, Colorado. "One of the kids I was paired up with was a musician," Slade said. "Here I was, a protected suburbanite, and he was just 17 and had all these problems. And no one could write a manual on how to save him."Slade says this kid was battling drug addiction and had been kicked out of the house. Fortunately, he was already on his recovery journey when Slade met him, and he ended up being OK. Slade's takeaway was that ultimatums and "tough love" usually aren't as effective as listening and offering support, which is how to save a life.
• The verses find Issac Slade offering compassion to a loved one, patiently listening and trying to help him through a crisis. The chorus, though, finds him anguished because he wasn't able to save this person. "Where did I go wrong?" he wonders.The song shows how suicide or death by addiction can devastate the people who care about that person and are trying so hard to help them. Slade says he heard from lots of fans who used this song to help get them through very difficult periods in their lives.
• The Fray are devout Christians, and this song certainly has some religious subtext, with specific references to God:And I pray to God he hears youThe Christian music community embraced the song, sending it to #4 on the Christian Songs chart, but it wasn't marketed as a religious song and was also a hit in the secular community - it made #3 on the Hot 100 and was also a #1 Adult Contemporary hit. The Fray stressed that although they were Christian, they weren't making Christian music.
• "How To Save A Life" is known for its use on Grey's Anatomy, an ABC medical drama that was in its second season when it first aired on the March 19, 2006 "Superstition" episode. The song landed in the episode after the show's music supervisor saw The Fray perform in Los Angeles and couldn't resist the very on-the-nose connection between the title and all the life-saving that happens on the show.The Fray released the song on their debut album, also called How To Save A Life, six months earlier, but were still little-known outside of their home state of Colorado. Soon after the episode aired, The Fray's first single, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" started gaining traction, and in June 2006 it went to #8."How To Save A Life" was then used in the promotional campaign for the third season of Grey's Anatomy in the fall of 2006, and it really took off when a custom-made Grey's Anatomy version of the music video (similar to the one made for Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars ") was shown prior to the third season premiere of the show on September 21, 2006. The song was also released as one of the tracks on the Grey's Anatomy, Vol. 2 soundtrack album, and would later be used in the trailer for the Australian release of the show.All that Grey matter helped send the song up the chart, where it peaked at #3 on October 7.But that wasn't the end of this association. On March 31, 2011 "How To Save A Life" was used in a special musical episode of the show called "Song Beneath the Song" with cast members in character singing it as they perform surgery.But wait, there's more. The Season 11 finale of Grey’s Anatomy, which aired April 23, 2015, is titled "How To Save A Life" and features a cover version of the song by the singer Nilu.The band is often asked about their connection to Grey's Anatomy, and while they're diplomatic about it and grateful for the exposure, you can tell they'd like to be out of this Grey area where they're so associated with the show.
• The song was written by Issac Slade and guitarist Joe King, the primary songwriters in the group. They wrote it because they didn't know how to save a life and wanted to share that perspective."I had friends in my life that I felt unable to reach," Slade said in a 2007 interview. "I didn't know how to help them or how to stop them or how to save them - it's not like I'm some savior. We wrote the song out of frustration that it's difficult sometimes to know what to say and when to say. How much do you push somebody before they stop taking your phone call? I think that's the frustration of being a parent. You love this kid so much and you want them to be happy and healthy and alive, and you watch them killing themselves slowly or killing themselves all at once, and you feel helpless."
• Grey's Anatomy isn't the only medical show to use this song. It was featured on the April 25, 2006 Scrubs episode "My Lunch," as well as the March 1, 2007 episode "My Night to Remember," where the character J.D. looks back on the awkward moments in his life and says how "That Fray song starts playing." When the song come on, J.D. quickly says, "No not that Fray song!" and another Fray song, "She Is," starts playing instead.
• Other TV appearances for this song include One Tree Hill, The Hills, 8th & Ocean and Cold Case. HBO used the song for its "Summer Image" television campaign, and it was also used in the trailer for the film Reign Over Me.
• Lead guitarist David Welsh told I Like Music how this song came together: "The song came about very organically. Isaac had this idea on the piano of this kind of lullaby. Then he concocted this repetitious drum beat that moved the lullaby along with Ben [drummer Ben Wysocki]. The lyrics came from an experience Isaac had with a teenager he was mentoring who was struggling with drugs and addiction. It was just a very natural process, the song developed and the lyrics fit very well."
• "How To Save A Life" was one of the first songs to rack up huge numbers of digital downloads, as consumers made the switch from CDs to MP3s. It sold 3 million downloads, making The Fray the only group to hit that number in the '00s other than Coldplay, whose "Viva La Vida" also moved 3 million.
• If you see The Fray in concert and something seems off, that's because lead singer Isaac Slade left the band in 2022, so guitarist Joe King handles their vocals. It was an amicable split and Slade supports their decision to go on without him.

• More songs from The Fray
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• More songs with videos directed by Mark Pellington
• More songs about kindness or compassion
• More songs about being there for someone
• More songs from 2005
• The Fray Artistfacts

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Comments: 103

• Azalyth from Vernal, Utah.I've always loves this song but recently I've re-discovered it especially since my cat, that i bottle fed and loved so much, died i miss her so much it hurts, the reason i really love her so much is because she came into my life when i was in the worst ever depression I've ever been in and she brought me out of it she was my little ray of sunshine that kept me going in this pitch dark black i was in, and the pain is only multiplied because it was my fault that she died, if only i had checked under the tires before i left like a normally do, she would still be here but i was so caught up in my own selfishness and self-pity i didn't. it is entirely my fault she died and i was going into depression again and having some suicidal thoughts until i said to myself "i am not going to just be depressed again a throw away everything she gave to me like the happiness i finally felt after being depressed for so long, i am not going to throw away every little happy memory peanut gave me" so i decided i would make some new friends and now i am happier than ever. NEVER give up, NEVER. i promise every one of you that there is still happiness for all of you.
• Nari from South KoreaMy younger brother killed himself. He was like my best friend and simply adored this song. He killed himself on his graduation day. what makes it worse is that the day before we had an argument over his depression. I could have stopped him since he came to apologize to me. I thought he was apologizing because of the argument and said that it was okay and told him that I was happy for him because of the graduation. He smiled and asked me if I could hang out with him but I said that I had to finish some work. He nodded and went back to his room then some minutes after he went back to his room, I heard a crash and saw him hanging from a hook with a rope around his neck. I was both the suicidal and friend in this, and I'm glad to say that I've stopped cutting.
• Robert from AlaskaThis song is catchy and sounds so good, but I can't listen to it because it always reminds me of the times I wanted to end it all or the times I've cutted. I'm still going through it all but I haven't cut in awhile and I'm happy for it.
• Spenser from Sa. AustraliaI guess you have to have been 'in the zone', as either the sufferer, or the 'friend' to understand the meaning. 'Being there', is not an empty word! I have a mate who did something when I was out with another mate, and although I knew something was not 'right', put it down to simply being the usual 'drunken' chat. An event transpired, but althought this was not a suicidal issue, it was life changing for him. However, in my own life circumstances I have faced many challenges, losing my baby brother at 20, when it really should have been me, but despite chronic pain, stress, depression and employment issues, I have persevereved and carried on, but I wonder if it is worth it? I only have my parents and sister to worry over my death, but the pain of living often becomes to much to bear! How much does one need to suffer to protect family?
• Jaden (jared) from South Sudan This has been a tough year. Ngl. 1. My best friend called me a slag. 2. I lost my dog to Covid (don’t worry, I didn’t realise that was a thing either). 3. I moved to Hatfield. 4. My holiday was cancelled to North Sudan was cancelled (gutting). 5. Lost an arm wrestle. 6. Got bombed. 7. It was after I finished my house. 8. Tried to sell my camels, got s--t all for them. 9. Spilt my corona (drink), gave me flash backs to point 2. 10. The past 9 points. All in all, pretty s--t year, but thank f--k for the Fray. Jaden/Jared x
• Navi from Unknown.my name is solisa but everyone online knows me as "navi". one of my greatest and dearest friends is going through alot and he doesnt think hes gonna make it after tongiht. he has attemted twice since we've been friends and this last time had got him taken to the hospital. hes in a very bad state right now and ive been trying to help him the best i can but i now hes tryign to calm himself and accept it. i jsut pray he gets through this. i love him so much. when i didnt hear from him, i got so scared and my vision on life went blurry. i planned on going along wiht him. but that same night, he responded. saying hes back and hes sorry for what he did. he told me his current health situation and said he wants to give life another chance and push through it this time. i promised id never leave his side for it. those few days without him were a nightmare. i felt so broken. theres so much we plan to do and hes so strong. Lee, know i love you. you can do this. youll get to move with me youll get to be happy ill finally get to give you that hug, youll finally feel relief. youll finally be whole. i ask for prayer. i really do. i do. i thank God hes come this far, i know God has a big plan for him i just want him t make it, to see and experience it