We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. is the third studio album by Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008.[1] The album peaked at number three in the Billboard 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took the name of the album from a work by the artist David Shrigley.[2]

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Studio album by Jason Mraz
Released	May 12, 2008
Recorded	2007–2008 at: Kensaltown Recording Studios (London, England) Little Big Sound Studio (Nashville, TN, USA) Casa Nova Studio (Oceanside, CA)
Genre	Pop, folk, blue-eyed soul, jazz
Length	50:49
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Martin Terefe
Jason Mraz chronology
We Steal Things. (2008) We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008) Beautiful Mess: Live on Earth (2009)
Singles from We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
"I'm Yours" Released: February 12, 2008 "Make It Mine" Released: August 8, 2008 "Lucky" Released: January 13, 2009
Alternative cover
Limited edition cover

Background and production

Progress of the recording of the album has been documented on the YouTube series "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" which contain clips from San Diego and London, where most of the album was made. "I'm Yours" was the first single from the album and was made available on iTunes, Zune Marketplace and Amazon.com on February 12, 2008. The album features collaborations with James Morrison on the track "Details in the Fabric" and with Colbie Caillat[3] on the track "Lucky".

The album was preceded by three EPs released at monthly intervals for a limited time. We Sing. was released on March 18. We Dance. was released on April 15. The third installment, We Steal Things., was released as part of a digital bundle through iTunes, JasonMraz.com and AtlanticRecords.com on the release of the album on May 13, 2008.[4] Up to March 17, 2010, the album had sold 1,491,736 copies in the US and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

On November 18, 2008, the album was re-released with the name We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Limited Edition. The re-released album is a three disc set that includes the original 12-track CD, the second disc includes the three EPs all on one disc, and the third DVD includes an unreleased full-band concert Live at the Highline Ballroom in New York, a 30-minute documentary titled "Here We Are" and a preview to Mraz's "a thousand things." Polaroid book. The packaging also includes a 20-page CD booklet with full lyrics and additional artwork.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Make It Mine"	Jason Mraz	3:08
2.	"I'm Yours"	Jason Mraz	4:02
3.	"Lucky" (with Colbie Caillat)	Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, Timothy Fagan	3:09
4.	"Butterfly"	Jason Mraz	5:00
5.	"Live High"	Jason Mraz	4:12
6.	"Love for a Child"	Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek	4:05
7.	"Details in the Fabric" (featuring James Morrison)	Jason Mraz, Dan Wilson	5:45
8.	"Coyotes"	Jason Mraz	3:38
9.	"Only Human"	Jason Mraz, Sacha Skarbek	4:02
10.	"The Dynamo of Volition"	Jason Mraz	3:36
11.	"If It Kills Me"	Jason Mraz, Martin Terefe, Sacha Skarbek	4:33
12.	"A Beautiful Mess"	Jason Mraz, Mona Tavakoli, Chaska Potter, Mai Bloomfield, Becky Gebhardt	5:37

iTunes bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Make It Mine" (live: London Sessions)	Jason Mraz	3:30
14.	"Life Is Wonderful" (live from Amsterdam)	Jason Mraz	4:35

Limited edition bonus tracks (Disc 2)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Yours" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		4:47
2.	"Live High" (From an Avocado Salad Session)		4:03
3.	"If It Kills Me" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		5:01
4.	"A Beautiful Mess" (From a Raining Jane Session)		5:15
5.	"Make It Mine" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		3:24
6.	"Butterfly" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		5:11
7.	"Only Human" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		4:48
8.	"The Dynamo of Volition" (From an All-Night Session)		4:23
9.	"Love for a Child" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		3:53
10.	"Coyotes" (From a Girl in New York Sessions)		4:19
11.	"Man Gave Names to All the Animals" (From the Gospel Collection Sessions)	Bob Dylan	4:18
12.	"Mudhouse/Gypsy MC" (Live from Amsterdam)		7:00

Tour edition (Bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"I'm Yours" (From the Casa Nova Sessions)		4:47
14.	"Mudhouse/Gypsy MC" (live in Amsterdam)		7:00
15.	"Man Gave Names to All the Animals" (From the Gospel Collection Sessions)	Bob Dylan	4:18
16.	"Life Is Wonderful" (live in Amsterdam)		4:35

Tour edition (DVD)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"I'm Yours" (Recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam on July 9, 2007 by Fabchannel)
2.	"Here We Are (Documentary)" (a film by Jarrod Allen, Produced by Jason Mraz)

The Latin American and Spanish re-release of the album includes a Spanish version of the song "Lucky" which was recorded by Mraz and the Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	60/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Blender	[8]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[9]
Entertainment.ie	[10]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	[11]
PopMatters	[12]
Yahoo! Music	[13]
Slant	[14]
Sputnikmusic	[15]

The album, overall, gained mixed to positive reviews. Commenting on the album's "pleasantly lightweight jams", "beachy guitars", "R&B horns" and "playful scat singing", Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+.[16] In an overall positive review, Billboard said, "Mraz emerges even bolder than before on an album loaded with strings, horns, formidable grooves and a dozen songs dripping with mantra-like positivity."[17]

AllMusic wrote, "The nice thing about the soulful shimmer of We Sing is that it's so slick that it's easy to ignore the gibberish spilling out of Mraz's mouth and just enjoy the sunny, easy sound."[18]

PopMatters wrote that "the album sounds great, and Mraz knows what he is up to. Less clear, I think, is whether the razzle-dazzle wordsmith who loves his Eminem records is ready to truly enter the marketplace as a serious vocalist and a sober songwriter", giving the album a positive rating of seven out of ten overall.[19]

Giving the album two-and-a-half out of five stars, Blender concluded that whether "pondering his parents divorce or describing intricate and delicate sex acts, Mraz's tasty tenor remains a modestly classy pleasure. But he's lost crucial cool."[20]

Even less flattering, Uncut magazine said that "listening to [the album] is like being followed home by a puppy — initially cute and guilelessly affecting, but rapidly irritating".[21] Writing for The Big Issue, Lianne Steinberg stated that "listening to this album is akin to being woken from a comfortable deep sleep by a circus clown with a water pistol full of warm urine", singling out the "terrible lyrics and hamfisted rhymes" for their "hilarity".[22]

Personnel

• Jason Mraz – lead vocals on all tracks, guitar on all tracks

Additional personnel

Martin Terefe – bass guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, piano on tracks 2 and 3, guitar on track 2, drums on tracks 6 and 11, choir vocals on track 8, production on all tracks Karl Brazil – drums on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 10 Luke Potashnick – guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 Nikolas Torp Larsen – keyboards on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12, choir vocals on track 8 Carlos Sosa – tenor saxophone on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 9, baritone saxophone on tracks 1, 4 and 9, flute on track 4, horn arrangements Fernie Castillo – trumpet on tracks 1, 4, 5, and 9, flugelhorn on track 4, horn arrangements Raul "Ralo" Vallejo – trombone on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 9, horn arrangements Noel "Toca" Rivera – backing vocals on tracks 1, 2 and 12 Abby Scwartz – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2 Gianna Muir-Robinson – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2 Lauren De Rose – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2 Taylor-Tay – backing vocals on tracks 1 and 2 Kristoffer Sonne – drums on tracks 2, 3, 8, 9 and 12 Colbie Caillat – vocals on track 3 David Davidson – violin on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12, string arrangements David Angell – violin on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12 Kristin Wilkinson – viola on tracks 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12 Keith Nichols – cello on tracks 3 and 12 Judy Renea Flenoid – choir vocals on track 5 Shardie Flenoid – choir vocals on track 5 Karen Mills – choir vocals on track 5 Betty Mills – choir vocals on track 5 Chirell Warren – choir vocals on track 5 Tanya Tolver – choir vocals on track 5 Tanya Murphy – choir vocals on track 5 Ida Rhem – choir vocals on track 5 Sia Thompson – choir vocals on track 5 Connie Corn – choir vocals on track 5 Sacha Skarbek – piano on track 6, keyboards on track 9 John Catchings – cello on tracks 6, 7 and 11 James Morrison – vocals on track 7

Bushwalla – voicemail message on track 7, backing vocals on track 12 Andreas Olssen – synthesizer on track 8, 808 on track 10, programming on all tracks Aaron Leibowitz – saxophone on track 8 Justin Kirk – trombone on track 8 Ben Adamson – trumpet on track 8 Noah Terefe – choir vocals on track 8 Rita Ora – choir vocals on track 8 Kiera McGuinness – choir vocals on track 8 Olivia Ansah-Smith – choir vocals on track 8 Julia Morgan – choir vocals on track 8 Julia Cailleteau – choir vocals on track 8 Kiera Zekra – choir vocals on track 8 Teymor Gray – choir vocals on track 8 Joseph Alfille-Cook – choir vocals on track 8 Sofia Loopuit – choir vocals on track 8 Walid Massoud – choir vocals on track 8 Thomas Picard – choir vocals on track 8 Hanna Terefe – choir vocals on track 8 Tia Terefe – choir vocals on track 8 Pete Ibsen – choir vocals on track 8 Nick Whitecross – choir vocals on track 8 Jon Hall – choir vocals on track 8 Savanna Sparks – choir vocals on track 8 Rebecca Lacey – choir vocals on track 8 Zatac Sylwiz – choir vocals on track 8 Xoreal Harrison – choir vocals on track 8 Millet Oliver – choir vocals on track 8 Jane Tomes – backing vocals on track 12 Alexis Fedorowich – backing vocals on track 12 Tricia Huffman – backing vocals on track 12 Tony Maserati – mixing on all tracks Szyyd Drullard – mixing assistance on all tracks Adam Thompson – mixing assistance on all tracks Chris Gehringer – mastering on all tracks Bil Zelman – interior album photo

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2008–09) Peak position Argentina Albums Chart[23] 18 Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] 3 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25] 4 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 47 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 15 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[28] 3 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[29] 24 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30] 6 French Albums (SNEP)[31] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] 14 Irish Albums (IRMA)[33] 15 Italian Albums (FIMI)[34] 36 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[35] 5 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[36] 4 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[37] 4 Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] 18 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[39] 9 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 12 UK Albums (OCC)[42] 8 US Billboard 200[43] 3 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[44] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2008) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[45] 10 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[46] 64 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[47] 36 French Albums (SNEP)[48] 60 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[49] 100 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 32 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[51] 64 US Billboard 200[52] 68 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[53] 15 Chart (2009) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[54] 64 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[55] 31 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[56] 20 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[57] 29 French Albums (SNEP)[58] 15 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[59] 29 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[60] 67 UK Albums (OCC)[61] 50 US Billboard 200[62] 28 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[63] 8 Chart (2010) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[64] 75

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[65]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[66]	2× Platinum	160,000^^
France (SNEP)[67]	3× Platinum	300,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[68]	Gold	100,000^^
Japan (RIAJ)[69]	Gold	100,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[70]	Gold	30,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[71]	Gold	7,500^^
Portugal (AFP)[72]	Gold	10,000^^
Singapore (RIAS)[73]	2× Platinum	20,000^*
Sweden (GLF)[74]	Gold	20,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[75]	Gold	15,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[76]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[77]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[78]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Jasonmraz.com – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things Jason Mraz Official Store Pre-Order Archived May 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. Blair, Tom (November 2008). San Diego Magazine. CurtCo/SDM LLC. p. 46.
3. iTunesLive – iTunesLive London Sessions Archived February 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
4. Via Atlantic Records – Jason Mraz releases/Tour talk!
5. "Graba Ximena Sariñana video de la suerte". esmas. May 22, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
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7. "Allmusic review".
8. Christgau, Robert (May 20, 2008). "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Blender. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009.
9. Wood, Mikael (May 9, 2008). "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
10. Murphy, Lauren (December 24, 2008). "Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
11. Christgau, Robert (August 1, 2008). "Consumer Guide: August 2008". MSN Music. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
12. Layman, Will (May 28, 2008). "Jason Mraz: We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". PopMatters. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
13. Gill, Jaime (January 9, 2009). "Jason Mraz - We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011.
14. Keefe, Jonathan (May 22, 2008). "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Slant. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008.
15. Tyler (May 23, 2008). "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Sputnikmusic.
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19. PopMatters Review.
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21. Byline unknown (July 2008), . Uncut. :104 (accessed January 13, 2009)
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23. "Representando a la Industria Argentina de la Música". CAPIF. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
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27. "Ultratop.be – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
28. "Jason Mraz Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
29. "Danishcharts.dk – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
30. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
31. "Lescharts.com – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
32. "Offiziellecharts.de – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
33. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Jason Mraz". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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37. "Portuguesecharts.com – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
38. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
39. "Spanishcharts.com – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
40. "Swedishcharts.com – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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53. "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
54. "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
55. "Rapports Annuels 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
56. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
57. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2009". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
58. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2009" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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60. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
61. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 –2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
62. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
63. "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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65. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
66. "Canadian album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Music Canada.
67. http://www.snepmusique.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Certifications_Albums_2013.pdf
68. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
69. "Japanese album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We stea" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2015年11月 on the drop-down menu
70. "Dutch album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing We Dance We steal things" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved June 26, 2019. Enter We Sing We Dance We steal things in the "Artiest of titel" box.
71. "New Zealand album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin". Recorded Music NZ.
72. "Portuguese album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
73. "Singapore album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
74. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
75. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Jason Mraz; 'We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin.')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
76. "British album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing We Dance We Steal Things". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type We Sing We Dance We Steal Things in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
77. "American album certifications – Jason Mraz – We Sing. We Dance. We steal thin". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
78. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2009". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

External links

• Jason Mraz's official YouTube channel's channel on YouTube – contains aforementioned "Crazy Man's Ju-ju" series