White Ladder

White Ladder is the fourth studio album by English folk singer-songwriter David Gray. It was first released in November 1998 through Gray's own record label, IHT Records, but failed to chart. On 1 May 2000, the album was re-released by Dave Matthews' label ATO Records and debuted at number 69 on the UK Albums Chart, before climbing to number one on 5 August 2001, more than a year later. White Ladder produced five singles, including the hit "Babylon", which ignited interest in the album and shot Gray to worldwide fame. Other singles released from the album were "This Year's Love", "Please Forgive Me", "Sail Away" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye".

White Ladder
Studio album by
David Gray
Released27 November 1998
Recorded1997
GenreFolktronica[1]
Length52:37
Labeliht, ATO/RCA, East West
ProducerDavid Gray, Iestyn Polson, Craig McClune
David Gray chronology
Sell, Sell, Sell
(1996)		 White Ladder
(1998)		 Lost Songs 95–98
(2001)
Singles from White Ladder
  1. "This Year's Love"
    Released: 8 March 1999
  2. "Babylon"
    Released: 12 July 1999
  3. "Please Forgive Me"
    Released: 22 November 1999
  4. "Sail Away"
    Released: 16 July 2001
  5. "Say Hello Wave Goodbye"
    Released: 17 December 2001

White Ladder spent almost three full years in the UK top 100, consistently charting between May 2000 and March 2003. Its total charting time as of 2020 is 176[2] weeks, making it one of the longest-charting albums in UK chart history. It was massively successful in Ireland, where it spent six consecutive weeks at number one on the Irish Albums Chart and had sold 350,000 copies by 2002. In 2015 it was still the biggest-selling album of all time in that country.[3] White Ladder was the fifth-best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK, selling 2.9 million copies.[4] White Ladder has sold over 3 million copies in the UK,[5] making it the tenth-best-selling album of the 21st century[6] and the 26th-best-selling album of all time.[7] The album has sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[3]

Background

White Ladder was self-financed and recorded in Gray's London flat.[8][3] To support the album, Gray toured the United States with the Dave Matthews Band, whose lead singer Dave Matthews released White Ladder in the United States on his label ATO in 2000 as the label's first release.[9] Following the album's success, he toured the US and UK extensively between 2000–01 to promote the album.[10][11]

A hidden track, "Through to Myself", can be found in the pregap of the original 1998 IHT Records release (by rewinding from the start of "Please Forgive Me").[12] The US CD release does not include the secret track, but instead includes the audio bonus track "Babylon II" as well as an enhanced section which includes a mini-documentary with a live performance of "Babylon", a brief biography and web links.[13] The Japanese release includes the bonus track "Over My Head", which also appears as a B-side on the 1999 "Babylon" single.[14]

The cover of "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", originally recorded by Soft Cell, features additional lines from the Van Morrison songs "Madame George" and "Into the Mystic".

Commercial reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Entertainment WeeklyB[16]
The Guardian[17]
NME6/10[18]
Pitchfork7.9/10[19]
Q[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[22]

White Ladder was originally released on Gray's own label IHT Records in November 1998.[18] It spent six weeks at number one in Ireland, selling 100,000 copies in that time.[23] By September 2001, the album had been certified 20× Platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) for sales of over 300,000;[24] it remains the biggest-selling album in Ireland.[25]

It was only after its re-release in May 2000 on ATO Records that the album managed to chart in the UK, debuting at number 69 on the UK Albums Chart. On 5 August 2001, fifteen months after the re-release and almost three years after its original release, it reached number one.[26] White Ladder has spent a total of 175 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.[27] Aside from "Please Forgive Me", which charted at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart, all other single releases charted within the top 20:[27] the re-released "Please Forgive Me" charted at number 18, and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" and "Sail Away" peaked at number 26. White Ladder was the UK's fifth best-selling UK album of the 2000s.[28] It had sold 2,940,575 units in the UK by 24 July 2011[29] and reached the 3 million mark in March 2015. As of June 2015, it is the eighth best-selling UK album of the 2000s.[30]

In the United States, the album peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200, spending a whole year on the chart.[31] The album earned Gray a nomination in the United States at the 44th Grammy Awards for Best New Artist.[32]

Reflecting on White Ladder's success in 2010, Gray stated: "I still pinch myself when I think about it. That record will be there for ever. It just connected in such a big way with people. [...] It was the period that came after that was difficult. [...] I'm sort of seen as a pop artist. I'm dismissed as slight, I'd say, because of White Ladder."[33]

In Ireland, ‘White Ladder’ was originally released on 27 November 1998, entering the Irish chart at number 25. 61 weeks later, and for the first time, the album went to number 1 on 24 January 2000, spending six weeks at number 1, and subsequently spending much of the next four years in and around the top 10. It remains the bestselling album in the Republic of Ireland; at one stage, it was said that one in every four Irish household had a copy of the album.[34]

Legacy

Gray believes that the success of White Ladder paved the way for "soul-baring" artists such as James Blunt, Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, James Bay and Tom Walker. In an interview with the Daily Star, he said: "Its success came from nowhere, and it changed how the business thought about what music should be. Since then, there have been lots of artists who've taken it on and done their own thing."[35]

Track listing

All tracks written by David Gray, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Forgive Me" 5:35
2."Babylon" 4:25
3."My Oh My"Gray, McClune4:37
4."We're Not Right"Gray, McClune, Polson3:03
5."Nightblindness" 4:23
6."Silver Lining" 6:00
7."White Ladder"Gray, McClune, Polson4:14
8."This Year's Love" 4:05
9."Sail Away" 5:15
10."Say Hello Wave Goodbye"Almond, Ball, Morrison9:03
UK hidden pregap track
No.TitleLength
0."Through to Myself"1:56
US-only bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Babylon II"3:38
Japanese version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Forgive Me" 5:35
2."Babylon" 4:25
3."My Oh My"Gray, McClune4:37
4."We're Not Right"Gray, McClune, Polson3:03
5."Nightblindness" 4:23
6."Over My Head" (bonus track) 4:23
7."Silver Lining" 6:00
8."White Ladder"Gray, McClune, Polson4:14
9."This Year's Love" 4:05
10."Sail Away" 5:15
11."Say Hello Wave Goodbye"Almond, Ball9:03
20th Anniversary Edition (Disc 2)
No.TitleLength
1."Lights of London"4:44
2."Over My Head"4:22
3."Monday Morning"3:28
4."Tired of Me"3:36
5."Roots of Love"4:30
6."Walking in Circles"3:49
7."Through to Myself"1:57
8."Over My Head (Demo)"2:40
9."What on Earth (Demo)"5:04
10."Silver Lining (Demo)"6:13
11."This Year's Love (Demo)"3:58
12."Please Forgive Me (Demo)"5:01

Personnel
  • David Gray – vocals, guitar (1–7, 9–11), piano (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11), keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 9)
Additional musicians
  • Craig McClune – drums (1–7, 9–11), vocals (1–7, 9–11), keyboards (1, 4, 5, 7, 9), bass (2, 5, 8, 9, 11)
  • Tim Bradshaw – keyboards on tracks 2, 3, 6, 8 and 10
  • Simon Edwards – bass on tracks 3, 6 and 10
  • Colm Mac Con Iomaire – violin on track 6
  • Terry Edwards – string arrangements on track 11
Technical personnel
  • Iestyn Polson – producer, engineer, programmer
  • Marius de Vries – additional production and programming on "Sail Away"
  • Steve Sidelnyk – additional programming on "Sail Away"
  • Dave Turner – mastering
  • Donal Dineen – photography
  • Phil Knott – photography

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[49] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BEA)[50] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[51] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[52] Gold 100,000*
Ireland (IRMA)[24] 20× Platinum 350,000[3]
Netherlands (NVPI)[53] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[54] 3× Platinum 45,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] 10× Platinum 3,017,085[5]
United States (RIAA)[56] Platinum 2,400,000[57]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[58] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Release history
Country Date Label Format Category no.
United Kingdom 27 November 1998 IHT Records CD IHT CD001
1 May 2000 IHT/EastWest CD (re-issue) 8573-82983-2
14 February 2020 IHT 20th Anniversary Edition IHTCD 1912
United States 21 March 2000 RCA/ATO CD (11 tracks/enhanced) 07863 69351-2
Japan 11 October 2000 EastWest/WEA CD (11 tracks) AMCE-7198

References
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  2. "OFFICIAL ALBUMS CHART RESULTS MATCHING: WHITE LADDER". Official Charts. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
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  4. "The Noughties' Official UK Albums Chart Top 100". Music Week. London, England: Intent Media: 19. 30 January 2010.
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