How to Save a Life - wikipedia How to Save a Life For other uses, see How to Save a Life ( disambiguation ). `` How to Save a Life '' Single by The Fray from the album How to Save a Life Released March 26, 2006 Format Digital download CD Genre Alternative rock Length 4 : 23 ( album version ) 3 : 58 ( radio edit ) Label Epic Songwriter ( s ) Isaac Slade Joe King Producer ( s ) Mike Flynn Aaron Johnson The Fray singles chronology `` Over My Head ( Cable Car ) '' ( 2005 ) `` How to Save a Life '' ( 2006 ) `` Look After You '' ( 2007 ) `` Over My Head ( Cable Car ) '' ( 2005 ) `` How to Save a Life '' ( 2006 ) `` Look After You '' ( 2007 ) The Fray UK singles chronology `` How to Save a Life '' ( 2007 ) How to Save a Life2007 `` Over My Head ( Cable Car ) '' ( 2007 ) Over My Head ( Cable Car ) 2007 How to Save a Life track listing `` Over My Head ( Cable Car ) '' ( 2 ) `` How to Save a Life '' ( 3 ) `` All at Once '' ( 4 ) Audio sample file help `` How to Save a Life '' is a song by American pop rock band The Fray. It was released as the second single from their debut studio album of the same name. The song is one of the band 's most popular airplay songs and peaked in the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It became the joint seventh longest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, tying with Santana 's `` Smooth '' ( 1999 ), at 58 consecutive weeks. The song has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA, and has sold 4.7 million downloads as of January 2015, the fourth best - selling rock song in digital history. It is the band 's highest - charting song to date, topping the Adult Top 40 chart for 15 consecutive weeks and topping the Canadian Airplay Chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2007, but lost to `` Dani California '' by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Contents 1 Song meaning 2 Commercial success 3 In popular culture 4 Music videos 5 Track listings 6 Personnel 7 Charts and certifications 7.1 Weekly charts 7.2 Year - end charts 7.3 Decade - end charts 7.4 Certifications 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Song meaning According to lead singer Isaac Slade, the song was composed and influenced by his experience while working as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens : `` One of the youngsters I was paired up with was a musician. 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 claims that the song is about all of the people that tried to reach out to the boy but were unsuccessful. As Slade says in an interview, the boy 's friends and family approached him by saying, `` Quit taking drugs and cutting yourself or I wo n't talk to you again, '' but all he needed was some support. The boy was losing friends and going through depression. He lost his best friend and could not deal with it. The verses of the song describe an attempt by an adult to confront a troubled teen. In the chorus, the singer laments that he himself was unable to save a friend because he did not know how. While this was the original intent of the song, the band has opened the song to interpretation. They created a website where fans were welcome to submit music videos they had made for the song. This arose from the response that Slade got from the song : `` I got a lot of e-mails about it (... ) One boy died in a car accident, and I guess it had been the last song he downloaded from his computer. They played it at his funeral, and some of his friends got Save a life tattooed on their arms. The response has been overwhelming. '' During an interview in Sauce, Bob Wilson asked Slade, `` ' How to Save a Life ' was apparently inspired by an experience you had as a mentor to a boy who had a drug problem. What 's the story behind that ? '' Slade answered : `` Well there 's a group home here in Denver called Shelterwood, and it takes in teens who 've had a tough time ; their parents do n't want to send them to jail, but they ca n't keep track of them themselves... A friend of mine was actually the president for that particular school, so he asked Joe and I to come up for one of their weekend retreats... I was paired up with one boy in particular. His story was just amazing -- all the relationships that he had put at risk because of the decisions he made, and eventually losing the relationships... the cost of his lifestyle and his choices, and kind of relating them to my own life and my own stories ; seeing all the relationships I 've threatened for one reason or another. It was a really inspiring weekend. '' Commercial success The song is the band 's first to achieve significant popularity outside of the United States. `` How to Save a Life '' was a top five hit in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Due to an early leak by BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, where it was the band 's debut single, the song was released in the territory five weeks earlier than planned. It debuted at number twenty nine on the UK Singles Chart on January 21, 2007 via downloads alone. Instead of its planned release date which was to be March 26, 2007, the single was physically released in the United Kingdom on February 28 and gradually rose up the chart, reaching number five on February 25, staying there for four weeks. It eventually peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart on April 8 and became Britain 's eleventh biggest - selling song of 2007. On March 29, `` How to Save a Life '' peaked at number 1 in Ireland, becoming their first and only number one single in the country to date. The song only stayed at the top spot for a week but sales still proved strong after it fell from number 1. The song was ranked No. 24 on Billboard 's Best Adult Pop Songs of the Decade, and No. 47 on Billboard 's Top 100 Digital Tracks of the Decade. It was also ranked No. 58 on Billboard 's Hot 100 Songs of the Decade and No. 56 on Rhapsody 's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade. The song was the 25th most downloaded song of all time on iTunes as of February 2010. The song has sold over 4.7 million copies in the US as of January 2015. In popular culture This article appears to contain trivial, minor, or unrelated references to popular culture. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject 's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances ; add references to reliable sources if possible. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2017 ) The song was first featured on ABC 's Grey 's Anatomy, after Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for the show, saw the band perform in Los Angeles. Alexandra then incorporated the song into `` Superstition '', an episode of the show 's second season ( first aired on March 19, 2006 ). After its usage in the episode, the song became a minor Hot 100 hit. The song became an `` unofficial theme '' for the other members of the Grey 's Anatomy production after the episode aired, leading to the decision that the song would be used in the main promotion for the third season in the show. Grey 's Anatomy is credited with bringing popularity to the song. The song also featured prominently in the series five Scrubs episode `` My Lunch ''. Music videos The original music video, which premiered on VH1 on 12 September 2006, featured the recurring themes of light and stopped time. This music video shows the scene of a car crash and all of its presumed victims in pause. There is a recurring light throughout the video shining brightly in the dark woods that the video takes place in. Scenes of the band playing in a dark warehouse are intercut with the story going on outside. This version of the video was placed at No. 21 of the year by VH1 's `` Top 40 Videos of 2006 ''. Another version of the music video juxtaposes scenes from Grey 's Anatomy to scenes of the original music video. However, all the scenes of the presumed car crash victims are excluded and only scenes of The Fray playing in a warehouse are shown. A third music video, directed by Mark Pellington, was released for the song on 6 December 2006. The video features various adolescents, most of which seem to be between 12 -- 18 in age, all who appear to be depressed and suicidal, or possibly mourning the loss of a loved one. All of these children have lost a significant loved one prior to the video, and many of them cry and scream in the video, all against a white background. Scenes of the band playing the song against this same white background are also shown throughout the video. Many numbered steps are shown alongside them, such as `` Remember '', `` Cry '', or `` Let It Go ''. The video ends with each child finding a catharsis and making peace with themselves or others. This version of the video debuted on MTV 's Total Request Live ( TRL ) at No. 9, and went on to top the countdown at No. 1 on 21 December 2006, becoming the band 's first TRL No. 1, and also becoming the last No. 1 video on TRL for 2006. Track listings UK CDS 1 `` How to Save a Life '' `` She Is '' -- Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real UK CDS 2 `` How to Save a Life '' `` How to Save a Life '' -- Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real `` She Is '' -- Acoustic from Stripped Raw + Real `` How to Save a Life '' -- CD - Rom Personnel The Fray Isaac Slade -- Lead vocals, piano Dave Welsh -- Lead guitar Joe King -- Rhythm guitar, backing vocals Dan Battenhouse -- Bass guitar Ben Wysocki -- Drums Production Produced by Aaron Johnson, Mike Flynn Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 2006 -- 07 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 46 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 7 Belgium ( Ultratip Wallonia ) Canada ( Canadian Hot 100 ) 17 European Singles Chart 14 France ( SNEP ) 35 Germany ( Official German Charts ) 45 Ireland ( IRMA ) Italy Digital Singles ( FIMI ) 5 Italy Physical Singles ( FIMI ) 29 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 20 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 7 Norway ( VG - lista ) 10 Portugal ( Billboard ) 7 Scotland ( Official Charts Company ) 6 Slovakia ( Rádio Top 100 ) 83 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 5 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 28 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) US Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) 31 US Adult Top 40 ( Billboard ) Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 34 Chart ( 2013 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 30 Year - end charts Chart ( 2006 ) Position US Billboard Hot 100 27 Chart ( 2007 ) Position Australia ( ARIA ) 18 Belgium ( Ultratop Flanders ) 40 Ireland ( IRMA ) 10 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 38 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 93 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 11 US Billboard Hot 100 24 Decade - end charts Chart ( 2000 - 2009 ) Position US Billboard Hot 100 58 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Australia ( ARIA ) Platinum 70,000 Canada ( Music Canada ) Platinum 20,000 Denmark ( IFPI Denmark ) Gold 7,500 Italy ( FIMI ) Gold 15,000 New Zealand ( RMNZ ) Gold 7,500 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Platinum 748,702 United States ( RIAA ) 3 × Platinum 4,700,000 Streaming Denmark ( IFPI Denmark ) Gold 900,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone See also List of number - one singles of 2007 ( Ireland ) List of number - one adult contemporary singles of 2007 ( U.S. ) 1 - 800 - 273 - 8255 ( song ) References Jump up ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media ( 14 October 2006 ). `` Billboard ''. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. -- via Google Books. Jump up ^ `` Recording Industry Association of America ''. RIAA. Archived from the original on 2015 - 03 - 29. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 22. ^ Jump up to : Polk, Christopher ( January 31, 2015 ). `` The 15 Most Downloaded Songs in Rock History ''. Yahoo ! Music. Retrieved February 5, 2015. Jump up ^ Gardner, Elysa ( July 12, 2006 ). `` Debut ' How to Save a Life ' takes on a life of its own ''. USA Today. Retrieved May 4, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Diving Into -- The Fray '' ( PDF ). Sauce. June 9, 2006. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2011 - 02 - 18. Jump up ^ BBC Music. `` Top 40 Singles of the Year 2007 ``. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 27 Jump up ^ `` Best of the 2000s : Adult Pop Songs ''. Billboard. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Best of the 2000s : Digital Songs ''. Billboard. Archived from the original on January 27, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Best of the 2000s : Hot 100 Songs ''. Billboard. Archived from the original on 2009 - 12 - 21. Jump up ^ Editorial, Rhapsody ( 2009 - 12 - 09 ). `` Top 100 Tracks of the Decade -- Rhapsody : The Mix ''. Blog.rhapsody.com. Archived from the original on 2012 - 02 - 20. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ Herrera, Dave ( 2010 - 02 - 25 ). `` The Fray, Frank E and Ryan Tedder make list of Top 25 iTunes downloads -- Denver Music -- Backbeat ''. Blogs.westword.com. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Top 10 Rock songs downloaded ( Of all time ) ''. i99radio.com. Archived from the original on 2015 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` How ' Grey 's ' got that catchy new `` theme '' song ``. New York Post. 24 September 2006. Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Jump up ^ `` The Fray - How To Save A Life ''. Discogs. Jump up ^ `` The Fray - How To Save A Life ''. Discogs. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life '' ( in French ). Ultratip. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Fray Chart History ( Canadian Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Chart Track : Week 13, 2007 ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Top Digital Download -- Classifica settimanale dal 11 / 05 / 2007 al 17 / 05 / 2007 '' ( in Italian ). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Classifica Mix e Singoli -- Classifica settimanale dal 24 / 08 / 2007 al 30 / 08 / 2007 '' ( in Italian ). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on September 10, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- The Fray '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life ''. VG - lista. Retrieved July 7, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Portugal Digital Songs -- Peak ''. Billboard. Retrieved 19 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` SNS IFPI '' ( in Slovak ). Hitparáda -- Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note : insert 200650 into search. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- The Fray -- How To Save A Life ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 7, 2012. 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Archived from the original on 2010 - 07 - 31. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Jaaroverzichten 2007 ''. Ultratop ( in Dutch ). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Best of singles 2007 ''. IRMA. IRMA. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Top Selling Singles of 2007 ''. NZTop40. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Årslista Singlar - År 2007 ''. Hitlistan ( in Swedish ). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` Official UK Singles Chart of 2007 '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Hot 100 Year - End 2007 ''. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Decade End Charts -- Hot 100 Songs ''. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts -- Accreditations -- 2007 Singles ''. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Canadian single certifications -- The Fray -- How to Save a Life ''. Music Canada. Retrieved February 6, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Guld og platin i August '' ( in Danish ). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- The Fray -- How to Save a Life '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Latest Gold / Platinum Singles -- RadioScope New Zealand ''. Radioscope.net.nz. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2011. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- The Fray -- How to Save a Life ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 12, 2014. Enter How to Save a Life in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ Copsey, Rob ( September 19, 2017 ). `` The UK 's Official Chart ' millionaires ' revealed ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- The Fray -- How to Save a Life ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 31, 2009. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Jump up ^ `` Certificeringer -- The Fray -- How To Save a Life '' ( in Danish ). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved October 9, 2014. External links Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics. The Fray Isaac Slade Joe King Dave Welsh Ben Wysocki Jeremy McCoy Jeff Linsenmaier Zach Johnson Caleb Slade Mike Ayars Dan Battenhouse Jimmy Stofer Dan Lavery Studio albums How to Save a Life The Fray Scars & Stories Helios Compilation albums Through the Years : The Best of the Fray Live albums Live at the Electric Factory : Bootleg No. 1 Acoustic in Nashville : Bootleg No. 2 Live from the 9 : 30 Club : Bootleg No. 3 EPs Movement Reason Christmas Singles `` Over My Head ( Cable Car ) '' `` How to Save a Life '' `` Look After You '' `` All at Once '' `` You Found Me '' `` Never Say Never '' `` Heartless '' `` Syndicate '' `` Heartbeat '' `` Run for Your Life '' `` Love Do n't Die '' `` Break Your Plans '' Concert tours Kelly Clarkson / The Fray Tour Related articles Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=How_to_Save_a_Life&oldid=835555507 '' Categories : 2005 songs 2006 singles 2007 singles The Fray songs Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles 2000s ballads Rock ballads Songs about death Songs about suicide Songs written by Joe King ( guitarist ) Songs written by Isaac Slade Billboard Adult Top 40 number - one singles Music videos directed by Mark Pellington Hidden categories : CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) CS1 Swedish - language sources ( sv ) CS1 Danish - language sources ( da ) Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Articles with trivia sections from September 2017 Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Wallonia Tip Singlechart usages for Billboardcanadianhot100 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012 Singlechart usages for France Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Ireland Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Scotland Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Slovakia Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardpopsongs Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary Singlechart usages for Billboardalternativesongs Singlechart usages for Billboardadultpopsongs Singlechart making named ref Certification Table Entry usages for Australia Certification Table Entry usages for Canada Certification Table Entry usages for Denmark Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Español Français Italiano Nederlands Polski Português Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 9 April 2018, at 12 : 04. 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Question: meaning of the song how to save a life by the fray
Answer: influenced by his experience while working as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens