Begin to Hope

Begin to Hope is the fourth album by Soviet-born American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor.[12] It was released June 13, 2006. The album debuted at number 70 on the Billboard 200, but due to the popularity of the single "Fidelity", it peaked at number 20[13] and was labeled a "pace setter" by Billboard. Rolling Stone named it the 21st-best album of 2006.[14] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments to U.S. retailers of 500,000 units.[15]

Begin to Hope
Studio album by
Regina Spektor
ReleasedJune 13, 2006
RecordedSummer 2005 at SeeSquaredStudio and New York Noise Studios, NYC
Genre
Length47:15
LabelSire 9362-44112-2
ProducerDavid Kahne, Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor chronology
Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories
(2006)		 Begin to Hope
(2006)		 Live in California 2006 EP
(2007)
Singles from Begin to Hope
  1. "On the Radio"
    Released: May 30, 2006
  2. "Fidelity"
    Released: September 25, 2006
  3. "Better"
    Released: July 2007
  4. "Summer in the City"
    Released: December 2007
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
The Guardian[5]
Mojo[6]
NME8/10[7]
Pitchfork7.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin[10]
Uncut[11]

The album was nominated for the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize.[16]

Track listing

All songs written by Regina Spektor.

  1. "Fidelity" – 3:47
  2. "Better" – 3:22
  3. "Samson" – 3:10
  4. "On the Radio" – 3:22
  5. "Field Below" – 5:18
  6. "Hotel Song" – 3:29
  7. "Après Moi" – 5:08
  8. "20 Years of Snow" – 3:31
  9. "That Time" – 2:39
  10. "Edit" – 4:53
  11. "Lady" – 4:45
  12. "Summer in the City" – 3:50
Deluxe Edition bonus disc
  1. "Another Town" – 4:07
  2. "Uh-Merica" – 3:16
  3. "Baobabs" – 2:02
  4. "Düsseldorf" – 3:09
  5. "Music Box" – 2:11
iTunes Store/Amazon MP3 bonus tracks
  1. "Hero" – 3:44
  2. "Bartender" – 3:12
Vinyl edition disc 2, side A
  1. "Another Town" – 4:10
  2. "Uh-Merica" – 3:19
  3. "Baobabs" – 2:04
  4. "Düsseldorf" – 3:12
  5. "Music Box" – 2:07
Vinyl edition disc 2, side B
  1. "Better" (Piano and Voice) – 3:09
  2. "Better" (Radio Recut) – 3:12
  3. "Hero" – 3:45
  4. "Bartender" – 3:12
Vinyl 10th Anniversary edition disc 2, side B Bonus Track
  1. "Baby Jesus" – 2:43

Personnel
  • Regina Spektor – piano, vocals, guitar, percussion
  • Nick Valensi – guitar on "Better"
  • David Kahne – bass on "Better"
  • Zhao Gang – erhu on "Field Below"
  • Ralph U. Williams – saxophone on "Lady"
  • Shawn Pelton – drums on "Fidelity", "Better", "On the Radio", "Hotel Song", "Après Moi" & "That Time"
  • Rachel Beth Egenhoefer – album design
  • David Kahne – mainstream pop producer[17]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 600,000[34]
Worldwide N/A 1,000,000[35]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Single success

In 2006, Regina Spektor's first single, "Fidelity", premiered on VH1. Soon after, VH1 included her among "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise".[36]

Spektor performed "Fidelity" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in July 2006 and on ABC's Good Morning America in April 2007.[37] She also performed "On The Radio" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2006. She performed the song again on Late Show with David Letterman in April 2007, and on the Australian Rove McManus show in 2007.

"Better" was released to US radio in late July 2007.

Even though it was not released as a single, "Hotel Song" has reached No. 11 in the Irish music download charts and No. 16 in the Irish Top 50 Singles Chart as of May 2007.

"Samson" is a new recording of a song originally released on 2002's Songs. Gwen Stefani used the song for her Season 9 battle between Korin Bukowski and Chase Kerby on The Voice.

"Après Moi" was covered by Peter Gabriel on his 2010 album Scratch My Back.

Sales
  • In New Zealand, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 7,500.
  • In Australia, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 35,000.
  • In the United States, the album was certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies.[38] Its sales have since surpassed 600,000 according to Nielsen/Soundscan.

References
  1. "Reviews for Begin To Hope by Regina Spektor". Metacritic. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  2. Phares, Heather. "Begin to Hope – Regina Spektor". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  3. Phipps, Keith (June 13, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  4. Juarez, Vanessa (June 9, 2006). "Begin to Hope". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  5. Sullivan, Caroline (June 7, 2006). "Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope". The Guardian. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  6. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Mojo (153): 88. August 2006.
  7. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". NME: 43. July 8, 2006.
  8. Deusner, Stephen M. (June 12, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  9. Eliscu, Jenny (June 12, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  10. Hermes, Will (July 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Spin. 22 (7): 88. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  11. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Uncut (111): 111. August 2006.
  12. Block, Melissa (June 28, 2006). "Stories in Song: Regina Spektor's 'Begin to Hope'". NPR. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  14. "The Top 50 Albums of 2006". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2006. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  15. "RIAA Certifications for Regina Spektor". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
  16. "Cat Power Wins 2007 Shortlist Music Prize". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  17. Neal, Chris. "Regina Spektor [Begin To Hope]." Performing Songwriter 13.94 (2006): 32. Academic Search Complete. Web. September 26, 2016.
  18. "Australiancharts.com – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  21. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Regina Spektor". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  22. "Charts.nz – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  23. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  24. "Swedishcharts.com – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  26. "Regina Spektor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten 2007". Ultratop. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  28. "Årslista Album – År 2007" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  29. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  31. "New Zealand album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  32. "British album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 25, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Begin to Hope in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. "American album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 25, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  34. Leebove, Laura (June 6, 2009). "Bronx Tale". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  35. Savage, Mark (September 21, 2016). "Regina Spektor: White lies and sad songs". BBC. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  36. "New Music Artists Info on You Oughta Know, Rising New Artists, See Photos & Watch Videos Online". VH1.com. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  37. "The Virginian-Pilot Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. April 5, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  38. "Gold & Platinum – October 10, 2009". RIAA. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
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