Begin to Hope

Begin to Hope
Studio album by Regina Spektor
Released	June 13, 2006
Recorded	SeeSquaredStudio and New York Noise Studios, NYC
Genre	Anti-folk indie pop chamber pop piano rock
Length	47:15
Label	Sire 9362-44112-2
Producer	David 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
"On the Radio" Released: May 30, 2006 "Fidelity" Released: September 25, 2006 "Better" Released: July, 2007 "Summer in the City" Released: December, 2007

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	A−[3]
Blender	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Pitchfork Media	(7.5/10)[7]
PopMatters	(9/10)[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Slant	[10]
Stylus	B[11]

Begin to Hope is the fourth album by 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 magazine 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]

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

18. "Hero" – 3:44
19. "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

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

Charts

Peak positions

Year	Chart	Peak Position[17]
2007	Australian ARIA Albums Chart	29
2006	Austria Albums Chart	72
2007	Ireland Albums Chart	18
2007	New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart	10
2007	Swedish Albums Chart	18
2006	U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers	1
2007	U.S. Billboard 200	20
2007	U.K. Albums Chart	53

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18]	Gold	7,500^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[19]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[20]	Gold	500,000^^
^^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".^[21]

Spektor performed "Fidelity" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in July 2006 and on ABC's Good Morning America in April 2007.^[22] 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. It was featured in the fourth season of the CBS TV show, How I Met Your Mother, in an episode titled "Happily Ever After."

Even though it hasn't been released as a single, "Hotel Song" has reached #11 in the Irish music download charts and #16 in the Irish Top 50 Singles Chart as of May 2007. The song is featured in mobile phone company Vodafone's TV commercial in Ireland, contributing to the song's popularity in the country. The song was also featured in the 2011 Jennifer Westfeldt film Friends with Kids.

"Musicbox" is featured on a JCPenney commercial.

"Samson" is a new recording of a song originally released on 2002's Songs. "Samson" was featured on CSI: NY in the second season episode "All Access". Additionally, Gwen Stefani used the song for her Season 9 battle between Korin Bukowski and Chase Kerby.

"Field Below" was on an episode of Criminal Minds.

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

"That Time" was featured in the 2008 Martin McDonagh film In Bruges starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

"Hero" was featured in the film (500) Days of Summer, along with "Us" from Spektor's previous album, Soviet Kitsch.

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.^[23] Its sales have since surpassed 600,000 according to Nielsen/Soundscan.

References

1. http://www.metacritic.com/music/begin-to-hope/regina-spektor
2. Allmusic review
3. The A.V. Club review
4. Blender review
5. Entertainment Weekly review
6. The Guardian review
7. Pitchfork Media review
8. PopMatters review
9. Rolling Stone review
10. Slant review
11. Stylus review
12. Block, Melissa (2006-06-28). "Stories in Song: Regina Spektor's 'Begin to Hope'". NPR. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
14. Dec 11, 2006 8:53 AM (2006-12-11). "The Top 50 Albums of 2006". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
15. "RIAA Certifications for Regina Spektor". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
16. "Cat Power Wins 2007 Shortlist Music Prize". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
17. "Music Charts – αCharts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
18. "New Zealand album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
19. "British album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 August 2012. Enter Begin to Hope in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
20. "American album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 August 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
21. "New Music Artists Info on You Oughta Know, Rising New Artists, See Photos & Watch Videos Online". VH1.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
22. "The Virginian-Pilot Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
23. "Gold & Platinum – October 10, 2009". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-10-10.