How To Save A Life – The Fray

23. Jun, 2008 0 Comments

How To Save A Life by Denver band The Fray is one of those hits that benefited from being used in popular TV shows. The appeal for TV producers must be a combination of an easy melodic pop tune and a title that can be used for many different situations. “How to save a life” can be used literally and metaphorically, and is a powerful statement all in itself. It all started on Grey’s Anatomy…

…where the song “How To Safe A Life” was chosen for the episode “Superstition” (aired March 2006), and even made it as the tune to promote the show’s third season. After that The Fray’s How To Safe A Life was used for TV shows like:

Scrubs
One Tree Hill
Family Guy
Ghost Whisper
Big Brother 8 (in the UK)

A small hit in the USA prior to being used as the promotional tune for the third season of Grey’s Anatomy, it started to climb the charts after that. Not only did it reach the #3 spot in the Billboard Hot 100, it

Album “How To Save A Life”

The album was so popular, with other hit singles including “Over My Head (Cable Car)”, that it became the best selling digital album of all time in January 2007.

If You Like The Fray…

…you may also like Coldplay, Keane or The Counting Crows. Or of course, one of the other artists that were used to enhance episodes of Grey’s Anatomy!

Resources:

Wikipedia on The Fray’s How To Save A Life (the song, the album)
Music, books and more on Amazon USA:
The Fray, Coldplay, Keane, Counting Crows
Music, books and more on Amazon Canada:
The Fray, Coldplay, Keane, Counting Crows
Video interpretations of the song on howtosafealife.com
Lyrics from How To Save A Life
More videos of this song