Photograph (Nickelback song)

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"Photograph"
Nickelgraph.jpg
Worldwide cover
Single by Nickelback
from the album All the Right Reasons
B-side"We Will Rock You"
ReleasedAugust 8, 2005 (2005-08-08)
Recorded2005
StudioAbbotsford (British Columbia, Canada)
GenrePost-grunge
Length
  • 4:19 (album version)
  • 3:55 (radio edit)
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nickelback
Nickelback singles chronology
"See You At The Show"
(2004) 		"Photograph"
(2005) 		"Animals"
(2005)
Nickelback UK singles chronology
"Feelin' Way Too Damn Good"
(2004) 		"Photograph"
(2005) 		"Far Away"
(2006)
UK singles chronology
"Rockstar"
(2007) 		""Photograph" (re-release)"
(2008) 		"Far Away (re-release)"
(2008)
Music video
"Photograph" on YouTube

"Photograph" is a song recorded by Canadian rock band Nickelback. It was released on August 8, 2005, as the first single from their fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons. The song made multiple US and UK top 10 charts, reaching number-one in several of them.

Background[]

The song is mostly autobiographical. Singer Chad Kroeger said, "It's just nostalgia, growing up in a small town, and you can't go back to your childhood. Saying goodbye to friends that you've drifted away from, where you grew up, where you went to school, who you hung out with and the dumb stuff you used to do as a kid, the first love — all of those things. Everyone has one or two of those memories that they are fond of, so this song is really just the bridge for all that."

Kroeger said the photograph he holds up in the music video of himself and his friend Joey Moi with a champagne chiller on Joey's head is the same one he referred to in the lyrics. He also admitted he had broken into his high school to steal money from the office safe eleven times, but "half a dozen" flowed better for the lyrics.[1]

Chart performance[]

The single became the band's third top ten hit in the United States, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (Held from the top spot by Kanye West's "Gold Digger") "Photograph" has sold over 1.4 million digital downloads in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, though it is certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Photograph", was the first of three top ten hits from All the Right Reasons in New Zealand, peaking at number 4.

The song also topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Pop 100 charts. The single was also a huge success on the Canadian charts, peaking at number-one and staying there for seven weeks.

In 2008, the single was once again showing on future single release lists in the UK. The single was re-released on 23 June 2008[2] to capitalise on the success of "Rockstar". "Photograph" was added to the C-list at BBC Radio 1 on 21 May 2008, climbing to the B-list the following week, and then to the A-List. It was also added to the BBC Radio 2 C-list. "Photograph" originally peaked at number 29 upon its first release, three years earlier. The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 52 on 10 June 2008, climbed to number 29 a week later and reached a peak of number 18, two weeks after the physical release, out peaking the original release of the song.[3][4]

Music video[]

The music video begins with Chad Kroeger, the video's protagonist, walking along a lonely, sparsely populated street, holding up a photograph of himself and Nickelback's producer, Joey Moi (who is referred to in the line "And what the hell is on Joey's head?"). As the song progresses to the line "And this is where I grew up," he walks to a rusty mailbox, addressed as number 29025. As he speaks of sneaking out, the camera does not show the house itself but does show a view from the inside looking out at him, possibly suggesting someone else lives there now. He continues walking and comes to an older building marked as "Hanna High School" on the front (it's now the Community Services Building: 210 6 Avenue East, Hanna, Alberta, Canada) announcing, "And this is where I went to school." He and his three other band members enter the gym with their gear and put on a seemingly impromptu concert alone. During the chorus, two band members go to an old junkyard and reminisce about a field where the rest of the band and their girlfriends are partying. Another experiences a similar event near an abandoned train yard, seeing his old girlfriend (most likely Kim, who was "the first girl I kissed") run near the tracks and kiss his younger self. The Hanna Roundhouse is shown. The camera then switches to flashbacks of various people ("I miss that town, I miss the faces") As the video ends, the flashback people get in their cars to go home as the band finishes the song.

The video was directed by Nigel Dick and was filmed in Hanna, Alberta, Canada, hometown to most of the band.

One particular shot from the video, with Kroeger holding up a picture frame at the lyric "Look at this photograph", became an Internet meme, with users replacing the contents of the frame with other pictures. At the time of the song's release the meme has been part of the general negative attitudes towards the band, and as attitudes towards the band shifted towards more favorable appreciation, the meme was still used for humorous purposes.[5][6]

Legacy[]

Use by Donald Trump[]

In early October 2019, United States President Donald Trump used a portion of the music video and song within a video posted on his Twitter account with the opening four words of the song in all caps as the video's caption for the tweet as used in the Internet meme taken from the video.[7] The video was about former Vice President (and, later, President of the United States) Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The photo shows them on a golf course with Devon Archer of Burisma Holdings and raises the question about the precise nature of latter's past relations with the foreign nation state of Ukraine while also taking a shot at the elder Biden's appearance with the lyrics "What the hell is on Joey's head?".[8][7][9] The video containing the music video and song was subsequently taken off Twitter with the following message given in place of the video as the reason for its removal from Twitter: "This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner."[9] This entire series of actions, the posting of the video and its removal, was met with a significant rise in digital on-demand streaming of the song and music video as well as digital download sales of the song compared to streamings and downloads on the days before the tweet.[10]

Google Photos[]

The band created a parody of the song for a Google Photos advertisement released in December 2020, with the lyrics making fun of Kroeger's own photographic history, including his noodle-like hair.[11]

Track listings[]

CD single

  1. "Photograph" [album version] – 4:21
  2. "Photograph" [edit] – 3:55
  3. "We Will Rock You" – 2:01
  4. "Photograph" [video]

2008 CD single (UK re-release)

  1. "Photograph" [radio mix] – 3:49
  2. "We Will Rock You" – 4:29

Charts and certifications[]

Release history[]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08)
Roadrunner [48]
Australia September 12, 2005 (2005-09-12) CD [49]
United Kingdom September 26, 2005 (2005-09-26) [50]

References[]

  1. ^ Kinos-Goodin, Jesse (June 13, 2017). "The true story behind Nickelback's smash hit, 'Photograph'". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Photograph" UK re-release date
  3. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/10/08/nickelback-photograph-downloads-are-up-this-trump-impeachment-joke-wont-go-away/
  4. ^ https://time.com/5691848/trump-nickelback-tweet/
  5. ^ Haynes, Gavin (November 30, 2016). "Haranguing Chad: how Nickelback became pop's ultimate punchline". The Guardian. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  6. ^ Lazzaro, Sage (January 26, 2016). "Nickelback the Meme: A Complete History of How We Came to Hate a Successful Band". Observer. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "Trump Tweet of Nickelback Video Aimed at Biden Removed". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  8. ^ "Trump Drags Nickelback Into His Bizarre Feud With the Bidens". Spin Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Hern, Alex (2019-10-03). "Trump's video taken off Twitter after band Nickelback complains". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  10. ^ "Streams & Sales of Nickelback's 'Photograph' Leap After Trump Tweet". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  11. ^ Campbell, Ian Carlos (December 22, 2020). "Google and Nickelback really want you to look at your photographs". The Verge. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Nickelback – Photograph". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nickelback – Photograph" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nickelback – Photograph" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Nickelback – Photograph" (in French). Ultratip.
  16. ^ "Radio & Records Magazine" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 7, 2005. p. 28. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ "Radio & Records Magazine" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 21, 2005. p. 52. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Radio & Records Magazine" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 4, 2005. p. 59. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. ^ http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=2&titul=143197&sec=40be2d9ebb018c92eb87ecaa9667dd09
  20. ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/nickelback/chart-history/
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nickelback – Photograph" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  22. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Photograph". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Nickelback – Photograph". Top Digital Download.
  24. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nickelback – Photograph" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  26. ^ "Charts.nz – Nickelback – Photograph". Top 40 Singles.
  27. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Nickelback – Photograph". Singles Top 100.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nickelback – Photograph". Swiss Singles Chart.
  29. ^ "Nickelback: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  30. ^ Sources for "Photograph" positions on the UK Rock and Metal charts:
  31. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  32. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  33. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  34. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  35. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  36. ^ "Nickelback Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  37. ^ "Pop 100". Billboard. 14 January 2006. p. 64. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  38. ^ "2005 Annual ARIA Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  39. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2005". Top 40. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  40. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2005". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  41. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  42. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  43. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  44. ^ "Greatest of All Time Adult Pop Songs : Page 1". US Adult Pop Songs. March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  45. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  46. ^ "British single certifications – Nickelback – Photograph". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  47. ^ "American single certifications – Nickelback – Photograph". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  48. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 5, 2005. p. 22. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  49. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 12th September 2005" (PDF). ARIA. September 12, 2005. p. 29. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  50. ^ "Photograph". Amazon. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

External links[]

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