Dead Letters
Studio album by
The Rasmus
Released21 March 2003 (EU)
See release dates below
RecordedJune–December 2002
StudioNord Studios in Stockholm, Sweden
Genre
Length52:14
LabelPlayground Music
Producer
  • Martin Hansen
  • Mikael Nord
The Rasmus chronology
Into
(2001)		 Dead Letters
(2003)		 Hide from the Sun
(2005)
Singles from Dead Letters
  1. "In the Shadows"
    Released: 3 February 2003
  2. "In My Life"
    Released: 1 August 2003
  3. "First Day of My Life"
    Released: 15 October 2003
  4. "Funeral Song"
    Released: 25 April 2004
  5. "Guilty"
    Released: 4 August 2004
Alternative cover
UK/US cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Melodic[2]

Dead Letters is the fifth album by Finnish band The Rasmus released in 2003. It was released later in 2004 in the US, UK and Australia. Their previous album, Into, had seen some success in some parts of Europe, particularly Scandinavia and Germany, but Dead Letters signified the band's major break-through. The album received 8 Gold and 6 Platinum music certification awards. Lead single "In the Shadows" received 6 gold and 2 platinum awards,[3] selling over 1 million copies and breaking the record for performance royalties received abroad on a Finnish composition (overtaking the works of Jean Sibelius).[4]

Making of the album

The Rasmus recorded Dead Letters in June–December 2002 at Nord Studios in Sweden, reuniting with Mikael Nord Andersen and Martin Hansen, who had produced their Scandinavian hit album Into.

Lead singer Lauri Ylönen explained the title of the album on the band's website. "Each song is a letter to somebody. It could be an apology, confession or cry out for help".[5] The back side of the album booklet reads:

A dead letter is a letter that has never been delivered because the person to whom it was written cannot be found, and it also cannot be returned to the person who wrote it.[6]

Critical reception

Allmusic rated the album 3 stars out of 5. The review said "This Finnish group is more than capable of presenting dark and moody yet very finely tuned rock songs". It rated the best tracks as "Time to Burn", "Not Like the Other Girls" and the re-recording of "F-F-F-Falling", of which the original version appears on the Into album, and was added to the UK release as a bonus track.

Commercial performance

Dead Letters was released in Europe in early 2003. It reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as in Finland, where it stayed in the Top 20 Album chart for over a year. The album was released in the UK in 2004, being the first record to be released in the country by the band, and was one of the Top 50 best-selling albums of 2004. Commercial success in Europe led to the release of the album in other parts of the world. Dead Letters and lead single "In the Shadows" both reached the Top 50 of the Australian ARIA charts in 2004, as well as the Top 20 of the American Billboard Heatseeker charts.

The Rasmus received numerous music awards across Europe, winning the 'Best Nordic Act' category in the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards, and five Finnish EMMA awards for Best Group, Best Album, Best Video (In My Life), Best Artist and Export in 2004. The band also won an ECHO award for best international newcomer and were awarded "Best International Artist" at the 2004 MTV Russia Music Awards. "In The Shadows" was on the nominations list for the 2004 Kerrang! Award for Best Single.[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Rasmus

No.TitleLength
1."First Day of My Life"3:42
2."In the Shadows"4:08
3."Still Standing"3:27
4."In My Life"4:01
5."Time to Burn"4:32
6."Guilty"3:40
7."Not Like the Other Girls"5:43
8."The One I Love"3:14
9."Back in the Picture"3:41
10."Funeral Song"3:17
UK Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
11."F-F-F-Falling"3:52
12."If You Ever"3:48
13."What Ever"3:11
US Bonus Tracks[8]
No.TitleLength
11."F-F-F-Falling"3:56
12."In the Shadows" (Video) 
China/Taiwanese Limited Edition Bonus VCD
No.TitleLength
11."In the Shadows" (Original Version – Video) 
12."In the Shadows" (European Version – Video) 
13."In the Shadows" (American Version – Video) 
14."First Day of My Life" (Video) 
15."Funeral Song" (Video) 
16."In My Life" (Video) 
17."Epk" (Interview) 
Dead Letters Finnish Edition
No.TitleLength
1."First Day of My Life" (US Remix)3:44
2."In the Shadows"4:05
3."Still Standing"3:31
4."In My Life"4:01
5."Time to Burn"4:32
6."Guilty" (US Remix)3:41
7."Not Like the Other Girls"5:43
8."The One I Love" (US Remix)3:15
9."Back in the Picture"3:41
10."Funeral Song"3:17
11."F-F-F-Falling" (US Remix)3:52
12."If You Ever"3:48
13."What Ever"3:11
14."Everything You Say"2:48
15."In The Shadows" (Meadows Remix)4:38
16."In The Shadows" (Nordic Version – Video) 
17."In The Shadows" (Nordic Version (Making of video)) 
18."The Rasmus Computer Stuff" (Screensavers, Desktops, Photo Gallery, Extra Video Material) 
Italian Edition Bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."First Day of My Life" (US Remix)3:44
2."In the Shadows"4:05
3."Still Standing"3:31
4."In My Life"4:01
5."Time to Burn"4:32
6."Guilty" (US Remix)3:41
7."Not Like the Other Girls"5:43
8."The One I Love" (US Remix)3:15
9."Back in the Picture"3:41
10."Funeral Song"3:17
11."If You Ever"3:48
12."Everything You Say"2:48
13."What Ever"3:11
14."Since You've Been Gone"3:03
15."First Day of My Life" (Acoustic Demo) 
16."In The Shadows" (Nordic Version – Video) 
17."In My Life" (Video) 
18."First Day of My Life" (Video) 
European Limited Edition – Bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."In the Shadows – Video"03:57
2."The Making of the Video "In The Shadows""13:17
3."Making the video screensaver" 
4."Logo screensaver" 
5."Desktop wallpapers" 
6."Photo Gallery" 
7."Computer stuff" 
8."Photos taken by Henrik Walse, Nauska and the Rasmus" 

Personnel

The Rasmus

Additional musicians

  • Rutger Gunnarson – strings
  • Ylva Nilsson, Håkan Westlund, and Anna Wallgreen – cellos
  • Jörgen Ingeström – additional keyboards

Production and design

B-sides, outtakes and non-album tracks

Song Releases
"What Ever" B-Side of "In My Life"
"Since You've Been Gone" B-Side of "First Day of My Life" UK Edition
"Everything You Say" B-Side of "Funeral Song"
"If You Ever" B-Side of "Funeral Song"

Release history

A list of countries and the date when the album was released.[9]

Country Date
Italy 26 November 2003
Spain 5 January 2004
US/UK 22 March 2004
Japan Early 2004
Taiwan June 2004

Music videos

  • In the Shadows – Finnish "Bandit" version (2003)

Video directed by Finn Andersson for Film Magica Oy in Helsinki, Finland.

  • In My Life (2003)

Video directed by Niklas Fronda and Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film/Topaz.

  • In the Shadows – European "Crow" version (2003)

Video directed by Niklas Fronda & Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • First Day of My Life (2003)

Video directed by Sven Bollinger and produced by Volker Steinmetz (Erste Liebe Filmproduktion) in Lausitzring, Germany.

  • In the Shadows – US/UK "Mirror" version (2004)

Video directed by Philipp Stöltzl in Bucharest, Romania.

  • Funeral Song (The Resurrection) (2004)

Video directed by Niklas Fronda and Fredrik Löfberg, Baranga Film in Stockholm, Sweden.

  • Guilty (2004)

Video directed by Nathan Cox in Los Angeles.

See also

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[38] Gold 15,000*
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[39] 2× Platinum 78,363[39]
Germany (BVMI)[40] Platinum 200,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[41] Gold 10,000^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[42] Gold 50,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[43] Gold 20,000*
Sweden (GLF)[44] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[45] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000^
Summaries
Europe — 1,000,000[47]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Dead Letters at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Roth, Kaj (6 March 2003). "The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Melodic. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Awards Archived 15 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ I Rock piece by The Rasmus overtakes Sibelius in foreign music royalties Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Biography Archived 10 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Dead Letters album booklet, original version (2003).
  7. ↑ Awards Archived 15 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Dead Letters (Media notes). The Rasmus. Santa Monica, CA, USA: Interscope Records. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ Dead Letters album release history Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine The Rasmus – HellofaSite
  10. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Rasmus – Dead Letters" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Rasmus – Dead Letters" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Rasmus – Dead Letters" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rasmus – Dead Letters" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "The Rasmus: Dead Letters" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rasmus – Dead Letters" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2004. 10. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  20. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Rasmus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Rasmus – Dead Letters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "The Rasmus Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  28. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2003". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  29. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  30. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  31. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  32. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  33. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  34. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2004". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  35. ↑ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2004" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  36. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  37. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  38. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – The Rasus – Dead Letters" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  39. 1 2 "The Rasmus" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  40. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Rasmus; 'Dead Letters')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  41. ↑ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2004" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  42. ↑ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 12 March 2019. Type Rasmus in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Dead Letters in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  43. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2004 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  44. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2004" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  45. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Dead Letters')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Rasmus – Dead Letters". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  47. ↑ "Impala Sales Award Winner June 2005 – January 2008" (PDF). Impala. 3 December 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
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