"Ocean Avenue" is the title of a song recorded by American pop punk group Yellowcard. It was released in September 2004 as the second single from Ocean Avenue and the third track. It is known for bringing them into the mainstream, as it received numerous spins on MTV and increasing radio airplay. Ocean Avenue is a street in Jacksonville, Florida, the band's stomping grounds[1] near their high school, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts,[2] and another street mentioned in the song, Cherry Street. The name of Ocean Avenue in Jacksonville is actually Beach Boulevard. They left their original base behind when they moved to Los Angeles. The song was featured on the Much Music compilation album Big Shiny Tunes 9.
While the song was not officially released until September 2004, it was played on several radio stations in the US throughout the summer before.
[edit] Background
According to former guitarist Ben Harper, "Ocean Avenue" is written about Jacksonville. "It’s this place where we used to hang out in Jacksonville. Instead of talking about a girl, it’s talking about a scene and a feeling that we want to get back to: hanging out and writing, before we moved to California."[3]
[edit] Track listing
- "Ocean Avenue" – 3:18
- "Way Away" (Acoustic Version) – 3:47
- "Firewater" – 3:27
[edit] Music video
The music video portrays Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key facing fate in different ways and starting over again in a time loop situation (similar to that of the film Groundhog Day). It had enough of a storyline to become a TRL favorite, reaching number 1 on the countdown. The video also received the MTV2 Award at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards.[4]
The video contains an homage to Brand New's video for "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades". The suitcase featured in the Ocean Avenue video has the same logo of a lamb on it as is featured in the Brand New video. This is because the videos were directed by Marc Webb, who used the lamb in his videos only to show that he directed them. This song is featured in Thrillville: Off The Rails. The suitcase is also featured in the video "Rough Landing, Holly".
This is the last music video to feature Alex Lewis as the band's bassist.
[edit] Charts and sales
[edit] Peak positions
|
[edit] Certifications
| Country |
Certification |
Date |
Sales certified |
| U.S.[11] |
Gold |
October 22, 2004 |
500,000 + |
|
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.yellowcardrock.com/bio.aspx
- ^ http://punkmusic.about.com/od/interviews/a/seanmackin.htm
- ^ Richardson, Sean (April 2004). "Stomping grounds". The Boston Phoenix. http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/other_stories/documents/03751639.asp. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
- ^ Jones, Tekindra (2004-09-23). "CD Review: Yellowcard – "Ocean Avenue"". The Daily Vidette. http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2004/09/23/EZone/Cd.Review.Yellowcard.ocean.Avenue-727679.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Chart Stats – Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue" UK Singles Chart. Chart Stats. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Yellowcard Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Yellowcard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Yellowcard Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Yellowcard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Yellowcard Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Alternative Songs for Yellowcard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "Yellowcard Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Yellowcard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 19, 2010: Yellowcard certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Yellowcard&format=SINGLE&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
