The State (album)

Untitled

The State, released in 2000, is the second album released by the Canadian rock band Nickelback. It is nickelback first succesful album "Leader of Men" was the lead single from this album followed by "Old Enough", "Breathe" and "Worthy to Say". It held a peak position of #130 on the Billboard 200, which beat their previous album Curb's peak of #182.

History

The State was first released in 1998 in Canada with a blue album cover as an independent record. After its initial release, Roadrunner Records signed Nickelback and it was re-released in Canada in September 1999. It was then released in the US on March 7, 2000, with completely new artwork featuring a young boy in a jail cell. This cover then replaced the album's cover in all countries. Signed to Roadrunner, Nickelback had recorded their first official video for "Leader of Men" which saw increased international airplay. "Old Enough" and "Worthy to Say" also have music videos. The album was certified Platinum by RIAA in October, 2008.

Production

New producer Dale Penner urged Nickelback to tone down some of the songs with less screaming and guitar distortion so that some songs could be of single quality, as opposed to their previous album Curb which was described by Nickelback as much rawer and heavier than The State. The album was not recorded at one time, but it was recorded when free from time constraints and touring locally. It was finally released in 1998, receiving local radio attention from stations such as The Fox. Throughout the cd a story seems to linger. It is a some what fuzzy story about a marijuana ring that took place in singer Chad Kroeger's childhood, and how he had other troubles as a teenager. He played a very minor part in the ring, and basically got the "left-overs", but even so, he was caught in one of the ring's transactions and was arrested; his arrest was embodied in the album's song "Worthy to Say", and also in the album's artwork featuring a young boy in a jail cell.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Chad Kroeger; all music composed by Nickelback.

1. "Breathe" – 3:58
2. "Cowboy Hat" – 3:54
3. "Leader of Men" – 3:29
4. "Old Enough" – 2:45
5. "Worthy to Say" – 4:05
6. "Diggin' This" – 3:01
7. "Deep" – 2:47
8. "One Last Run" – 3:28
9. "Not Leavin' Yet" – 3:44
10. "Hold Out Your Hand" – 4:08
11. "Leader of Men" (Acoustic) – 3:23
12. "Little Friend" - 3:48 (Japanese bonus track)

Singles

Single information
"Leader of Men" Released: August, 2000 Chart position: #8 (U.S. Main Rock) #21 (U.S. Modern Rock)
"Old Enough" Released: October, 2000 Chart position: #24 (U.S. Main Rock)
"Breathe" Released: December, 2000 Chart position: #10 (U.S. Main Rock) #21 (U.S. Modern Rock)
"Worthy to Say" Released: December, 2000 Chart position: #25 (The Fox's Top 99 of 2001)

Release history

Country	Release date
Canada	1998 (1998)
United States	March 7, 2000 (2000-03-07)
Europe	May 2001 (2001-05)

Certifications

• USA: 1,000,000 copies (Platinum)
• Canada: 100,000 copies (Platinum)
• Worldwide sales: 1,100,000 copies