Still Not Getting Any... is the second studio album by Canadian rock band Simple Plan. It was released on October 26, 2004, by Lava Records. The album garnered a positive reception, but critics were unsure of the band's musicianship and lyricism in their given genre. Still Not Getting Any... debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and spawned four singles: "Welcome to My Life", "Shut Up!", "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)" and "Crazy". It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million copies.

Background and production

Simple Plan released their debut album, No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls, in March 2002 through major labels Lava and Atlantic Records. It was promoted with support slots for Sugar Ray, Blink-182, Green Day and Avril Lavigne, and went on two stints of the Warped Tour, leading up at August 2003. Due to the frequent touring schedule, the band had around three months to write ten new songs for their next album. Drummer Chuck Comeau and vocalist Pierre Bouvier argued frequently as a result of the short time they had. The pair wrote material in Vancouver, Canada, and recorded demos using the Reason software. By the end of the year, they had 10–15 rough ideas for new songs. In January and February 2004, they went on a co-headlining tour with MxPx; after the tour, the band began recording their next album. The recordings were mixed by Randy Staub with assistance from Zach Blackstone at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, Canada. George Marino mastered the album at Sterling Sound. the group placed less emphasis on this genre, instead opting for a straightforward rock sound. The band continued the upbeat mood of No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls with tracks such as "Thank You", "Jump" and "Promise", while "Welcome to My Life", "Perfect World", "Crazy" and "Everytime" were mid-tempo tracks.

The opening track "Shut Up!" talks about ignoring critics and following one's dream. "Perfect World" continues the half-time signature, before switching into a military-esque drumming pattern and programmed drum rolls. The chorus section was cribbed from "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Bouvier said "Crazy" could've been much longer had they written about more topics, instead talking about the money gap between rich and poor people, the objectification of women in the media, and the stereotypes they're expected to live up to. Comeau said it was in the vein of 311, and is followed by the Ryan Adams-indebted "Everytime". Still Not Getting Any... was announced on August 20, 2004, for release in October. "Welcome to My Life" was made available for streaming through AOL.com on September 6, before being sent to radio on September 13. The CD version included live versions of "Addicted" and "The Worst Day Ever". Still Not Getting Any... was released on October 26 through Lava Records; the same day it was made available for streaming through MTV's website. The artwork sees the band sitting in the back of a bus; some versions used alternative covers with the members in their 40s or in a retirement home. The booklet continues this theme: the band becoming progressively older, accomplished via prosthetics and makeup. An outtake from the recording sessions, "If I Die Tomorrow", was recorded by Mötley Crüe and released on their Red, White & Crüe (2005) compilation.

A music video was filmed for "Shut Up!" in December with director by Erik White. It features the band walking to a gig, passing through an upscale neighborhood and a hotel. The members perform in a ballroom, jump from tables and destroy ice sculptures, which shifts to them performing at a club. "Shut Up! was released as a single on January 25, 2005. The CD version included an acoustic version of "Welcome to My Life" and live version of "I'd Do Anything".

"Untitled", now re-titled "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)", was released as a single on March 29, 2005. The song's music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld and tackles the issue of drunk driving. Bouvier acts as a ghost walking around the remains of a two-car collision. With rain pouring down, a girl is shown trapped against the steering wheel. The other members of the band show up as police and EMTs as they attempt to free the girl. It was promoted with the band appearing in several public service announcements for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "Crazy" was released as a single on October 17. The CD version included a live version of "Crazy", and MTV performances of "Shut Up!" and "I'd Do Anything". The music video for the song was filmed earlier in September in Los Angeles, California with Klasfeld directing again. The clip, filmed in black-and-white shows instances of real-life suffering: a man dying from AIDS, a girl with anorexia, a soldier missing some of his limbs, among others. The album was included in a package with Get Your Heart On! (2011) in 2013.

Touring

thumb|left|alt=Several men performing onstage, playing instruments and singing into microphones|Simple Plan performing live in 2005

Prior to the release of Still Not Getting Any..., the band supported Avril Lavigne on a European tour. In the same month, the band performed on MuchMusic. From January to April 2005, the band toured across the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. They visited Europe for a few weeks worth of publicity, before returning to the US. In May and June, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Good Charlotte, They were supported by Relient K. Between June and August, the group appeared at the Grand Prix F1 Weekend, supported Green Day for two shows in the UK. performed as part of the Canadian branch of Live 8, and played "Untitled" on the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.

After appearing on three dates at Warped Tour, the band toured Japan, the UK, Australia and China, which included an appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. During a hometown show in September, Bouvier was injured by the crowd throwing bottles, and as a result, the band were forced to cancel an appearance at a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Sometime afterwards, they went on a South American tour. In October and November, the group went on a US tour, with support from Straylight Run, Plain White T's and Paramore. Prior to the start of the trek, the group were in Mexico when Hurricane Wilma hit, resulting in them being evacuated, but leaving their equipment behind. Subsequently, they had to rent gear and their stage show lacked props. The group went on their final supporting tour for the album in February 2006, during a stint of the UK.

Critical reception

Still Not Getting Any... received generally positive reviews, receiving praise for its production and catchy choruses, but music critics were still questioning the band's musical talent in terms of lyrics and instrumentation in their given genre. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 9 reviews. Robert Christgau graded the album as a "dud", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."

NME listed the album as one of "20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic".

Commercial performance

It debuted and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 with over 139,000 copies sold in its first week. The record was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of one million copies. As Of July 2005, it has sold 1.2 million copies in the US.

Simple Plan

  • Pierre Bouvier – lead vocals
  • Chuck Comeau – drums
  • Jeff Stinco – guitars
  • Sebastien Lefebvre – guitars, background vocals
  • David Desrosiers&nbsp;– bass, background vocals; additional drums <small>(track 11)</small>

Additional musicians

  • Bob Buckley&nbsp;– string arrangements <small>(tracks 10 and 11)</small>
  • Bill Sample&nbsp;– piano <small>(track 11)</small>

Production

  • Bob Rock&nbsp;– producer, engineer
  • Eric Helmkamp&nbsp;– engineer, digital engineer
  • Mathieu Roberge&nbsp;– digital engineer
  • Randy Staub&nbsp;– mixing
  • Zach Blackstone&nbsp;– assistance
  • George Marino&nbsp;– mastering
  • Darcy Proper&nbsp;– 5.1 surround mastering
  • Chapman Baehler&nbsp;– album photography
  • Simple Plan&nbsp;– art direction, concept
  • Christina Dittmar&nbsp;– art direction for Lava
  • Fred Jérôme&nbsp;– layout design

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Weekly chart performance for Still Not Getting Any...

|-

! scope="col"|Chart (2004–2005)

! scope="col"|Peak<br/>position

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)

|9

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

| 101

|-

|-

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2004 year-end chart performance for Still Not Getting Any...

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

|84

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2005 year-end chart performance for Still Not Getting Any...

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2005)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

|16

|-

!scope="row"|Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)

|50

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard 200

|48

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+2006 year-end chart performance for Still Not Getting Any...

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2006)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)

|122

|}

Certifications

References

<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->

  • Still Not Getting Any... at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)