Third Eye Blind is the debut studio album by American rock band Third Eye Blind, released on April 8, 1997, by Elektra Records. The album was collectively written by Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan, while production was helmed by Jenkins and Eric Valentine. Recorded in and around San Francisco at Toast Studios, Skywalker Ranch, and H.O.S., the album incorporates elements of alternative rock, post-grunge and power pop. Thematically, the album focuses on topics such as relationships, drug addiction, suicide prevention, and the band's experience of being signed to a major record label. Third Eye Blind was promoted with five singles: "Semi-Charmed Life", "Graduate", "How's It Going to Be", "Losing a Whole Year", and "Jumper".
Music and lyrics
The central theme of Third Eye Blind is loss, with the album exploring subjects such as suicide, crystal methamphetamine addiction, and sexual abuse. "Semi-Charmed Life", an alternative rock song composed with a rap-influenced singing style, was one of the first songs recorded for the album. The song focuses on a crystal methamphetamine addiction, although Jenkins contends that it more broadly relates to changing periods in one's life.
Title and artwork
When developing a band name and a title for their debut record, Jenkins sought a name with "wit and a sense of punk-rock irony". The name "Third Eye Blind" is meant to refer to a metaphysical third eye; however, the band also intended to satirize the concept. The shot features model Shandra Boatwright, eyes closed with her mouth wide open, as her and Jenkins' hands are placed on her forehead. Alicino commented that she was hired to "photograph a young woman with an expressive mouth in my edgy polaroid style". The 20th anniversary edition of the album features a black-toned version of the cover.
In April 2022, Jenkins stated on Twitter that the sepia-toned cover is "how [the artwork is] supposed to be," although the artwork was changed to a red-tone due to Elektra Records finding the latter to be "more flashy."
Documentary
In December 2019, a 22-minute documentary short film titled Motorcycle Drive By was announced on Third Eye Blind's Twitter page. The documentary is directed by David Wexler and focuses on the backstory of the song of same name. The documentary was originally planned to premiere on April 17, 2020, at the 19th Tribeca Film Festival, although the film festival was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary was then released on May 29, 2020, on YouTube as part of the We Are One: A Global Film Festival.
Touring
Third Eye Blind performed across the United States alongside Eve 6 on MTV's Campus Invasion tour. The band also performed as an opening act for the Rolling Stones and U2 on their respective tours. The band performed the album in its entirety during the first Summer Gods Tour in 2017.
Reception
Critical reception to Third Eye Blind was generally positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Third Eye Blind as "easy on the ears," stating that "its straight-ahead professionalism makes it a pleasurable listen for post-grungers". The album spent a total of 106 weeks on the chart, and was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA in August 2001. As of April 2017, Third Eye Blind has sold over 6 million units in the U.S., selling approximately 84,000 units in its best week. The album remains as Third Eye Blind's most successful release, accounting for the plurality of their career sales.
Legacy
In 2017, the band reissued the album to celebrate its 20th anniversary, which includes three rerecorded versions of their initial unreleased songs "Alright Caroline", "Scattered", and "Tattoo Of The Sun", and five demos.
In 2022, Avril Lavigne cited the album as one of the biggest influences in her music career.
Track listing
Standard edition
20th Anniversary edition
Personnel
Personnel taken from Third Eye Blind CD booklet, except where noted.
Third Eye Blind
- Kevin Cadogan – guitar ; vocals ; autoharp
- Brad Hargreaves – drums
- Stephan Jenkins – vocals ; percussion ; brushes ; guitar ; acoustic guitar ; programming ; drums
- Arion Salazar – bass ; vocals ; piano
Additional musicians
- Michael Urbano – drums
- Eric Valentine – programming ; piano ; guitar, keyboards
- Ari Gorman – cello
Production
- Stephan Jenkins – production ; keyboard arrangements
- Eric Valentine – co-production ; engineering ; additional engineering ; mixing
- Ren Klyce – production ; additional arrangement
- Dave Gleeson – engineering
- Jaquire King – second engineer
- Kevin Scott – second engineer
- Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Kevin Cadogan – additional production, additional arrangement
- Arion Salazar – additional production, additional arrangement
Design
- Alli – art direction
- Ro-Starr – art direction, logos/design
- Christine Alicino – front cover photo
- Kate Garner – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Weekly chart performance for Third Eye Blind
!Chart (1997–1998)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)
| style="text-align:center;"|51
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+
! scope="col"| Chart (2022)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Year-end chart performance for Third Eye Blind
!Chart (1997)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|101
|-
!Chart (1998)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|35
|-
!Chart (1999)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|138
|}
Certifications and sales
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Release formats for Third Eye Blind
! scope="col" | Region
! scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Edition(s)
! scope="col" | Format(s)
! scope="col" | Label
! scope="col" |
|-
! scope="row" | United States
| April 8, 1997
| rowspan="3"| Standard
|
| rowspan="3"| Elektra
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" | Japan
| May 25, 1997
| CD
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}