The Click Five
Encyclopedia
The Click Five is an American power pop
band
from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music
, started on January 1, 2003 and played in various local venues. They then quickly got the attention of talent scout Wayne Sharp (who had worked with the power pop
group 'Candy
'). The Click Five made their first recording, a two-song demo
session, in early 2004 after successful local touring. They released their debut album Greetings from Imrie House
in 2005. After vocalist Eric Dill
left the group, he was replaced by Kyle Patrick who debuted on their second album Modern Minds and Pastimes in 2007. Their third album, TCV
, was released in Asia in 2010 and will be released in the rest of the world in early 2011.
The band were initially known for their infectious power pop
songs and for their Mod-based public image, involving sharp-looking suits
and ties
coupled with moptop haircuts, which is deliberately reminiscent of The Beatles
. They prefer to classify their music as "new school power pop
". However, they have also been classified as pop punk
and teen pop
. They achieved significant commercial success with their first album in the US and their second release met with extreme popularity in Asian countries
such as Cambodia
and the Philippines
. In total, the band has sold two million albums worldwide and have created eight number one singles
in seven different nations. The band starred in the 2007 film Taking Five
with Alona Tal
and Daniella Monet
and Christy Romano.
. Roommates and close-friends Mentzer and Zehr moved to a place on Imrie Road in the neighborhood of Allston
when they were both sophomores. Calling their place "Imrie House", they met with Romans and Joe Guese (whom Zehr once described as a "professional dropout
") and formed a kind of pseudo-fraternity
. The four played in various local bands, none of which had any success. However, they drew the attention of Wayne Sharp, a musical talent agent
who had mostly worked in jazz
although he had also worked with the mid-1980s power pop
group Candy
.
Romans went to work for a record company in Nashville. Jeff Dorenfeld, former manager of the band Boston
, saw Guese and Mentzer performing in May 2003 and referred them to Sharp. Sharp liked their playing, but he had a low regard for their songs and their appearance. The first words Sharp ever said to them was "This isn't going to work unless you listen to me".
The four soon took in Eric Dill
, a high-school friend of Zehr from when they both lived in Indianapolis
. Zehr has said that they began playing seriously because "[w]hen we started the band our senior year, it was basically our last-ditch effort, because we all knew we were about to be done with school and have to enter the real world". They were all in their very early-20s. According to Zehr, the group would play several shows a week that were booked under different band names to get around local clubs' rules preventing artists from playing that close to each other. Their playing then got the attention of Mike Denneen, Boston-based producer of Fountains of Wayne
, who agreed to help them produce a 2-song demo record. Denneen also introduced them to Kiss
guitarist
Paul Stanley
, who was strongly supportive.
The Click Five made their demos at Imrie House itself, finishing in March 2004. Denneen believed that the group "sucked live" and pushed them to rehearse further. The program director at Kiss 108, the big Boston Top 40 station, liked it enough to book the group for the station’s 'Concert on the Charles' in mid-2004. The released their first EP, 'Angel to You (Devil to Me)', around this time. Principal songwriter Ben Romans collaborated with Paul Stanley
in creating the song, and guitarist
Elliot Easton
, best known for his work in The Cars
, played in it.
The group hired a lawyer and shopped around some of the major labels. A college scout from Epic Records
who witnessed one of their shows convinced Epic to fly the group to Los Angeles
to play. Lava Records
, which was later folded into Atlantic Records
, ended up signing the band in late-2004. They started with the label a mere month after their EP. According to The Boston Globe
, "Click Five was launched into the pop-music stratosphere with the full force of the industry's muscle behind it." The band opened
for Ashlee Simpson
for the first time, a position that cost the label $25,000 and that one of their officials later called "the best money we've spent".
The group ended up selling about 10,000 copies of the EP. They then released 'Just the Girl', written by label-mate Adam Schlesinger
of Fountains of Wayne
, to build up support for their debut album. They also toured extensively with Ashlee Simpson
. They released their debut, Greetings From Imrie House
, on August 8, 2005, which they named after the building where they had started. It featured another song by Schlesinger
titled "I'll Take My Chances", in which Elliot Easton
also played. The album also contained a cover version of "Lies" - a song which was a hit for UK pop band Thompson Twins in 1983.
, they "saturated" the media in several Asian countries
as well, such as in Cambodia
. Amy Doyle, then-MTV
vice president, remarked that "I see screaming girls in their future. I see them having to wear disguises". Many stores stocked various Click Five-based items such as lunchboxes, backpacks, trading cards, and hair gel
lines. The band spent late 2005 and early 2006 as the opening act
for Ashlee Simpson
, Alanis Morissette
, the Backstreet Boys
, and Jesse McCartney
as well as touring both by itself and in collaboration with Big City Rock
. They also performed at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
in November 2005, singing 'Catch Your Wave'.
Their album turned out as that year's highest-charting debut from a new rock group. They created a music video
for 'Just the Girl
' in summer 2005, and it went up to number nine on MTV
's program Total Request Live
. The song became the #1 most-downloaded song on iTunes
for over 2 weeks, leading to a RIAA platinum certification
as a Digital Single. Their MySpace page
hit #1 on the 'Most Viewed Band Page' ranking as well.
Greetings From Imrie House
gathered positive reviews from About.com
, where critic Bill Lamb labeled it "a free fall into the world of irresistible melody and guitar-soaked power chords", and from Entertainment Weekly
, where critic Gary Susman called it "insanely catchy". Rolling Stone
also ran a supportive review from Barry Walters, who stated that the "relentlessly catchy" album featured "several hit-worthy tracks". Critics at USA Today
and IGN.com panned the album, the former stating that listeners will be left "craving something more".
Throughout, members saw manager Wayne Sharp's as an amiable influence. Producer Mike Denneen said, "He's not a dictator; he's a consensus builder, and he's very good at it... He cajoles and persuades and convinces and everybody is inclined to trust him, including me." However, band members expressed concern that they started out too fast and that they intentionally brought on too much media attention. Members also experienced increasing dissatisfaction with their label. Zehr said, "It’s not like the old days, where a label would spend years pumping money to develop an artist... Today it’s up to the artists to ready themselves for the big time". He commented as well, "At this point you’re kind of turning the label into a bank".
has remarked that the band's music "didn't quite stick in the brain". Bassist Ethan Mentzer later said, "There was a point where it felt like we were in an airplane and the engines just died... It was a long, slow glide down." The band went on touring locally in venues such as Hot Stove and Cool Music.
Lead singer Eric Dill
left the band in February 2007. The remaining four members released an official statement on the departure in March on their MySpace
page, stating that "We know he will be missed by many and we wish him the best success in his other endeavors". They brought on new lead singer Kyle Patrick, whom they had met in November 2006. Patrick had been in his third year at the Berklee College of Music
and left in the middle of his studies to join The Click Five as Lead Vocalist/Rhythm Guitarist. He had been performing since age 11, citing Eric Clapton
and his bands Derek & The Dominos and Cream
, Stevie Ray Vaughn & James Taylor
as his main influences.
Click Five spent early 2007 undergoing a reboot of their musical style, emphasizing new wave
and deliberately retro
influences with more use of synthesizers. They appeared to be emulating successful alternative rock
groups The Killers and Weezer
, according to Erlewine
. The band also gave up wearing matching outfits and changed to having each member adopt their own modified visual image.
The band narrowed down the about eighty songs that they had been working on down to twelve and then recorded their second album, Modern Minds and Pastimes. The title was a reference to Ray Charles
’ 1962 album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”. It was released on June 26, 2007. Despite high hopes, the album failed to meet commercial expectations, with only 50,000 copies sold in the U.S. It reached number 136 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album also earned mixed reviews from Erlewine
, which stated that "it's hard not to be disappointed", and Adrienne Day of Entertainment Weekly
, which called the lyrics "banal" and the overall album as lacking "punch". Chad Grischow of IGN.com labeled it "unfortunately uneven", although he also remarked that it was "worth a listen".
The album spawned the single 'Jenny' (co- written by Jez Ashurst and Chris Braide
), which reached the number one spot in charts in Indonesia
, the Philippines
, Thailand
, Singapore
, and Taiwan
. The group spent mid to late 2007 touring across various Asian venues, many of them alongside The Black Eyed Peas
. The group performed on Fox Network's Good Day Atlanta on August 30. The group performed at Boston Music Awards on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at the Orpheum Theater
. They received nominations for 'Outstanding Pop Act', 'Male Vocalist of the Year' (for Kyle Patrick), and 'Song of the Year', and they won for 'Outstanding Pop Act'. Singapore
radio station
98.7 FM voted them “Band Of The Year”.
The group continued touring to widely receptive audiences in some Asian countries, notably in the Philippines
where they have a loyal fan base, throughout 2008. That year, they co-headlined the first rock concert ever performed at the Angkor Wat Temple
. In late 2008, they participated in an MTV EXIT
concert in Bangkok
done to raise awareness on human trafficking
. The band played along with Burmese pop star
Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein and various Thai
-based celebrities.
On August 2, 2008, Click Five won the 'Knockout Award' at MTV Asia Awards 2008
, in Genting Highlands
, Malaysia. The award, for "the artist who has successfully captured the hearts of young music audiences in Asia", was a surprise to the band. Through 2008 and early 2009, the band played in various smaller, more niche-based venues in the New England
area around this time.
In March 2009, Mike Denneen said, "Atlantic was unwilling to let them become a 'real' band, which is what the guys wanted. Now they're calling the shots and having the opportunity to do what most bands do at the beginning: play and write songs and develop." The band spent the month playing in various local locations such as the Lizard Lounge in Boston. They represented a big change for the Lounge, which was used to hosting alternative rock
and indie rock
acts. Ben Romans stated that month that a self-financed new album would be coming soon. The band released two new songs, "I Quit! I Quit! I Quit!" and "Be in Love", available as free singles online.
On August 6, 2010, they released their new single The Way It Goes with a record to follow the same year.
On November 13, 2010, they announced on their Twitter
that their third album, entitled TCV
, will be released exclusively in Asia
on November 16, 2010. Their album will be released in the UK through LoJinx and in the US on Q Dee Records, May 2011. TCV digital downloads are targeted for release on iTunes, July 2011.
Lead singer Kyle Patrick announced on his Fanbridge.com account on 22 October 2011 that The Click Five had finished recording an EP
with 5 or 6 songs. He also mentioned that the band would be touring Asia in December 2011.
and ties
coupled with moptop haircuts, as well as wearing bright red collared shirts underneath. Early in their career, the band did not appear in public without their matching outfits. During this period their style was reminiscent of The Beatles
and other 1960's beat groups. Their look was somewhat similar to The Strokes
as well.
The band has a large audience of teenage girls. Guese has remarked, "For a lot of these girls it is the first concert they have been to, or the first band they have been linked to". He has also said, "Girls going crazy are better than some guy in a bar waiting to fight you outside after you're done playing".
The Boston Globe
referred to their image as "fluffy teen-dream pinups". Mentzer, although defending their image, has admitted that the band is perceived as "uncool
".
Reviewers from USA Today
and About.com
criticized the band for being generally too "cutesy", "lacking of substance", "not impressive to todays generation" and "soulless". A Yahoo! Music
commentator has stated that it "sounds like a soundtrack to a WB show".
leaders Cheap Trick
and Matthew Sweet
as major influences. They also have cited the Talking Heads
as an inspiration. John D. Luerssen of Allmusic has stated that they sound similar to The Knack
, The Calling
, and label-mates Fountains of Wayne
. Mikael Wood of Baltimore City Paper
has compared the Click Five to Fall Out Boy
and the All-American Rejects in terms of sound and crossover
appeal. In terms of songwriting, Bill Lamb of About.com
has remarked that they seem reminiscent of The Beatles
and The Beach Boys
. Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly
has stated their vocal harmonies are similar to Queen
, but they sing more like The Backstreet Boys.
Several critics and commentators have stated that the Click Five's overall image, style, and performance is evocative of fellow Boston-based band The Cars
. In general, Guese has said, "we're a rock band that plays pop songs... I have always been a fan of the three-minute pop song." He has also said, "We just try to have a lot of fun... We try to bring back that old-time rock 'n' roll sort of vibe."
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, started on January 1, 2003 and played in various local venues. They then quickly got the attention of talent scout Wayne Sharp (who had worked with the power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
group 'Candy
Candy (band)
Candy were a rock band featuring the future Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and singer-songwriter Kyle Vincent. Original members were Vincent on lead vocals, bassist Jonathan Daniel, drummer John Schubert, and guitarist Geoff Siegel. Clarke replaced Siegel after 6 months...
'). The Click Five made their first recording, a two-song demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
session, in early 2004 after successful local touring. They released their debut album Greetings from Imrie House
Greetings From Imrie House
Greetings from Imrie House is the debut of The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains singles "Just the Girl", "Catch Your Wave" and "Say Goodnight" and an iTunes single, "Pop Princess"....
in 2005. After vocalist Eric Dill
Eric Dill
Eric Dill is an independent artist, and the original lead singer of The Click Five...
left the group, he was replaced by Kyle Patrick who debuted on their second album Modern Minds and Pastimes in 2007. Their third album, TCV
TCV (album)
TCV is the third album of The Click Five. It was released in Asia in November 2010 on Warner Music and will be released in Europe in May 2011 on Lojinx.Three radio singles from the album have been released in Asian markets...
, was released in Asia in 2010 and will be released in the rest of the world in early 2011.
The band were initially known for their infectious power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
songs and for their Mod-based public image, involving sharp-looking suits
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
and ties
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
coupled with moptop haircuts, which is deliberately reminiscent of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. They prefer to classify their music as "new school power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
". However, they have also been classified as pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
and teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
. They achieved significant commercial success with their first album in the US and their second release met with extreme popularity in Asian countries
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
such as Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In total, the band has sold two million albums worldwide and have created eight number one singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in seven different nations. The band starred in the 2007 film Taking Five
Taking Five
Taking Five is a 2007 movie about two high school girls who kidnap a pop rock band. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 28, 2007. The movie was filmed at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah and at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah...
with Alona Tal
Alona Tal
-Career:Tal started her career fresh out of the Israel Defense Forces, with a children's musical video tape, in which she played an evil witch. Following that, she appeared in a commercial for a laundry detergent...
and Daniella Monet
Daniella Monet
Daniella Monet is an American actress, singer, and dancer, best known for playing various TV guest roles and starring as Trina Vega, the sister of Tori Vega, in the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious...
and Christy Romano.
Formation and early history
Ben Romans studied songwriting, Ethan Mentzer studied production and engineering, and Joey Zehr double majored in production/engineering and business at the Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
. Roommates and close-friends Mentzer and Zehr moved to a place on Imrie Road in the neighborhood of Allston
Allston
-People:* Aaron Allston , an American novelist* Johanna Allston , an Australian orienteer* Robert Francis Withers Allston , a Governor of South Carolina...
when they were both sophomores. Calling their place "Imrie House", they met with Romans and Joe Guese (whom Zehr once described as a "professional dropout
Dropout
-In science:*Dropout .*Dropout .*Dropout .*Dropout as a type of sampling bias in scientific studies-Popular culture:*DropOut, hip hop sensation rapper Harry Papas also known as "LAE"....
") and formed a kind of pseudo-fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
. The four played in various local bands, none of which had any success. However, they drew the attention of Wayne Sharp, a musical talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
who had mostly worked in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
although he had also worked with the mid-1980s power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
group Candy
Candy (band)
Candy were a rock band featuring the future Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and singer-songwriter Kyle Vincent. Original members were Vincent on lead vocals, bassist Jonathan Daniel, drummer John Schubert, and guitarist Geoff Siegel. Clarke replaced Siegel after 6 months...
.
Romans went to work for a record company in Nashville. Jeff Dorenfeld, former manager of the band Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
, saw Guese and Mentzer performing in May 2003 and referred them to Sharp. Sharp liked their playing, but he had a low regard for their songs and their appearance. The first words Sharp ever said to them was "This isn't going to work unless you listen to me".
The four soon took in Eric Dill
Eric Dill
Eric Dill is an independent artist, and the original lead singer of The Click Five...
, a high-school friend of Zehr from when they both lived in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Zehr has said that they began playing seriously because "[w]hen we started the band our senior year, it was basically our last-ditch effort, because we all knew we were about to be done with school and have to enter the real world". They were all in their very early-20s. According to Zehr, the group would play several shows a week that were booked under different band names to get around local clubs' rules preventing artists from playing that close to each other. Their playing then got the attention of Mike Denneen, Boston-based producer of Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, who agreed to help them produce a 2-song demo record. Denneen also introduced them to Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
, who was strongly supportive.
The Click Five made their demos at Imrie House itself, finishing in March 2004. Denneen believed that the group "sucked live" and pushed them to rehearse further. The program director at Kiss 108, the big Boston Top 40 station, liked it enough to book the group for the station’s 'Concert on the Charles' in mid-2004. The released their first EP, 'Angel to You (Devil to Me)', around this time. Principal songwriter Ben Romans collaborated with Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
in creating the song, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
, best known for his work in The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, played in it.
The group hired a lawyer and shopped around some of the major labels. A college scout from Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
who witnessed one of their shows convinced Epic to fly the group to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to play. Lava Records
Lava Records
Lava Records is an American based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
, which was later folded into Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, ended up signing the band in late-2004. They started with the label a mere month after their EP. According to The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, "Click Five was launched into the pop-music stratosphere with the full force of the industry's muscle behind it." The band opened
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
for the first time, a position that cost the label $25,000 and that one of their officials later called "the best money we've spent".
The group ended up selling about 10,000 copies of the EP. They then released 'Just the Girl', written by label-mate Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
of Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, to build up support for their debut album. They also toured extensively with Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
. They released their debut, Greetings From Imrie House
Greetings From Imrie House
Greetings from Imrie House is the debut of The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains singles "Just the Girl", "Catch Your Wave" and "Say Goodnight" and an iTunes single, "Pop Princess"....
, on August 8, 2005, which they named after the building where they had started. It featured another song by Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
titled "I'll Take My Chances", in which Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton
Elliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
also played. The album also contained a cover version of "Lies" - a song which was a hit for UK pop band Thompson Twins in 1983.
Commercial and critical peak
The album brought widespread commercial success, selling 350,000 copies in the United States. It took the fifteenth place on the Billboard 200 Charts almost immediately. According to The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, they "saturated" the media in several Asian countries
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
as well, such as in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Amy Doyle, then-MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
vice president, remarked that "I see screaming girls in their future. I see them having to wear disguises". Many stores stocked various Click Five-based items such as lunchboxes, backpacks, trading cards, and hair gel
Hair gel
Hair gel is a hairstyling product that is used to stiffen hair into a particular hairstyle. The results it produces are usually similar to, but stronger than, those of hair spray and hair wax, and weaker than those of hair glue.-Types:...
lines. The band spent late 2005 and early 2006 as the opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Nicole Simpson is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence with the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, the Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
, and Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
as well as touring both by itself and in collaboration with Big City Rock
Big City Rock
Big City Rock is a pop rock band based in Los Angeles, California who are signed to Atlantic Records. Their music type is self-described as "energetic, anthemic pop" with "an uplifting sound", with keyboards, guitar, and drums...
. They also performed at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
in November 2005, singing 'Catch Your Wave'.
Their album turned out as that year's highest-charting debut from a new rock group. They created a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for 'Just the Girl
Just the Girl
"Just the Girl" is a single by The Click Five taken from their album Greetings from Imrie House, released on August 16, 2005.So far the single is the band's highest-charting mainstream single to date, reaching #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100....
' in summer 2005, and it went up to number nine on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's program Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. The song became the #1 most-downloaded song on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
for over 2 weeks, leading to a RIAA platinum certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
as a Digital Single. Their MySpace page
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
hit #1 on the 'Most Viewed Band Page' ranking as well.
Greetings From Imrie House
Greetings From Imrie House
Greetings from Imrie House is the debut of The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains singles "Just the Girl", "Catch Your Wave" and "Say Goodnight" and an iTunes single, "Pop Princess"....
gathered positive reviews from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, where critic Bill Lamb labeled it "a free fall into the world of irresistible melody and guitar-soaked power chords", and from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, where critic Gary Susman called it "insanely catchy". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
also ran a supportive review from Barry Walters, who stated that the "relentlessly catchy" album featured "several hit-worthy tracks". Critics at USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and IGN.com panned the album, the former stating that listeners will be left "craving something more".
Throughout, members saw manager Wayne Sharp's as an amiable influence. Producer Mike Denneen said, "He's not a dictator; he's a consensus builder, and he's very good at it... He cajoles and persuades and convinces and everybody is inclined to trust him, including me." However, band members expressed concern that they started out too fast and that they intentionally brought on too much media attention. Members also experienced increasing dissatisfaction with their label. Zehr said, "It’s not like the old days, where a label would spend years pumping money to develop an artist... Today it’s up to the artists to ready themselves for the big time". He commented as well, "At this point you’re kind of turning the label into a bank".
Later career and recent history
Through 2006, interest in the band gradually faded. Their songs did not have the chart success that the members had expected. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
has remarked that the band's music "didn't quite stick in the brain". Bassist Ethan Mentzer later said, "There was a point where it felt like we were in an airplane and the engines just died... It was a long, slow glide down." The band went on touring locally in venues such as Hot Stove and Cool Music.
Lead singer Eric Dill
Eric Dill
Eric Dill is an independent artist, and the original lead singer of The Click Five...
left the band in February 2007. The remaining four members released an official statement on the departure in March on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page, stating that "We know he will be missed by many and we wish him the best success in his other endeavors". They brought on new lead singer Kyle Patrick, whom they had met in November 2006. Patrick had been in his third year at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and left in the middle of his studies to join The Click Five as Lead Vocalist/Rhythm Guitarist. He had been performing since age 11, citing Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and his bands Derek & The Dominos and Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, Stevie Ray Vaughn & James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
as his main influences.
Click Five spent early 2007 undergoing a reboot of their musical style, emphasizing new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and deliberately retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
influences with more use of synthesizers. They appeared to be emulating successful alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
groups The Killers and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, according to Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
. The band also gave up wearing matching outfits and changed to having each member adopt their own modified visual image.
The band narrowed down the about eighty songs that they had been working on down to twelve and then recorded their second album, Modern Minds and Pastimes. The title was a reference to Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
’ 1962 album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”. It was released on June 26, 2007. Despite high hopes, the album failed to meet commercial expectations, with only 50,000 copies sold in the U.S. It reached number 136 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album also earned mixed reviews from Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
, which stated that "it's hard not to be disappointed", and Adrienne Day of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, which called the lyrics "banal" and the overall album as lacking "punch". Chad Grischow of IGN.com labeled it "unfortunately uneven", although he also remarked that it was "worth a listen".
The album spawned the single 'Jenny' (co- written by Jez Ashurst and Chris Braide
Chris Braide
Christopher Braide is an English singer, songwriter, record producer published by Sony/ATV worldwide based in Los Angeles.Producer, Songwriter and Ivor Novello ASCAP and Billboard award winner Christopher Braide has achieved considerable success as a songwriter in the UK and the US. His songs have...
), which reached the number one spot in charts in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The group spent mid to late 2007 touring across various Asian venues, many of them alongside The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
. The group performed on Fox Network's Good Day Atlanta on August 30. The group performed at Boston Music Awards on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at the Orpheum Theater
Orpheum Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)
The Orpheum Theatre is a music venue located at 1 Hamilton Place in Boston, Massachusetts. One of the oldest theaters in the United States, it was built in 1852 and was originally known as the Boston Music Hall, the original home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The concert hall was converted for...
. They received nominations for 'Outstanding Pop Act', 'Male Vocalist of the Year' (for Kyle Patrick), and 'Song of the Year', and they won for 'Outstanding Pop Act'. Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
98.7 FM voted them “Band Of The Year”.
The group continued touring to widely receptive audiences in some Asian countries, notably in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
where they have a loyal fan base, throughout 2008. That year, they co-headlined the first rock concert ever performed at the Angkor Wat Temple
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu,...
. In late 2008, they participated in an MTV EXIT
MTV EXIT
The ' campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by MTV EXIT Foundation to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking...
concert in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
done to raise awareness on human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
. The band played along with Burmese pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein and various Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
-based celebrities.
On August 2, 2008, Click Five won the 'Knockout Award' at MTV Asia Awards 2008
MTV Asia Awards 2008
After a one-year hiatus, the MTV Asia Awards 2008 returned on August 2, 2008. The event was held at the 6,000-seat Arena of Stars in Genting, Malaysia. This was the first time the award show was held in Malaysia. This was the sixth MTV Asia Awards.Nominees were announced on June 14, 2008 via the...
, in Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands otherwise known as Resorts World Genting is the flagship integrated resort developed by Genting Group. It is nestled on a mountain peak within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia...
, Malaysia. The award, for "the artist who has successfully captured the hearts of young music audiences in Asia", was a surprise to the band. Through 2008 and early 2009, the band played in various smaller, more niche-based venues in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area around this time.
In March 2009, Mike Denneen said, "Atlantic was unwilling to let them become a 'real' band, which is what the guys wanted. Now they're calling the shots and having the opportunity to do what most bands do at the beginning: play and write songs and develop." The band spent the month playing in various local locations such as the Lizard Lounge in Boston. They represented a big change for the Lounge, which was used to hosting alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
acts. Ben Romans stated that month that a self-financed new album would be coming soon. The band released two new songs, "I Quit! I Quit! I Quit!" and "Be in Love", available as free singles online.
On August 6, 2010, they released their new single The Way It Goes with a record to follow the same year.
On November 13, 2010, they announced on their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that their third album, entitled TCV
TCV (album)
TCV is the third album of The Click Five. It was released in Asia in November 2010 on Warner Music and will be released in Europe in May 2011 on Lojinx.Three radio singles from the album have been released in Asian markets...
, will be released exclusively in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
on November 16, 2010. Their album will be released in the UK through LoJinx and in the US on Q Dee Records, May 2011. TCV digital downloads are targeted for release on iTunes, July 2011.
Lead singer Kyle Patrick announced on his Fanbridge.com account on 22 October 2011 that The Click Five had finished recording an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with 5 or 6 songs. He also mentioned that the band would be touring Asia in December 2011.
Public image
Early in their career the band were known for their visual style. The Click Five were known for appearing in matching Mod-based sharp-looking suitsSuit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
and ties
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
coupled with moptop haircuts, as well as wearing bright red collared shirts underneath. Early in their career, the band did not appear in public without their matching outfits. During this period their style was reminiscent of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and other 1960's beat groups. Their look was somewhat similar to The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
as well.
The band has a large audience of teenage girls. Guese has remarked, "For a lot of these girls it is the first concert they have been to, or the first band they have been linked to". He has also said, "Girls going crazy are better than some guy in a bar waiting to fight you outside after you're done playing".
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
referred to their image as "fluffy teen-dream pinups". Mentzer, although defending their image, has admitted that the band is perceived as "uncool
Cool (aesthetic)
Something regarded as cool is an admired aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance and style, influenced by and a product of the Zeitgeist. Because of the varied and changing connotations of cool, as well its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. It has associations of...
".
Reviewers from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
criticized the band for being generally too "cutesy", "lacking of substance", "not impressive to todays generation" and "soulless". A Yahoo! Music
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
commentator has stated that it "sounds like a soundtrack to a WB show".
Influences
Band members have cited power popPower pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
leaders Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
and Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
as major influences. They also have cited the Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
as an inspiration. John D. Luerssen of Allmusic has stated that they sound similar to The Knack
The Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
, The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
, and label-mates Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
. Mikael Wood of Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper
Baltimore City Paper is a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. Current owner Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the paper in 1987...
has compared the Click Five to Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
and the All-American Rejects in terms of sound and crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
appeal. In terms of songwriting, Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
has remarked that they seem reminiscent of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
has stated their vocal harmonies are similar to Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, but they sing more like The Backstreet Boys.
Several critics and commentators have stated that the Click Five's overall image, style, and performance is evocative of fellow Boston-based band The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
. In general, Guese has said, "we're a rock band that plays pop songs... I have always been a fan of the three-minute pop song." He has also said, "We just try to have a lot of fun... We try to bring back that old-time rock 'n' roll sort of vibe."
Studio albums
- Greetings from Imrie HouseGreetings From Imrie HouseGreetings from Imrie House is the debut of The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains singles "Just the Girl", "Catch Your Wave" and "Say Goodnight" and an iTunes single, "Pop Princess"....
(2005) - Modern Minds and Pastimes (2007)
- TCVTCV (album)TCV is the third album of The Click Five. It was released in Asia in November 2010 on Warner Music and will be released in Europe in May 2011 on Lojinx.Three radio singles from the album have been released in Asian markets...
(2010)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
Hot Digital Songs | Top 40 Main- stream |
Pop 100 Airplay | |||
| 2005 | "Angel to You (Devil to Me)" | — | — | — | — | — | Angel to You (Devil to Me) EP |
| "Just the Girl Just the Girl "Just the Girl" is a single by The Click Five taken from their album Greetings from Imrie House, released on August 16, 2005.So far the single is the band's highest-charting mainstream single to date, reaching #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.... " |
11 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 21 | Greetings from Imrie House Greetings From Imrie House Greetings from Imrie House is the debut of The Click Five. It was released on August 16, 2005 and reached #15 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It contains singles "Just the Girl", "Catch Your Wave" and "Say Goodnight" and an iTunes single, "Pop Princess".... |
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| "Catch Your Wave Catch Your Wave "Catch Your Wave" is The Click Five's second single taken from their album Greetings from Imrie House.-Chart positions:-External links:**... " |
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| 2006 | "Pop Princess" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Say Goodnight" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Jenny Jenny (song) "Jenny" is a song by American rock band the Click Five, released as the first single taken from their second album Modern Minds and Pastimes. The song was written by Ben Romans, with Jez Ashurst, of UK band Farrah and Chris Braide. The original demo was sung by Braide.In an interview with... " |
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| "Empty Empty (The Click Five song) "Empty" the The Click Five's third single for Thailand and the Philippines and the second single for Singapore and Malaysia taken from their album Modern Minds and Pastimes.... " |
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| "Happy Birthday Happy Birthday (The Click Five song) "Happy Birthday" the The Click Five's second single for Thailand and the Philippines and the third single for Singapore and Malaysia taken from their album Modern Minds and Pastimes.-Chart performance:-External links:**... " |
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| 2008 | "Flipside Flipside (The Click Five song) "Flipside" is The Click Five's last and radio-only single for South-East Asia taken from their second album Modern Minds and Pastimes.-Chart performance:... " |
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| 2009 | "I Quit! I Quit! I Quit!" | — | — | — | — | — | TCV TCV (album) TCV is the third album of The Click Five. It was released in Asia in November 2010 on Warner Music and will be released in Europe in May 2011 on Lojinx.Three radio singles from the album have been released in Asian markets... |
| 2010 | "The Way It Goes" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Don't Let Me Go" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | "Love Time Space" | — | — | — | — | — | Together We Are Not Alone (Japan Relief compilation) |
External links
- The Click Five Official Site
- The Click Five's profile at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- ClickFiveTV at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Ben Romans' Music/Charity Blogging Site