Begin to Hope

Begin to Hope is the fourth album by Soviet-born American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor.[12] It was released June 13, 2006. The album debuted at number 70 on the Billboard 200, but due to the popularity of the single "Fidelity", it peaked at number 20[13] and was labeled a "pace setter" by Billboard. Rolling Stone named it the 21st-best album of 2006.[14] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments to U.S. retailers of 500,000 units.[15]

Begin to Hope
Studio album by Regina Spektor
Released	June 13, 2006
Recorded	Summer 2005 at SeeSquaredStudio and New York Noise Studios, NYC
Genre	Anti-folk indie pop chamber pop
Length	47:15
Label	Sire 9362-44112-2
Producer	David Kahne, Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor chronology
Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories (2006) Begin to Hope (2006) Live in California 2006 EP (2007)
Singles from Begin to Hope
"On the Radio" Released: May 30, 2006 "Fidelity" Released: September 25, 2006 "Better" Released: July, 2007 "Summer in the City" Released: December, 2007

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	A−[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Mojo	[6]
NME	8/10[7]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Spin	[10]
Uncut	[11]

The album was nominated for the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize.[16]

Track listing

All songs written by Regina Spektor.

1. "Fidelity" – 3:47
2. "Better" – 3:22
3. "Samson" – 3:10
4. "On the Radio" – 3:22
5. "Field Below" – 5:18
6. "Hotel Song" – 3:29
7. "Après Moi" – 5:08
8. "20 Years of Snow" – 3:31
9. "That Time" – 2:39
10. "Edit" – 4:53
11. "Lady" – 4:45
12. "Summer in the City" – 3:50

Deluxe Edition bonus disc

1. "Another Town" – 4:07
2. "Uh-Merica" – 3:16
3. "Baobabs" – 2:02
4. "Düsseldorf" – 3:09
5. "Music Box" – 2:11

iTunes Store/Amazon MP3 bonus tracks

18. "Hero" – 3:44
19. "Bartender" – 3:12

Vinyl edition disc 2, side A

1. "Another Town" – 4:10
2. "Uh-Merica" – 3:19
3. "Baobabs" – 2:04
4. "Düsseldorf" – 3:12
5. "Music Box" – 2:07

Vinyl edition disc 2, side B

1. "Better" (Piano and Voice) – 3:09
2. "Better" (Radio Recut) – 3:12
3. "Hero" – 3:45
4. "Bartender" – 3:12

Vinyl 10th Anniversary edition disc 2, side B Bonus Track

1. "Baby Jesus" – 2:43

Personnel

• Regina Spektor – piano, vocals, guitar, percussion
• Nick Valensi – guitar on "Better"
• David Kahne – bass on "Better"
• Zhao Gang – erhu on "Field Below"
• Ralph U. Williams – saxophone on "Lady"
• Shawn Pelton – drums on "Fidelity", "Better", "On the Radio", "Hotel Song", "Après Moi" & "That Time"
• Rachel Beth Egenhoefer – album design
• David Kahne - mainstream pop producer [17]

Charts

Peak positions

Year	Chart	Peak Position[18]
2007	Australian ARIA Albums Chart	29
2006	Austria Albums Chart	72
2007	Ireland Albums Chart	18
2007	New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart	10
2007	Swedish Albums Chart	18
2006	U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers	1
2007	U.S. Billboard 200	20
2007	U.K. Albums Chart	53

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19]	Gold	35,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[20]	Gold	7,500^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[22]	Gold	600,000[23]
Worldwide	N/A	1,000,000 [24]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Single success

In 2006, Regina Spektor's first single, "Fidelity", premiered on VH1. Soon after, VH1 included her among "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise".[25]

Spektor performed "Fidelity" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in July 2006 and on ABC's Good Morning America in April 2007.[26] She also performed "On The Radio" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2006. She performed the song again on Late Show with David Letterman in April 2007, and on the Australian Rove McManus show in 2007.

"Better" was released to US radio in late July 2007.

Even though it was not released as a single, "Hotel Song" has reached #11 in the Irish music download charts and #16 in the Irish Top 50 Singles Chart as of May 2007.

"Samson" is a new recording of a song originally released on 2002's Songs. Gwen Stefani used the song for her Season 9 battle between Korin Bukowski and Chase Kerby on The Voice.

"Après Moi" was covered by Peter Gabriel on his 2010 album Scratch My Back.

In popular culture

• The song, "Better" appeared in the fourth season of the CBS TV show, How I Met Your Mother, in an episode titled "Happily Ever After." A piano version of the song appeared prominently throughout the series finale of The Good Wife in 2016.
• "Hotel Song" is featured in mobile phone company Vodafone's TV commercial in Ireland, contributing to the song's popularity in the country. The song was also featured in the 2011 Jennifer Westfeldt film Friends with Kids.
• "Music Box" is featured on a JCPenney commercial.
• "Samson" was featured on CSI: NY in the second-season episode "All Access".
• "Field Below" was on an episode of Criminal Minds.
• "That Time" was featured in the 2008 Martin McDonagh film In Bruges starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
• "Hero" was featured in the film (500) Days of Summer, along with "Us" from Spektor's previous album, Soviet Kitsch.
• "Fidelity" is one of the songs featured in "Elephant Love Medley," a number in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Sales

• In New Zealand, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 7,500.
• In Australia, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 35,000.
• In the United States, the album was certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies.[27] Its sales have since surpassed 600,000 according to Nielsen/Soundscan.

References

1. "Reviews for Begin To Hope by Regina Spektor". Metacritic. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
2. Phares, Heather. "Begin to Hope – Regina Spektor". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
3. Phipps, Keith (June 13, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
4. Juarez, Vanessa (June 9, 2006). "Begin to Hope". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
5. Sullivan, Caroline (June 7, 2006). "Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope". The Guardian. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
6. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Mojo (153): 88. August 2006.
7. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". NME: 43. July 8, 2006.
8. Deusner, Stephen M. (June 12, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
9. Eliscu, Jenny (June 12, 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin To Hope". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
10. Hermes, Will (July 2006). "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Spin. 22 (7): 88. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
11. "Regina Spektor: Begin to Hope". Uncut (111): 111. August 2006.
12. Block, Melissa (2006-06-28). "Stories in Song: Regina Spektor's 'Begin to Hope'". NPR. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
14. "The Top 50 Albums of 2006". Rolling Stone. 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
15. "RIAA Certifications for Regina Spektor". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
16. "Cat Power Wins 2007 Shortlist Music Prize". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
17. Neal, Chris. "Regina Spektor [Begin To Hope]." Performing Songwriter 13.94 (2006): 32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.
18. "Music Charts – αCharts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
19. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
20. "New Zealand album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
21. "British album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 August 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Begin to Hope in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
22. "American album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 August 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
23. Leebove, Laura (6 June 2009). "Bronx Tale". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
24. Savage, Mark (21 September 2016). "Regina Spektor: White lies and sad songs". BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
25. "New Music Artists Info on You Oughta Know, Rising New Artists, See Photos & Watch Videos Online". VH1.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
26. "The Virginian-Pilot Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
27. "Gold & Platinum – October 10, 2009". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2009-10-10.