Measure of a Man (Clay Aiken album)

Measure of a Man is Clay Aiken's debut album, released on October 14, 2003, five months after the conclusion of the second season of American Idol. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was, with 613,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest-selling debut for a solo artist since Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle in December 1993.[1] It was number one on the Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks and received a Multi-Platinum certification November 17, 2003.[2]

Measure of a Man
Studio album by
Clay Aiken
ReleasedOctober 14, 2003 (2003-10-14)
Recorded2003
GenrePop
Length46:30
LabelRCA
ProducerClive Davis
Clay Aiken chronology
Measure of a Man
(2003)		 Merry Christmas with Love
(2004)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Slant Magazine[6]
The Village VoiceD[7]

Wade Paulsen of Reality TV World wrote that despite huge sales "Critics have ranged from strongly positive (Billboard) to mixed (Washington Post, which calls the CD a "likable album even without being a particularly good one", and Knight-Ridder), to negative (Associated Press, which refers to the song selections as "insipid"), to scathingly negative (the New York Daily News). " [8]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Invisible"Chris Braide, Andreas Carlsson, Desmond Child4:03
2."I Will Carry You"Lindy Robbins, Dennis Matkosky, Jess Cates3:44
3."The Way"Steve Morales, Enrique Iglesias, Kara DioGuardi, David Siegel4:06
4."When You Say You Love Me"Darren Hayes, Rick Nowels4:07
5."No More Sad Songs"Jimmy Harry, Wayne Hector, Sheppard Solomon4:01
6."Run to Me"Chris Braide, Desmond Child, Gary Burr3:33
7."Shine"Robbins, Pete Gordeno, Reed Vertelney4:09
8."I Survived You"Cates, Ty Lacy, Jeff Franzel3:34
9."This Is the Night" (bonus cut)Chris Braide, Burr, Aldo Nova3:32
10."Perfect Day"Harry, Solomon, Danielle Brisebois3:52
11."Measure of a Man"Steve Morales, Cathy Dennis, David Siegel3:58
12."Touch"Dennis, David Eriksen3:51

In the summer of 2004, a second version of the album was released in which "Solitaire" (Neil Sedaka / Phil Cody) replaced "This is the Night" as a bonus cut.

In some of the international releases, the bonus track, "This is the Night" was replaced by "Bridge Over Troubled Water". The album released in Japan also included "On the Wings of Love" as a second bonus track.[9]

Singles
  • "Invisible" is the first single from the album. It was initially released as a promo-only single in September 2003,[10] and only became available as digital downloads much later. It peaked at number eight on the Billboard Adult Contemporary and at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on January 6, 2004. The track received Gold certification for digital downloads by the RIAA on March 31, 2006.[11]
  • "The Way"/"Solitaire" was released as a commercial single on March 16, 2004. "The Way" peaked at number one on the Canadian Singles Chart.
  • "I Will Carry You" is the third single and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Music videos
  • The music video for "Invisible", directed by Diane Martel, was shot in Hollywood at Hollywood & Highland, a major outdoor shopping center and tourist attraction. Aiken invited 800 fans to be part of the crowd scene in the video.[12]
  • "The Way" music video was also directed by Diane Martel. Instead of the traditional Hollywood types Aiken hired everyday people to play the couples shown in this video.[13]

Chart positions
Year Chart Position
2003 Billboard 200 1

Awards and nominations

Billboard Awards

  • 2003: Won - Best Selling Single – "This Is The Night"

References
  1. "Stratospheric First Week Sales Send Clay Aikens Debut Album to Number One on The Billboard 200". PR Newswire. September 24, 2003. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007.
  2. Paulsen, Wade. Clay Aiken CD certified double platinum Reality World TV, November 21, 2003 Retrieved 2007-08-01
  3. AllMusic review
  4. Entertainment Weekly review
  5. Rolling Stone review
  6. Slant Magazine review
  7. Christgau, Robert (December 2, 2003). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot 2003". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  8. Paulsen, Wade. Clay Aiken's "Measure of a Man" album generates enormous sales but mixed reviews Reality TV World, October 20, 2003 Retrieved 2010-08-29
  9. Measure of a Man (EXTRA TRACKS) (IMPORT) Retrieved 2009-02-27
  10. Paulsen, Wade. New Clay Aiken 'Invisible' single to be issued by RCA as promo-only Reality TV World, September 11, 2003 Retrieved 2010-08-29
  11. RIAA Search - Clay Aiken
  12. "Clay Aiken Makes A Big Scene For 'Invisible' Video" MTV News, October 10, 2003 Retrieved 2006-08-31
  13. Casting Number: #3380, Clay Aiken-The Way, 1/28/04 Retrieved 2006-08-31
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