The Open Door

The Open Door
Released	September 25, 2006
Recorded	September 2005 - March 2006
Label	Wind-up Records
Length	54:15
Producer	Dave Fortman
Previous Release	Anywhere But Home (2004)
Next Release	Evanescence (2011)
Singles	Call Me When You're Sober Lithium Sweet Sacrifice Good Enough Weight of the World (South American Radio)

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The Open Door is Evanescence's second official album and third album overall. It was released on September 30, 2006, in Australia and Italy, October 2, 2006, in Europe and October 3, 2006, in North America. The album was recorded at The Record Plant in Hollywood, California, and mixed at Ocean Way Studios in March of 2006.

It debuted at #1 in the US, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland and was in the Top 5 in Austria, Canada, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK, Ireland, Korea, Norway and Denmark. Has since sold more than 5 million copies worldwide, with 2.1 million copies sold in the US alone.

The piano is the principal instrument for the album.

The album was leaked to the public on September 4th, 2006.

There was a rumor going around that a DVD of a concert of The Open Door Tour will be released. The rumor said that the concert featured will be: Evanescence ~ The Open Door Tour 2006, Air Canada Centre.

Background, Making of the Album and Album Title

In an interview with MTV, published in December 23, 2003, Amy revealed that the band will start writing the follow-up album to Fallen after they finish the tour for Fallen in March 2004. The album progressed slowly due to Terry's stroke, Amy's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush the album, other band members' side projects, Will's and Ben's departure from the band and the loss of their former manager, Dennis Rider. When talking about the development and inspiration of the album, Amy said:

Life happens. We were writing for more than a year, and even during the recording process, there were all kinds of stuff like relationship problems, and then there were all kinds of drama with [Rider], which was really stressful and straining. Terry's stroke was the most difficult part. All the things that happened were really inspiring, because it was frustrating. But for me at least, every time we get really frustrated and you're hitting a wall and everything is chaos, it just makes the music that much better, because you have passion — even if it's negative. That's sometimes better, actually. At the end of it, we all felt like we could take a new breath and start anew. We wrote great songs, and I love them. But at the same time, you need the trials to really be able to put something out there that's genuine and real.

When asked about how the album is different from Fallen, Amy said:

What music is for me and what Evanescence has been is me purging all of the negative and hard, difficult experiences that I've had in my life. Naturally, that's still coming across; I'm still purging the trials. I feel like this album comes from a place that's not so hopeless. The first album, I was talking about the hard stuff, but I was also wallowing in it. But I've grown so much now... The lyrics on the new album are looking for the answers, looking for solutions looking for happiness. It's not 'I'm miserable, end of the song.' It's more, 'I'm miserable, and what do I have to do to work this out and get out of this bad situation.'

In an interview with MTV, Amy revealed why the album is titled "The Open Door":

I feel like I have the ability to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, for a number of reasons.[...] As a musician, I feel like I can just do whatever. This album is completely the way I wanted it to be on every level, and it's more of me and it's more of my writing. A lot of doors have kind of been opened in my life — not just since everything has happened for us. But lately, I have kind of just learned to go, 'OK, that's it,' and cut a few ties and move away — learn how to say 'No' and look for happiness.

Amy also said that Evanescence "broke the doors" and tried doing different things which was also part of the inspiration for the title.

Amy referred to the album's title during an interview:

I feel like I've got that out of my system. I’m happy. I feel good now. I feel free. That's why the album is called The Open Door because I feel like all the doors in my life I pushed open, and now I can do whatever I want.

The album was recorded at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California. The choral arrangements were finished by Amy and recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California. The choir and the string were recorded in an old chapel near Seattle, Washington.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Amy said that the album will be "a complete spectrum of darkness and scary stuff and emotion." Talking about the album with MTV, Amy said: "It's very new for us, and it's fun, actually. This album, I sort of pushed all my limits and did all the things maybe I wasn't brave enough to do the last time or just that I'm older now and more mature and — I don't know — a better writer. I worked a lot harder and I think that the songs are better and I'm excited." The lyrics are mostly talking about "what was going on at the time" in Amy's life and about "the experimenting and fun stuff" the band tried in The Open Door. She also said in the same interview: "Fallen is a great record [but] I don't think you can match the success of another body of work. I think that's only going to frustrate you. My only goal making this one was making something that I love even more and that I think is an even better record, and we've definitely done that." Incorporating classical influences and several new elements in the music, she further drew inspiration from Portishead and Björk.

On June 2006 (four months before the album's release), Amy posted on EvBoard.com:

I hope you all love the record, I know I do, but just one tip about it- each song really has a life of its own. It would be impossible to judge the record on one song alone. Some are much heavier than we've ever been before, some more soulful, some more fun- the only word that really describes all of them is "more." ...as I'm reading this I still think its all meaningless without hearing the album. Just be open minded, because I wasn't aiming to give people what they expect.

Track Listing

1. Sweet Sacrifice
2. Call Me When You're Sober
3. Weight of the World
4. Lithium
5. Cloud Nine
6. Snow White Queen
7. Lacrymosa
8. Like You
9. Lose Control
10. The Only One
11. Your Star
12. All That I'm Living For
13. Good Enough

Japanese Edition Bonus Track

14. Call Me When You're Sober (Acoustic Version)

Japanese Limited Edition

15. Call Me When You're Sober (Video)
16. Making of the Video

B-Sides

In an interview with Metal Edge, published on November 2006, three B-sides were confirmed:

• If You Don't Mind
• The Last Song I'm Wasting On You
• Together Again

Trailer

• The Open Door trailer

Singles

Call Me When You're Sober

The first single

Released on Digital format in August 15, 2006

Released on CD format in September 25, 2006

Lithium

The second single

Released on CD format in January 8, 2007

Sweet Sacrifice (Germany only)

The third single

Released on Digital format in May 25, 2007, limited

Released on CD format in May 25, 2007, limited

Good Enough

The fourth single

Original release date November 30, 2007

Eventually cancelled

Weight of the World (South America Only)

The fifth single

Released in October 2007, limited to radio

Credits

Credits taken from Allmusic and from the liner notes of the booklet.

Lineup Amy Lee - Vocals/piano Terry Balsamo - Guitar John LeCompt - Guitar Will Boyd - Bass Rocky Gray - Drums Production Team Tamara Berard – Choir Melanie Bruno – Choir Alyssa Campbell – Choir David Campbell – Orchestral arrangements Marcella Carmona – Choir Kevin Dalbey – Choir Rory Faciane – Drum technician Dave Fortman – Audio production, mixing, producer Mary Gaffney – Choir Bon Harris – Programming DJ Lethal - Programming Mike Hogue – Assistant engineer Simon James – Concert master Ted Jensen – Mastering Lori Lee and Carrie Lee - Background vocals on Call Me When You're Sober Andrew Lurie – Management Darren Majewski – A&R Gail Marowitz – Art direction Diana Meltzer – A&R The Millenium Choir – Choir Mike Mongillo – Product manager Frank Ockenfels – Photography Joanne Paratore – Choir Jeremy Parker – Engineer Darryl Phinnessee – Choir David Sabee – Contractor Seattlemusic Group – Group Wesley Seidman – Assistant engineer Ed Sherman – Package design Dwight Stone – Choir Tania Themmen – Choir Talaya Trigueros – Choir Lisa Wall Urgero – Choir Gregg Wattenberg – A&R Susan Youngblood – Choir The Artwork Above each lyric, there are different images. They are analogous to the lyrics, as this is the art purpose. It should be noted that these are fan interpretations. Digital Art for Lithium Digital Art for Lacrymosa Digital Art for Like You Sweet Sacrifice: a moth, like butterflies, represent what is called "You poor sweet innocent thing." In the psychological symbols of dreamings, the butterfly represents freedom, like in "Now that I'm unchained"; in the christian symbolism, the butterfly is on the one hand resurrection and immortality and on the other empty vanity and triviality, due to its short life and beauty. The meaning of the butterfly is, however, on its metamorphosis, from egg to caterpillar and from chrysalis, stuck in strict death, to insect with wings and shining colors turned to the sunlight. So in the antiquity, it was already a symbol of the soul, because it doesn't end with the death. The part of the song that represents this whole symbolism is at the end, when Amy sings "I dream in the darkness, I sleep to die, Erase the silence, Erase my life, Our burning ashes blacken the day, A world of nothingness blow me away." Call Me When You're Sober: there is a honeypot ant, which gather honeydew from scale insects and psyllids (jumping plant lice) and feed it to other workers at a later date. They are highly valued source of sugar for the Aborigines of central Australia. It can be connected to the addiction and the necessity of the other person in the song. Weight of the World and Lithium: in those lyrics, an umbrella reminds protection, something that doesn't let other things to touch us, like in the parts "Like all my screaming has gone unheard" and "If you love me, then let go of me" from Weight of the World and "Don't wanna lock me up inside" and "Can't break free until I let it go - let me go" from Lithium. The umbrella reminds so Mary Poppins, that used it to fly "Freefall, freefall, all through life." In Lithium, the digital version has a bug on it, like the one in the insert of the US radio single. Cloud Nine: there is a bird, analogous to freedom and linked to the parts "If you want to live, let live" and "I just want to feel that high." Snow White Queen: according to the inspiration for the song, a cage fence the unique bird. There is adoring and illness in the lyric - "There's nowhere to run", "Soon I know you'll see you're just like me" and "Don't scream anymore, my love, 'cause all I want is you." Lacrymosa and Like You: There are no symbols for these songs on the album. For the digital version of The Open Door, the Lacrymosa and Like You lyrics have special images too. They represent the whole song - a teardrop in Lacrymosa and a coffin in Like You. Lose Control: a lamb appears in the page, explicit quoted in the lyric, "my lamb." There can be also a connection to the American nursery rhyme (traditional song or poem taught to young children in the development of vocabulary) called Mary Had a Little Lamb, that was recorded by many different artists, linking to the part "Mary had a lamb." The Only One: there is a mythological animal, the Griffon, that lays golden eggs and has a great justice sense; this is the representation of the wonder, and so it is well connected to the whole song, including the title. Your Star: a telescope appears in this page, instrument used to see stars and planets far from Earth - "I can't see your star." All That I'm Living For: the key symbolizes the part "Lock the last open door." Good Enough: the necklace with the heart pendant shows all the love where the song is drown. See also Making of The Open Door Cover The Open Door songbook The Open Door Releases Catocala Lacrymosa Notes and References