Famous Last Words (Hedley album)

Famous Last Words is the second studio album by Canadian pop rock band Hedley. It was released on October 30, 2007. It debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart upon release. In the United States, the album is known as Never Too Late and was released on May 12, 2009. The album only includes 8 tracks from the Canadian release and contains 5 tracks from Hedley, which replaced the missing tracks from Famous Last Words.^[3] Unlike Famous Last Words, Never Too Late has a blue background on its album cover, whereas the Canadian release has a red background on its cover.

The group began working on their second studio album in May 2007, with producers Dave Genn and Greig Nori.^[4] The album was recorded at Hipposonic Studios and The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia and in Rock Beach Recording in White Rock, British Columbia.^[5] Feeling the pressure after releasing their debut album, Hedley, which increased their audience, the band headed into the studio with a goal to "make a better record" and set the bar high for themselves.^[6] According to singer Jacob Hoggard; the album completion process was lengthy.^[7] He also felt that they showcased a lot of maturity on the record compared to their debut release and said the band "have learned the value of patience."^[8] Though songs such as "She's So Sorry" and "Narcissist" maintain a pop punk sound, other tracks such as "For the Nights I Can't Remember" and "Dying to Live Again" have been described as emotional ballads.^[8][9] The band also experiments with ska and reggae on "Never Too Late".^[1][9]

The group were originally supposed to embarked on a headlining Canadian tour, however, the band was chosen to open for Bon Jovi on their Lost Highway Tour at their Canadian stops for 14 shows which forced them to postpone their own tour.^[10] It was rescheduled for January 2008 and they were supported by State of Shock.^[11]

A bonus track edition for the album featuring "Lose My Number" was released digitally, as well as the B-side "Alison Wonderland (Afraid)".^[12][13] In the United States, the group released Famous Last Words under the name Never Too Late on May 12, 2009, by Fontana Distribution.^[14]

The first single from the album, "She's So Sorry", was released to radio on August 21, 2007. The video was shot in Toronto, Ontario on August 30, and premiered on MuchMusic on September 20, 2007.^[15] The song reached number 50 on the Canadian Hot 100.^[16]

The album's second single, "For the Nights I Can't Remember", was serviced to contemporary hit radio in November 2007.^[17] The song peaked at number six on the Canadian Hot 100.^[16] It also topped the Canada Hot AC airplay chart.^[18]

The third single, "Never Too Late", was released on April 4, 2008, the same day the music video premiered on MuchOnDemand.^[19][20] The song peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100.^[16]

The fourth single from the album, "Old School" was released in August 2008, and peaked at number 10 on the Canadian Hot 100.^[16] It was serviced to contemporary hit radio in the US on March 31, 2009.^[21]

"Dying to Live Again" was released in November 2008, as the fifth single from the album. The song peaked at number 59 on the Canadian Hot 100.^[16]

Famous Last Words was received with mixed to low reviews. Andrew Leahey of AllMusic gave the album a 2.5/5 star rating. He said, "Famous Last Words delivers the same kick of Hedley's innumerable pop-punk colleagues, relying on a blend of snot-nosed vocals and guitar muscle that evokes the likes of SR-71 and Hot Topic in the same breath. He ends off stating, "Famous Last Words does sound destined for airplay as a result, proving that Jacob Hoggard knows how to stay in the spotlight better than he knows how to craft original music.^[22] Nick of Tunelab.com gave the album a 5/10 star rating. He stated, "If you are familiar with Hedley’s sound, then their often times hard to take seriously and borderline sugarcoated approach shouldn’t come as a shock."^[25] Kaj Roth of Melodic called the tracks "For the Nights I Can't Remember" and "Dying to Live Again" as "modern rock version of Hanson."^[23] Adrian Mack of The Georgia Straight stated that the group, "abandoned any effort to distinguish itself from the network of tatty Canadiana it finds itself caught up in, settling for an almost mathematically perfect melding of Treble Charger and Sum 41."^[1] Billboard wrote, "At the core are such propulsive, Vans Warped tour-ready rock anthems as 'She's So Sorry', 'Narcissist' and 'Hand Grenade'. Hedley also comes stocked with the buoyant pop of the title track and such pining power ballads as the sentimental first single 'Old School'. It can be a tough jump from Much Music to MTV, but Hedley may be able to pull it off."^[14]

Adapted from the Famous Last Words booklet.^[26]