20 Things You Didn’t Know About Maroon 5’s ‘Songs About Jane’
Think you know all there is to learn about Maroon 5? Here are 20 things you didn’t know about ‘Songs About Jane,’ the album that made the group megastars.
Released on June 25, 2002, Maroon 5’s debut album, Songs About Jane, told the story of a doomed love affair, yet went on to sell over 10 million copies around the world. Making the band a household name, it’s hard to believe that there can be anything fans don’t know about the album… but there is.
uDiscover Music digs deep into the past to find 20 things you didn’t know about Songs About Jane.
1
Despite the band’s Californian heritage, the nucleus of much of Songs About Jane was developed during a spell living in New York, where frontman Adam Levine’s exposure to more urban sounds really shaped the record’s direction.
2
Adam Levine says he first spotted Jane Herman at a gas station. The pair dated for a few years before splitting. She went on to write for Vogue magazine.
3
Though sales of the album built slowly, Songs About Jane had sold almost three million copies in the US by the end of 2004, and topped the charts in the UK and Australia.
4
“Must Get Out” was picked as the album’s final single, but though it peaked just inside the Top 40 in the UK in April 2004 it missed the Billboard Hot 100 altogether.
5
“This Love”’s steamy lyrics were subject to an MTV edit with a particularly racy line reworked for broadcast of the sensual video. Radio programmers appeared not to notice.
6
In 2012, a 10th-anniversary edition of the album paired the original release with a second CD largely consisting of demos of the tracks.
7
Songs About Jane ended up as one of 2004’s biggest sellers in the US, but it failed to crack the Billboard Top 5, peaking at No.6.
8
Though the relationship with Jane Herman fell apart, Adam Levine maintains that the pair remain friendly today.
9
Despite going on to shift millions of copies and be hailed as a classic, snooty critics from the rock press were typically mixed in their initial response to the album, with Rolling Stone awarding it just three stars out of five.
10
Every one of the 12 songs on the record contains at least one reference to Levine’s relationship to Jane Herman.
11
Maroon 5 were named Best New Artist at the 2005 Grammy Awards. The following year, “This Love” secured the group another win in the category of Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With A Vocal, seeing off challenges by The Killers and The Black Eyed Peas.
12
While “She Will Be Loved” did well around the world, Australia really took the track to its heart with five non-consecutive weeks at the top of the singles chart.
13
The ferocious touring schedule that followed the success of Songs About Jane led drummer Ryan Dusick to miss some gigs after the unwelcome return of an old injury. In 2006, he left the group.
14
Though eventually picked as the album’s fourth single release, “Sunday Morning” was reportedly the song that got the band signed to its new deal with Octone Records, the label that launched Maroon 5.
15
Actress Rashida Leah Jones, of Parks And Recreation fame, provides backing vocals on three of the album’s songs: “Tangled,” “Secret” and “Not Coming Home.”
16
Maroon 5 picked Mark Endert, fresh from his award-winning success with Madonna, to collaborate on Songs About Jane, alongside producer Matt Wallace, most famous for his work with Faith No More.
17
Though Songs About Jane was released in the US in June 2002, it was almost a year later before it saw a release in most international markets. In the UK, the album came out in May 2003.
18
1.22.03.Acoustic was a live EP released by Maroon 5 in June 2004, featuring a set of recordings made at the Hit Factory, New York, including some of Songs About Jane’s biggest hits. It went Gold in the US and Silver in the UK.
19
Maroon 5 toured Songs About Jane extensively, including performing festival dates with Sheryl Crow around the time of the album’s original launch.
20
Original vinyl copies of Songs About Jane are rare and highly prized by Maroon 5 collectors. The album was finally reissued on vinyl in 2015.
Looking for more? Discover the full story about Songs About Jane.
john vanlandingham
November 28, 2019 at 11:29 pm
The Jane in my life is named Veronica. I fell so hard for her that i actually agreed to an open relationship between us as a way to still have her in my life. That’s something i swore i would never do. Never say never.
I am not one to hang on to pain, hard feelings or hate. To this day in still love Veronica deeply. I wish her success and happiness in everything she does in life.
John Vanlandingham