The group's self-titled, second album, released in 2009, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in the United States, Australia, and Canada. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2010. While both albums were commercially successful, critical reception was mixed. The Fray was ranked No. 84 on Billboard's "Artists of the Decade" list. Their third album Scars & Stories, released in 2012, achieved moderate commercial success; debuting and peaking at number four on the Billboard 200. The album again received mixed reviews from critics. The band's fourth album, Helios, was released in February 2014. The band's compilation album, Through the Years: The Best of the Fray, was released in November 2016.
The Fray's use of the piano as the lead instrument in their music has led critics to compare the band with English piano-driven bands such as Coldplay and Keane. However, the band lists its influences as the Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra, and U2.
Vienna
The Fray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We smile for the casual closure capturing
There goes the downpour
There goes my fare thee well
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
There's so many words that we can say
Spoken upon long-distance melody
This is my hello
This is my goodness
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
Maybe in five or ten
Yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out
Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy
But this is the distance
And this is my game face
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
Is there really no way to reach me?
Am I already gone?
So this is your maverick
And this is Vienna
The Fray's song Vienna is a bittersweet reflection on the complexities of human relationships and the pain that comes with the distance that can arise between loved ones. It begins with the arrival of a train, representing the closing of a chapter in the singer's life, and the conscious decision to let go of someone or something. As the downpour begins, the singer's farewell is captured, and the sense of finality and closure is reinforced.
Throughout the song, the singer laments the difficulty of staying connected over long distances, particularly in the age of digital communication. They express a sense of resignation, acknowledging that there is really no way to reach them because they are already gone. However, they hold out hope for a future reunion, expressing the desire to "straighten this whole thing out" and to be honest with each other without fear.
The song ultimately conveys a sense of melancholy, with the singer accepting the inevitability of separation but longing for connection and honesty. The use of Vienna as a metaphor for this emotional journey highlights the beauty and fragility of life and the relationships that sustain us.
Line by Line Meaning
The day's last one-way ticket train pulls in
The final train of the day has arrived with a one-way ticket
We smile for the casual closure capturing
We put on a happy face to signal the end of something casual
There goes the downpour
The rain has stopped
There goes my fare thee well
I'm saying goodbye
There's really no way to reach me
I'm difficult to communicate with
There's so many words that we can say
There are many things we could express
Spoken upon long-distance melody
Said through a song over a long distance
This is my hello
I'm greeting you
This is my goodness
I'm expressing a positive sentiment
Maybe in five or ten
Perhaps in the near future
Yours and mine will meet again
We will see each other again
Straighten this whole thing out
Resolve this situation
Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy
Perhaps then we won't be afraid of being truthful
But this is the distance
The current separation is a factor
And this is my game face
I'm putting on a facade
Is there really no way to reach me?
Is it truly impossible to contact me?
Am I already gone?
Have I already left?
So this is your maverick
You're a risk taker
And this is Vienna
This is a symbolic city
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Daniel P. Battenhouse, Isaac Slade, Joseph King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wesley34736006
The day's last one-way ticket train pulls in
We smile for the casual closure capturing
There goes the downpour
Here goes my fare thee well
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
Only so many words that we can say
Spoken upon long-distance melody
This is my hello
This is my goodness
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
Maybe in five or ten yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out
Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy
This is the distance
And this is my game face
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
So this is your maverick
This is Vienna
@loverules965
This last one-way ticket train pulls in
We smile for the casual closure capturing
There goes the downpour
Here goes my fare thee well
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
There's only so many words that we could say
Spoken upon long-distance melody.
This is my hello
This is my goodness
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
'Cause I'm already gone
Maybe in five or ten yours and mine will meet again
Straighten this whole thing out.
Maybe then honesty need not be feared as a friend or an enemy
This is the distance
This is my gameface
There's really no way to reach me
There's really no way to reach me
Is there really no way to reach me
Am I already
So this is your Maverick
This is Vienna
@FrankieB
The Fray makes timeless, beautiful, nostalgic and cinematic music. I’ve been listening to this same album for a damn decade. Some it’s depressing. I say it’s familiar and therapeutic. This song in particular clicked for me last year. It’s a story of distance. However it relates to you. For me, my soulmate passed away, and left me broken. This song came on and I felt this in every fiber of my being, it was an outer body experience. It was the soundtrack, the score, and a musically visual representation to his departure. The feeling was captured very well in this piece of art. Beautifully put, the train coming and taking them away. And no way to reach me, or to come back. Just a masterpiece. This song used to make me wanna ball up, and cry. Now it’s very peaceful. Still very therapeutic then and now. Sorry for the story lol I didn’t expect to type this much.
@laurenberrien6591
Even to this day I feel like this song never got the recognition it deserved
@geminifreestyle3697
what upsets me is that spotify pays based on how many plays something gets. i can't listen to this kind of thing or lana del rey all the time because it's too sad. i can't listen to eminem all the time because it's too angry. it doesn't mean that capturing those moods is less important just because i can't listen to them 5 times a day like i could some mindless sonically uplifting 4561 chord progression that a computer can & probably did write.
at least before it was like, you pay the same amount for an upbeat pop or rap song as you do for some existential depressing one, regardless of how many times you listen to each. because the value is equal, the moods are different but one is not worth more than the other. now with streaming services it's like we're financially disincentivizing artistic introspection because slower songs won't get enough plays. analogous to the way youtube disincentivizes the discussion of anything intellectual by demonetizing the terminology.
@chrisdobson2730
I love his vocals and I love piano, this song is a 10/10 to me
@angelinarosiles4877
I agree
@criscalderon9458
I am just hearing about this beautiful song the fray always has bangers 😤🎯💯
@sararaquel4518
Same in 2023. The Fray never got the respect/attention deserved IMO.
@victoriab7177
This song is so depressing, but so beautiful at the same time
@theprettypessimist
I have loved this band since I was little.
@ericalynn8410
me too!