Call Me When You're Sober

Background and composition

"Call Me When You're Sober" was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo, with production by Dave Fortman. Lee and Balsamo started working on the song during their writing session in Florida; Lee played the music she was working on for the song in her room and Balsamo was working on a very different "heavy riff". Upon hearing his guitar, Lee proposed that they mix both pieces together which led to the conception of "Call Me When You're Sober".

When Lee began writing the song's melody she initially thought that the song wasn't for Evanescence, but she expressed what she wanted to say, felt it was "fresh" for her and Balsamo wrote a "badass" riff to it. She said that when writing the lyrics, she tried to "be completely clear". With it, she felt the need to "say exactly what I was feeling for so long", describing her process of creating music as a form of a therapy that gives her a medium to express the negative things that happened in her life and allows her to "turn something bad into something beautiful".

When the song was first released, it was speculated by the media that it referenced Lee's ex-boyfriend, Seether's singer Shaun Morgan. Initially reluctant to reveal the song's inspiration, Lee later confirmed it in an August 2006 interview after Morgan's announcement that he was being admitted to rehabilitation center to undergo treatment for "combination of substances". She stated: "I think it's impossible to hide how obvious it is. The day that our single hit the airwaves, my ex-boyfriend said he was going into rehab and canceled their tour. ... [The difficulties and breakup] happened sort of after I was out of the spotlight for a while and writing."

Writing the song helped Lee in the process of healing from a "painful ending to a relationship". She explained, That whole thing wasn't a bad relationship, but it was a very bad break-up ... it went on forever. All the while there was a lot of bad business stuff going on ... And what I chose to do was to hide and cower, rather than to stand up for myself. And finally it became too much for me. I was writing at the time, and I had a look at myself and thought, 'This is it, this is what I do every time. I just wallow in sorrow and music and get all weird'. So I decided for once to do something for me as a person, to jump off the cliff and get myself out of this situation. So I ended the relationship, packed some stuff, left Los Angeles and rented a house in Florida. ... And 'Call Me When You're Sober' spilled straight out of me. It was very cathartic. After that I moved to New York.

Release

The song had a limited radio release as the album's first single on July 31, 2006, which was followed by a wider release the following week. Wind-up Records serviced the song to radio in August 2006. It was made available for digital download on September 4, 2006, and a physical release as a single followed on September 25.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Ed Thompson of IGN picked the song as one of the album's highlights. A writer from The Boston Globe deemed the song the album's "hard-charging opening salvo". AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine regarded it as one of the album's three highlights, saying that it has structure, hooks and momentum. In his review of The Open Door for the Hartford Courant, Eric R. Danton observed that Lee was more certain and in charge of the whole album, which he found to be exemplified on the "terse rocker" with an "acerbic message" that is "Call Me When You're Sober". Nicholas Fonseca of Entertainment Weekly called "Call Me When You're Sober" an "angry-goth anthem". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said Lee's "big bodice-ripping voice" is over the top on the song, which suits it. A Billboard writer deemed the song an "anthemic grinder" in which "Lee's vocal is other-worldly and the song's overall impact is strong, however, there's really nothing new going on".

Metal Edge wrote of the track, "fans might be surprised by the R&B-flavoured vocal melody and piano chords that introduce [the song]. But it's not really a stretch once those crunchy guitars kick in, and the soulful chorus breaks new ground for the band without straying from its signature style." The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh praised Lee's vocal performance calling it "terrific", adding that the song "crashes through different styles while remaining diabolically hummable". A writer for Canada.com concluded that Evanescence showed their "staying power" on the "biting single". In his review, Don Kaye of Blabbermouth.net called it a "blunt emotional assessment" and a "huge, dramatic, sweeping number, complete with massive hooks and a powerful, fearless performance from Lee". Bryan Reesman of Metal Hammer said the song highlights Lee's songwriting talents. Kerrang!'s Sam Law deemed the song a "watershed of confidence and catharsis, with the genre-mashing ... emphasising a talent finally unbound", and complimented the "rich backing vocals to an already-luxuriant mix."

"Call Me When You're Sober" was ranked at number 86 on the annual poll Pazz & Jop collected by The Village Voice in 2006. Conversely, it was included in a list of The Most Annoying Songs of 2006 compiled by ABC News. The track was nominated in the category for Favorite Rock Song at the 33rd People's Choice Awards. In 2011, Loudwire journalist Mary Ouellette, placed the song at number two on her list of 10 Best Evanescence Songs. She called it a "perfectly crafted ode to an ex-boyfriend" with an "undeniably addictive melody", and thematically relatable to "anyone who's ever been in a dicey relationship". In 2016, Brittany Porter from AXS listed it at number four on her list of the band's 10 best songs.

Chart performance

On the week ending September 2, 2006, "Call Me When You're Sober" debuted at number 25 and 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs charts, respectively. The following week, it moved to its peak position of number 10 on the Hot 100, becoming the greatest sell gainer for that chart issue, and Evanescence's third top ten single on the chart. It remained on the Hot 100 for a total of 22 weeks, last seen at number 35. Furthermore, the single peaked in the top ten of several other Billboard charts in the US; on the Adult Pop Songs chart it attained the position of six for the week ending of November 11, 2006, and on the Mainstream Top 40 it peaked at number seven for the week ending November 25, 2006. It additionally peaked at numbers four and five on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively. The single ranked at number 77 on the Hot 100 year-end chart for 2006. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 17, 2009, for selling more than one million copies in the US.

Internationally, "Call Me When You're Sober" charted within the top ten in many countries. The song debuted at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart on the chart issue dated September 30, 2006. The following week, it moved to number four, its peak position on the chart; with this feat, the song became the band's fourth top ten and second top five single in the UK. It spent a total of eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart and was last ranked at number 69 on the chart issue dated November 11, 2006. The song ranked at number 139 on the country's year-end chart. On September 21, 2006, it debuted in Italy at its peak position of number three, where it spent an additional week. It charted for six weeks in the country's top ten. Other European countries where the single entered the top ten of the charts include Switzerland, where it peaked at number six, Austria and Finland where it peaked at number seven, and the Netherlands where it peaked at number nine.

In Australia, the song debuted at number five on the ARIA Singles Chart on October 1, 2006, and spent the following week at that same position. It fell to number seven on October 15, 2006, and it spent additional three weeks there. The song was last seen at number 44 on February 4, 2007, having spent a total of 18 weeks in the top 40 of the chart. At the end of 2006, the single emerged as the thirty-second best-selling single on the country's year-end chart. It ranked at number five on the list of most played songs in Australia in 2007. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awarded the single with a gold certification in 2006 for shipment of 35,000 copies in that country. In New Zealand, "Call Me When You're Sober" debuted at number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart on September 18, 2006. It climbed to number four the following week and peaked at number three on the chart issue dated October 2, 2006. It spent a total of 18 weeks in the chart's top thirty, before exiting on January 15, 2007.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Marc Webb and filmed in Hollywood, Los Angeles in July 2006 with a $400,000 budget. The video was inspired by the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood", with Lee calling it a "modern re-imagining" of that story with a "more cool, superhero, rock and roll" protagonist. In an interview with MTV News, Lee talked about the concept behind the clip, noting that with the song's literal lyrics and title, "we felt like the video would have the freedom to go in a less literal direction". Actor Oliver Goodwill plays the Big Bad Wolf. Several real wolves were used when filming the video, accompanied by four trainers. While on set, Lee started having an allergic reaction to the animals but managed to continue performing and petting them. Webb approached her with the idea of doing something akin to a choreography where she would walk down the stairs, surrounded by several female dancers to which Lee agreed. According to footage from the behind-the-scenes clip from the music video, the director also proposed to Lee to straddle her lover in the video, but she, opposed to selling sex, refused, jokingly saying: "You can't blame a guy for trying."

The clip premiered on MTV in the United States on August 7, 2006. It became a hit on MTV's Total Request Live, charting 35 times and topping the countdown nine times. Corey Moss of MTV News concluded that the visual was "an abstract take on somewhat literal lyrics". Kelefa Saneh from The New York Times interpreted the clip as a metaphor, observing how despite being among wolves, Lee does not appear to be intimidated by them. News Limited writer Kathy McCabe felt that Little Red Riding Hood was the "perfect role for the gothrock goddess". Kerrang called it an "unforgettable" music video in which Lee "takes back control from The Big Bad Wolf". The clip for the song was ranked at number ten on VH1's list of Top 40 Videos of 2006. It was nominated in the category for Best International Video by a group at the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards. The clip also received a nomination in the category for Best Video at the 2007 NRJ Music Awards.

Live performances

Evanescence performed "Call Me When You're Sober" during the 2011 Rock in Rio festival on October 2, 2011. On April 11, 2012, the band performed the song at the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Usage in media

In June 2009, "Bring Me to Life", "Call Me When You're Sober" and "Weight of the World" were included in the video game Rock Band as downloadable songs. The following year, the song was also included on the iOS game Rock Band Reloaded. "Call Me When You're Sober" was also used in the Nintendo DS soundtrack for the game Band Hero (2009).

Personnel

Credits are adapted from The Open Door liner notes.