A Thousand Different Ways

A Thousand Different Ways is the third studio album by Clay Aiken. The album, which was executive produced by Jaymes Foster, consists of ten covers and four new songs. It was released by RCA on September 19, 2006. The first single was "Without You" and the second, "A Thousand Days."

Writers of the four new songs ("These Open Arms", "Lonely No More", "A Thousand Days" and "Everything I Have") include Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, Jeremy Bose, Aldo Nova, Samuel Waermo, Mimmi Waermo, and Aiken himself. "These Open Arms" previously appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese issue Bon Jovi's 2005 album "Have A Nice Day".

Available only through iTunes as a bonus cut when the complete album is downloaded, is a fifth new song titled "Lover All Alone". Aiken wrote the lyrics and David Foster wrote the music.

"Broken Wings" is the last cut on the album and an original poem written by Erin Taylor was woven throughout the lyrics. The last line of this poem which is also the last line added to the song lyrics became the album title.

Kmart offered for a limited time (as a download) an exclusive bonus recording of If You Don't Know Me by Now.

Sales and chart performance
The album, selling 211,000 units in its first week, made its debut on the Billboard charts at number two on the Billboard 200, number three on Digital Albums and number one on Internet Sales.

The album received RIAA Gold certification on November 2, 2006 and spent 14 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.

Track listing

 * 1) "Right Here Waiting"
 * 2) "Lonely No More"
 * 3) "Without You"
 * 4) "Everytime You Go Away"
 * 5) "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
 * 6) "When I See You Smile"
 * 7) "A Thousand Days"
 * 8) "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
 * 9) "Because You Loved Me"
 * 10) "I Want to Know What Love Is"
 * 11) "These Open Arms"
 * 12) "Here You Come Again"
 * 13) "Everything I Have"
 * 14) "Broken Wings"

Bonus tracks
"Lover All Alone" (iTunes Exclusive; album-only download) "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Kmart Exclusive; limited time download)  

Song notes

 * "Right Here Waiting" Written by: Richard Marx / Produced by: John Fields – 4:20
 * "When I See You Smile" Written by: Diane Warren / Produced by: John Fields – 4:24
 * "Without You" Written by: Thomas Evans, Peter Ham / Produced by: John Fields – 3:36
 * "Lonely No More" Written by: Andreas Carlsson, Samuel Waermo, Mimmi Waermo & Clay Aiken / Produced by: Andreas Carlsson & Samuel Waermo – 3:27
 * "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word" Written by: Elton John & Bernie Taupin / Produced by: Per Magnusson & David Kreuger – 3:43
 * "Everytime You Go Away" Written by: Daryl Hall / Produced by: Adam Anders – 4:08
 * "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" Written by: Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen & Robert John "Mutt" Lange / Produced by: John Fields – 4:00
 * "I Want to Know What Love Is" (guest vocal by Suzie McNeil) Written by: Michael Jones / Produced by: Russ Irwin, Marti Frederiksen & Charlton Pettus – 3:41
 * "These Open Arms" Written by: Jon Bon Jovi & Desmond Child / Produced by: John Fields – 3:27
 * "Because You Loved Me" Written by: Diane Warren / Produced by: Eman – 4:43
 * "Here You Come Again" Written by: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil / Produced by: Adam Anders – 3:32
 * "Everything I Have" (featuring William Joseph on piano) Written by: Jeremy Bose / Produced by: Humberto Gatica – 4:07
 * "A Thousand Days" Written by: Christian Leuzzi, Aldo Nova & Emanuel Olsson / Produced by: John Fields – 4:28
 * "Broken Wings" Written by: Richard Page, John Lang & Steve George / Produced by: Eman – 3:58
 * "Lover All Alone" Written by: Clay Aiken & David Foster, Emanuel Kiriakou / Produced by: Emanuel Kiriakou – 4:57
 * "If You Don't Know Me By Now" Written by: Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff – 3:56

On his 2005 Juke Box Tour, Aiken previewed 3 other songs that did not make the final album cut. "Back For More" was sung at every concert date after its introduction at GMA's Summer Concert Series in 2005. "Tears Run Dry" and "Just You" each got one third of the JBT performance dates.

Personnel

 * Stephen Lu – String arranger and conductor, piano
 * Dorian Crozier – drums
 * Tommy Barbarella – Keyboard
 * Owsley & Greg Suran – Guitar
 * Ken Chastain – Percussion
 * Suzie Katsyama – String contractor
 * Charlie Bisharat – Violin
 * Michele Richards – Violin
 * Matt Funes – Viola
 * Larry Corbett – Cello
 * Jonas Groning – String arranger
 * Henrik Nordenback – Drums, Percussion
 * Sebastian Nyhlund – Electric guitar, Acoustic Guitar
 * Esbjorn Ohrwall – Electric guitar
 * Thomas Blindberg – Bass
 * Fredrik Larsson – Piano
 * Emil Heiling – Background vocals
 * Michael Bland – Drums
 * Jason Scheff – Background Vocals
 * Nikki Hassman – Vocal Production, Background Vocals
 * Rasmus 'Raz' Billie Bahncke – Keyboard & Drum Programming, String arranger
 * Rene Tromborg – Drum Programming
 * Cliff Lin – Drum Programming, Guitars, Assistant Engineer, Editing
 * Rebecca Walker – Background Vocals
 * Jeff Bova – String arranger
 * Jules Chaiken – String conductor
 * Emanuel Kiriakou – Piano, Acoustic & Electric guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Programming
 * Jimi Englund – Drums, Percussion
 * Doug Petty – Hammond B-3
 * Tom Leonard – Background Vocals
 * Russ Irwin – Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
 * Charlton Pettus – Guitars, Bass, Programming
 * Ryan Brown – Drums
 * Quiana Parler – Background Vocals
 * Adam Anders – Keyboards, Guitars, Bass
 * Shawn Pelton – Drums
 * David Foster – String arranger
 * Jeremy Lubbock – String arranger
 * Dean Parks – Guitar
 * Erin Taylor – Additional lyrics, spoken word
 * Morgan Grace – Harmony, Background Vocals

Orchestra

 * Jay Lifton – String orchestration
 * Concertmaster – Marshall Coid, Principal: Dorothy Lawson, Leader: Ralph Farris
 * Violins: Jonathan Dinklage, Cornelius Dufallo, Amy Kauffman, Brian Krinke, Carol Pool, Rob Shaw, Yuri Vodovoz, Marshall Coid
 * Violas: Juna Chung, David Gold, Lara Lynne Hicks, Ralph Farris
 * Cellos: Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf, Erik Friedlander, Dorothy Lawson

Singles

 * 2006 "Without You"
 * 2007 "A Thousand Days"