Peak
2
Weeks
38
Score
7,562
Chart Year
2004
The music video for the song was directed by Brett Simon.[27] In it, the band members stage a diversion so they can carry out the elaborate theft of a ruby gem from a pawnshop, but those facts are only clear after enough of the action unfolds: nothing is as it seems. At the beginning of the video, a woman (played by Serbian model Nevena Milicevic)[28] gets hit by a car driven by vocalist Doug Robb. After the "accident", while everyone's attention is diverted, Chris Hesse and Dan Estrin execute the heist. The viewer then realizes that she was in on the operation, as she gets up and rides off with an accomplice on a motorcycle at the end. The presumed owner of the pawnshop displays a look of realization, and the song ends with the band admiring their new acquisition, holding it up to the light and projecting red light-rays onto the ceiling. The accident's "victim" is also present. They then hear police sirens from above, and the video fades out. Their music video "Same Direction" is intended as both a sequel and a prequel to the video for "The Reason" and further details the band mThe music video for the song was directed by Brett Simon.[27] In it, the band members stage a diversion so they can carry out the elaborate theft of a ruby gem from a pawnshop, but those facts are only clear after enough of the action unfolds: nothing is as it seems. At the beginning of the video, a woman (played by Serbian model Nevena Milicevic)[28] gets hit by a car driven by vocalist Doug Robb. After the "accident", while everyone's attention is diverted, Chris Hesse and Dan Estrin execute the heist. The viewer then realizes that she was in on the operation, as she gets up and rides off with an accomplice on a motorcycle at the end. The presumed owner of the pawnshop displays a look of realization, and the song ends with the band admiring their new acquisition, holding it up to the light and projecting red light-rays onto the ceiling. The accident's "victim" is also present. They then hear police sirens from above, and the video fades out. Their music video "Same Direction" is intended as both a sequel and a prequel to the video for "The Reason" and further details the band members' roles, as well as showing the trouble they bring down on themselves from law enforcement.[29] On August 21, 2023, the music video reached one billion views on YouTube.[30]embers' roles, as well as showing the trouble they bring down on themselves from law enforcement.[29] On August 21, 2023, the music video reached one billion views on YouTube.[30]
Hoobastank struck gold with this emotional ballad, which peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, spending 38 weeks on the tally. It also reached the Top 10 on charts worldwide, peaking at #1 in Italy. The romantic lyric finds lead singer Doug Robb confessing to his shortcomings within a relationship. He regrets upsetting his lover with his failings and vows to change. Robb tells her she is "the reason" he is determined to be a better person. Hoobastank released the song as the second single from The Reason on April 26, 2004. After the band dropped the album on December 9, 2003 it originally peaked at #45 on the Billboard 200, but the success of the title track sent the album back into the charts, this time to #3. "The Reason" got a huge boost when it featured in the final episode of Friends on May 6, 2004. Robb admitted to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he wasn't one of the 52.5 million people who tuned in to watch. "I've never seen a single episode of Friends. I just don't watch sitcoms," he said. "The only sitcom I watch is The Simpsons. I rarely watch TV. I got more calls and e-mails about that than a lot of other things that were happening to us that were more impressive. But it was a good way to get the song out to a jillion people." This was Hoobastank's biggest hit by far. Their only other songs to reach the Hot 100 were "Crawling in the Dark" (#68) and "Running Away" (#44). In 2021 "The Reason" found a fresh surge of popularity when it became the soundtrack of choice for TikTok users posting confessional videos. Under the hashtag #NotAPerfectPerson, people admitted to failings and embarrassing moments from their past to the song's opening lyrics, "I'm not a perfect person." Hoobastank uploaded their own video in the #NotAPerfectPerson challenge on January 27, 2021. They posted the clip with the caption: "Realizing 20 years later that you named your band Hoobastank." "The Reason" plays in the first episode of the 2023 Netflix series Beef, garnering new interest in the song. The series soundtrack is loaded with tracks from the '90s and '00s, including "Lonely Day" by System Of A Down and "Drive" by Incubus.
I'm not a perfect person There's many things I wish I didn't do But I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new And the reason is you I'm sorry that I hurt you It's something I must live with everyday And all the pain I put you through I wish that I could take it all away And be the one who catches all your tears That's why I need you to hear I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new And the reason is you And the reason is you And the reason is you And the reason is you I'm not a perfect person I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new And the reason is you I've found a reason to show A side of me you didn't know A reason for all that I do And the reason is you
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 20, 2004 | 62 | 64 |
| 2 | Mar 27, 2004 | 57 | 69 |
| 3 | Apr 3, 2004 | 43 | 83 |
| 4 | Apr 10, 2004 | 31 | 95 |
| 5 | Apr 17, 2004 | 23 | 103 |
| 6 | Apr 24, 2004 | 19 | 107 |
| 7 | May 1, 2004 | 14 | 112 |
| 8 | May 8, 2004 | 13 | 113 |
| 9 | May 15, 2004 | 10 | 116 |
| 10 | May 22, 2004 | 8 | 118 |
| 11 | May 29, 2004 | 5 | 121 |
| 12 | Jun 5, 2004 | 5 | 121 |
| 13 | Jun 12, 2004 | 5 | 121 |
| 14 | Jun 19, 2004 | 2 | 124 |
| 15 | Jun 26, 2004 | 3 | 123 |
| 16 | Jul 3, 2004 | 3 | 123 |
| 17 | Jul 10, 2004 | 4 | 122 |
| 18 | Jul 17, 2004 | 4 | 122 |
| 19 | Jul 24, 2004 | 4 | 122 |
| 20 | Jul 31, 2004 | 7 | 119 |