The members of the group met in a music store in Denver – independently, positive coverage from many local media outlets brought them to the attention of Epic Records, who signed them in 2004.

Five singles were released from the album in total: the first two, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and the album's title track, both reached the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 and were certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA);[2][3] the latter also topped the Irish singles chart and reached number 4 in the United Kingdom.

[2][3] It also achieved success in Australia, where it topped the singles chart and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

[8][9] Three further singles – "Never Say Never", a cover of the Kanye West song "Heartless" and "Syndicate" – were also released from the album.

In 2012, The Fray released their third album, named Scars & Stories, inspired by a series of trips they took to Rwanda and Germany.