"The Reason" is a song by American rock band Hoobastank. Released on January 26, 2004, as the second single from their second studio album of the same name, the power ballad^[3][4] is Hoobastank's most commercially successful single, peaking at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 2005, it was nominated for two categories at the 47th Grammy Awards: Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.^[5] Internationally, "The Reason" reached number one in Canada and Italy and peaked within the top 10 in 10 other countries.

On March 20, 2004, the song debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 62, becoming that week's "Hot Shot Debut".^[6] It reached its peak of number two after 13 more weeks on the listing, giving the band their highest-charting US single. Though it remained on the chart for 38 issues, it was their last Hot 100 hit.^[7] The single peaked atop the Billboard Adult Top 40, Modern Rock Tracks, and Mainstream Top 40 charts.^[8][9][10] In Canada, it topped Radio & Records' CHR/Pop, Hot AC, and Rock charts.^[11][12][13]

In Europe, "The Reason" reached number one on the Italian Singles Chart and the UK Rock & Metal Chart for two weeks each.^[14][15] On the UK Singles Chart, it debuted and peaked at number 12.^[16] Across the rest of Europe, the track entered the top 10 in Austria,^[17] the Czech Republic,^[18] Greece,^[19] the Netherlands,^[20] Norway,^[21] Sweden,^[22] Switzerland,^[23] and Wallonia.^[24] It was also successful in Oceania, reaching number seven in Australia and number five in New Zealand.^[25][26]

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 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]

Credits are adapted from the US promo CD liner notes and The Reason booklet.^[36][37]

Studios

• Recorded at Bay 7 Studios (Valley Village, Los Angeles) and Sparky Dark Studios (Calabasas, California)
• Strings recorded at Capitol Studios (Hollywood, California)
• Mixed at Image Recording (Hollywood, California)
• Mastered at Precision Mastering (Los Angeles)

Personnel

The song appeared on the PlayStation 2 music video game SingStar.^[87] "The Reason" also appeared in the first episode of the 2023 Netflix comedy-drama series Beef.^[3]