Album · David Gray
White Ladder by David Gray
White Ladder is an album by David Gray, released in 1998. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 67 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Babylon”, on 43 lists with a best position of #3.
White Ladder, David Gray's fourth album, first slipped out in November 1998 on his own IHT label and went nowhere. Then Dave Matthews' ATO Records picked it up and put it back out on 24 April 2000, and the slow climb began: it finally reached number one in Britain on 5 August 2001, and then it simply refused to leave, charting for close to three years.
Made with producer Iestyn Polson, it's intimate folk rock built around Gray's raw, keening voice. "Babylon" was the spark that lit it and carried Gray around the world, with "This Year's Love", "Please Forgive Me", "Sail Away" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" following it out as singles. It has sold more than seven million copies worldwide, and Ireland made it the country's all-time best seller.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from White Ladder on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babylon | 43 | #3 | – | 2000–2026 | |
| 2 | Please Forgive Me | 11 | #21 | – | 2001–2026 | |
| 3 | Sail Away | 13 | #200 | – | 2001–2022 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.