Album · The Decemberists
The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
The Crane Wife is an album by The Decemberists, released in 2006. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 37 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “O Valencia!”, on 23 lists with a best position of #12.
The Crane Wife, the Decemberists' fourth album, came out in 2006 as the Portland band's first for Capitol, and the jump to a major label didn't sand down a single one of their storybook ambitions. Tucker Martine and Chris Walla produced, and the record is built around two song cycles: the title suite, drawn from a Japanese folk tale, and The Island, which takes its cue from Shakespeare's The Tempest.
That means long, knotty, prog-tinged stretches sitting next to tight indie-rock sprints, with "O Valencia!" the catchiest of the lot and "The Crane Wife 3" and "Sons & Daughters" close behind. Colin Meloy's wife, the Portland artist Carson Ellis, drew the cover, as she has for every one of the band's albums. Public radio listeners voted it the best album of 2006.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from The Crane Wife on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Valencia! | 23 | #12 | – | 2006–2025 | |
| 2 | The Crane Wife 3 | 12 | #121 | – | 2013–2025 | |
| 3 | Sons & Daughters | 2 | #164 | – | 2018–2019 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.