Floored is the second studio album by American rock bandSugar Ray, released on June 24, 1997. It includes the hit song "Fly", and another moderately successful single, "RPM". Two versions of "Fly" are found on the album, one of them featuring reggae artist Super Cat.
Recording
The pop rock single "Fly" originated late in the recording sessions. Prior to coming up with the song, the band feared they were going to be dropped from Atlantic Records, due to the lack of success of their 1995 debut Lemonade and Brownies. Early in the writing process of Floored, singer Mark McGrath pushed for the band to make more scream-oriented metal songs in the style of Korn, which conflicted with the other members of the band, who preferred melody-driven music. Disagreements over the direction of the album's sound led to McGrath storming out of an October 1996 practice session in New York City.
Musical style
Floored features elements of heavy metal, funk, reggae, pop, punk, ska and hip hop. The Los Angeles Times believed the album derived influence from Korn, Rage Against the Machine and the Vandals. Due to the massive amounts of strong language in the songs "Cash" and "American Pig", some copies of the album contain the "Parental Advisory" label. It contains the early label that can be peeled off the case. It is their last album to do so and their last heavy album before they moved toward a more pop friendly approach.
Reception
Floored went to number 12 on the Billboard 200 on August 30, 1997. Floored song "Fly" was extremely popular; it went to number 1 on the Radio Songs chart, number 1 on the Pop Songs chart, and number 1 on the Alternative Songs chart. "Fly" was on the Radio Songs chart for 59 weeks. In September 1997, 510,000 copies of Floored were sold. In December 1997, 1,200,000 copies of Floored were sold. In February 1998, Floored was certified 2x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 2,000,000 copies in the United States. Robert Christgau gave the album a B-, writing, " the nearest thing to a fresh young rock band the market or the 'underground' has kicked up this year." The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Sugar Ray has a knack for catchy borrowing and for hard-rock crunch colored by pop hooks and a deejay's deft scratch effects. The single 'Fly' is a perfect summer confection that's as irresistible as it is lightweight." AllMusic wrote that "Sugar Ray's second album, Floored, is a noticeable improvement from Lemonade and Brownies. The group's fusion of metal, funk, reggae, and rap is seamless and confident, partially because Sugar Ray now emphasize the groove, not the guitars. The group still has difficulty writing a consistent batch of songs, but its hooks are stronger than ever."
