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Thursday 9 June 2022

Ceremonials Album • Florence + The Machine • 2011 15 songs • 1 hour, 8 minutes

Ceremonials is the second studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 28 October 2011 by Island Records. The band started working on the album in 2010 and finished it in 2011. The standard edition of the album was entirely produced by Paul Epworth, who also worked prominently on the band's debut album Lungs (2009). Ceremonials received generally positive reviews from music critics, who drew comparisons to artists such as Kate Bush, while also praising the instrumentation, Florence Welch's vocals and the production of the songs. It appeared on several year-end critics' lists in late 2011. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the album received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while "Shake It Out" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Ceremonials debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one album. It also debuted at number one in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200, becoming the band's first top-10 album in the United States. It has sold 2 million copies worldwide. Five singles were released from Ceremonials. "What the Water Gave Me" was released on 23 August 2011 as a teaser for the album. "Shake It Out" was released on 30 September 2011 as the album's official lead single, becoming one of the band's most commercially successful singles to date. "No Light, No Light" was released on 16 January 2012 as the second single from the album, and "Never Let Me Go" was released on 30 March 2012. "Spectrum (Say My Name)" was released on 5 July 2012, and fuelled by a remix by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, became Florence and the Machine's first number-one single in the UK. The album's fifth and final single, "Lover to Lover", was released on 30 November 2012. Ceremonials was also promoted by the band by a worldwide tour, the Ceremonials Tour (2011–12). The album's sound is described as gothic pop, baroque pop, art pop, indie pop, neo soul and power pop.

High As Hope Album • Florence + The Machine • 2018 10 songs • 40 minutes

High as Hope is the fourth studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 29 June 2018, by Republic and Virgin EMI Records. It was preceded by the singles "Sky Full of Song" and "Hunger". "Patricia" was released as the third and final single on 10 August 2018. The album was executively produced by Florence Welch herself, along with Emile Haynie. Following How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015), High as Hope features more minimalist, stripped-down productions and explores themes of heartache, loss, family, and finding comfort in loneliness. The album received positive reviews upon release, with music critics lauding Welch's vocal delivery and personal lyricism.

My Favorite Ghosts Album • Florence + The Machine • 2022 11 songs • 43 minutes

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Harder Than Hell Album • Florence + The Machine • 2022 11 songs • 40 minutes

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Dance Fever Album • Florence + The Machine • 2022 14 songs • 47 minutes

Dance Fever is the fifth studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 13 May 2022 by Polydor Records. Work on the album was originally scheduled for early 2020 in New York City; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recording took place in London instead. Frontwoman Florence Welch has cited Iggy Pop as the biggest musical influence on the album which features a variety of styles, ranging from progressive pop to indie pop, disco, and industrial music. The title and concept of Dance Fever originated in Welch's fascination with choreomania, a social phenomenon in early modern Europe that involved groups of people dancing erratically. The album cover was photographed by Autumn de Wilde, who also filmed music videos for the album's four singles: "King", "Heaven Is Here", "My Love" and "Free". Dance Fever debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, making it the band's fourth number-one album in their home country. It also entered the top ten in several other territories and received widespread acclaim from music critics. To promote the album, Florence and the Machine will embark on the Dance Fever Tour of North America, Europe and Oceania.

Monday 6 June 2022

Physical - Olivia Newton-John

"Physical" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her 1981 eleventh studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's lead single on 28 September 1981. The song was produced by John Farrar and written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, who had originally intended to offer it to Rod Stewart. The song had also been offered to Tina Turner by her manager Roger Davies, but when Turner declined, Davies gave the song to Newton-John, another of his clients. "Physical" was an immediate smash hit, shipping two million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Physical" ultimately became Newton-John's biggest hit and cemented her legacy as a pop superstar, a journey that began when she crossed over from her earlier country pop roots. The song's suggestive lyrics, which even caused it to be banned in some markets, helped change Newton-John's longstanding clean-cut image, replacing it with a sexy, assertive persona that was strengthened with follow-up hits such as "Make a Move on Me", "Twist of Fate" and "Soul Kiss".

Yeah! - Usher

"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher. The song is co-written by Sean Garrett, Patrick J. Que Smith, Robert McDowell, LRoc, Ludacris, and Lil Jon, with the latter two as the featured artists for the song, and with Lil Jon also producing the song as well as incorporating crunk and R&B—which he coined as crunk&B—in the song's production. The song was released as the lead single from Usher's fourth studio album Confessions (2004) on January 27, 2004, after Usher was told by Arista Records, his label at the time, to record more tracks for the album. "Yeah!" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 consecutive weeks, before being dethroned by Usher's follow-up single "Burn". "Yeah!" was the longest-running number one single in 2004, subsequently topping the year-end chart on the Hot 100. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song received a similar response in other countries, topping in other twelve charts worldwide. It was certified platinum in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Norway, and received a two-times platinum certification in New Zealand. The song peaked in the top 10 in several year-end charts. An accompanying music video, directed by Mr. X, shows Usher, Ludacris and Lil Jon performing choreography in a club in front of blue laser beams. "Yeah!" won a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards, while being nominated for Record of the Year. The song ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 2000–2009 Decade-end chart. As of September 2013, the song has sold over 4 million copies in the US.

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

"I'm Yours" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released in 2008 as the first single from his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.. The song was originally released on a limited edition EP called Extra Credit as a demo in 2005 to promote his second studio album Mr. A–Z. It was performed in his 2004 and 2005 gigs and already became a crowd favorite before its release. "I'm Yours" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards. "I'm Yours" was a huge commercial success in the United States. The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100; and spent 76 weeks on the chart, breaking the record for the longest charting song on the chart, previously held by LeAnn Rimes' song "How Do I Live" with 69 weeks on the chart; this record has since been broken and is currently held by The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights", which spent 90 weeks on the chart. As of January 2013, it is the tenth best-selling digital song of all time in the US, selling over 6 million downloads, and 12.2 million worldwide. In July 2021, it surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. It remains Mraz's biggest US hit single to date. It was the only song to crack Billboard's top 600 of all time chart despite never cracking the top 5. Mraz first launched the song from the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, at Michele Clark's Sunset Sessions in 2008. He also sang a version on Sesame Street titled "Outdoors" and released a successful remixed version featuring Lil Wayne and Jah Cure.

How Do I Live - LeAnn Rimes

"How Do I Live" is a song written by Diane Warren. It was performed by LeAnn Rimes and the extended version of the song was later featured on her second studio album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs in 1997. It was also performed by Trisha Yearwood, and Yearwood's version was featured in the film Con Air. Both versions were released to radio on May 23, 1997. In the US, Rimes's version peaked at No. 2 for five non-consecutive weeks in late 1997 and early 1998, behind "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John and "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden. It set a record for staying on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 69 weeks, a record it held until "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz set a new record of 76 weeks. The Rimes recording also set the record for the most time in the Billboard Hot 100's top 5 at 25 consecutive weeks and held the record for 19 years (until it was broken in early 2017 by The Chainsmokers' song "Closer"), the record for Billboard Hot 100's top 10 at 32 consecutive weeks (a record surpassed by "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran in 2017). It ranks at No. 6 on Billboard's All Time Top 100, the only single on the top 10 of this list not peaking at No. 1. It has been certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 3 million copies in the United States, the highest certified country single of that time, to be surpassed 12 years later by "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, which has been certified 8× Platinum. Despite only peaking as high as No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart,[6] Rimes' version of "How Do I Live" spent 34 weeks on the chart, ending up as the 6th best selling single of 1998. As of August 2014, the song has sold 710,000 copies in the UK. "How Do I Live" was also covered by F.I.R. (Faye and Real featuring LeAnn Rimes). F.I.R. invited Rimes to record a portion of the song for their third album Flight Tribe in 2006. At the end of the decade Billboard would rank "How Do I Live" as the 12th-most-successful song of the 1990s. In 2014, to commemorate the magazine's 120th anniversary, Billboard reformulated the top Hot 100 songs for each decade, and "How Do I Live" finished as the No. 1 song of the 1990s, despite never reaching the position on the weekly tally. In a retrospective compilation in conjunction with SiriusXM from 2019, Billboard ranked "How Do I Live" second on their list of top performing songs of the decade.

Sunday 5 June 2022

Hey Jude - Beatles, The

"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' first release on their Apple record label and one of the "First Four" singles by Apple's roster of artists, marking the label's public launch. "Hey Jude" was a number-one hit in many countries around the world and became the year's top-selling single in the UK, the US, Australia and Canada. Its nine-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top of the US charts, a record it held for nine years. It has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on music critics' lists of the greatest songs of all time. The writing and recording of "Hey Jude" coincided with a period of upheaval in the Beatles. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's young son Julian, after Lennon had left his wife for the Japanese artist Yoko Ono. The lyrics espouse a positive outlook on a sad situation, while also encouraging "Jude" to pursue his opportunities to find love. After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a coda featuring a "Na-na-na na" refrain that lasts for over four minutes. "Hey Jude" was the first Beatles song to be recorded on eight-track recording equipment. The sessions took place at Trident Studios in central London, midway through the recording of the group's self-titled double album (also known as the "White Album"), and led to an argument between McCartney and George Harrison over the song's guitar part. Ringo Starr later left the band only to return shortly before they filmed the promotional clip for the single. The clip was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and first aired on David Frost's UK television show. Contrasting with the problems afflicting the band, this performance captured the song's theme of optimism and togetherness by featuring the studio audience joining the Beatles as they sang the coda. At over seven minutes in length, "Hey Jude" was the longest single to top the British charts up to that time. Its arrangement and extended coda encouraged many imitative works through to the early 1970s. In 2013, Billboard magazine named it the 10th "biggest" song of all time in terms of chart success.[2] McCartney has continued to perform "Hey Jude" in concert since Lennon's death in 1980, leading audiences in singing the coda. Julian Lennon and McCartney have each bid successfully at auction for items of memorabilia related to the song's creation.

I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas, The

"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth album The E.N.D., produced by French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009, and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100, behind the group's previous single "Boom Boom Pow", making the group one of 11 artists who have occupied the top two positions of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. It reached number one on the US charts and 20 charts worldwide. The song was nominated for Record of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. "I Gotta Feeling" ranked fifth on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade; later it would hold the number 8 spot on Billboard's All-Time chart. The song was also nominated as Song of the Year at the 2009 World Music Awards. In March 2011, it became the first song in digital history to sell over 7 million digital copies in the United States. As of June 2019, "I Gotta Feeling" had over 9 million downloads in the country, and held the record as the most downloaded song on iTunes of all time. This also makes it the highest selling digital as well as non-charity single in the US ever. "I Gotta Feeling" spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running number-one single of 2009. The song was the third most successful song of the decade in Australia, as announced on January 7, 2010.

You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone

"You Light Up My Life" is a ballad written by Joseph Brooks, and originally recorded by Kasey Cisyk for the soundtrack album to the 1977 film of the same title. The song was lip synced in the film by its lead actress, Didi Conn. The best-known cover version of the song is a cover by Debby Boone, the daughter of singer Pat Boone. It held the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks in 1977 and topped Record World magazine's Top 100 Singles Chart for a record 13 weeks.

Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin

"Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife" (German: "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer") is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their 1928 music drama The Threepenny Opera (German: Die Dreigroschenoper). The song has become a popular standard recorded by many artists, including a US and UK number one hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. Dick Hyman recorded an instrumental version in 1955. "Mack the Knife" was introduced to the United States hit parade by Louis Armstrong in 1955, but the song is most closely associated with Bobby Darin, who recorded his version at Fulton Studios on West 40th Street, New York City, on December 19, 1958 for his album That's All (with Tom Dowd engineering the recording). Even though Darin was reluctant to release the song as a single, in 1959 it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Black Singles chart, and earned him two Grammy Awards, for Record of the Year and Best New Artist. It was listed as a Cash Box Top 100 number one single in 1959 for eight weeks. Dick Clark had advised Darin not to record the song because of the perception that, having come from an opera, it would not appeal to the rock and roll audience; he subsequently acknowledged his error. Frank Sinatra, who recorded the song with Quincy Jones on his L.A. Is My Lady album, called Darin's the "definitive" version.

Smooth - Santana

"Smooth" is a collaboration between Latin rock band Santana and Matchbox Twenty vocalist Rob Thomas. The song was written by Itaal Shur and Thomas, produced by Matt Serletic, and sung by Thomas. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks; it was the final number-one hit of the 1990s and the first number-one hit of the 2000s. "Smooth" is the only song to appear on two decade-end Billboard charts. "Smooth" is ranked as the third-most-successful song ever on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs listing. It won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The song reached number one in Canada and the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom.