Body Talk Pt. 1 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 June 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009–2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 30:31 | |||
Label | Konichiwa | |||
Producer |
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Robyn chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Body Talk Pt. 1 | ||||
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Body Talk Pt. 1 is the fifth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn,released on 11 June 2010 by Konichiwa Records. It is the first part of the Body Talk series,which consists of three mini-albums. [1] [2] The only single from the album,"Dancing On My Own",was released on 1 June. Robyn promoted the album with the All Hearts Tour she co-headlined with Kelis. Body Talk Pt. 1 reached number one in Sweden and number four in Denmark and Norway. In the United States,it peaked at number three on Billboard 's Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Following Robyn's career relaunch and "indie" rebrand with the release of her synthpop "breakthrough" Robyn in Sweden in spring 2005,she promoted and toured the record with several subsequent editions and singles globally,taking advantage of the mid-2000s social media explosion to "amass a new 'netroots' fanbase" until the winter of late 2008. [3] Work began on the album in July 2009 in Stockholm with Swedish producer Klas Åhlund,who also served as its executive producer. Returning to recording,Robyn revisited the records she loved and drew inspiration from including Laurie Anderson's Big Science ,Prince's Dirty Mind ,the Knife's Silent Shout ,Janet Jackson's Control ,Technotronic's Pump Up the Jam ,Kate Bush's The Kick Inside ,Black Box's Dreamland and work by Kraftwerk,David Bowie,KLF,TLC,Neneh Cherry,Dr. Alban,Gossip,DJ Mujava,Booka Shade and Gui Boratto. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
In early spring 2010,in an interview with Swedish magazine Bon,Robyn announced that she had plans to release three new albums throughout the year:"I got all these great songs so why not? [...] It's been 5 years since Robyn and I didn't want to wait with a release until they are all recorded,so I decided to start putting them out right away." [9] Robyn told Popjustice journalist Peter Robinson,"It's been a long time since I actually made a record! And I was thinking of how to shorten that time down and Eric,my manager,came up with the idea of what if I just start releasing songs,then I can tour them,then I can make some more songs. We started working like that. I think once it starts it will make more sense –you can just keep releasing stuff without the long breaks." [10] The release of Body Talk Pt. 1 was announced on 6 April 2010,alongside the cover art and track listing. [11] [12] Robyn said that "the songs that are on the first album are simply the first ones that were finished." [10]
In an interview with Pitchfork ,Robyn talked about the main lyrical theme of the album:"The whole album is about being really lonely,but I think it's interesting to put that idea in a club where a lot of people are crammed into a small room." She particularly wrote the song "Dancing On My Own" with that in mind,and continued,"I've been touring so much the last three years and spent a lot of time in clubs just watching people,and it became impossible to not use that lyric—"dancing on my own"—because it's such a beautiful picture." [13] Robyn told Billboard that Body Talk Pt. 1 is "a record about the dancefloor",and elaborated:"It's a really important place for my generation. It's the new church. It's where people go to experience something bigger than themselves." [7] A number of songs on the record were inspired by Robyn's "juvenile" state of mind and her outsider perspective. She said,"I'm always going to be writing about those issues,it's what I'm fascinated by but I also think there's something about the state of mind you find yourself in a lot when you're younger,and you just want to get out of somewhere. You just want to do something. Feel things!" [10] She continued that despite her age,"I'm always going to feel like this person on the outside looking in." [10] Another theme prevalent on the album is "technology versus humanity". [10]
Robyn collaborated with Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp at their studio in Oslo on the song "None of Dem". [7] American producer Diplo produced the song "Dancehall Queen" with Åhlund, which came together during a discussion of Ace of Base: "We were just having fun with that kind of genre music. And the idea of making this song came out of that discussion. It was fun. We really connected on something where music that you might put in one box becomes something else, depending on how you look at it." [14] On the decision to record a dancehall inspired song despite Robyn's nationality she said, "In my world, there are people who have already pushed those boundaries [of crossing styles] forward enough for me to feel comfortable doing a song like 'Dancehall Queen', so it's not a big deal to me." [13] The last song on the album, "Jag vet en dejlig rosa" is a recording of a traditional Swedish folk song, famously recorded by jazz singer Monica Zetterlund. Robyn said, "I always listened to her, and she made this classic jazz album in the 60s [ Waltz for Debby ] with Bill Evans, which was quite a spectacular thing in Sweden at that time. 'Jag vet en dejlig rosa' was one of the songs they did, and when [producer] Klas [Åhlund] and I were in the studio, he bought exactly the same microphone that she recorded that album on. So we got all excited and decided to record the song." [13]
Robyn stated in an interview with Swedish magazine Nöjesguiden that she would release only one official single per Body Talk album. "Fembot", "Dancehall Queen" and "None of Dem" were released to digital outlets as promotional singles on 13 April 2010. [15] [16] [17] "Fembot" and "None of Dem" were initially posted on Robyn's official website in March and April 2010, while "Dancehall Queen" had previously leaked under the title "No Hassle". [18] Due to strong sales and frequent airplay, "Fembot" reached number three on the Swedish Singles Chart and number 10 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. [19] "Dancehall Queen" was the only other song of these three that charted, peaking at number 56 in Sweden for a single week. [20] The official lead single, "Dancing On My Own", was released on 1 June 2010. It became Robyn's first number-one single in Sweden. [21] It reached number three on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the US, and became her fourth UK top-10 entry, peaking at number eight. [22] [23] It also charted in Denmark, Norway, Belgium (Flanders) and Germany. [21]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100 [24] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [25] |
The A.V. Club | B+ [26] |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [27] |
The Guardian | [28] |
NME | 7/10 [29] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10 [30] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [31] |
Rolling Stone | [32] |
Slant Magazine | [33] |
Spin | 8/10 [34] |
Body Talk, Pt. 1 received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 23 reviews. [24] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Capturing the freedom and loneliness of independence, Body Talk, Pt. 1 is a concise set of songs on its own, and an impressive first third of the whole ambitious project." [25] Marc Hogan of Pitchfork raved, "With Body Talk Pt. 1, [...] Robyn doesn't just walk the line between what she has called the 'commercial' and 'tastemaker' realms. She obliterates it. Immaculately produced, fantastically sung, and loaded with memorable choruses, this eight-song effort has plenty to please everyone from post-dubstep crate diggers to teen tweeters—often at the same time." [30] The A.V. Club 's Genevieve Koski opined that it is "an album about aligning your heartbeat with the pulse of strobe lights and basslines, embracing synthetic sounds as a conduit for genuine emotion. Robyn's icy, controlled vocals and cool synth textures are almost alienating in their precision, but there's a beating pulse underneath the dance-bot artifice that captures the celebratory catharsis that can be found on the dance floor." [26] Michael Cragg of musicOMH wrote that with Body Talk Pt. 1, Robyn is "ready to finally take her place at pop's top table of greats." [35]
The Guardian 's Michael Hann commended Robyn for her "defiant independence of spirit and her versatility within the pop idiom". [28] Spin magazine's Jessica Hopper believed that on Body Talk Pt. 1, Robyn "confidently chronicles the heartbreak ('Dancing on My Own') and pleasure ('Dancehall Queen') of epic disco nights like she's ready to rule." [34] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone called the album "near-perfect" and concluded, "Capped with a Swedish folk gem, Body Talk shows a dancehall queen with more than just blonde ambition." [32] Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani commented that "[t]he bulk of the album is comprised of stiff beats and in-your-face bluster that attempt to portray Robyn as more impenetrable machine than flesh-and-blood sweetheart." He added that "it also comes fully loaded with more hooks than your average pop album's entire tracklist." [33] In a review for PopMatters, Jer Fairall expressed particular appreciation for the track "Fembot", and stated that "Body Talk, Pt. 1 shows Robyn working with the same tools that have served pop divas quite well since at least as far back as Madonna, if not earlier." However, he also noted that "[n]ot all of Body Talk, Pt. 1 works", referring to "Dancehall Queen" as "the only real bomb". [31] Luke Lewis of NME called the album "impressive, but thin at eight tracks", while concluding, "Would it not have been better to hold back, and release just one, truly stunning record?" [29] Matthew Horton of BBC Music felt that the album "triggers the sense Robyn's holding something back" and that it "houses so much filler", but nevertheless described "Fembot", "Dancing On My Own" and "Cry When You Get Older" as "scorchingly catchy, and laced with Robyn's familiar cordial of sparkling hook mixed with unutterable poignancy." [36]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do" | Åhlund |
| 4:11 | |
2. | "Fembot" |
| Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:35 |
3. | "Dancing On My Own" |
|
|
| 4:49 |
4. | "Cry When You Get Older" |
|
| Åhlund | 3:35 |
5. | "Dancehall Queen" | Åhlund | Åhlund |
| 3:39 |
6. | "None of Dem" (featuring Röyksopp) | Robyn | Röyksopp | 5:13 | |
7. | "Hang with Me" (acoustic version) | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:18 |
8. | "Jag vet en dejlig rosa" | Traditional | Traditional | Åhlund | 2:11 |
Total length: | 30:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Dancing On My Own" (radio version) | 4:13 |
Total length: | 34:44 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Dancing On My Own" (PMS remix) | 3:12 |
Total length: | 33:43 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Body Talk Pt. 1. [39]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [58] | Gold | 15,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [59] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ireland | 11 June 2010 | [60] | ||
United Kingdom | 14 June 2010 | [61] | ||
Denmark | Konichiwa | [62] | ||
Finland | ||||
Norway | ||||
Sweden | ||||
United States | 15 June 2010 |
| [63] | |
Germany | 18 June 2010 | Ministry of Sound | [64] | |
Australia | Modular | [65] | ||
New Zealand |
Robin Miriam Carlsson, known as Robyn, is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Her 1995 debut album Robyn Is Here produced two Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles: "Do You Know " and "Show Me Love". Her second and third albums, My Truth (1999) and Don't Stop the Music (2002), were released in Sweden.
Robyn is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn. It was originally released in 2005 in Sweden and Norway only by Konichiwa Records. It was later released in other territories throughout 2007 and 2008. The album represented a departure from Robyn's previous urban and R&B musical style, and explored synth-pop and dance-pop music, with inspirations from electronic duo The Knife and rock band Teddybears. It also marks Robyn's first album release on her own record label, Konichiwa Records, which she founded in 2005.
Swedish pop singer Robyn has released eight studio albums, one compilation album, six extended plays, 50 singles, nine promotional singles, and 45 music videos.
Senior is the fourth studio album by Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp. It was released on 8 September 2010 by Wall of Sound. Consisting of instrumental tracks only, the album is described as more introspective and withdrawn than its predecessor, Junior (2009). The final track on the CD version, "A Long, Long Way", also includes the hidden track "The Final Day", which is available as a separate track on the iTunes Store.
"Fembot" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her fifth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010). The song was written by Robyn and Klas Åhlund, and produced by the latter. It was inspired by Robyn's personal experience of entering her thirties and contemplating children. With the song, she also argues against the notion that humans and robots are separate, explaining that technology has become more organic. "Fembot" is a song with an R&B vibe, and features Robyn rapping several double entendres in the verses, while proclaiming that "Fembots have feelings too" in the chorus. The song was released on 13 April 2010 as one of three promotional singles before the album's release.
"Dancing on My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010), the first in her Body Talk series. "Dancing on My Own" was produced by Patrik Berger, co-produced by Robyn, and mixed by Niklas Flyckt, with Robyn and Patrik sharing writing credits. The song's stark mid-tempo electropop version from her album was the first version of the single released followed by a layered mid-tempo synth-pop edit designed for radio and a downtempo piano ballad recording for Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 5 later that year. It depicts a female protagonist in a crowded club just before last call who is dancing on her own while watching her ex-boyfriend who she sought out dancing with and embracing another woman, pondering confronting him for the last time before her time runs out. The song was inspired by situations Robyn observed while on her previous tour then clubbing throughout Stockholm, her favorite "inherently sad gay disco anthems", and the dissolution of her engagement.
The All Hearts Tour was a joint concert tour by American R&B singer Kelis and Swedish pop singer Robyn in support of their albums Flesh Tone and Body Talk Pt. 1, respectively. The announcement for the tour was unique in that the duo announced the tour over Twitter in the form of a conversation between the two.
Body Talk Pt. 2 is the sixth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn, released on 6 September 2010 by Konichiwa Records. The album is the second part of the Body Talk trilogy, which consists of three mini-albums, all released during 2010. Robyn started working on songs for the album when Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010) was still in development, and she collaborated with Klas Åhlund, Kleerup, Savage Skulls, Diplo and Snoop Dogg. Musically, the songs on Body Talk Pt. 2 are upbeat and a mixture between electro, house, hip hop and disco.
"Hang with Me" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her sixth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 2 (2010). It was released as the album's lead single via digital download on 16 August 2010, in Sweden, and one day later in the United States. An acoustic version of the song had previously been included on Body Talk Pt. 1, in June 2010. The song was written and produced by Klas Åhlund, who wrote it for Swedish singer Paola Bruna who originally recorded it in 2002. Åhlund re-wrote it, added a chorus and made it more uptempo for Robyn's version. The electropop song carries a club beat, with synth arpeggios and energetic bass. Lyrically, it speaks of falling in love and being scared, and trust in a relationship.
"Indestructible" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her seventh studio album Body Talk (2010). The song was written by Robyn and Klas Åhlund, and produced by Åhlund. It was released as the lead single from Body Talk on 1 November 2010 in Sweden and one day later in the United States. The song was previously heard, in an acoustic form, as the final track on Body Talk Pt. 2, released in September 2010. The song was one of the first to be recorded for the Body Talk series, but Robyn saved it for later to give it a chance of becoming a single.
Body Talk is the seventh studio album by Swedish singer Robyn, released on 22 November 2010 by Konichiwa Records. Robyn first announced in early 2010 that she would release three mini-albums throughout the course of 2010. However, it was later announced that a full-length album would be released instead of a third mini-album. The first two mini-albums of what was dubbed the Body Talk series, Body Talk Pt. 1 and Body Talk Pt. 2, were released in June and September 2010. While being a separate studio album in its own right, the full-length release also serves as a compilation album, containing the "best songs" from the first two entries in the Body Talk series in addition to five new songs. In certain territories, the new songs were also available separately as an extended play released the same day, titled Body Talk Pt. 3. The four songs and two acoustic versions from the project that were excluded from the original track listing were later included on the German iTunes and 2019 Record Store Day vinyl versions of the album.
The Body Talk Tour is a concert tour by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn. The tour was announced in conjunction with the release of her sixth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 2. Previously, Robyn toured the United States in the summer of 2010 with the All Hearts Tour. The tour began on October 7, 2010.
"Dancehall Queen" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her fifth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 1 (2010). The song was written by Klas Åhlund, who produced it with disc jockey Diplo. The initial writing and production of the song arose from a discussion by Robyn, Diplo and Åhlund about Ace of Base. The song features a dancehall and reggae-infused sound with 1980s synths and bass. It was released as a promotional single before the album was launched in April 2010.
"Call Your Girlfriend" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her seventh studio album, Body Talk (2010). It was released as the album's second single on 1 April 2011. The song was written by Robyn, Klas Åhlund and Alexander Kronlund. Åhlund handled production, with assistance by Billboard. In the song, Robyn portrays a woman who begs her new partner to break up with an old girlfriend, and advises on how to do it gently. "Call Your Girlfriend" is an electropop ballad with synths and a buzzing rhythm.
Do It Again is an extended play (EP) by Norwegian electronic music duo Röyksopp and Swedish singer Robyn, released on 23 May 2014 by Dog Triumph. The EP coincides with Röyksopp and Robyn's joint tour, the Röyksopp & Robyn Do It Again Tour 2014, featuring shows in Europe and North America. Following her Body Talk Tour, Robyn travelled to Bergen, Norway, where she began working on new music with Röyksopp in early 2013, having previously collaborated with the duo on the songs "The Girl and the Robot" (2009) and "None of Dem" (2010).
Queen of the Clouds is the debut studio album by Swedish singer Tove Lo, released on 24 September 2014 by Island Records. The album follows her first extended play Truth Serum (2014) and includes the successful singles "Habits " and "Talking Body". Lo worked with several writers and producers such as The Struts, Klas Åhlund, Alexander Kronlund, Alx Reuterskiöld, and Captain Cuts. Musically, Queen of the Clouds is primarily a electropop, dance-pop and synth-pop record. Lyrically, the album's themes center on the stages of a relationship, including passion, love and break-ups.
"Missing U" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 1 August 2018 as the lead single from her eighth studio album, Honey (2018). It serves as her first solo single in eight years. The song premiered on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio 1. The single was preceded by a seven-minute short video used to promote the single.
Honey is the eighth studio album by Swedish singer Robyn, and her first since Body Talk (2010). It was released on 26 October 2018 through Konichiwa, Island and Interscope Records. It features the singles "Missing U", "Honey", "Ever Again", "Beach 2k20", and "Baby Forgive Me". The song "Send to Robin Immediately" also served as part of the promotional campaign for the singer's clothing line collaboration with Björn Borg.
"Honey" is a mid-tempo house-pop and alternative-pop song with techno influences by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 26 September 2018 as the second single from her eighth studio album of the same name. "Honey" is produced by Joseph Mount of Metronomy, co-produced and co-written by Robyn and her frequent collaborators Klas Åhlund and Markus Jägerstedt, and mixed by the late Phillip Zdar of Cassius. The song's premiere on 21 May 2018 during her surprise DJ set at ADVENTURE[s]' Robyn-themed pop-up club series' 'This Party is Killing You' at the Brooklyn Bowl resolved rampant social media speculation surrounding her team's arduous editing of it over a year after an early demo of the song, a drastically divergent version sonically, was partially used on 16 April 2017 on the series finale of HBO comedy-drama Girls (2012-2017) then a recording of that audio was taken off SoundCloud. Robyn's self-described "white whale", the song took over four years in total from its conception to complete, the longest in her career.
The Honey Tour is an international concert tour by Swedish singer Robyn, which supports her eighth studio album Honey (2018). The tour started on February 5, 2019, in Stavanger, Norway and concluded on October 15, 2019, in Irving, United States. It is the singer's first headlining tour since the Body Talk Tour (2010–11).
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