Four | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 November 2014 | |||
Recorded | April–September 2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:33 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
One Direction chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Four | ||||
|
Four (stylized as all caps) is the fourth studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 17 November 2014 by Columbia Records and Syco Music. The album was preceded by two singles, "Steal My Girl" and "Night Changes", both achieving platinum status in the US, and scoring the band their tenth and eleventh UK top-ten hits. The album was also One Direction's last with member Zayn Malik, who announced he was leaving the band on 25 March 2015.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one in 18 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. With Four, One Direction became the first band to have their first four albums debut at number one in the United States. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Four was the sixth best-selling album of 2014, with 3.2 million copies sold worldwide. [3]
On 27 April 2014, it was confirmed that One Direction were working on their fourth studio album. Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne worked on the majority of the album with songwriters Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, and Jamie Scott; Harry Styles and Zayn Malik also co-wrote tracks with Bunetta, Ryan, Scott and producer Johan Carlsson.
The name and cover of the album were announced on 8 September on One Direction's official website, along with a free download of a song called "Fireproof", which was available for 24 hours. [4] "Fireproof" was written by Payne and Tomlinson along with John Ryan, Jamie Scott and Julian Bunetta, who also wrote their single "Story of My Life". [5] In the 24-hour span, 1.1 million downloads were generated. [6] The song was uploaded onto the band's Vevo account on 22 September. [7]
In an interview with Simon Cowell, it was revealed that one of the songs for the album will be titled "18". The song was written by Ed Sheeran, who also wrote "Little Things" and "Moments" for the group. [8] [9] Horan came up with the name of the album, commemorating the fact that it is the band's fourth album and that it has been four years since their formation. [10]
The album was leaked two weeks prior to its release. [11]
The On the Road Again Tour was announced on the Australian breakfast television program Today, where the band gave a pre-recorded interview releasing the details of their return to Australia. It was later announced that the band would also be touring Asia and Africa. The group will be making debuts for some countries, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. On 24 October 2014, the official One Direction site announced several more tour dates, with shows across Europe, the US, and Canada. [12]
The tour began on 7 February 2015 in Sydney, Australia and ended on 31 October 2015 in Sheffield, England. On 19 March 2015, it was announced that group member Zayn Malik would take a break from the tour due to stress. Malik announced his official departure from the group just six days later. The tour grossed $208 million from 80 shows, selling over 2.3 million tickets.
"Steal My Girl" was released as the album's first single on 29 September 2014 worldwide and on 19 October 2014 in the UK. [13] "Night Changes" was then released as the album's second single on 14 November 2014. [14]
There were five promotional singles released on five different days; when fans pre-ordered the album, they received an instant download of the songs. [15] "Ready to Run" was released as the first promotional single on 6 November. [16] "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was released as the second promotional single on 10 November. [17] "18" was released as the third promotional single on 11 November. [18] "Girl Almighty" was released as the fourth promotional single on 12 November. [19] "Fool's Gold" was released as the fifth promotional single on 13 November. [20]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 65/100 [21] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | B− [22] |
Billboard | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New York Daily News | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Irish Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Observer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Daily Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Four received generally positive reviews from music critics. Some argued that the members' songwriting showed signs of maturity, while others claimed the musical content was too similar to the band's previous work. On Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100, the album received a score of 65, which indicates generally favorable reviews.
Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph found "an unlikely comparison to Bruce Springsteen in the quintet's latest offering", and that Four was "hard to dislike: it's cheery, uplifting, high spirited and good fun", but did still say it was "songwriting by numbers". AllMusic's review said it was the group's "fourth well-crafted, packed-with-great-pop-songs album in a row", although did cynically point out the pattern of each of said albums being released just in time for "optimal holiday-season gift-giving". Tshepo Mokoena of The Guardian gave the album a more mixed review of three-stars, again drawing comparisons with Springsteen but with the caveat of being "hardly groundbreaking pop", and Jim Faber of the New York Daily News also gave three stars and praised the group for "confronting their limitations" but at the same time questioned why whilst doing so they spent "so much time looking back with longing", pointed out an apparent "anxiety" and expressed disappointment that whilst Four represents a step forward in their history, it "represents a step back in both sound and sensibility". Andy Gill, writing for The Independent , commented that the album is "a long way from the standard X Factor fare" while praising the songwriting of Tomlinson and Payne. [30]
Kitty Empire, writing for The Guardian , stated that the album "ups the chords a smidgen further" and that the group's "new direction owes a substantial debt to the big guitar pop of the 80s" while also adding that the group's music is "no longer kids' stuff". [31] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote that "One Direction extend their winning streak, with echoes of the 1970s and 1980s" while also commenting that "the vocal duties are divvied up in ways that highlight the singers’ similarities" and that they "have mastered the ancient boy-band art of whispering directly into listeners’ ears". [32] Jamieson Cox of Time wrote that "the album as a whole takes another step towards the stadium-sized rock first suggested by Midnight Memories and "their take on the sound is immaculate: arrangements are grand and spacious, with guitar lines glistening and rhythms cavernous and blooming, and the band’s increasingly distinct vocals — allowed to sparkle via the use of harmony more than ever — at the forefront" while commenting that the album sounds similar to "80s arena anthems in the vein of Journey, Bryan Adams, and Bruce Springsteen. [33] Andrew Unterberger of Spin praised the album's 80's sound while commenting that the songs are "intoxicating, adrenalizing, and undeniably visceral blasts of old-school pop/rock, furthered by the group’s commitment to patently ridiculous lyrics" while ending the review with "the question of whether they can find a permanent safe haven is less certain — if they pretend to be Bon Jovi for long enough, will we forget that they started out as New Kids on the Block? Probably not, but hell, no boy band has ever made it this far and still managed to sell this much and sound this good". [34]
James Reed of the Boston Globe commented that the album "is the first one that doesn’t immediately summon memories of The X Factor and that although "its mix of driving power pop, muscular harmonies, and acoustic alchemy is as manicured as the group’s previous bestsellers", is also "hints at a broader future for the lads". [35] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said that the album "is their best work yet" while comparing the sound to Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, and David Bowie. [36] Writing with Vice , Laura Reineke wrote that "Four is "a focused, genuinely fun pop-rock album, and a sign of truly promising growth that isn't likely to taper off soon" while adding that "it’s smarter lyrically, warmer emotionally, and considerably more cohesive than any of their three previous studio outings". [37]
Less positive reviews came from Chuck Arnold of Billboard magazine and James Rainis of Slant Magazine, both awarding just two-and-a-half stars. The former claimed "One Direction aren't ready to let go of their bubble-gum days", whilst Rainis ended his take by saying "the album's irresistibly obvious choruses, hackneyed sentiments, and puppy-eyed earnestness can come off as endearing when the songwriting is clever enough, but every misstep is, despite the band's efforts to assert more control over their music, a painful reminder of One Direction's status as a manufactured, focus-grouped pop entity." Annie Zaleski, writing for The A.V. Club , wrote that the album lacks "creative urgency" and "is dominated by pastel synth washes and inoffensive whiffs of EDM, as well as midtempo syrupy croons and sonic retreads" while ending her review with "that retreat from distinct personality—something the members possess in spades—is perhaps the most disappointing thing about Four." [38] Ed Power of The Irish Independent commented that the album "falls short of the radical decoupling from the past such ambitions demand" and that "it's a little rugged around the edges yet at the centre is blandly, tiresomely soppy". [39]
The album was placed at number eleven on Cosmopolitan 's list of "The 20 Best Albums of 2014". [40] Jessica Goodman and Ryan Kistobak of The Huffington Post included the album on their list of 2014's best releases, claiming that "2014 will forever be known as the year that we realized One Direction was actually, dare we say, good." Goodman further complimented the album as a "complex, feel-good trip down young love lane". [41] Billboard named Four the best boy band album of the last thirty years, calling it "the absolute standard-bearer for the last decade of pop". [42]
Released on 12 November 2014, the album quickly rose to the top of the UK Albums Chart, with 142,000 copies sold during its first week. The album scored One Direction their third consecutive number one album. [43] Based on UK sales, it was certified Gold by the BPI in its first week, and certified Platinum in its fourth week.
The deluxe edition of Four became the top charted album on iTunes in some 67 countries. [44] [45] In the US, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart on the week ending 23 November 2014, with sales of 387,000. One Direction thus became the first musical group to have each of their first four studio albums debut at No. 1; the Monkees and the Kingston Trio also reached No. 1 with their first four albums but not in the first week of sales. One Direction follows three solo artists who have attained No. 1 status with their first four albums: Britney Spears and DMX in 2003, and Beyoncé in 2011. (In 2013, Beyoncé's fifth album also debuted at No. 1.) [46] Four sold 814,000 copies in the US in 2014, the ninth best-selling album of the year. [47] The album reached its millionth sales mark in the U.S. in August 2015, [48] and has sold 1,016,000 as of October 2015. [49]
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Billboard | Billboard's 200 Greatest Albums of the 2010s | 200 | [50] |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Steal My Girl" |
|
| 3:48 |
2. | "Ready to Run" |
|
| 3:16 |
3. | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" |
|
| 3:49 |
4. | "18" |
|
| 4:08 |
5. | "Girl Almighty" |
|
| 3:21 |
6. | "Fool's Gold" |
|
| 3:31 |
7. | "Night Changes" |
|
| 3:46 |
8. | "No Control" |
|
| 3:19 |
9. | "Fireproof" |
|
| 2:54 |
10. | "Spaces" |
|
| 4:16 |
11. | "Stockholm Syndrome" |
|
| 3:34 |
12. | "Clouds" |
|
| 3:51 |
Total length: | 43:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Change Your Ticket" |
|
| 4:26 |
14. | "Illusion" |
|
| 3:14 |
15. | "Once in a Lifetime" |
|
| 2:38 |
16. | "Act My Age" |
|
| 3:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Steal My Girl" (Big Payno & Afterhrs Pool Party Remix) |
| 5:20 | |
14. | "Steal My Girl" (Acoustic Version) |
|
| 3:47 |
15. | "Story of My Life" (Live from San Siro) |
|
| 4:09 |
Credits taken from Four's liner notes. [57]
One Direction
Additional musicians
Technical
Visuals
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [126] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [127] | Gold | 7,500* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [128] | 3× Platinum | 120,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [129] | Platinum | 98,000 [130] |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [131] | 3× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [132] | Platinum | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [133] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Hungary (MAHASZ) [134] | Gold | 1,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [135] | 3× Platinum | 150,000‡ |
Japan (RIAJ) [136] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Mexico (AMPROFON) [137] | 2× Platinum+Gold | 150,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [138] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Philippines (PARI) [139] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [140] | 2× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [141] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Singapore (RIAS) [142] | Platinum | 10,000* |
South Africa (RISA) [143] | Gold | 20,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [144] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [145] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [146] | 2× Platinum | 600,000* |
United States (RIAA) [147] | Platinum | 1,142,000 [148] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format(s) | Edition(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 17 November 2014 |
| Syco | [149] | |
France | [150] | ||||
Germany | [151] | ||||
Italy | [152] | ||||
United Kingdom | [153] | ||||
United States | Columbia | [154] | |||
Spain | 18 November 2014 | Syco | [155] | ||
Japan | 19 November 2014 | Sony | [156] | ||
United Kingdom | 15 December 2014 | Vinyl | Standard | Syco | [157] |
Believe is the twenty-second studio album by American singer and actress Cher, released on October 22, 1998, by WEA and Warner Bros. Records. Following the commercial disappointment of her previous studio album It's a Man's World (1995), her record company encouraged her to record a dance-oriented album, in order to move into a more mainstream sound. Cher started working on the album in the spring of 1998 with British producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling at the Dreamhouse Studios in London. The album was dedicated to her former husband Sonny Bono, who had died earlier that year.
Hits, is the first greatest hits album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 5 October 1998 in the United Kingdom, and one day later in the United States. The collection included fourteen top 40 hits, including seven American number one songs, spanning from the albums Face Value (1981) through Dance into the Light (1996). One new Collins recording, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", also appeared on the collection and was a popular song on adult contemporary stations. Hits was also the first Phil Collins album to include four songs originally recorded for motion pictures as well as his popular duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover".
Mothership is a compilation album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records and Rhino Entertainment on 12 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 13 November 2007 in the United States. It was released on the same day that Led Zeppelin's entire catalogue became available in digital stores, including the iTunes Store. The cover was designed by artist Shepard Fairey.
Flicker is the debut solo studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan. It was released on 20 October 2017 by Capitol Records. "This Town" was released on 29 September 2016 as the album's lead single, followed by "Slow Hands", "Too Much to Ask", "On the Loose", and "Seeing Blind".
The Very Best of Enya is the second greatest hits album by the Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released on 23 November 2009 by Warner Bros. Records.
Nothing but the Beat is the fifth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, released on 26 August 2011. Released as a double album, the first disc features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop and pop worlds such as Lil Wayne, Taio Cruz, Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Afrojack, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Dev, Timbaland, Jessie J and Sia. Also making appearances are will.i.am, Akon and Ne-Yo, all three of whom previously collaborated with Guetta on his fourth studio album, One Love. In comparison, the second disc features purely instrumental tracks. The album is also Guetta's first album not to feature long-time collaborator Chris Willis on vocals. Critical reviews of the album were mixed.
A Joyful Noise is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Gossip, released on May 11, 2012, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Xenomania founder Brian Higgins.
Take Me Home is the second studio album by British-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 9 November 2012 by Syco Music and Columbia Records. As a follow-up to One Direction's internationally successful debut album Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home was written in groups and has an average of just under five songwriters per track. Largely recorded and composed in Sweden during 2012, Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk, who composed One Direction's hits, "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing", spent six months in Stockholm developing songs for the album, and were able to shape melodies around the members' tones.
Mechanical Bull is the sixth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Australia on September 20, 2013, in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2013, and in North America on September 24, 2013 by RCA Records. In late 2013 the album received a nomination at the 56th Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album.
True is the debut studio album by Swedish electronic music producer Avicii, released on 13 September 2013 by PRMD Music, Lava Records and Sony Music Entertainment's Columbia Records. Avicii said that sonically, the album would move away from his earlier house music sound on previous records by incorporating elements of other genres such as country music. True was preceded by the release of the Aloe Blacc-assisted "Wake Me Up" that featured a rare Marantz Enhanced Digital Stereo audio track and topped several charts around the world, and "You Make Me", which features vocals from Swedish artist Salem Al Fakir.
"Best Song Ever" is a song recorded by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It was released on 22 July 2013 by Syco as the lead single from the group's third studio album, Midnight Memories. The song was written and composed by Wayne Hector, Ed Drewett, Matt Rad, along with the band's regular collaborators Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.
If You Wait is the debut studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar, released on 6 September 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings and Ministry of Sound. Seven singles were released from the album: "Metal & Dust", "Wasting My Young Years", "Strong", "Nightcall", "Hey Now", "Sights" and "If You Wait". The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 33,130 copies.
Midnight Memories is the third studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 25 November 2013 by Columbia Records, Syco Music and Sony Music. It was described as having a "slightly rockier tone" than their previous efforts. The album became the fastest-selling album in Amazon UK history, breaking the record set by their previous release, Take Me Home (2012). It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, making One Direction the first group in history to debut at number one in the US with their first three albums. Despite being released five weeks before the year's end, Midnight Memories nevertheless became the best-selling album of 2013 as listed by the IFPI, with sales of four million copies. The album was supported by four singles: "Best Song Ever", "Story of My Life", the album's title track "Midnight Memories", and "You & I".
5 Seconds of Summer is the debut studio album by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. It was released by Capitol Records on 27 June 2014 in Europe and on 22 July 2014 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The album was supported by four singles: "She Looks So Perfect", "Don't Stop", "Amnesia", and "Good Girls". Musically, the album is rooted in the pop punk, pop rock and power pop genres. Before the album's release, the band was the opening act for One Direction in from 2013-2015 on three of their concert tours. To promote the album, 5 Seconds of Summer embarked on their first global headlining tour, entitled Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour, between May and September 2015.
"Blame" is a song by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris from his fourth studio album, Motion (2014). It was released as the album's third single on 5 September 2014. The song features the vocals of English singer John Newman and is included on the deluxe edition of Newman's second studio album, Revolve. Newman's brother James Newman assisted the artists in writing the song, with Harris serving as the producer.
The Endless River is the fifteenth and final studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released in November 2014 by Parlophone Records in Europe and Columbia Records in the rest of the world. It was the third Pink Floyd album recorded under the leadership of guitarist David Gilmour after the departure of bassist Roger Waters in 1985, and the first following the death of keyboardist Richard Wright in 2008, who appears posthumously.
Motion is the fourth studio album by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris, released on 31 October 2014 by Fly Eye and Columbia Records. The album includes collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Gwen Stefani, John Newman, Tinashe, Big Sean, Alesso, R3hab, Ummet Ozcan, Firebeatz, Hurts, Haim and All About She.
Listen is the sixth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta. It was released on 21 November 2014. It features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop, alternative rock and pop worlds such as Sam Martin, Emeli Sandé, The Script, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Nico & Vinz, Ryan Tedder, Sia, Magic!, Bebe Rexha, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ms. Dynamite, Elliphant, Birdy, Jaymes Young, Sonny Wilson, Vassy, and Skylar Grey. It also features additional production from Guetta's frequent collaborator Giorgio Tuinfort, Avicii, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, Showtek, and Stadiumx among others, with additional writing credits from Austin Bisnow, Jason Evigan, Julie Frost, and The-Dream among others.
Made in the A.M. is the fifth studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released on 13 November 2015 by Columbia Records and Syco Music. This album is also the group's first album following the departure of Zayn Malik, who left the group on 25 March 2015, and the group's last album before they entered their indefinite hiatus in January 2016. The album was preceded by the three singles "Drag Me Down", released on 31 July 2015; "Perfect", released on 16 October 2015 and "History", released on 6 November 2015. These three singles reached the top 10 in a number of national charts.
Illuminate is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. It was released on September 23, 2016, through Island Records. It is a follow-up to his debut album Handwritten (2015). Musically, the album contains music genres pop, rock and blues. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart. It was preceded by the lead single "Treat You Better", which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. This album was supported by the Illuminate World Tour, which began in March 2017.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)