Megalomania (Aqua album)

Last updated
Megalomania
Megalomania2.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 3, 2011 (2011-10-03)
Recorded2010–2011
StudioElectron Studios (Copenhagen)
Genre
Length39:09
Label
Producer
Aqua chronology
Greatest Hits
(2009)
Megalomania
(2011)
Singles from Megalomania
  1. "How R U Doin?"
    Released: March 14, 2011
  2. "Playmate to Jesus"
    Released: September 12, 2011

Megalomania is the third studio album by Danish band Aqua. It was released on October 3, 2011, by Universal Music Group and WaterWorks, over 11 years after the release of their second studio album, Aquarius (2000). The album peaked at number two in Denmark and was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

Contents

Background

After their split in 2001 Aqua announced their comeback on October 26, 2007, during a press conference. During the summer of 2008 Aqua played eight concerts in eight different cities as part of the one day music festival Grøn Koncert in Denmark. On May 25, 2009, they released their first single since 2001, "Back to the 80's" soon followed by the greatest hits album, Greatest Hits . In February 2010 Aqua began working on their third studio album in Thailand. [1] Instead of touring that year, the band focused on writing and producing the album with the desire to create the "world's best pop album". After 18 months of songwriting and more than 100 songs recorded, the band finished the album on July 7, 2011, after 12 months in the studio. [2] [3]

Aqua were originally set to release the album on July 14, 2011, however the release was pushed back to September 5, with the record label citing bad timing. [4] On August 22, Aqua announced that the album would finally be released on October 3. [5]

Music and lyrics

The album shifts from a more bubblegum pop and eurodance style to a more mature electropop and dance-pop. [6] Aqua member René Dif describes the album's differences as "incredible... it's a lot more aggressive and a lot more like full-on party dance music". [7] The word "fuck" is used multiple times in the songs "Like a Robot" and "Sucker for a Superstar", and Dif says that the group was not concerned about it. [7] Despite the explicit content and strong language in some songs, the album was not issued with a Parental Advisory warning, and therefore no edited alternative was made available.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
B.T. Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Ekstra Bladet Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Gaffa Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Jyllands-Posten Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
SoundvenueStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Politiken Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]

Unlike their other albums, reviews for Megalomania were more mixed. [13] [14] A major criticism of the album was for its shift to a more mature album. One of these reviews came from Jon O'Brien of AllMusic, who gave the album two and a half stars out of five, writing: "Unsurprisingly, their previous squeaky, cartoonish pop sound is nowhere to be found on this record which, with its several expletive-laden lyrics and trashy electro production reveals a much more grown-up, if not necessarily mature, new direction. [...] They now sound like every other generic dance-pop outfit out there". [6]

Commercial performance

The album was released physically from September 30, 2011, in Denmark through selected Bilka retail outlets, three days ahead of its scheduled release date. On October 7, 2011, the album debuted at number six, with sales of 1615 copies after only three days of sale. [15] The following week the album peaked at number two selling 2282 copies. [16] On October 17, 2011, the album was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipments of 10,000 copies in Denmark. In its third week on the chart the album fell to number twelve, selling 751 copies. [17] The album fell out of the chart after seven weeks in the top 40. [18] In its final week on the chart, the album charted at number thirty-three with 287 copies sold. [19] According to the band's manager Niclas Anker, the goal was to reach platinum certification for shipments of 20,000 copies. [16] Despite the band's previous success in the United States, the album was not released on any physical or digital format in North America until 2020, when it was finally released on streaming services.

Singles

"How R U Doin?" was released on March 14, 2011, as the lead single from the album. The song peaked at number four in Denmark, and it has since been certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of 15,000 copies in Denmark. [20]

During their 2011 tour the band confirmed that "Like a Robot" would be released as the album's second single in the beginning of July 2011, to coincide with the album release the same month. [21] However, on September 8, 2011, it was announced that "Playmate to Jesus" and "Like a Robot" would be released as two separate singles, with "Like a Robot" being the club single and "Playmate to Jesus" serving as the radio single. Both songs were released on September 12, 2011. The official music video to "Playmate to Jesus" premiered on September 23, 2011. The song debuted at number twenty-six in Denmark. In its second week on the chart, "Playmate to Jesus" reached a peak position of number thirteen. The song has been certified gold in Denmark for being streamed 300,000 times. [22]

On 12 September 2011, "Like a Robot" was released as promotional single. [23]

Track listing

Megalomania track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Playmate to Jesus"
4:46
2."Dirty Little Pop Song"
  • Bjørke
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:49
3."Kill Myself"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Nystrøm
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:29
4."Like a Robot"
  • Secon
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:39
5."Viva Las Vegas"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Brask
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:23
6."No Party Patrol"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Brask
  • Niels Rahr
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:21
7."Come n' Get It"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:24
8."Sucker for a Superstar"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Brask
  • Frederik Thaae
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:19
9."Be My Saviour Tonight"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • N. Rasted
  • Dif
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:17
10."How R U Doin?"
  • Troelsen
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:21
11."If the World Didn't Suck (We Would All Fall Off)"
  • S. Rasted
  • Norreen
  • Brask
  • Thaae
  • Norreen
  • S. Rasted
  • N. Rasted [a]
3:21
Total length:39:09
Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Megalomania
Chart (2011)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [24] 154
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [18] 2
Danish Bit Albums (Hitlisten) [25] 1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Megalomania
Chart (2011)Position
Danish Albums Chart [26] 64

Certifications

Certifications for Megalomania
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [27] Gold10,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release formats for Megalomania
CountryDateFormatLabel
Australia [28] October 3, 2011 Digital download Universal
Denmark [29]
Norway [30]
Sweden [31]
United Kingdom [32]
United States [33] Mercury
Germany [34] October 18, 2011 CD Universal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Dif</span> Danish musician and actor

René Dif is a Danish musician, singer-songwriter, DJ and actor, best known as the male lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian eurodance group Aqua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infernal (Danish band)</span> Danish dance-pop group

Infernal is a dance-pop group from Denmark, consisting of members Lina Rafn and Paw Lagermann. They made their Danish debut in 1997 with the release of the track "Sorti de L'enfer", and went on to international chart success in the 2000s. Their most successful single to date has been "From Paris to Berlin", which charted well in many European countries throughout 2006 and 2007. In addition to the original single, an alternate version was released in the UK titled "From London to Berlin", supporting England in the 2006 Football World Cup.

<i>Aquarius</i> (Aqua album) 2000 studio album by Aqua

Aquarius is the second studio album by Danish–Norwegian band Aqua. The album was released on 28 February 2000 by Universal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua (band)</span> Danish eurodance group

Aqua is a Danish-Norwegian Europop band, best known for their 1997 single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1995 in Copenhagen and achieved international success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band released three albums: Aquarium in 1997, Aquarius in 2000 and Megalomania in 2011. The group sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles, making them the most profitable Danish band ever.

<i>Electric Cabaret</i> 2008 studio album by Infernal

Electric Cabaret is the fourth studio album by the Danish dance-pop duo Infernal. It was released on 11 August 2008 in Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua discography</span>

The discography of Aqua, a Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group, contains three studio albums, two compilation albums, three remix albums and 21 singles.

"Show the World" is a song by the first Danish X Factor winner, Martin. It is the second single off his same-titled debut album, Show the World (2008). It was written by the Danish songwriting and production team of Thomas Troelsen, Remee and Lucas Secon. Martin's singing has been compared to Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Aqua album) 2009 compilation album by Aqua

Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua. The album was released on June 15, 2009, on Universal. Although it is their second greatest hits album, it is the first one to be released internationally, with Cartoon Heroes: The Best of Aqua (2002) only being released in Japan. The compilation was not released on any physical or digital format in North America. Greatest Hits includes digitally remastered versions of sixteen songs from Aqua's two previous studio albums, Aquarium (1997) and Aquarius (2000), and three new songs: "Back to the 80s", "My Mamma Said", and "Live Fast – Die Young". "Back to the 80s" was released as the album's lead single on May 25, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Mamma Said</span> 2009 single by Aqua

"My Mamma Said" is a song by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua. The song was written by members Søren Rasted and Lene Nystrøm, and produced by Rasted, for their second greatest hits album (2009). It was released as the second single from the album, following "Back to the 80's".

<i>Circle Hits the Flame – Best Off...</i> 2002 greatest hits album by Sort Sol

Circle Hits the Flame – Best Off... is the second compilation album by Danish rock band Sort Sol, released on 4 March 2002. The album contains songs from the band's four studio albums released between 1991 and 2002. It also includes the three new songs, "Holler High", "Golden Wonder" and "Circle Hits the Flame". The first two are co-written with Søren Rasted of Aqua-fame. "Circle Hits the Flame" is an English translation of "Når solen stikker af", a song recorded for the Danish radio program Tværs in 1994. The album's release was preceded by the lead single "Holler High" in February 2002. The album peaked at number one in Denmark, and was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for shipments of 50,000 copies.

Daze is a Danish Eurodance band whose 1997 debut album Super Heroes became a double platinum international hit. The band is a trio composed of Lucas Sieber, Jesper Tønnov, and Trine Bix, and their style of "zany" "turbo-pop" music is compared to the Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua. Super Heroes, initially published in Scandinavia by Sony Music, sold 31,000 copies on the release day and was later released in the United States by Columbia Records and in Non-Nordic global territories by Epic Records. Hit singles included "Superhero", "Tamagotchi" and "Toy Boy". In February 1998, Daze won the Danish Grammy Award for Best Dance Album of 1997. The single Superhero was nominated as 1997 Danish hit of the year by G.A.F.F.A. magazine. It was also very famous in Argentina during those years.

<i>Fall from Grace</i> (Infernal album) 2010 studio album by Infernal

Fall from Grace is the fifth studio album by the Danish dance duo Infernal. It was released in Denmark on 27 September 2010. It was preceded by the lead single "Love Is All..." on 10 May 2010. "Love Is All..." peaked at number six on the Danish Singles Chart. The second single, "Alone, Together", was released on 13 September 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How R U Doin?</span> 2011 single by Aqua

"How R U Doin?" is a song by Danish-Norwegian pop group Aqua from their third studio album, Megalomania. It was released as the album's lead single on 14 March 2011. The song peaked at number four in Denmark, becoming the group's tenth top-ten single. It has since been certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for sales of 15,000 copies.

<i>Before the Dinosaurs</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Aura Dione

Before the Dinosaurs is the second studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Aura Dione. The album was released on 4 November 2011 by Universal Music. It was preceded by the lead single, "Geronimo" on 19 September 2011. Upon its release, the album received mixed reviews from most music critics, who compared the singer to Lady Gaga but felt the album was over-produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playmate to Jesus</span> 2011 single by Aqua

"Playmate to Jesus" is a song by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua from their third studio album, Megalomania. The song, which was released in 2011, is about universal love and "what goes around comes around". The song was published the same day as their promotional single, "Like a Robot", which was originally planned to be released in July 2011. Despite the song's positive critical reaction, it only charted in Denmark, becoming the group's second lowest-charting single. The music video, directed by Michael Sauer Christensen and filmed in Lyngby, Denmark, premiered on 22 September 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Like a Robot</span> 2011 song by Aqua

"Like a Robot" is a song from Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua's third studio album, Megalomania. It was released as a promotional single only in Scandinavia and Australia. It was their song single to come with an "explicit language" warning, with band member René Dif playing it down, saying: "There’s a million rappers out there who do that too."

<i>For altid</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Medina

For altid (Forever) is the fourth studio album released by Danish-Chilean electropop singer Medina. It was released in Denmark on 19 September 2011 through Labelmade, A:larm and Universal Music, peaking at number 2 on the Danish Albums Chart. Three singles of this album have peaked at number 1 on the Danish Singles Chart, and the other singles were all in the top ten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lukas Graham</span> Danish pop band

Lukas Graham is a Danish pop band consisting of lead vocalist Lukas Forchhammer, and drummer Mark Falgren. The band released Lukas Graham, their first album, with labels Copenhagen Records and Then We Take The World in 2012. The album peaked at number one on the Danish charts. Their second album was released in 2015 and earned international attention with singles like "Mama Said" and "7 Years", the latter of which topped the singles charts in many major music markets. The self-titled international debut album was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Records on 1 April 2016.

The Storm is a former Danish rock band formed in 2006 by Pernille Rosendahl and Johan Wohlert which are to date the only permanent members of the band.

Fu:el was a Danish boy band consisting of the members Lars Thomsen, Theis Keller, Patrick Hellegård, Tarik Bakir and Martin Bunk. They became known as participants of the third season of the reality show Popstars in the spring of 2003, where the goal was to form a new Danish boyband.

References

  1. "Aqua indspiller nyt album". GAFFA. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  2. "STORHEDSVANVID! Nyt album fra Aqua 3. oktober 2011: 'Megalomania" (in Danish). Universal Music. 29 August 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  3. Aqua - We've reached the last week of recordings for the new album.... Facebook. 5 July 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  4. Treo, Thomas (6 June 2011). "Ekstra Bladet - Aqua udskyder album". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  5. "Releaseplan" (in Danish). Universal Music. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Jon. "Megalomania - Aqua | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 Egging, Kiel (March 2, 2012). Aqua – Still Partyin’ With Barbie And Lovin’ It. Musicfeeds.com. Accessed from 3 May 2013.
  8. Høeg, Henning (3 October 2011). "Aqua på lidt for dybt vand". B.T. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  9. Albrechtsen, Peter (1 October 2011). "Aquas vandskade". Ekstra Bladet . Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  10. Wehding, Signe Bønsvig. "Aqua: Megalomania - Anmeldelse - GAFFA.dk". Gaffa . Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  11. Schütt-Jensen, Kasper (2 October 2011). "Aqua: Megalomania". Jyllands-Posten . Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  12. 1 2 Jensen, Erik (3 October 2011). "Musikanmeldelse af Aquas 'Megalomania': Vellykket popchok". Soundvenue. metroXpress. Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011. Archived from October 24, 2011.
  13. Lundsteen, Caroline Thing (3 October 2011). "Anmeldere: Aqua er en træt kliché" (in Danish). DR . Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  14. Grøn, Tommy (3 October 2011). "Anmelderne: Aqua har lavet et endnu værre nummer end 'Barbie Girl'". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  15. Treo, Thomas (7 October 2011). "Kandis topper - Aqua flopper". Ekstra Bladet . Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  16. 1 2 Treo, Thomas (14 October 2011). "Megaflop af Aqua". Ekstra Bladet . Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  17. Treo, Thomas (21 October 2011). "Aqua i frit fald". Ekstra Bladet . Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Danishcharts.dk – Aqua – Megalomania". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  19. Treo, Thomas (18 November 2011). "Aqua synker dybt". Ekstra Bladet . Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  20. "Certificeringer | ifpi.dk" (in Danish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  21. Sjørvad, Rune Melchior (18 June 2011). "Lene Nystrøm: Knep mig som en robot!". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  22. "Certificeringer | ifpi.dk" (in Danish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  23. "Twitter / @lucasproduction: Aqua"Don't @#*# me like a ..." Twitter . Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  24. "AQUA ARIA chart history (albums to 2023), received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 7 July 2024 via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  25. hitlisten.nu Archived March 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Go to Bit Album. Then, in the box next to the Opdater button, choose Uge 40 - 2011. Then click Opdater. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  26. "Album-Top 100". Hitlisten. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music Control. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09.
  27. "Danish album certifications – Aqua – Megalomania". IFPI Danmark.
  28. "Megalomania by Aqua". iTunes . January 2011.
  29. "Megalomania by Aqua". iTunes . January 2011.
  30. "Megalomania by Aqua". iTunes . January 2011.
  31. "Megalomania av Aqua". iTunes . January 2011.
  32. [ dead link ]
  33. "Megalomania by Aqua". iTunes . January 2011.
  34. "Megalomania". Amazon.de.