Megalomania | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 October 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
Studio | Electron Studios (Copenhagen) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:09 | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer |
| |||
Aqua chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Megalomania | ||||
|
Megalomania is the third and most recent studio album by Danish band Aqua. It was released on 3 October 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).
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 25 May 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 7 July 2011, after 12 months in the studio. [2] [3]
Aqua were originally set to release the album on 14 July 2011, however the release was pushed back to 5 September with the record label citing bad timing. [4] On 22 August, Aqua announced that the album would finally be released on 3 October. [5]
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.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
B.T. | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Ekstra Bladet | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Gaffa | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jyllands-Posten | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Soundvenue | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Politiken | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
On 7 October 2011, the album debuted at number six, with sales of 1,615 copies after only three days of sale. [15] The following week the album peaked at number two selling 2,282 copies. [16] On 17 October 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.
"How R U Doin?" was released on 14 March 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 8 September 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 12 September 2011. The official music video to "Playmate to Jesus" premiered on 23 September 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]
"Like a Robot" was released as the third single in January 2012.. [23]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Playmate to Jesus" |
| 4:46 | |
2. | "Dirty Little Pop Song" |
|
| 3:49 |
3. | "Kill Myself" |
|
| 3:29 |
4. | "Like a Robot" |
|
| 3:39 |
5. | "Viva Las Vegas" |
|
| 3:23 |
6. | "No Party Patrol" |
|
| 3:21 |
7. | "Come n' Get It" |
|
| 3:24 |
8. | "Sucker for a Superstar" |
|
| 3:19 |
9. | "Be My Saviour Tonight" |
|
| 3:17 |
10. | "How R U Doin?" |
|
| 3:21 |
11. | "If the World Didn't Suck (We Would All Fall Off)" |
|
| 3:21 |
Total length: | 39:09 |
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [24] | 154 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [18] | 2 |
Danish Bit Albums (Hitlisten) [25] | 1 |
Chart (2011) | Position |
---|---|
Danish Albums Chart [26] | 64 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [27] | Gold | 10,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
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 |
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.
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.
Aquarius is the second studio album by Danish–Norwegian band Aqua. The album was released on 28 February 2000 by Universal.
Aqua is a Danish 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.
Electric Cabaret is the fourth studio album by the Danish dance-pop duo Infernal. It was released on 11 August 2008 in Denmark.
The discography of Aqua, a Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group, contains three studio albums, two compilation albums, three remix albums and 22 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.
Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua. The album was released on 15 June 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 25 May 2009.
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.
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.
"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.
Oh Land is the second studio album by Danish singer Oh Land, released on 14 March 2011 by Fake Diamond Records, Epic Records, and A:larm Music. Before moving to Brooklyn in 2010, she met with a representative from Epic Records at a SXSW event and was eventually signed to the label in 2009. She began working on the album, collaborating with musicians like Jimmy Harry, Dan Carey, and Lester Mendez. A digital extended play titled Oh Land EP was released in October 2010, featuring five songs that would later appear on the parent album.
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.
"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". 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.
"Like a Robot" is a song from Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua's third studio album, Megalomania. Initially released as a promotional single on 5 November 2011 producer Lucas Secon reported that "Like a Robot" would be released as the album's international lead single. and was released in Australia and New Zealand in January 2012. 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."
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.
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.