Shades of Purple | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 March 2000 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 51:07 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer |
| |||
M2M chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Shades of Purple | ||||
|
Shades of Purple is the debut studio album by Norwegian pop duo M2M. It was released in the US on 7 March 2000 by Atlantic Records. It reached No. 7 in Norway,No. 89 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the US Top Heatseekers chart. The single "Don't Say You Love Me",which had already been released as the lead single of the Pokémon:The First Movie soundtrack in October 1999,appears on the album. A further two singles,"Mirror Mirror" and "Everything You Do" were released throughout 2000.
The album received a positive critical response. Robert Christgau gave the album an 'A−',praising the duo's singing. Michael Paoletta from Billboard said it was "poised to be the soundtrack of spring/summer 2000." Shades of Purple sold over 1.5 million units worldwide and was nominated for best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.
Marion Raven and Marit Larsen come from Lørenskog in the district east of Oslo. [3] They became friends at age five,and formed their own band when they were eight. [4] They released a children's album,Synger Kjente Barnesanger,under the band name "Marit &Marion",which was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award [3] when they were both 12 years old. [5] They continued writing pop songs and sent demo recordings out. One of the demos ended up at Atlantic Records and they were signed to a worldwide contract in 1998, [6] after which they shortened their name to M2M,which reflects the initials of both their first names. [4]
The album was recorded in London,Sweden and New York, [3] when Raven was 14 and Larsen was 15. [7] Raven and Larsen co-wrote most of the songs on the album. [8] "Girl in Your Dreams" was the first song Raven had ever written. [8] She wrote it when she was 13 about a boy she liked that was not interested in her. [9] The pair wrote over 30 songs in anticipation of recording;16 of these were recorded,and 13 made it onto the US version of the album. One of the unreleased songs,"The Feeling is Gone",was released as a B-side on the European [10] and Japanese [11] single versions of "Don't Say You Love Me",and also appears on the Australian version of the album. [12]
The track "Our Song" uses the chorus of the Bee Gees' hit single "Too Much Heaven" as its own chorus. [13] [10] Raven and Larsen had previously been unaware of "Too Much Heaven";the chorus was added at the suggestion of their producer. [10] When questioned about the album title,M2M replied that purple was their favourite colour and they wanted "a title that expressed that the album is us and through our eyes." [10]
The album was released in both Europe and Asia in mid-February 2000 [1] and the US on 7 March. [1] It had been released worldwide by the end of March,except in Sweden where a shipment of 20,000 copies was delayed for at least four weeks due to a legal dispute with a local band there that also used the name "M2M". [14]
In December 1999 Warner Music Group,which owns Atlantic Records,stated they expected to sell at least five to six million copies of Shades of Purple. [15] Sales had exceeded one million by September 2000,though investors were disappointed as they had not yet recuperated the amount they had spent promoting the duo;they expected to break even before the end of the year. [16] The album sold 107,000 units in its opening week in the US,debuting at number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 89 on the US Billboard 200,staying on the chart for sixteen weeks. [17] and had sold 268,000 units there by March 2002. [18] Worldwide sales of the album exceeded 1.5 million by January 2002. [19]
Beginning in August 1999,M2M toured and performed extensively to promote their debut single "Don't Say You Love Me",performing several concerts in the US [20] and throughout Asia, [21] as well as appearing on an episode of the show One World , [22] and performing at Walt Disney World in February 2000. [23] M2M continued to keep a high profile following the release of Shades of Purple,appearing on Top of the Pops in March 2000 [24] [25] embarking on a tour of US high schools [26] and touring with Hanson in September. [16]
"Don't Say You Love Me" was released in October 1999 as the lead song from the Pokémon:The First Movie soundtrack. [27] There was a minor lyric change between the versions,as the original version contained the lyrics "then you start kissing me",which was deemed inappropriate for Pokémon's young viewers and was changed to "then you said you love me". The original version was retained on Shades of Purple. [10] Promoted by a "nonstop marketing effort",advanced airing on Radio Disney and the affiliation with Pokémon,the single was successful. [20] It charted at No. 2 in Norway,No. 4 in both Australia and New Zealand, [28] No. 16 in the UK [29] and No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. [30] It was certified gold in both Australia [31] and the US, [32] and was nominated for the year's best song at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards. [33]
The second single from the album was '"Mirror Mirror",which reached No. 30 in Australia, [34] No. 13 in Canada and No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. [30] It was certified gold in the US. [35] The album's final single was "Everything You Do",which reached No. 21 on the US Hot Dance Singles Sales. [30] Additionally a music video,directed by Tryan George,was filmed in Norway for the song "The Day You Went Away", [36] which was released as a promotion single in Mexico. [37] All of the singles on the album appeared on M2M's 2003 best-of album The Day You Went Away:The Best of M2M . [38]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [39] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [40] |
Rolling Stone | [41] |
The Village Voice | A− [42] |
The album received critical acclaim. The Village Voice 's Robert Christgau stated that "even when the writing is ordinary,the quality teenpop,some assembly-line and some personalized,is transfigured by the duo's singing." [42] Entertainment Weekly critic Arion Berger wrote that M2M's "precise Euro-dance pop is fun,fun,fun,and behind the lip gloss is enough insecurity to charm." [40] Heather Phares from AllMusic said "Overall,Shades of Purple is a strong debut from a young group that still sounds fresh and innocent ... something of a rarity in teen pop." [39] Michael Paoletta from Billboard gave a favourable review,saying "The 13 tracks on display here showcase a seasoned singing style that is,quite frankly,the antithesis of teen sensations like Britney Spears",concluding "Beautifully sun-kissed,Shades of Purple is poised to be the soundtrack of spring/summer 2000." [13] The album was nominated for the best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards. [33]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Say You Love Me" |
|
| 3:46 |
2. | "The Day You Went Away" |
|
| 3:43 |
3. | "Girl in Your Dreams" | Raven | Rowe | 3:31 |
4. | "Mirror Mirror" |
|
| 3:21 |
5. | "Pretty Boy" |
|
| 4:40 |
6. | "Give a Little Love" |
|
| 3:59 |
7. | "Everything You Do" |
|
| 4:02 |
8. | "Don't Mess with My Love" |
| Bralower | 3:44 |
9. | "Dear Diary" |
| Bralower | 3:58 |
10. | "Do You Know What You Want" |
| Full Force | 4:06 |
11. | "Smiling Face" |
| Rowe | 4:15 |
12. | "Our Song" |
| Jazayeri, Mather | 3:54 |
13. | "Why" |
| Bralower | 4:20 |
Total length: | 51:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "The Feeling Is Gone" |
| Rowe | 3:14 |
Total length: | 54:21 |
Credits are taken from AllMusic. [2] Writers and producers are mentioned in track listing.
M2M | Additional musicians | Production | Artwork and management |
---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [43] | 63 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [44] | 97 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [45] | 7 |
US Billboard 200 [30] | 89 |
US Top Heatseekers [30] | 1 |
a-ha is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen, and Morten Harket, the band rose to fame during the mid-1980s.
Röyksopp are a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland who formed Röyksopp during the Bergen Wave. After experimenting with different genres of electronic music, the band solidified their place in the electronica scene with their 2001 debut album, Melody A.M., released on the Wall of Sound record label.
Briskeby is an electropop band from Larvik, Norway. Bjørn Bergene, Claus Heiberg Larsen and Bård Helgeland are from Larvik, while Lise Karlsnes is from Tønsberg.
Madrugada is a Norwegian alternative rock band formed in the town of Stokmarknes in 1993. Its key members have included Sivert Høyem (vocals), Robert Burås (guitar), and Frode Jacobsen (bass). After Burås' death on 12 July 2007, Høyem and Jacobsen decided to finish recording what was to be their final album in the original lineup. On 21 January 2008, the band released Madrugada and announced that they would split after one last tour. They performed their final concert on 15 November 2008.
Marion Elise Ravn, better known as Marion Raven, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. Raven formed the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen, though they ceased performing together in 2002. Raven was later signed as a solo artist by Atlantic Records with the release of her solo debut album, Here I Am in 2005. In 2006, Raven was signed to the indie record label, Eleven Seven, and in 2007 re-released the songs on her debut album along with a few new songs on an album titled Set Me Free. In 2012, Raven began production of her second album, Songs from a Blackbird, which was released in Norway on 8 April 2013.
Marit Elisabeth Larsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She began playing violin aged five and played it until the age of eight. She gained international fame during her teenage years as a member of the pop duo M2M with childhood friend Marion Raven. She then pursued her own music career, releasing her debut solo album Under the Surface in 2006. Her second album, The Chase, was released in Norway in October 2008. Her third album, titled Spark was released in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland on 18 November 2011, and in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on 16 December 2011. Her fourth studio album When the Morning Comes was released on 20 October 2014. Larsen toured in its support within Norway with her own concerts, played songs from the album in Germany and Switzerland at public festivals and was the opening act at two of Johannes Oerding's concerts in November 2015.
M2M were a Norwegian pop duo comprising Marit Larsen and Marion Raven. Larsen and Raven had been friends since the age of five, and formed a music duo when they were eight. They released a children's album in 1996 when Larsen was 12 and Raven was 11, under the name "Marit & Marion". The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award and the band changed their name to M2M after signing a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1998. M2M were frequently praised for writing most of their songs and performing their own instruments, something which was considered to set them aside from the majority of teen pop music artists.
"Too Much Heaven" is a song by the Bee Gees, which was the band's contribution to the "Music for UNICEF" fund. They performed it at the Music for UNICEF Concert on 9 January 1979. The song later found its way to the group's thirteenth original album, Spirits Having Flown. It hit No. 1 in both the US and Canada. In the United States, the song was the first single out of three from the album to interrupt a song's stay at #1. "Too Much Heaven" knocked "Le Freak" off the top spot for two weeks before "Le Freak" returned to #1 again. "Too Much Heaven" also rose to the top three in the UK. In the US, it would become the fourth of six consecutive No. 1s, equalling the record set by Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles for the most consecutive No. 1 songs. The six Bee Gee songs are "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "Too Much Heaven", "Tragedy" and "Love You Inside Out". The songs spanned the years of 1977, 1978 and 1979.
The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M is a greatest hits compilation album by Norwegian teen-pop duo M2M. It was released in 2003, a year after the group's disbandment.
The Big Room is the second and final studio album by Norwegian pop music duo M2M. It was released in Asia in November 2001 and in the rest of the world in early 2002. It reached No. 16 in Norway and No. 61 in Australia. Two singles were released worldwide from the album, "Everything", which peaked at No. 6 in Norway and No. 27 in Australia, and "What You Do About Me", which reached No. 46 in Australia.
"Don't Say You Love Me" is the debut single of M2M, a Norwegian pop duo consisting of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. The song first appeared on Radio Disney before its official US radio and single release in October 1999. It was released on the soundtrack to the film Pokémon: The First Movie in November 1999 and appears in the film's closing credits. The song was featured on M2M's debut album, Shades of Purple (2000), and also appeared on their compilation album The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M (2003).
"Everything You Do" is a single by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the third and final single from their debut album Shades of Purple. It peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales.
"Mirror Mirror" is a song recorded by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the second single from their debut album, Shades of Purple. The song reached No. 13 in Canada, No. 30 in Australia, and No. 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold in the US, selling over 600,000 units.
Here We Go Then, You And I is a 1999 album by Norwegian pop artist Morten Abel. It was Abel's second CD as a solo artist. The album went straight to number one on the Norwegian album chart, and sold to double platinum. Among the singles released from the album were the songs "Be My Lover" and "Hard To Stay Awake".
Real Ones, also known as Reelones, is a folk/rock band from Bergen, Norway. The band was formed in 1994. Band members include Ivar Vogt, Jørgen Sandvik, Kåre Opheim, Øystein Skjælaaen, and David Vogt. 1994-2009 Yrjan Tangenes provided vocals, percussion, and bodhrán, and Thomas Lønnheim played percussion in 1999-2000. The band was formed when Vogt and Sandvik were 14 and 15 years of age.
Highasakite is an indie pop and indie rock band from Norway. The band formed when vocalist and songwriter Ingrid Helene Håvik met drummer Trond Bersu whilst studying jazz at the Trondheim Jazz Conservatory. In 2010, after just six months, the duo started working on their debut album. The album All That Floats Will Rain was released in 2012.
Staffan William-Olsson is a Swedish jazz guitarist in the band The Real Thing who has worked with Bob Berg, Lee Konitz, and Palle Mikkelborg.
Like I'm a Warrior is the 2014 debut album of the Norwegian singer-songwriter Emilie Nicolas released on Sony Music.
The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 2013 in Norwegian music.
"Everything" is a single by Norwegian pop duo M2M, composed of singers Marion Raven and Marit Larsen. It was the first single from the duo's second album, The Big Room. The single was released worldwide between October 2001 and March 2002. It was well received critically, and reached No. 6 in Norway in addition to being a minor hit in Australia, Italy and New Zealand. A music video directed by Chris Applebaum was released for the single. M2M performed the song on the 100th episode of Dawson's Creek and live at the 2002 Spellemannprisen awards. The song earned M2M a nomination for "Best International Artist" at the 2001 Mnet Asian Music Awards.