Since I Saw You Last

Last updated

Since I Saw You Last
Since I Saw You Last cover.png
Studio album by
Gary Barlow
Released22 November 2013 (2013-11-22)
Genre
Length58:39
Label Polydor
Producer Steve Power
Gary Barlow chronology
Sing
(2012)		Since I Saw You Last
(2013)		 Music Played by Humans
(2020)
Singles from Since I Saw You Last
  1. "Let Me Go"
    Released: 15 November 2013
  2. "Face to Face"
    Released: 20 January 2014
  3. "Since I Saw You Last"
    Released: 14 April 2014

Since I Saw You Last is the fourth solo studio album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by Polydor Records on 22 November 2013 in Ireland, and on 25 November in the United Kingdom. It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, [1] and met with a mixed critical reaction.

Contents

It is Barlow's first full-length solo album in fourteen years, following 1999's Twelve Months, Eleven Days . It features a range of genres, described by Barlow as a mixture of pop, folk pop and alternative. The album's lead single, "Let Me Go", was released a week before the album, and became Barlow's 21st UK top-three single. [2]

Background

With Take That on hiatus and following the success of a series of solo concerts over the previous two years, Barlow announced plans to release his first solo studio album in fourteen years. The album was released on 25 November 2013, to be followed by a live tour in 2014. [3] The album was confirmed to feature a duet with Elton John on the track "Face to Face" on 24 September 2013. [4] Regarding "Let Me Go", Barlow said, "I've always liked folky, acoustic music, but I've never fully explored it. I turned back time and was listening to Johnny Cash and early Elton John before I wrote 'Let Me Go'. I'm 42; I don't want to do urban or dance music. I love Mumford & Sons—it's good, English music, but let's be honest, they got it off Johnny Cash too." [5]

Barlow cites that after the release of Twelve Months, Eleven Days , he stopped singing as he walked away from the limelight. He said, "I never even sang in my own studio; I was telling myself [that] I don't need to be an artist anymore; I started as a songwriter." However, after the success of the Take That reunion, he felt that he had to face his demons and right the wrongs he felt took hold of his last full studio album. He said, "The one thing I was dreading was that the last album would be on my shoulder the whole time I made this one, but it wasn't—it was flushed out really quickly. I'm not haunted by that time. My experience 14 years ago was completely different from now." [6] Barlow further elaborated, "The last album I made was so laden with people telling me who I should sound like that I listen back now and think 'Who's that?', but Since I Saw You Last was easy to make; there's a lot of my life on this record." [7]

Several of the album's songs were co-written in 2011, for a planned duo album with Robbie Williams titled Cain & Abel , a nod to Barlow's autobiography, where he refers to himself and Williams as the Cain and Abel of Take That. Williams called the Cain & Abel album "middle-of-the-road"–believing its sound was too mature to garner mass appeal with his desired youthful, mainstream audience, and decided to cancel the Cain & Abel project. Williams poached "Candy" and "Different" for his Take the Crown album, whilst Barlow acquired the remaining numbers for Since I Saw You Last.

Singles

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, behind One Direction's third album Midnight Memories , selling 116,000 copies. It became the fastest selling album of 2013 to miss out on the top spot, while also selling more copies in its first week than Barlow's Take That bandmate Robbie Williams' album Swings Both Ways , which sold 109,000 copies the previous week to claim the top spot. [1] The following week, the album sold a further 77,358 copies in the UK. [13] In its third week of release, it once again broke the 100,000 sales mark, with 105,344 sales. [14] In its fourth week of sales, the album sold a further 116,730 copies, up 10.81% from the previous week, [15] and passed sales of 500,000 in the UK with a further 79,000 sold the week after. [16] The album was certified 2× Platinum in the UK at the beginning of 2014 with sales of 652,342 in the UK alone. [17] The album also became Barlow's second top 10 album in Germany, achieving similar chart success to his debut record, Open Road . [18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
The Arts Desk Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Drowned in Sound 5/10 [21]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
London Evening Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]
The Observer Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [25]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [26]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Since I Saw You Last received an average score of 54, based on six reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". [27]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic awarded the record four stars, calling it a "handsome album" that "captures what was good about post-McCartney pop singer/songwriters in the mid-'70s, when the best songsmiths never let their ambitions get in the way of a good tune". [19] Conversely, Observer writer Hermione Hoby gave a one-star review in which she said that the album serves to provide "sonic reference points" for "how unassailably uncool" Barlow is. [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gary Barlow, additional songwriters are noted below

Since I Saw You Last – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Requiem" Robbie Williams 4:42
2."Let Me Go" 3:44
3."Jump" Tim Rice-Oxley 4:08
4."Face to Face" (featuring Elton John) John Shanks 3:33
5."God" 5:04
6."Small Town Girls" 3:19
7."6th Avenue"Shanks5:00
8."We Like to Love" 5:26
9."Since I Saw You Last" 3:32
10."This House"Shanks3:58
11."Dying Inside" 4:33
12."More Than Life" 3:48
Since I Saw You Last – Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Mr Everything" 4:45
14."Actress"James Maddock3:31
15."The Song I'll Never Write"
3:05

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Since I Saw You Last
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA) [39] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] 2× Platinum702,587 [17]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Since I Saw You Last
CountryDateEdition(s)FormatLabel
Ireland [41] 22 November 2013Standard, deluxe CD, digital download Polydor
United Kingdom [42] 25 November 2013
Germany [43] 24 February 2014

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take That</span> English pop group

Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals, and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.

<i>Innocent Eyes</i> (2003 Delta Goodrem album) 2003 studio album by Delta Goodrem

Innocent Eyes is the debut studio album by Australian singer Delta Goodrem, released in Australia on 24 March 2003. It was later released in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2003. Goodrem co-wrote most of the material, excluding "Throw It Away", "Lost Without You" and "Butterfly". The album features two self-penned songs, "In My Own Time" and "Will You Fall for Me". Goodrem worked with writers and producers such as: Audius Mtawarira, Bridget Benenate, Cathy Dennis, Eliot Kennedy, Gary Barlow, Jarrad Rogers, Kara DioGuardi, Vince Pizzinga and others to create the album with a collection of piano-based pop and ballad tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Owen</span> English singer-songwriter (born 2004)

Mark Owen is an English singer and songwriter best known for being a member of pop group and band Take That; as of 2024, the group have sold 14.4 million albums and 13.6 million singles in the UK. In Owen's solo career, he has released five studio albums: Green Man (1996), In Your Own Time (2003), How the Mighty Fall (2005), The Art of Doing Nothing (2013) and his most recent, Land of Dreams, which was released in September 2022 and debuted at number 5 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow</span> British musician and songwriter (born 1971)

Gary Barlow is an English songwriter, singer, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That.

<i>Life thru a Lens</i> 1997 studio album by Robbie Williams

Life thru a Lens is the debut solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was Williams' first solo album following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records, it is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the poppier tone of the music Take That employed. The album's working name was The Show-Off Must Go On.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Song</span> 1970 single by Elton John

"Your Song" is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me</span> 1974 single by Elton John

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, Caribou (1974), and was released as a single that peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Twelve Months, Eleven Days</i> 1999 studio album by Gary Barlow

Twelve Months, Eleven Days is the second solo studio album released by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by BMG and RCA Records on 11 October 1999. It was to be Barlow's last studio album for 13 years until the release of Sing. Furthermore, this was his last full-length record up until the release of Since I Saw You Last.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shame (Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow song)</span> 2010 single by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow

"Shame" is a song written and recorded by English singers Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow for Williams's second greatest hits compilation album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990–2010 (2010). Produced by Trevor Horn, it was released as the lead single from the album on 27 August 2010 in most countries worldwide and on 1 October in the United Kingdom. "Shame" marks the first time Williams and Barlow collaborated on a song together solely and the first time they worked together since Williams left Take That in 1995. It is a pop song with country and folk music influences; two reviewers noted that it contains an acoustic guitar part similar to the one of the Beatles' 1968 song, "Blackbird". The lyrical content revolves around the singers repairing their broken relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flood (Take That song)</span> 2010 single by Take That

"The Flood" is a song by English pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress (2010). It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010. The song is the first to feature Robbie Williams since his return to the band in July 2010, and features both Williams and Gary Barlow on lead vocals.

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

English singer Gary Barlow has released six studio albums, eighteen singles, twenty-two music videos and five featured songs. Barlow has had fifteen number-one UK singles, eleven number-one albums and has written thirteen UK number-one singles, selling over 50 million records worldwide and over seven million concert tickets.

"Sing" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow, of Take That, and British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and performed by a number of artists assembled by Barlow from across The Commonwealth, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The track was released via digital download and CD single on 28 May 2012, and was performed as part of the Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert celebrations on 4 June 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Go (Gary Barlow song)</span> 2013 single by Gary Barlow

"Let Me Go" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released in Ireland on 15 November 2013 and in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2013 as the lead single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and produced by Steve Power. "Let Me Go" peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Barlow's sixth solo top 10 hit in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Saw You Last Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Gary Barlow

The Since I Saw You Last Tour was a concert tour by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow in support of his fourth studio album Since I Saw You Last. The tour saw Barlow play some of the biggest arenas in the UK and Ireland performing both Take That and his solo material from his career spanning two decades as well as his new material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Face to Face (Gary Barlow song)</span> 2014 single by Gary Barlow featuring Elton John

"Face to Face" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow featuring Sir Elton John. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2014 as the second single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and John Shanks, and it was produced by Steve Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Since I Saw You Last (song)</span> 2014 single by Gary Barlow

"Since I Saw You Last" is a song by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2014 as the third and final single from his fourth solo album, Since I Saw You Last (2013). It was written by Barlow and produced by Steve Power.

<i>III</i> (Take That album) 2014 studio album by Take That

III is the seventh studio album by English pop band Take That. It is their first studio album since 2010's Progress and the first to feature the band as a trio, following the departures of Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. The album was released on 28 November 2014. According to Gary Barlow, the album's sound is an "amalgamation of the past eight years" of Take That material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">These Days (Take That song)</span> 2014 single by Take That

"These Days" is a song by English pop group Take That. It was released through Polydor Records on 14 November 2014 as the lead single from their seventh studio album, III (2014). The song was written by Take That, Jamie Norton and Ben Mark, and produced by Greg Kurstin.

<i>Music Played by Humans</i> 2020 studio album by Gary Barlow

Music Played by Humans is the fifth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. The album was released by Polydor Records on 27 November 2020 and is Barlow's first solo album in seven years, following Since I Saw You Last in 2013. The album's lead single, "Elita" features both Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra, and was released on 30 September 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 Lane, Dan (1 December 2013). "One Direction score fastest selling album of their career with Midnight Memories". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Rigby, Sam (24 November 2013). "Lily Allen scores UK number one single with 'Somewhere Only We Know'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  3. ↑ Eames, Tom (17 September 2013). "Gary Barlow announces first full solo album in 14 years". Digital Spy . Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Eames, Tom (24 September 2013). "Gary Barlow 'records duet with Elton John for new album'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  5. ↑ Eames, Tom (8 October 2013). "Gary Barlow: 'Johnny Cash inspired my new single'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. ↑ McNulty, Bernadette (24 November 2013). "Gary Barlow interview: 'Nobody wanted to know me'". The Daily Telegraph .
  7. ↑ Haider, Arwa (10 November 2013). "Gary Barlow: Take That come first – it's my job". Metro . Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "Let Me Go - Single". iTunes.
  9. ↑ Lane, Daniel (2 December 2013). "Calvin Harris, Alesso and Hurts knock Lily Allen off Number 1". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  10. ↑ British Phonographic Industry (20 December 2013). "A great week for @GaryBarlow, not only has his album gone Platinum, but his single 'Let Me Go' has also gone Silver in the UK. #BPIawards". Twitter . Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  11. ↑ Hope, Hannah (20 November 2013). "It's official: Gary Barlow and Elton John duet Face to Face will be released as single". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  12. ↑ "Gary Barlow announces new single 'Since I Saw You Last'. - Gary Barlow". garybarlow.com.
  13. ↑ Jones, Alan (9 December 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: One Direction sell another 124k of new album" . Music Week .
  14. ↑ Jones, Alan (16 December 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Lily Allen track returns to No.1 on 47k sales" . Music Week . Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Jones, Alan (22 December 2013). "Sam Bailey scores Xmas No.1 with 148k sales: Official Charts Analysis" .
  16. ↑ Jones, Alan (29 December 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Pharrell Williams hits No.1 with 106k sales". Music Week . Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  17. 1 2 "Gary Barlow goes double platinum with first solo album in 14 years". Metro . 8 January 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Gary Barlow – Since I Saw You Last" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. 1 2 "Since I Saw You Last - Gary Barlow". AllMusic.
  20. ↑ Green, Thomas H (24 November 2013). "CD: Gary Barlow - Since I Saw You Last". The Arts Desk . Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Gary Barlow: Since I Saw You Last". Drowned in Sound . 22 November 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  22. ↑ "Gary Barlow: Since I Saw You Last – review". The Guardian . 22 November 2013.
  23. ↑ Gill, Andy (22 November 2013). "Gary Barlow, Since I Saw You Last: Album review". The Independent . Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  24. ↑ Smyth, David (22 November 2013). "Album reviews: November 2013". London Evening Standard .
  25. 1 2 "Gary Barlow: Since I Saw You Last – review". The Observer . 24 November 2013.
  26. ↑ The Times UK review of SISYL, 22 November 2013
  27. ↑ "Reviews for Since I Saw You Last by Gary Barlow - Metacritic". Metacritic.
  28. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Gary Barlow – Since I Saw You Last" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Gary Barlow – Since I Saw You Last" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  30. ↑ Ideoskop doo. "Top of the Shops - službena tjedna lista prodanih albuma u Hrvatskoj". hdu-toplista.com.
  31. ↑ "Chart Search Results – Euro Digital Albume 2013-11-25". Billboard . Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  32. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Gary Barlow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  33. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  34. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Gary Barlow – Since I Saw You Last". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  35. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  36. ↑ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2013". officialcharts.com.
  37. ↑ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2014". officialcharts.com.
  38. ↑ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  39. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2013 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  40. ↑ "British album certifications – Gary Barlow – Since I Saw You Last". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  41. ↑ "Since I Saw You Last (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes.
  42. ↑ "Since I Saw You Last (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes.
  43. ↑ ""Since I Saw You Last (Deluxe Edition)" von Gary Barlow in iTunes". iTunes.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.