In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. Contemporary EPs generally contain four or five tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well.
Worldwide, the English rock band the Beatles released 21 studio albums, six live albums, 54 compilation albums, 36 extended play singles, 63 singles, 17 box sets, 22 video albums and 68 music videos. In their native United Kingdom, they released 12 studio albums, 13 extended plays (EPs), including one double EP, and 22 singles. The early albums and singles released from 1962 to 1967 were originally on Parlophone, and their albums and singles from 1968 to 1970 were on their subsidiary label Apple. Their output also includes vault items, remixed mash-ups and anniversary box-sets.
Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, known professionally as Dido, is an English singer and songwriter. She attained international success with her debut album No Angel (1999). Hit singles from the album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You". It sold over 21 million copies worldwide, and won her several awards, including two Brit Awards: Best British Female and Best British Album, and the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act. The first verse of "Thank You" is sampled in "Stan", a collaboration with American rapper Eminem. Her next album, Life for Rent (2003), continued her success with the hit singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido performed with other British and Irish artists in the Band Aid 20 version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Hikaru Utada, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and producer. Born in the United States to Japanese parents, record producer Teruzane Utada and enka singer Keiko Fuji, Utada began to write music and lyrics at an early age and often traveled to Tokyo as a result of her father's job. Eventually, a recording contract with Toshiba-EMI was signed. Under the stage name Cubic U, she released an English-language debut album Precious in early 1998, but it was a commercial failure. In the following year, heavily influenced by R&B and dance-pop, a Japanese-language debut First Love was released and became an immediate success. Backed by the success of singles "Automatic", "Time Will Tell", and "Movin' On Without You", the album sold two million copies in its first week in Japan, topped the Oricon charts for six non-consecutive weeks and went on to sell six million more throughout the rest of 1999. First Love eventually became the country's best-selling album of all time.
The Streets are an English rap music project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner.
Texas are a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow. They were founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas.
Hoobastank is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They were signed to Island Records from 2001 to 2012 and have released six albums and one extended play to date. Their most recent album, Push Pull, was released on May 25, 2018. They have sold 10 million albums worldwide. The band is best known for their biggest hit single, "The Reason".
Laura Pergolizzi, known professionally as LP, is an American singer and songwriter. LP has released six albums and three EPs. LP has written songs for other artists including Cher, Rihanna, the Backstreet Boys, Leona Lewis, Mylène Farmer, Céline Dion and Christina Aguilera.
Birdy Nam Nam are a DJ crew from France. Birdy Nam Nam has won several prizes throughout their career including the DMC Technics 2002 World TEAM Championships. Birdy Nam Nam's goal is to use the turntable player as an actual musical instrument. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 on Uncivilized World Records, and in March that year, they performed at the internationally renowned music conference SXSW. The group's name is taken from a line in the 1968 Peter Sellers film The Party, directed by Blake Edwards.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour", a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. The song was initially written from the perspective of a woman as "Can't Help Falling in Love with Him", which explains the first and third line ending on "in" and "sin" rather than words rhyming with "you".
"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arrangements were done by Booker T. Jones. The song was recorded in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning.
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" is a ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for the Hollies later that year and also a hit for Neil Diamond in 1970. It has been recorded by many artists in subsequent years. The Hollies' version was re-released in 1988 and again was a major hit in the UK.
Tremaine Aldon Neverson, known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American singer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, Trey Day, spawned his first top 20 single, "Can't Help but Wait". Songz released his third album, Ready, in 2009 and a single from the album, "Say Aah", peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Songz's first top 10 hit. Ready was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards. The following year saw Songz's highest-charting song to date, "Bottoms Up", from his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010).
The Rakes were an indie rock band based in London, England. At the time of the band splitting in October 2009, the band line-up consisted of Alan Donohoe, Matthew Swinnerton, Jamie Hornsmith (bass) and Lasse Petersen (drums). The Rakes' discography consisted of three studio albums, one EP and nine singles.
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. Primarily a pop record, Teenage Dream also contains elements of disco, electronic, rock, funk, house, Hi-NRG, and hip hop, that revolve around young love, partying, self-empowerment, and personal growth. Perry co-wrote the album, and worked with a number of producers such as Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Stargate and Greg Wells.
"Je l'aime à mourir" is a French-language song written by Francis Cabrel. It is taken from his second album Les Chemins de traverse released in 1979 that sold over 600,000 copies in France. The single "Je l'aime à mourir" became a hit single for Francis Cabrel in France, Quebec (Canada), Europe and internationally. Spanish singer Manzanita interpreted the song to Spanish flamenco audience making the hit song popular again for the second time. It is considered Cabrel's most definitive hit alongside "Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai".
Edward Christopher Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play, No. 5 Collaborations Project. He signed with Asylum Records the same year.
Little Mix are a British girl group, consisting of group members Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock; former member Jesy Nelson departed from the group in 2020. The group's music is of pop, R&B and dance-pop, with influences from other genres such as tropical house, latin pop, and electronic music. Their lyrics are often focused on the themes of female empowerment, gender equality, body positivity, LGBTQ+ rights and sexism.
David Orobosa Omoregie, also known as Santan Dave or just Dave, is a British rapper, musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Dave has gained acclaim for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay, and is among the most recognised British rappers.
