We Love Life

Last updated

We Love Life
Pulp-We Love Life.jpg
Studio album by
Pulp
Released22 October 2001
Recorded2001
Studio Metropolis, London
Genre Alternative rock
Length53:55
Label Island
Producer
Pulp chronology
Freshly Squeezed... the Early Years
(1998)		We Love Life
(2001)		 Hits
(2002)
Singles from We Love Life
  1. "Sunrise / The Trees"
    Released: 8 October 2001
  2. "Bad Cover Version"
    Released: 15 April 2002

We Love Life is the seventh studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 22 October 2001 by Island Records. It reached number six on the UK Albums Chart, with a total chart stay of only three weeks. Written and recorded after the tumultuous sessions for This Is Hardcore , We Love Life saw the band move toward a more relaxed and natural sound, shepherded by producer and famed singer-songwriter Scott Walker. Walker had replaced original producer Chris Thomas, whom the band had worked with on the band's two previous albums.

Contents

Background

We Love Life was intended to be a departure from the disillusionment of the band's previous album, This Is Hardcore , in that it featured a more organic sound and an emphasis on nature, which Cocker found interest in "because it is dangerous in some ways". Cocker explained, "I never took any notice of nature when I was a kid. I thought we'd all be living on space stations or floating metropolises by now. But after This Is Hardcore, which was a very alienated record, it was time to go back to simpler things, like this, the natural world." [1] At the same time, Cocker stated, "This isn't Pulp's pastoral album. I was very aware of avoiding hippy dippy stuff."

The band had initially begun recording with Chris Thomas, who had produced their past two albums. However, his more rigid style of recording conflicted with the band's desire for looser sessions, resulting in the recordings being shelved. [1] The final album was produced by Scott Walker. Keyboardist Candida Doyle recalled, "I certainly thought about leaving [after shelving the Thomas sessions] but I realised that I'd still feel shit even if I did. If Scott Walker hadn't come about, I don't think we'd have bothered to finish this LP." The band, who had met Walker at the 2000 Meltdown Festival run by Walker, had been longtime fans of Walker. [1]

Walker's own album 'Til the Band Comes In is mocked in the lyrics of the We Love Life single "Bad Cover Version". Cocker claims the lyric was written long before Walker became involved in the album's production and recalled the moment of recording the song as "embarrassing". [2]

Title and artwork

The album's title was originally to be Pulp Love Life, but this was vetoed as Cocker felt that the title looked confusing on an album cover—he explained, "It always looked like the name of the band's Pulp and the album's called Love Life." The album was then renamed Pulp, reflecting the "uncluttered" nature of the album. With the September 11 terrorist attacks, however, the album was renamed to the more universal We Love Life. Cocker recalled, "To be honest, I was really freaked out when that World Trade Center thing happened. ... So in the aftermath of that, I thought, actually this Love Life business isn't a bad sentiment at this particular time." [2]

The minimal cover art (by Peter Saville) shows a set of initial capitals held in the collection of St. Bride Printing Library in London. [3] [4] [5] They were engraved in wood by or for Louis Pouchée around the 1820s. [6] [7] [8] It would later inspire the artwork for American metal band Deafheaven's 2013 album Sunbather. [9]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 84/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Entertainment Weekly B [13]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [14]
NME 7/10 [15]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [16]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Spin 9/10 [20]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [21]

Initial critical response to We Love Life was very positive. The album received an average score of 84 at Metacritic, based on 20 reviews. [10] The music review online magazine Pitchfork placed We Love Life at number 194 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s. [22]

Steve Hobbs of Q Magazine wrote of the album, "Cocker's lyrics are still sharp and beautifully observed, just a little less personal. But in many ways, it's a more familiar Pulp record than This Is Hardcore." [1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the album "an emotional and musical breakthrough, finding the band leaping beyond the claustrophobic Hardcore and consolidating their previous obsessions, creating a textured, reflective record that in its own measured way is as impassioned as Different Class ." [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Weeds" 3:42
2."Weeds II (The Origin of the Species)" 3:58
3."The Night That Minnie Timperley Died" 4:38
4."The Trees" (samples "Tell Her You Love Her" written by Stanley Myers and Hal Shaper) 4:49
5."Wickerman" (samples "Willow's Song" composed by Paul Giovanni, from the British Lion film The Wicker Man ) 8:17
6."I Love Life" 5:31
7."The Birds in Your Garden" 4:11
8."Bob Lind (The Only Way Is Down)" 4:16
9."Bad Cover Version" 4:16
10."Roadkill" 4:16
11."Sunrise"Cocker, Banks, Doyle, Mackey, Webber, Peter Mansell6:02
Total length:53:55
United States CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Yesterday"3:52
13."Forever in My Dreams"4:23
Total length:62:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

Chart (2001)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [23] 46
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [24] 36
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [25] 38
French Albums (SNEP) [26] 41
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [27] 25
Irish Albums (IRMA) [28] 38
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] 11
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [30] 46
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] 78
UK Albums (OCC) [32] 6

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] Silver60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulp (band)</span> English rock band

Pulp are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. At their critical and commercial peak, the band consisted of Jarvis Cocker, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle (keyboards), Nick Banks, Steve Mackey (bass) and Mark Webber.

<i>Amnesiac</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Radiohead

Amnesiac is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 30 May 2001 by EMI. It was recorded with the producer Nigel Godrich in the same sessions as Radiohead's previous album Kid A (2000). Radiohead split the work in two as they felt it was too dense for a double album. As with Kid A, Amnesiac incorporates influences from electronic music, 20th-century classical music, jazz and krautrock. The final track, "Life in a Glasshouse", is a collaboration with the jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton and his band.

<i>Different Class</i> 1995 studio album by Pulp

Different Class is the fifth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 30 October 1995 by Island Records.

<i>This Is Hardcore</i> 1998 studio album by Pulp

This Is Hardcore is the sixth studio album by English band Pulp. Released in March 1998, it came three years after their breakthrough album, Different Class, and was eagerly anticipated.

<i>Get Born</i> 2003 studio album by Jet

Get Born is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Jet. It was released on 14 September 2003 and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The album includes Jet's most popular song, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl".

<i>Discovery</i> (Daft Punk album) 2001 studio album by Daft Punk

Discovery is the second studio album by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk, released on 12 March 2001 by Virgin Records. It marked a shift from the Chicago house of their first album, Homework (1997), to a house style more heavily inspired by disco, post-disco, garage house, and R&B. Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk described Discovery as an exploration of song structures, musical forms and childhood nostalgia, compared to the "raw" electronic music of Homework.

<i>The Life Pursuit</i> 2006 studio album by Belle and Sebastian

The Life Pursuit is the seventh studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian. It was released in Europe on 6 February 2006 by Rough Trade Records and in North America on 7 February 2006 by Matador Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Mackey</span> English musician and record producer (1966–2023)

Stephen Patrick Mackey was an English musician and record producer best known as the bass guitarist for the Britpop band Pulp, which he joined in 1989. As a record producer, he produced songs and albums by M.I.A., Florence + the Machine, The Long Blondes and Arcade Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Help the Aged (song)</span> 1997 single by Pulp

"Help the Aged" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp from their 1998 album, This Is Hardcore. Written as a sarcastic reflection of Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker's ageing, the song was disliked by Pulp guitarist Russell Senior who left the band before the song's release and sought to prevent it from being released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Is Hardcore (song)</span> 1998 single by Pulp

"This Is Hardcore" is a song by English rock band Pulp, released as the second single from their sixth album, This Is Hardcore (1998). Written as a commentary on fame using pornography as an analogy, the song includes a sample of the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra's "Bolero on the Moon Rocks." Released as a single in March 1998, the song reached number 12 in the UK and became a top-40 hit in Finland, Iceland, and New Zealand. It has since seen critical acclaim, as has its music video.

<i>Shine On</i> (Jet album) 2006 studio album by Jet

Shine On is the second album by Australian rock band Jet, released on 30 September 2006 in Australia and internationally on 2–3 October 2006.

<i>Love</i> (Beatles album) 2006 remix album by the Beatles

Love is a soundtrack remix album of music recorded by the Beatles, released in November 2006. It features music compiled and remixed as a mashup for the Cirque du Soleil show Love. The album was produced by George Martin and his son Giles Martin, who said, "What people will be hearing on the album is a new experience, a way of re-living the whole Beatles musical lifespan in a very condensed period."

<i>The Peel Sessions</i> (Pulp album) 2006 live album by Pulp

The Peel Sessions is a double live album by Pulp released on 23 October 2006, containing the recordings the band made for John Peel's Radio 1 show and live performances which had been broadcast by the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party Hard (Pulp song)</span> 1998 single by Pulp

"Party Hard" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp. Featuring David Bowie-inspired vocals, the song lyrically was inspired by the band's dissatisfaction and exhaustion with clubbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Cover Version</span> 2002 single by Pulp

"Bad Cover Version" is a song by British rock band Pulp, from their 2001 album We Love Life. It was released 15 April 2002 as the second single from the album, charting at number 27 in the UK Singles Chart. It was the band's last single before their eight-year hiatus, which ended in 2011. CD1's B-sides appear as bonus tracks on the US release of We Love Life. The B-sides to CD2 are cover versions of Pulp songs performed by other artists.

<i>Lonerism</i> 2012 studio album by Tame Impala

Lonerism is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker, with live member Jay Watson contributing on two tracks. Recorded mostly in Perth, Australia, and Paris, France, Lonerism builds on the psychedelic sound of its predecessor and features fewer guitars and more synthesisers and samples. Parker attempted to incorporate his love for pop music into his songwriting for the record through catchier melodies. Many tracks feature ambient sounds recorded by Parker with a dictaphone. The album's theme of isolation is reflected in the album cover, featuring an image of a fenced-off Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.

<i>Sound & Color</i> 2015 studio album by Alabama Shakes

Sound & Color is the second and final studio album by American band Alabama Shakes. It was released on April 17, 2015 via ATO Records.

<i>Beyond the Pale</i> (Jarv Is album) 2020 studio album by Jarv Is

Beyond the Pale is the debut studio album by British rock band Jarv Is, led by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. The studio album incorporates live recordings, and was defined by the group as an "alive album". It was released by Rough Trade Records on 17 July 2020, having been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and received widespread acclaim upon release, with multiple critics characterising it as Cocker's best work since Pulp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trees (Pulp song)</span> 2001 single by Pulp

"The Trees" is a song by British rock band Pulp, from their 2001 album We Love Life. Featuring a string sample from the Otley soundtrack song "Tell Her You Love Her," "The Trees" explores what Cocker describes as the "impassivity" of trees to witnessing the "drama" that can occur in the woods.

<i>We</i> (Arcade Fire album) 2022 studio album by Arcade Fire

We is the sixth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released through Columbia Records on May 6, 2022. Produced by Nigel Godrich and band members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, it was recorded in studios in New Orleans; in El Paso, Texas; and on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The album takes its name from the Russian dystopian novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It was the final album by Arcade Fire to feature multi-instrumentalist Will Butler, who departed the band in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hobbs, Steve (November 2001). "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lad?". Q . Retrieved 23 July 2020– via Acrylic Afternoons.
  2. 1 2 Sturdy, Mark (2009). Truth And Beauty: The Story of Pulp. London, England: Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-103-5.
  3. ↑ Barnes, Paul. "James Mosley: a life in objects". Eye magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Kinross, Robin. "Temple of Type". Eye. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Emily King, "Everyday Exotics" in Frieze Magazine, issue 68, 2002
  6. ↑ "Ornamented types: a prospectus" (PDF). imimprimit. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Daines, Mike. "Pouchee's lost alphabets". Eye Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Coles, Stephen (October 2013). "We Love Life by Pulp". Fonts in Use. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Obscuring The Highlights: An Interview With Designer Nick Steinhardt". Tumblr. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for We Love Life by Pulp". Metacritic . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "We Love Life – Pulp". AllMusic . Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  12. ↑ Petridis, Alexis. "Pulp: We Love Life". Blender . Archived from the original on 20 August 2004. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Raftery, Brian M. (23 August 2002). "We Love Life". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  14. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (12 October 2001). "Back to suburbia". The Guardian . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Oldham, James (16 October 2001). "Pulp : We Love Life". NME . Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  16. ↑ Tangari, Joe (13 December 2001). "Pulp: We Love Life". Pitchfork . Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "Pulp: We Love Life". Q (183). November 2001.
  18. ↑ Walters, Barry (22 August 2002). "Pulp: We Love Life". Rolling Stone . No. 903. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  19. ↑ Harris, Keith (2004). "Pulp". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  665. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  20. ↑ Winter, Jessica (October 2002). "Pulp: We Love Life". Spin . 18 (10): 116. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Pulp: We Love Life". Uncut (54): 128–29. November 2001.
  22. ↑ Pitchfork staff (28 September 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  23. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Pulp – We Love Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Pulp – We Love Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Pulp – We Love Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Pulp – We Love Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Pulp – We Love Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Pulp". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Pulp – We Love Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Pulp – We Love Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  33. ↑ "British album certifications – Pulp – We Love Life". British Phonographic Industry.
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.