Listen (David Guetta album)

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Listen
DG Listen.png
Studio album by David Guetta
Released 21 November 2014 (2014-11-21)
Recorded 2011–14
Length 50:58
Label
Producer
David Guetta chronology
Nothing but the Beat
(2011)Nothing but the Beat2011		 Listen
(2014)
Singles from Listen
  1. " Shot Me Down"
    Released: 3 February 2014
  2. "Bad"
    Released: 17 March 2014
  3. "Lovers on the Sun"
    Released: 30 June 2014
  4. "Dangerous"
    Released: 5 October 2014
  5. "What I Did for Love"
    Released: 22 February 2015
  6. "Hey Mama"
    Released: 17 March 2015[1]
  7. "Sun Goes Down"
    Released: 30 July 2015
Singles from Listen Again
  1. "Blast Off"
    Released: 9 June 2014
  2. "Clap Your Hands"
    Released: 2 October 2015
  3. "Bang My Head"
    Released: 30 October 2015
Re-release
Listen Again artwork
Listen Again artwork

Listen is the sixth studio album by French DJ and music producer David Guetta. It was released on 21 November 2014.[2] It features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop, alternative rock and pop worlds such as Sam Martin, Emeli Sandé, The Script, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Nico & Vinz, Ryan Tedder (the lead singer of pop rock band OneRepublic), Sia, Magic!, Bebe Rexha, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ms. Dynamite, Elliphant, Birdy, Jaymes Young, Sonny Wilson, Vassy, and Skylar Grey. It also features additional production from Guetta's frequent collaborator Giorgio Tuinfort, Avicii, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, Showtek, and Stadiumx among others, with additional writing credits from Austin Bisnow, Jason Evigan, Julie Frost, and The-Dream among others.

Listen was preceded by the release of four singles: "Lovers on the Sun", "Shot Me Down", "Bad", "Lovers on the Sun" and "Dangerous". The album reached the top 10 in eighteen countries, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

The album was reissued in 2015 as Listen Again.

Background

Listen is David Guetta's first studio album in three years since the release of the commercially successful Nothing but the Beat (2011), which sold 3 million copies worldwide.[3] According to Guetta, Listen is his most personal album yet, reflecting his divorce from his wife of 22 years, Cathy Guetta: "Until today I was doing lots of songs about happiness and love and sexiness and just having a party – it was basically my life, you know? And lately, my personal life has been a little more difficult, so it reflects also on the album, on the things that we're talking about, on the type of chords. I've never done this, because even for me it was all about making the people dance."[4] Guetta also said he wanted to reinvent himself with the album, steering away from the urban and dance sound he became famous for with One Love (2009):

"When you're a little bit at the top of the game, what is left except being afraid to go down? I never want to feel like this, so I thought that the best way to avoid it was to kind of start from scratch again. Until today I was always starting with the beat and then writing the song on it. This time I was starting with piano, voice and guitar, then producing around the song. I've really changed everything, like the way I was working, the people I was working with – everything."[4]

During an interview with Billboard, Guetta said he has moved away from the current EDM and house sound on his previous two internationally released albums One Love and Nothing but the Beat with Listen, by adding elements of other music such as classical music, acoustic music, and piano ballads: "I miss soul and emotion. A lot of EDM lately is based on production tricks that make it sound huge. I think it's not enough. These songs can be played by a classical orchestra, a rock band, or a funk band, and they would be great. It's not like, 'Oh wow, if you don't have this huge distorted kick, there's nothing else.'"[5]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 51/100[6]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3/5 stars[7]
Billboard 3/5 stars[8]
The Daily Telegraph 3/5 stars[9]
Digital Spy 3/5 stars[10]
Idolator 3.5/5[11]
Newsday B[12]
The Observer 2/5 stars[13]
Slant Magazine 0.5/5 stars[14]
USA Today 3/4 stars[15]
Virgin Media 3/5 stars[16]

Listen received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 51, based on 8 reviews, which indicates mixed or average reviews.[6]

Commercial performance

Listen debuted at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 24,385 copies in its first week.[17] In the United States, the album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 25,000 copies. Listen also debuted at number one on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[18] After 24 weeks on the Billboard 200, Listen had a big rise, jumping from number 30 to number 4, selling 43,000 units (29,000 in pure album sales),[19] making it Guetta's highest-charting album in the United States.[20] The album topped Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums for 5 non-consecutive weeks.[21] Listen was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams, track sales equivalent of 500,000.[22]

Singles

  • "Lovers on the Sun" was released as the lead single from the album on June 30, 2014. The song features vocals from American recording artist Sam Martin. The track reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Silver by the BPI. The music video is the first of the album campaign to feature live action footage, but Guetta does not appear in the video. The video features scenes set in what is depicted to be a spaghetti western. As of April 2015, the song has sold 800,000 copies worldwide.
  • "Dangerous" was released as the second single from the album on October 5, 2014. The track once again features vocals from Sam Martin. The track peaked at five on the UK Singles Chart. As of June 2015, the song has sold 1,000,000 copies worldwide with over 400,000 and 200,000 copies in Germany and the UK alone.
  • "What I Did for Love" was released as the third single from the album. The track features vocals from British recording artist Emeli Sande. The song was added to the BBC Radio 1 playlist on 26 January 2015, and was released officially in the UK on 22 February 2015.[23] The track peaked at six on the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top-ten in Scotland, Israel, Austria and Hungary as well as the top-twenty in Australia, Germany and Ireland. The track has since gone on to sell in excess of 200,000 copies in the UK alone; spending over.20 consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart
  • "Hey Mama" impacted Top 40 mainstream radio in the US as the fourth single from the album on 17 March 2015.[1] The song features vocals from Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha and also features DJ Afrojack. The single proved successful, reaching the top-ten in Australia, UK and the United States as well in 13 additional countries. The song was released to European radio in May 2015.
  • On 31 July 2015, David Guetta announced the release of "Sun Goes Down" as the fifth single from the album, with additional production from Dutch electronic duo Showtek featured Canadian reggae-pop band MAGIC!, and Dutch recording artist Sonny Wilson.[24]
  • "Clap Your Hands" was unveiled as a teaser from the re-release, Listen Again on 2 October 2015. It's a collaboration between Guetta and GLOWINTHEDARK.[25]
  • The second single from the re-release, a new version of "Bang My Head" which features vocals by Sia and Fetty Wap, was released on 30 October 2015. The original version peaked at 79th position in France.

Other charted songs

  • "Shot Me Down" was released on February 3, 2014. The track features vocals from American recording artist, Skylar Grey. The song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was entirely animated and features visual imagery similar to that on the single cover. It is available on the deluxe edition of Listen and on Listen Again.
  • "Bad" was released on March 17, 2014. The track features vocals from Australian recording artist Vassy and production from Showtek. The song reached number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart. Again, the music video was entirely animated and features scenes of zombies on motorcycles with guns, whilst the army are trying to defend the earth. It is available on the deluxe edition of Listen and on Listen Again.
  • "Blast Off", Guetta's collaboration with Kaz James was released on 9 June 2014. The song was not included on Listen but appears on the Listen Again tracklist.
  • "Pelican" was released on iTunes and Google Play as promotional single on 20 November 2015.[26]
Several other songs charted in France and Germany; "The Whisperer" peaked at number 96 in France and "No Money No Love", "Goodbye Friend", "Listen" and "I'll Keep Loving You" peaked at numbers 94, 93, 85 and 96 in Germany respectively.

Track listing

Listen – Standard version
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Dangerous" (featuring Sam Martin)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • Martin[a]
  • Evigan[a]
 3:23
2. "What I Did for Love" (featuring Emeli Sandé)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
 3:27
3. "No Money No Love" (with Showtek featuring Elliphant and Ms. Dynamite)
  • Guetta
  • Showtek
  • Nicky Romero
  • Tuinfort
 3:57
4. "Lovers on the Sun" (featuring Sam Martin)
3:23
5. "Goodbye Friend" (featuring The Script)
3:49
6. "Lift Me Up" (featuring Nico & Vinz and Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
 3:58
7. "Listen" (featuring John Legend)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • Austin Bis[c]
 3:46
8. "Bang My Head" (featuring Sia)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • Romero
  • Wattum
 3:53
9. "Yesterday" (featuring Bebe Rexha)
  • Guetta
  • Avicii
  • Tuinfort
 4:03
10. "Hey Mama" (featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha and Afrojack)
3:12
11. "Sun Goes Down" (with Showtek featuring Magic! and Sonny Wilson)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • W. Janssen
  • S. Janssen
  • Nasri Atweh
  • Lukas Loules
  • Mark Pellizzer
  • Guetta
  • Showtek
  • Lukas Loules
 3:31
12. "S.T.O.P" (featuring Ryan Tedder)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • Pierre-Luc Rioux
  • Justin Davey
  • Vinay Vyas
  • Ryan Tedder
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
 3:34
13. "I'll Keep Loving You" (featuring Birdy and Jaymes Young)
  • Guetta
  • Riesterer
  • Tuinfort
  • Teemu Brunila
  • Jaymes Young
  • Birdy
  • Matt Dragstrem
  • Guetta
  • Riesterer
 3:08
14. "The Whisperer" (featuring Sia)
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
  • Furler
  • Guetta
  • Tuinfort
 3:54
Total length:
 50:58

Listen Again

Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a vocal producer
  • "Yesterday" features a sample from "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse, however, it is performed by Bebe Rexha.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[66] Gold 35,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[67] Gold 7,500
Brazil (ABPD)[68] Gold 20,000
France (SNEP)[70] 2× Platinum 200,000
Germany (BVMI)[71] Gold 100,000
Hungary (MAHASZ)[72] Platinum 6,000
Italy (FIMI)[73] Gold 25,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[74] Gold 30,000
Sweden (GLF)[75] 2× Platinum 80,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[76] Platinum 20,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[77] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label
Australia[79] 21 November 2014
Germany[80]
New Zealand[2]
France[81] 24 November 2014
Italy[82]
United Kingdom[27]
United States[83]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  30. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – David Guetta – Listen" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  31. ↑ "Ultratop.be – David Guetta – Listen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – David Guetta – Listen" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  33. ↑ "David Guetta – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for David Guetta. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  34. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  35. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  36. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Guetta – Listen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  37. ↑ "David Guetta: Listen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  38. ↑ "Lescharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  39. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  40. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2014. 48. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  41. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 48, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  42. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  45. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  46. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  47. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
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  49. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  50. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – David Guetta – Listen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  51. ↑ "{{{artist}}} | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  52. ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  53. ↑ "David Guetta – Chart history" Billboard 200 for David Guetta. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  54. ↑ "David Guetta – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums for David Guetta. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  55. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2014&cat=a
  56. ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2014&cat=a
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  63. ↑ http://www.hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade
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  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter David Guetta in the field Interpret. Enter Listen in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
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  71. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  72. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  73. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter David Guetta in the field Filtra. Select 2015 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
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  76. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  77. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select the "Chart", enter 2015 in the field "Year". Select '' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  78. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Listen in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
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