Swings Both Ways

Swings Both Ways
Studio album by Robbie Williams
Released 15 November 2013 (2013-11-15)
Recorded 2012-13
Genre
Length 45:04
Label
Producer
Robbie Williams chronology
Robbie Williams: Live at the O2
(2012)		 Swings Both Ways
(2013)		 Robbie Williams: Classic Album Selection
(2013)
Singles from Swings Both Ways
  1. "Go Gentle"
    Released: 10 November 2013
  2. "Dream a Little Dream"
    Released: 15 December 2013
  3. "Shine My Shoes"
    Released: 24 March 2014

Swings Both Ways is the tenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It is his second swing album after 2001's Swing When You're Winning; unlike the latter, which had one original composition, this album features an equal mix of both covers and original material. The album marked Williams' first major work with former longtime collaborator Guy Chambers since 2002's Escapology. Chambers produced the album and co-wrote most of the album's new material with Williams.

The album was released on 15 November 2013 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 109,000 copies, becoming the UK's 1,000th number one album. It was also Williams' eleventh album to top the chart, putting him joint-second with Elvis Presley for the most UK number one albums.[1] Internationally, the album charted strongly and charted in the top 10 in Ireland, Australia, Belgium, Italy and Sweden, in addition to reaching number one in Austria, Croatia, Germany and Switzerland. As of June 2014, the album has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Swings Both Ways was the 18th global best-selling album of 2013.[2]

Background

Swings Both Ways was announced by Williams in September 2013. It was released in the UK by Island Records on 18 November 2013.[3] The album features cover versions of well known songs, as well as six new tracks written by Williams and Guy Chambers, who also produced the album.[3] Swings Both Ways also features duets between Williams and Lily Allen, Michael Bublé, Kelly Clarkson, Olly Murs, and Rufus Wainwright, on classic as well as new material.[3]

Williams stated "First of all, I wanted to do a swing album because I wanted to do a swing album. I always knew I'd do another and I think now is the perfect time to do it. I'm enjoying showbiz and I'm enjoying my life and my understanding of where I am now is that there needs to be an event every time I bring out a record. The album this time is a definite ode and a loving glance towards a period on the planet that I was never invited to 'coz I wasn't there… I wanted to be, which I feel still very strongly linked to."[3] He added that Swings Both Ways was originally going to be similar to his first swing album Swing When You're Winning, but he later changed his mind and added the original tracks: "Going in I planned it to be very similar to the last one, and then I realized – that’s actually not what I wanted. It’s different – it’s not all covers, I had some songs that I wanted the world to hear and check out and maybe become part of the fabric of their lives, if I’m lucky enough, that I’ve had a hand in writing. So it’s very very similar to the last one, and very different – and hopefully I’m off to romance the world!"[3]

Lily Allen said of her collaboration with Williams: "‘Dream A Little Dream’ is one of my favourite songs of all time so I didn’t hesitate when Robbie asked me if I’d like to duet with him on it. I was a bit nervous when we recorded it, especially when I asked him what he wanted me to do and he said something like ‘just be you’. But I’m really happy with it and think we do justice to a classic song."[4] Murs also commented on his first collaboration with his long-time friend: "I absolutely loved working with Rob on this album. After touring Europe with him this year it seemed only right that we record something together, and “I Wan’na Be Like You” is such a classic sing-a-long tune. It’s always brilliant when you get to work with your mates!"[4] Wainwright also spoke of his duet with Williams: "Working with Robbie is a dream come true. I’m once again the envy of both sexes. Robbie is the real deal, full package, a total mensch and if I could come up with any more paired descriptive sayings I would use them as well."[4]

Singles

"Go Gentle" was released as the album's official lead single on 10 November 2013.[5]

The album's second single "Dream a Little Dream" was released on 13 December 2013.[6]

"Shine My Shoes" was released as a promotional single on 12 September 2013, upon pre-orders of the album being made available. The track premiered on radio that morning, and shortly after an official audio stream was released to YouTube.[7] It was released digitally as the third single from the album on 24 March 2014.[8]

Chart performance

In the UK, the album opened at number one (which became the 1,000th UK number one album) with 109,000 copies sold.[9] During its second week, Swings Both Ways dropped to number three, the following week the album climbed to number two, the following week the album climbed back to number one in its fourth week, selling 126,000 copies – an increase of 31% from the previous week. Williams secured the Christmas album number one with sales of 126,000 copies.[10] The album was the fourth best-selling album of 2013 (excluding multi-artist compilations) with 626,000 copies sold for the year.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
Daily Express[13]
Digital Spy[14]
The Guardian[15]
The Independent[16]
Metro[17]
musicOMH[18]
The National[19]
The New Zealand Herald[20]
The Observer[21]
Time Out London[22]

Swings Both Ways has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. As of December 2013, the album holds an aggregate score of 58 out of 100 assigned by Metacritic, based on 7 reviews.[12]

Track listing

Swings Both Ways – Standard edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Shine My Shoes"  Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers, Chris Heath 3:23
2. "Go Gentle"  Williams, Chambers, Chris Heath 4:31
3. "I Wan'na Be Like You" (featuring Olly Murs)Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman 3:31
4. "Swing Supreme"  Williams, Chambers, Dino Fekaris, Frederick Perren 3:17
5. "Swings Both Ways" (featuring Rufus Wainwright)Williams, Chambers, Rufus Wainwright 3:58
6. "Dream a Little Dream" (featuring Lily Allen)Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt 3:33
7. "Soda Pop" (featuring Michael Bublé)Williams, Kelvin Andrews, Scott Ralph, Rich Scott, Danny Spencer 3:19
8. "Snowblind"  Williams, Chambers 3:19
9. "Puttin' on the Ritz"  Irving Berlin 2:32
10. "Little Green Apples" (featuring Kelly Clarkson)Bobby Russell 3:16
11. "Minnie the Moocher"  Cab Calloway, Irving Mills, Clarence Gaskill 3:41
12. "If I Only Had a Brain"  Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg 3:52
13. "No One Likes a Fat Pop Star"  Williams, Chambers, Heath 2:52
Swings Both Ways – Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
14. "Where There's Muck"  Williams, Guy Chambers 4:09
15. "16 Tons"  Merle Travis 2:36
16. "Wedding Bells"  Williams, Gary Barlow 4:35
DVD – Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Dream a Little Dream (Video)"  Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt 1:22
2. "Soda Pop (Video)"  Williams, Kelvin Andrews, Scott Ralph, Rich Scott, Danny Spencer 3:37
3. "I Wan'na Be Like You (Video)"  Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman 1:56
4. "Swings Both Ways (Video)"  Williams, Chambers, Rufus Wainwright 4:03
5. "Gallery"  – 3:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
scope="row" Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 2
scope="row" Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 1
scope="row" Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 4
scope="row" Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 13
Croatian Albums (Croatian Albums Chart)[27] 1
China Albums (Sino Chart)[28] 26
scope="row" Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[29] 5
scope="row" Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[30] 2
scope="row" Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[31] 2
scope="row" Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 18
scope="row" French Albums (SNEP)[33] 38
scope="row" German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 1
scope="row" Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[35] 5
scope="row" Irish Albums (IRMA)[36] 2
scope="row" Italian Albums (FIMI)[37] 5
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[38] 50
scope="row" New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] 12
scope="row" Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[40] 7
scope="row" Polish Albums (ZPAV)[41] 20
scope="row" Portuguese Albums (AFP)[42] 19
South Korean Albums (Gaon Chart)[43] 24
scope="row" Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[44] 13
scope="row" Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 5
scope="row" Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] 1
scope="row" UK Albums (OCC)[47] 1
US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[48] 194

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Australian Albums Chart[49] 53
Austrian Albums Chart[50] 3
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[51] 114
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[52] 129
Dutch Albums Chart[53] 22
German Albums Chart[54] 2
Hungarian Albums Chart[55] 30
Italian Albums Chart[56] 52
Swedish Albums Chart[57] 58
Swiss Albums Chart[58] 18
UK Albums Chart[59] 4
Chart (2014) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[60] 5
Australian Albums Chart[61] 45

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA) Platinum[62] 70,000+
Austria (IFPI) 4× Platinum[63] 60,000+
Czech Republic (IFPI) Platinum[64] 12,000+
Denmark (IFPI Denmark) Gold[65] 10,000+
Germany (BVMI) 2× Platinum[66] 400,000+
Hungary (Mahasz) Gold[67] 2,000+
Ireland (IRMA) Gold[68] 7,500+
Italy (FIMI) Gold[69] 30,000+
New Zealand (RIANZ) Gold[70] 7,500+
Switzerland (IFPI) Platinum[71] 30,000+
United Kingdom (BPI) 2× Platinum[72] 626,000+[73]
World - 1,500,000

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

Release history

Country Release date Format Label
Germany[74] 15 November 2013 CD, digital download Island Records
United Kingdom[4] 18 November 2013
United States[75]

References

  1. ↑ "King of the swingers Robbie Williams scores UK's historic 1000th number one album". Official Charts Company. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  2. ↑ "One Direction top 2013 global album chart". BBC News.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Corner, Lewis (12 September 2013). "Robbie Williams announces new album 'Swings Both Ways' – video". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Swings Both Ways: The New Album Out 18th November". RobbieWilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  5. ↑ RobbieWilliams.com. "Swings Both Ways". RobbieWilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "ROBBIE WILLIAMS | Dream A Little Dream | Diskografie". Universal-music.de. 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Introducing... Shine My Shoes". RobbieWilliams.com. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Corner, Lewis (12 February 2014). "Robbie Williams confirms new single 'Shine My Shoes' – listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  9. ↑ "Robbie Williams scores UK's 1,000th number one album". BBC News. BBC. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Robbie Williams claims Christmas 2013's biggest selling album". Officialcharts.com. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  11. ↑ Daniel Lane (1 January 2014). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums of 2013". Official Charts Company.
  12. 1 2 "Swings Both Ways – Robbie Williams". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Townsend, Martin. "Robbie Williams, Swings Both Ways – album review". Daily Express. Northern and Shell Media. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  14. ↑ Corner, Lewis (15 November 2013). "Robbie Williams: 'Swings Both Ways' – Album review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  15. ↑ Simpson, Dave. "Robbie Williams: Swings Both Ways – review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  16. ↑ Montgomery, Hugh (29 July 2013). "Album review: Robbie Williams, Swings Both Ways, Island – Music – Arts & Entertainment". The Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  17. ↑ Lewis, John (15 November 2013). "Robbie Williams proves he has plenty of zing with new album Swings Both Ways". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  18. ↑ Murphy, John (14 November 2013). "Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  19. ↑ Champ, Gemma (25 November 2013). "Album review – Robbie Willams : Swings Both Ways". The National. Mubadala Development Company. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  20. ↑ Jenkin, Lydia (5 December 2013). "Album review: Robbie Williams, Swings Both Ways". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  21. ↑ Kitty Empire. "Robbie Williams: Swings Both Ways – review | Music | The Observer". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  22. ↑ Levine, Nick (11 November 2013). "Robbie Williams – 'Swings Both Ways' album review". Time Out London. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  23. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways" (in German). Hung Medien.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways" (in French). Hung Medien.
  27. ↑ "Top of the Shops – službena tjedna lista prodanih albuma u Hrvatskoj". Hdu-toplista.com. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  28. ↑ "综合榜 2014年 第10周". sino-chart.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  29. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 201348 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data.
  30. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  31. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  32. ↑ "Robbie Williams: Swings Both Ways" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  33. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  34. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  35. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2013. 51. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  36. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 47, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  37. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  38. ↑ "Puesto No. 50 del #Top100MX del ..." (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Twitter. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  40. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  41. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  42. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  43. ↑ "Gaon International Albums Chart – Robbie Williams – Take the Crown" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013.
  44. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  45. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  46. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Robbie Williams – Swings Both Ways". Hung Medien.
  47. ↑ "Robbie Williams | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  48. ↑ "Top Current Albums : Dec 07, 2013". Billboard biz. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  49. ↑ "End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2013". ARIA. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  50. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 – Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  51. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN 2013: Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop (NL). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  52. ↑ "RAPPORTS ANNUELS 2013: Albums" (in French). Ultratop (FR). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  53. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  54. ↑ "Die Jahres-Charts 2012 – Charts – Musik – 1LIVE" (in German). Einslive.de. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  55. ↑ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista – eladási darabszám alapján – 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  56. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - ALBUM 2013". hitparadeitalia.it.
  57. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  58. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2013". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  59. ↑ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums of 2013". Dan Lane. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  60. ↑ "Ö3 Charts". orf.at.
  61. ↑ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  62. ↑ Authentic Entertainment. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums - Australia's Official Top 50 Albums - ARIA Charts". ariacharts.com.au.
  63. ↑ "Robbie Williams erobert den Chart Thron und neue Single "Different"". IFPI. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012.
  64. ↑ "Timeline Photos - Robbie Williams Argentina - Facebook". facebook.com.
  65. ↑ "Hitlisten.NU". Hitlisterne.dk. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  66. ↑ Musiki Industrie Gold-/Platin-Datenbank
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  68. ↑ Certification Gold in 2013 |- Irish Recorded Music Association
  69. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  70. ↑ "FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana – Certificazioni". Fimi.it. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  71. ↑ SWISS CHARTS – ALBUMS TOP 100
  72. ↑ "Certified Awards". bpi.co.uk.
  73. ↑ "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums of 2013". officialcharts.com.
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