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When the Sun Goes Down (Selena Gomez & the Scene album)

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When the Sun Goes Down is the third studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene, released on June 28, 2011, by Hollywood Records. The band worked with several artists on this album, including writers and producers from their debut, Kiss & Tell (2009), and their second album, A Year Without Rain (2010), such as Rock Mafia duo Tim James and Antonina Armato, as well as Katy Perry, Devrim "DK" Karaoglu, and Toby Gad. New contributors to this album included Britney Spears, Priscilla Renea, Emanuel Kiriakou, and Sandy Vee. Selena Gomez along with some of the members of the The Scene contributed to some of the songwriting on the album. The album sonically follows in the step of their predecessor, taking on a dance-pop sound with influences of 1980s electro and disco music. Lyrical themes include topics of love, freedom, self-worth, and the joy of living in the moment.

When the Sun Goes Down spawned three singles. The lead single from the album, "Who Says" was released on March 14, 2011, peaking at number 21 in the United States and in the top twenty in Canada and New Zealand. The acoustic pop song also went Platinum in the United States. The second single from the album is "Love You Like a Love Song" charted in the top forty in Belgium, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The third single, "Hit the Lights" was released on November 17, 2011. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with sales over 78,000 copies, surpassing the first week sales of their first two albums. The album rose to number three in its second week. The album was also successful elsewhere, peaking in the top 10 in countries like Belgium, Canada, Italy, Norway, Taiwan and New Zealand.

Background

In 2009, the band released their debut album, Kiss & Tell, and quickly followed-up with 2010's A Year Without Rain.[2] After the release of the latter Gomez said that she was not in a rush to release another album, but after hearing "Who Says", she decided to begin another release, calling the song "amazing" and crediting it for inspiring her.[2] "Who Says" debuted on radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest as the first single of the album.[3] On March 18, 2011, in an interview with MTV, Gomez revealed, "the third record is really fun, and there's a song called 'Hit the Lights' that I love, and it's basically about every missed opportunity that you've had," she said. "But it's also a dance track. There's a lot more depth [on this album]".[4] Gomez also revealed British recording artist Pixie Lott and German producer Toby Gad had both penned tracks for the album, while confirming its release for Summer 2011.[4] A few days later, the singer revealed her team and the band "haven't decided [a] title [yet for the album] and we're dealing with the album artwork, 'cause it is very different and I'm growing up. It's a lot more mature".[5] MTV News later confirmed that American recording artist Britney Spears had also written a song for the album titled "Whiplash".[6] On June 2, 2011, the album's name, When the Sun Goes Down, and track listing were revealed through Gomez's official website.[7] After several songs from When the Sun Goes Down started to leak online, Gomez posted several video messages on her YouTube official channel featuring commentaries about each song of the album.[8] When the Sun Goes Down was released on June 28, 2011 by Hollywood Records.[9]

Composition

Musically, When the Sun Goes Down expands on the electropop and synthpop themes of its predecessor "A Year Without Rain", with a lighter and sassier feel, according to Tim Sendra of Allmusic Guide. Tracks like "Hit the Lights" have disco influences, as they pair ballad lyrics with uptempo and midtempo dance music. The album also explores organic instrumentation.[10] Both the first single "Who Says" and the fourth track "We Own the Night" featuring Pixie Lott features more acoustic, indie pop sounds, which was originally intended for Kelly Clarkson's fifth album Stronger. They are the only songs on the album devoid of synthesized instrumentation. Gomez's work on the record as the frontwoman has been heralded as sounding better and more mature than other former Disney Channel stars like Vanessa Hudgens,[11] and Miley Cyrus.[11][12] When the Sun Goes Down features lyrics focusing largely on finding solace and letting go of fear and anxiety, along with topics of love, loss, loneliness, and feminism.

The first track, "Love You Like a Love Song", was written by Antonina Armato, Tim James, Adam Schmalholz and was produced by Rock Mafia. Also serving as the album's second single, the song contains deep, whispered vocals and incorporates an [[eurodisco rhythem slight. Gomez described the promotional single "Bang Bang Bang" as fun and cheeky. It is made up of 1980s electro synths and sees Gomez praising her new boyfriend while mocking her ex.[13] The track was also compared to British electropop duo La Roux's 2009 hit Bulletproof.[14] "Who Says" is an acoustic self-empowerment anthem where the singer extends kindness and sympathy to her critics. Serving as the album's first single, it debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty-four and peaked at number twenty-one, standing as the group's highest charting single in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand. "We Own the Night" was written by Toby Gad and British electronic soul singer-songwriter Pixie Lott, who is also featured on backing vocals. The track has a largely acoustic, harmonic sound paired with escapist lyrics in the style of Jimmy Buffett. "Hit the Lights" is an dance song about overcoming anxiety and living in the moment. American pop singer Britney Spears composed the album's sixth track titled "Whiplash". It is an electropop song[12] described aselectro glam[10] about an intense romance, featuring transportation imagery. The song has gained notability for Britney Spears' involvement in the composition, Gomez' faux-English accent in the spoken word verse before the chorus,[10] and for being one of the band's more mature songs.

When the Sun Goes Down features a variety of renowned artists including Britney Spears (left), Katy Perry (center) and Pixie Lott (right).

The title track features the use of electric guitars and stuttering synthesizers.[15] Selena Gomez stated that "When The Sun Goes Down" held a special meaning for her and her bass player, Joey Clement, because of their collaborative involvement in the track's composition. Gomez commented "I got to rewrite the bridge of it as well. It felt like we got to do that as a band."[13] The eighth track on the album is "My Dilemma", a Kelly Clarkson-esque pop-rock song about conflicted feelings towards a potential breakup.[13] "That's More Like It", the following track, is penned by Katy Perry[12] and was inspired by American women of the 1950s and their relegation to domesticity.[13] In the song, Gomez demands that her negligent man does the cooking, cleaning, and housework, commanding him "Make me dinner and bring it to me." "Outlaw" is a bleak cautionary tale and revenge ballad lyrically similar to Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" and Lady Gaga's "Monster". The lyrics also make use of Wild West imagery and references to Gomez's home state of Texas, "I'm from the Lone-Star state, and I'm here to bring you in." The album's final song "Middle of Nowhere" is a dance-pop ballad that features electropop beats and synthesizers along with bells and chimes. In the song, Gomez laments being left behind by a manipulative ex lover, for whom she made drastic personal changes.[13] The song's bridge is a deep and heavily-breathed spoken-word recitation of the song's chorus, much in the style of Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson. A Spanish-language version of the lead single "Who Says" titled "Dices" is featured as a bonus track.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Who Says", was co-written and produced by Emanuel Kiriakou, Priscilla Hamilton, and was released on March 14, 2011. The song has been met with generally positive reviews from most music critics, with many praising its theme of self-empowerment[16][17] and Bill Lamb of About.com even called the band "the most consistent Disney pop hitmaker in recent years."[18] The song proved moderately successful, debuting at number twenty-four and so far peaking at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and has gone on to sell over a million copies in the United States, and was certified platinum by RIAA.[19] "Who Says" also reached number seventeen in Canada and fifteen in New Zealand, becoming the band's highest charting single on those countries.[20][21] The song also managed to peak inside the top fifty in Germany[22] and Ireland[23] and appeared on the main charts in the United Kingdom,[24] Belgium,[21] Australia,[25] Austria, Thailand and Vietnam. On June 17, "Love You Like a Love Song", the album's official second single was released.[26] Later in the year, Gomez started filming the music video for "Hit the Lights" in September 2011.[27] The video was released in November 2011 and as a single, the song has currently attained the top thirty chart position in Belgium and debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number ninety-three.

Promotional singles

In preparation for the albums release, the bands record label decided to release two buzz singles. On June 7, 2011, iTunes released a couple promotional tracks from the album. Beginning with "Bang Bang Bang", which peaked ninety-four in the Billboard Hot 100,[28] followed by "Dices", the Spanish version of "Who Says".

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[10]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[14]
OK!(positive)[11]
PopCrush(positive)[15]
About.com[12]
Rolling Stone[29]

Metacritic gives the album a score of 64/100 based on 6 reviews.[30] So far, the album has been met with positive reception. Mikael Wood from 'Entertainment Weekly writes, "[Gomez] sounds fully invested in tart electro-disco ditties like "Bang Bang Bang," and "top-shelf collaborators don't hurt — see: the grinding "Whiplash," co-penned by one Britney Spears.""[14] Bill Lamb from About.com commented, "It is all wrapped up in smart pop melodies, electropop flourishes, and winning emotional engagement. This is Selena Gomez's best vocal album yet.".[12] Jody Rosen from Rolling Stone writes, "At just 18 years old, Selena Gomez is a showbiz vet, with a decade-plus in the game. (Before she was a Disney princess, she did dinosaur duets on Barney & Friends.) So it's no surprise that Gomez's third album is a very professional affair. The production credits are full of top flight songwriter-producers, and even a couple of starlets. (Britney Spears and Katy Perry get songwriting credits here).

Commercial performance

When the Sun Goes Down was released on June 28, 2011. In the week of July, 4, 2011, it debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 with their highest sales week ever, selling 78,000 copies in its first week. It beat out Kiss & Tell (#9 with 66,000 copies) and A Year Without Rain (#4 with 66,000 copies). The next week the album rose to number three, making it the band's highest charting album. In Canada, the album debuted at #2 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 9,000 copies in its first week.[31] The album debuted in Spain at number two on the Spanish Albums Chart.[32] The album peaked there for three weeks, during the debut week and the fifth and sixth week on the chart. In Belgium, the album debuted at number twenty-one on the Belgian Albums Chart and jumped to its peak position at number six.[32] The album debuted and peaked at number six in Mexico.[32] The album debuted at number sixteen in Norway and rose to its peak position at number 6 in its eighth week.[32] On the month of November 2011, the album increased in sales to 248% to its regular sales and has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and was officially certified gold by RIAA on November 17, 2011. It is the band's third consecutive album that is certified gold by RIAA.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love You Like a Love Song"Antonina Armato, Tim James, Adam SchmalholzRock Mafia, Devrim Karaoglu*3:08
2."Bang Bang Bang"Toby Gad, Meleni Smith, Priscilla HamiltonGad3:15
3."Who Says"Emanuel Kiriakou, HamiltonKiriakou3:16
4."We Own the Night" (featuring Pixie Lott)Gad, LottGad3:47
5."Hit the Lights"Leah Haywood, Daniel James, Tony NilssonDreamlab3:14
6."Whiplash"Greg Kurstin, Nicole Morier, Britney SpearsKurstin3:40
7."When the Sun Goes Down"Selena Gomez, Joey Clement, Steve Sulikowski, Stefan AbingdonAbingdon3:16
8."My Dilemma"Armato, James, KaraogluRock Mafia, Karaoglu*3:10
9."That's More Like It"Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Katy PerryAlexander, Steinberg3:09
10."Outlaw"Gomez, Armato, James, Thomas Armato SturgesRock Mafia, Karaoglu*, Sturges*3:22
11."Middle of Nowhere"Espen Lind, Amund Bjorklund, Sandy Wilhelm, Carmen Michelle KeySandy Vee, Espionage3:27
12."Dices" (Spanish version of "Who Says")Kiriakou, Hamilton; Edgar Cortazar, Mark PortmannKiriakou3:16
Total length:39:53
Target store/Asda bonus tracks[33]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Fantasma de Amor" (Spanish version of "Ghost of You")Edgar Cortazar, Ernesto Cortazar, Mark Portmann3:24
14."A Year Without Rain" (Dave Audé Radio Remix)Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins4:00
15."Who Says" (Bimbo Jones Radio Remix)Kiriakou, Renea2:51
16."Who Says" (Dave Audé Radio Remix)Kiriakou, Renea3:35
Deluxe edition[34]
No.TitleLength
13."Love You Like a Love Song" (Dave Audé Radio Mix)3:17
14."Love You Like a Love Song" (Dave Audé Club Mix)6:28
15."Love You Like a Love Song" (Jump Smokers Radio Remix)4:11
16."Love You Like a Love Song" (Jump Smokers Club Remix)4:36
17."Love You Like a Love Song" (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Radio Remix)3:16
18."Love You Like a Love Song" (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Remix)6:38
19."Love You Like a Love Song" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Radio Remix)3:59
20."Love You Like a Love Song" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Club Remix)5:49
UK iTunes bonus video[35]
No.TitleLength
13."Love You Like a Love Song" (Behind the Scenes)3:54
Japanese edition[36]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Who Says" (Dave Audé Radio Remix)Emanuel Kiriakou, Renea3:33
14."Round & Round" (7th Heaven Radio Mix)Kevin Rudolf, Andrew Bolooki, Fefe Dobson, Jeff Halavacs, Jacob Kasher3:42
15."A Year Without Rain" (Fascination Club Radio Edit)Lindy Robbins, Toby Gad3:50
Japanese deluxe edition DVD[36]
No.TitleLength
1."Who Says" (Music Video)3:21
2."Love You Like a Love Song" (Music Video)3:41
Canadian edition[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Who Says" (SmashMode Radio Remix)Kiriakou, Hamilton3:21

(*) denotes co-producer

Charts and certifications

References

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