This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album)

This Is the Life is the debut studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 30 July 2007. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 January 2008[11] and sold over 900,000 copies in the UK as of February 2017,[12] awarding the album a certification of 3× Platinum.

This Is the Life
Studio album by
Amy Macdonald
Released30 July 2007
Recorded2006 – 2007
StudioBrookland Road Studio
Soho Recording Studios (London)
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock, indie folk
Length44:15
LabelMelodramatic, Vertigo
ProducerPete Wilkinson
Amy Macdonald chronology
This Is the Life
(2007)		 Live from Glasgow
(2007)
Amy Macdonald studio album chronology
This Is the Life
(2007)		 A Curious Thing
(2010)
Singles from This Is the Life
  1. "Poison Prince"
    Released: 7 May 2007
  2. "Mr Rock & Roll"
    Released: 16 July 2007
  3. "L.A."
    Released: 15 October 2007
  4. "This Is the Life"
    Released: 10 December 2007
  5. "Run"
    Released: 3 March 2008
  6. "Poison Prince (re-release)"
    Released: 19 May 2008
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
BBC(favourable)[2]
Blender[3]
Insiders' Guides(8/10)[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
The Epoch Times(positive)[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]
TimesOnline[9]
Yahoo! Music[10]

Singles and other tracks

The first single from the album was "Poison Prince", a limited online release, while the debut first full single was the successful "Mr Rock & Roll", which debuted at number 12. The following singles "L.A." and "This Is the Life" were considerably less successful in the UK, although "This Is the Life" is considered her most successful song in the rest of Europe, where it peaked at number 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, number 2 in Switzerland, number 3 in Spain, number 6 in Norway and number 8 in Denmark. It peaked at number 28 in the UK, spending 17 weeks in the top 75. After fifth single "Run", the sixth release from the album was a re-release of "Poison Prince" on 19 May 2008.[13]

Three songs of the album are cover versions: "Caledonia", originally recorded in 1979 by Dougie MacLean, "Fairytale of New York", first performed in 1987 by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and "Mr. Brightside", cover version of a 2004 song by The Killers, written by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning.

Singles chronology
United Kingdom
Europe
  • "Mr Rock & Roll" (5 August 2008)
  • "This Is the Life"
  • "Run" (20 February 2009)
  • "Poison Prince" (19 June 2009)
Poland
  • "Poison Prince"
  • "This Is the Life"
  • "Mr Rock & Roll"
Canada and US
  • "Mr Rock & Roll" (5 August 2008)

Chart performance

The album was particularly successful in Germany, spending 57 weeks in the top 20 of the German Albums Chart, 36 weeks in the top 10 of the German albums chart and a total of 100 weeks on the entire chart;[14] it has been certified 9× Gold (February 2011) for over 900,000 copies sold in the country.[15] It also spent 57 weeks in the Dutch albums chart and 53 weeks in the Swiss albums chart.

It has also been certified Gold in Sweden. It has been certified Platinum in France for over 220,000 copies sold.[16] The album was released in the US on 19 August 2008.[17]

Track listings

All tracks were written by Amy Macdonald except where shown.

Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Mr Rock & Roll"3:35
2."This Is the Life"3:05
3."Poison Prince"3:28
4."Youth of Today"4:00
5."Run"3:50
6."Let's Start a Band"4:05
7."Barrowland Ballroom"3:58
8."L.A." (written by Amy Macdonald and Pete Wilkinson)4:06
9."A Wish for Something More"3:46
10."Footballer's Wife"5:06
International bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."The Road to Home"2:20
12."Caledonia" (hidden track, written by Dougie MacLean)2:00
French and Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."The Road to Home"2:20
12."Caledonia" (hidden track, written by Dougie MacLean)2:00
13."Mr. Brightside" (live from King Tuts)4:14
14."Mr Rock & Roll" (live from King Tuts)3:28
15."Rock Bottom"3:45

Deluxe edition

After the major success of "This Is the Life" across Europe, near the end of 2008 a deluxe version of the album was released. The two-disc set include the standard version of the album and a bonus CD with several bonus tracks, live and acoustic versions.

CD 1
No.TitleLength
1."Mr Rock & Roll"3:35
2."This Is the Life"3:05
3."Poison Prince"3:28
4."Youth of Today"4:00
5."Run"3:50
6."Let's Start a Band"4:05
7."Barrowland Ballroom"3:58
8."L.A." (written by Amy Macdonald and Pete Wilkinson)4:06
9."A Wish for Something More"3:46
10."Footballer's Wife"5:06
CD 2
No.TitleLength
1."This Is the Life" (acoustic live version)3:19
2."This Much Is True"2:44
3."Somebody New"3:29
4."Footballer's Wife" (live from Glasgow Barrowlands)5:02
5."Fairy Tale of New York" (live from Glasgow Barrowlands, originally performed by The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl)5:50
6."Mr. Brightside" (live from Glasgow Barrowlands, originally performed by The Killers)4:05
7."Mr Rock & Roll" (live from Glasgow Barrowlands)3:28
8."Rock Bottom"3:46
9."The Road to Home"2:21
10."Caledonia" (hidden track)2:06
Digital release[18]
No.TitleLength
11."What Is Love"3:42

Personnel
  • Amy Macdonald - vocals, acoustic guitar
  • Pete Wilkinson - producer, manager
  • Seton Daunt - guitar
  • Jolyon Dixon - guitar, mixing
  • Jamie Sefton - bass
  • Adam Falkner - drums, percussion
  • Johnny Dyke - keyboards
  • Phillip Read Mason - bagpipes
  • Audrey Riley - cello, conductor
  • Richard George - violin
  • Jonathan Hill - violin
  • Laura Melhuish - violin
  • Susan Dench - viola
  • Joe Fields - engineer
  • Paul Adam & His Mayfair Music - executive producer
  • Guy Katsav - assistant engineer
  • Danton Supple and Bob Clearmountain - mixing
  • Valerie Phillips - cover design, photography

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[38] 2× Platinum 40,000*
Belgium (BEA)[39] Platinum 30,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[40] Platinum 30,000^
France (SNEP)[41] Platinum 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[42] 5× Platinum 1,000,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[43] Gold 7,500^
Italy (FIMI)[44] Gold 35,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[45] Platinum 60,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[46] Gold 10,000*
Russia (NFPF)[47] Gold 10,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[48] Gold 40,000^
Sweden (GLF)[49] Gold 20,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[50] 4× Platinum 120,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] 3× Platinum 900,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[52] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

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

Year-end charts
Chart (2008) Position
Austrian Albums Chart[53] 13
German Albums Chart[54] 8
Chart (2009) Position
German Albums Chart[55] 10
Swiss Albums Chart[56] 18

References
  1. This Is the Life at AllMusic
  2. "Music - Review of Amy MacDonald - This Is The Life". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  3. Archived 6 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Archived 13 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "New CDs: Staind, Amy Macdonald". Los Angeles Times. 19 August 2008.
  6. "Music Review: Amy MacDonald—'This Is The Life' | Music | Arts & Entertainment | Epoch Times". En.epochtimes.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  7. Sullivan, Caroline (27 July 2007). "CD: Amy Macdonald, This Is the Life". The Guardian. London.
  8. Archived 1 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Bremner, Charles. "Amy Macdonald : This Is The Life". The Times. London.
  10. 22 mins ago (20 April 2011). "Yahoo! UK & Ireland omg! - Celebrity Gossip | News | Photos | Videos". Uk.launch.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  11. "Macdonald tops the UK album chart". bbc.co.uk. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  12. Gumble, Daniel (24 February 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Rag'N'Bone Man holds top spot on albums chart". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  13. "Footballer's wife? Not me says Amy Macdonald". edinburghnews.scotsman.com. 9 May 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  14. "Die ganze Musik im Internet". musicline.de. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  15. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('This+Is+the+Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  16. "Les Tops" (in French). Chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  17. "This Is The Life". Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  18. "iTunes - Musik – "This is The Life" von Amy Macdonald". Itunes.apple.com. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  19. "Australiancharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in French). Hung Medien.
  22. "Danishcharts.dk – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  24. "Lescharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  25. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  26. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 24, 2007". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  27. "Italiancharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  28. "Amy Macdonald - This Is The Life, in various albums charts". Acharts. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  29. "Norwegiancharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  30. "Polish Albums Chart". OLiS. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  31. "Portuguesecharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  33. "Spanishcharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  34. "Swedishcharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  35. "Swisscharts.com – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". Hung Medien.
  36. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  37. "Amy Macdonald Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  38. "Austrian album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  39. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  40. "Danish album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". IFPI Denmark.
  41. "French album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  42. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Amy Macdonald; 'This Is the Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  43. "Greek album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Greek). IFPI Greece.
  44. "Italian album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "This Is the Life" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  45. "Amy MacDonald komt naar Heineken Music Hall". Trouw (in Dutch). 27 August 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  46. "Polish album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  47. "Russian album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF).
  48. "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select Albums under "Chart", enter 2009 in the field "Year". Select 19 in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
  49. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2008" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  50. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Amy Macdonald; 'This Is the Life')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  51. "British album certifications – Amy Macdonald – This Is the Life". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type This Is the Life in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  52. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2008". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  53. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  54. https://web.archive.org/web/20080610050653/http://www.mtv.de/charts/Album_Jahrescharts_2007. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  56. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.