Battleground (album)
Encyclopedia
Battleground is the second studio album released by British boyband The Wanted
on 4 November 2011 through Island Records
. Three singles preceded the album, "Gold Forever
" (UK #3, March 2011), "Glad You Came
" (UK #1, July 2011) and "Lightning
" (UK #2, October 2011).
The album was released in two different editions, the standard edition features 11 tracks whilst the deluxe edition features 15 tracks, videos to the preceding singles which was encased in a collector's box with five postcards of the band.
. In February 2011, it was revealed the group would be releasing the official Comic Relief
single for 2011. In April 2011, the group embarked on their first headline tour, playing 16 dates in 12 different UK cities. The tour was in support of their debut album The Wanted
but whilst on tour, the group previewed a song from their new song, "Lightning". The track was co-written by the band and Ed Drewett
.
In May 20011, the band confirmed they had signed a record deal with American label Def Jam which could see their second album released in the US. Max George
confirmed on September 28th that the album was complete and the following day, Nathan Sykes
confirmed the album would be released with the title Battleground.
now snapping at their heels, they'll have to rediscover their inventive streak in the future if they are to ever take the crown." Nick Levine wrote for BBC
that the album is "a solid pop platter that's not lacking in personality – even if the latter does manifest itself in a smattering of lyrics clunkier than testing day at the seat belt factory." Robert Copsey wrote for Digital Spy
that "Though the end result shows that they may have taken the battle of the boybands a touch too seriously, much to their credit they come out the other side largely unscathed." David Griffiths wrote for 4Music
that "it's an album which wisely leaves the listener wanting more and suggests that this is a band with a very bright future." Matthew Horton wrote a mixed review for Virgin Media
that "It's a curiously bloodless affair though, with none of the boys yet to establish an identity, and too much sails past without leaving an impression."
(BPI) for shipments of 100,000 copies in the UK.
.
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band based in London, England. The band consists of Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes. Their debut single, "All Time Low", was released in July 2010 and reached number one in the United Kingdom for one week...
on 4 November 2011 through Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Three singles preceded the album, "Gold Forever
Gold Forever
"Gold Forever" is a dance-pop song by British-Irish boy band The Wanted from their upcoming second studio album, Battleground. It was written by Steve Mac, Wayne Hector and Claude Kelly, and was released as the band's fourth single on 13 March 2011 as the official 2011 Comic Relief charity single...
" (UK #3, March 2011), "Glad You Came
Glad You Came
"Glad You Came" is a song by British/Irish boy band The Wanted from their second studio album, Battleground. It was released as the album's second single on 10 July 2011. The dance-pop song was written by Steve Mac, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett, it was produced by Steve Mac...
" (UK #1, July 2011) and "Lightning
Lightning (song)
"Lightning" is a song by British boy band The Wanted from their upcoming second studio album, Battleground. It will be released as the album's third single on 16 October 2011. The song was written by Steve Mac, Wayne Hector and Ed Drewett, and it was produced by Steve Mac, the same team responsible...
" (UK #2, October 2011).
The album was released in two different editions, the standard edition features 11 tracks whilst the deluxe edition features 15 tracks, videos to the preceding singles which was encased in a collector's box with five postcards of the band.
Background
In January 2011, the group began work on their second studio album with previous songwriter and producer Steve MacSteve Mac
Steve Mac , is a songwriter, record producer and owner of Rokstone Studios in London.He has produced more than 22 number one singles in the UK and had several multi-million selling albums worldwide...
. In February 2011, it was revealed the group would be releasing the official Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
single for 2011. In April 2011, the group embarked on their first headline tour, playing 16 dates in 12 different UK cities. The tour was in support of their debut album The Wanted
The Wanted (album)
The Wanted is the self-titled debut studio album by British pop boy band The Wanted, which was released on 22 October 2010 through Geffen Records. The album debuted at number four in the United Kingdom and Scotland, and at number 11 in Ireland...
but whilst on tour, the group previewed a song from their new song, "Lightning". The track was co-written by the band and Ed Drewett
Ed Drewett
Ed Drewett is a singer-songwriter signed to EMI Virgin Records. Drewett first came to public attention in 2007 on the BBC television show Any Dream Will Do but he did not make the final 12 chosen for the live shows. He is best-known, however, for the single "I Need You Tonight" produced by The...
.
In May 20011, the band confirmed they had signed a record deal with American label Def Jam which could see their second album released in the US. Max George
Max George
Max George is a former Australian rules footballer who played in three states, for Fitzroy of the Victorian Football League , Swans Districts and Central District....
confirmed on September 28th that the album was complete and the following day, Nathan Sykes
Nathan Sykes
Nathan Sykes is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s, who at representative level has played for England, and at club level for Moldgreen ARLFC, and Castleford Tigers, playing at , or , i.e...
confirmed the album would be released with the title Battleground.
Singles
- Gold Forever (Steve Mac, Wayne Hector, Claude Kelly) - Released on March 13th 2011, the lead single from the album was released as the official Comic ReliefComic ReliefComic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
single of 2011. The track debuted at #3 in the UK, #2 in Scotland and #13 in Ireland. It is currently their third most successful single, spending a total of 8 weeks on the UK Top 75.
- Glad You Came (Steve Mac, Wayne Hector, Ed Drewett) - Released on July 10th 2011, the second single became their second UK #1 and first #1 in Ireland, where it spent 5 weeks at the summit. The track is also their first to be successful on an international basis, charting at #20 in both Australia and New Zealand, #12 in the Netherlands and also reached #89 on the Canadian Hot 100. It is currently their second most successful single in the UK.
- Lightning (Steve Mac, Wayne Hector, Ed Drewett) - Released on October 16th 2011, the third single reached #2 in the UK and Scotland and #5 in Ireland. In Australia, the track has peaked at #79. The track is currently their fifth most successful single.
- Warzone (Max George, Nathan Sykes, Jack McManus, Harry Somerdahl) - Release TBC, the track was confirmed as the album's fourth single in early November. The video was shot in New York and debuted on November 10th 2011. It debuted at #64 in the UK but rose to #62 the following week.
Reception
The album received mostly favorable reviews from music critics. Jon O'Brien wrote for Allmusic that "Battleground, is disappointingly a little more pedestrian than its predecessor", writing that "Battleground should still consolidate their position as heirs to the boy band throne, but with the likes of One DirectionOne Direction
One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
now snapping at their heels, they'll have to rediscover their inventive streak in the future if they are to ever take the crown." Nick Levine wrote for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that the album is "a solid pop platter that's not lacking in personality – even if the latter does manifest itself in a smattering of lyrics clunkier than testing day at the seat belt factory." Robert Copsey wrote for Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
that "Though the end result shows that they may have taken the battle of the boybands a touch too seriously, much to their credit they come out the other side largely unscathed." David Griffiths wrote for 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
that "it's an album which wisely leaves the listener wanting more and suggests that this is a band with a very bright future." Matthew Horton wrote a mixed review for Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
that "It's a curiously bloodless affair though, with none of the boys yet to establish an identity, and too much sails past without leaving an impression."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number four in Ireland, becoming their first top ten album in the country. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number five. It sold 47,530 copies in its first week. Although debuting at one position lower than their debut album, its sales where 22.91% copies higher. It has since been certified gold by the British Phonographic IndustryBritish Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI) for shipments of 100,000 copies in the UK.
Track listing
Repacked Edition
When first announced for sale, the tracklisting for Battleground included four tracks do not appear on the final tracklisting of the album. As such, seven tracks went unreleased. The band announced on November 8, 2011, that a repackaged version of the album will be issued in 2012, containing the original eleven-track album, plus a bonus disc containing the seven unreleased tracks, plus a duet, "Jealousy", with an American female artist who has yet to be revealed. The album will also include a further new track, written for the band by rapper ExampleExample (rapper)
Elliot John Gleave , better known by his stage name Example, is an English singer and rapper signed to Data Records. His name arose due to his initials being E.G., which is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "exempli gratia", which means, "for example".Example's third album Playing In The Shadows...
.
- "Lady Lady" (Andrew Frampton, Siva Kaneswaran, Nathan Sykes) (Produced By Andrew Frampton) - 3:19
- "Push" (Chris Young, Max George) (Produced By Chris Young) - 3:49
- "Let Me Save You" (Jay McGuiness, Siva Kaneswaran, Britt Burton, Harry Sommerdahl) (Produced By Phat Fabe) - 3:33
- "Forever" (Siva Kaneswaran, Eliot Kennedy) (Produced By Eliot Kennedy) - 4:12
- "Everybody Knows" (Steve Mac, Wayne Hector) (Produced By Steve Mac) - 3:35
- "She Don't Like To Party" (Wayne C McDonald, Dex Nicholson, Yasmin Green, Mike Hough) (Produced By The ILLIONNaires) - 3:38
- "Madmen" (Guy Chambers, Siva Kaneswaran) (Produced By Guy Chambers) - 4:02
- "Jealousy" (Duet with TBA)
- "TBA" (ExampleExample (rapper)Elliot John Gleave , better known by his stage name Example, is an English singer and rapper signed to Data Records. His name arose due to his initials being E.G., which is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "exempli gratia", which means, "for example".Example's third album Playing In The Shadows...
) (Produced By Phat Fabe)
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
4 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 56 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
5 |
Certifications
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 4 November 2011 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
| United Kingdom | 7 November 2011 | ||
| Brazil | 22 November 2011 | Universal Music |