Battleground (album)

Battleground
Studio album by The Wanted
Released 4 November 2011 (2011-11-04)
Recorded January–September 2011
Genre
Length 43:32
Label Island
Producer
The Wanted chronology
The Wanted
(2010)		 Battleground
(2011)		 The Wanted (EP)
(2012)
Singles from Battleground
  1. "Gold Forever"
    Released: 13 March 2011
  2. "Glad You Came"
    Released: 10 July 2011
  3. "Lightning"
    Released: 16 October 2011
  4. "Warzone"
    Released: 26 December 2011

Battleground is the second studio album by British-Irish boy band The Wanted. It was released on 4 November 2011 through Island Records.

Background

In January 2011, the group began work on their second studio album with previous songwriter and producer Steve Mac. 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 the song, "Lightning" from their new album. The track was co-written by the band and Ed Drewett. Max George confirmed on 28 September that the album was complete and the following day, Nathan Sykes confirmed the album would be released with the title Battleground.

In March 2012, Billboard reported that Battleground was "slated to arrive stateside this fall" as the band's second US release, after their debut EP.[1] This did not happen, however, and instead their first album to be released in the US will be their third overall album, Word of Mouth.

Singles

"Glad You Came" was released on 10 July 2011 as the second single. It became their second UK number one and first number one in Ireland, where it spent five 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, number 12 in the Netherlands and also reached number one on the Canadian Hot 100. The song is also a commercial success in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as of 29 March 2012. It is currently their most successful single in the UK.[2] It was also released as the second single from The Wanted: The EP.

"Lightning" was released on 16 October 2011 as the third single. It reached number two in the UK and Scotland and number five in Ireland. In Australia, the track has peaked at number 79. The track is currently their third most successful single.[2] "Warzone" was confirmed as the album's fourth single in early November. It was released on 26 December 2011.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
4Music[4]
BBC Musicpositive[5]
Digital Spy[6]
OK![7]
Virgin Media[8]
Media Essentials[9]

The album received mostly favourable 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 Direction now snapping at their heels, they'll have to rediscover their inventive streak in the future if they are to ever take the crown."[3] 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."[5] 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."[6] 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."[4] 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."[8]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 in Ireland, becoming their first top ten album in the country.[10] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 5.[11] It sold 47,530 copies in its first week. Although debuting at one position lower than their debut album, its sales were 22.91% copies higher.[12] The album has since been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[13]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Glad You Came"  
Mac 3:18
2. "Lightning"  
  • Mac
  • Hector
  • Drewett
Mac 3:26
3. "Invincible"  
Sommerdahl 3:38
4. "Gold Forever"  
  • Fabian Torsson
  • MacManus
  • George
  • Sykes
  • Torsson
  • MacManus
 3:09
5. "Last to Know"  
  • Paro
  • Tortuga
 3:34
6. "I'll Be Your Strength"  
Xenomania 3:25
7. "Rocket"  Diane Warren
 3:15
8. "I Want It All"  
Chambers 3:21
9. "The Weekend"  
Young 3:08
10. "Lie to Me"  
Kennedy 3:44
11. "Warzone"  
Mac 3:58

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2011–12) Peak
position
French Albums Chart[14] 129
Irish Albums Chart[10] 4
Scottish Albums Chart[15] 5
Spanish Albums Chart[14] 56
UK Albums Chart[11] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Ireland (IRMA)[16] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Platinum 300,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Ireland[18] 4 November 2011 Island
Hong Kong[19] 7 November 2011
United Kingdom[20]
Brazil[21] 22 November 2011 Universal

References

  1. ↑ One Direction & The Wanted: The Billboard Cover Story | Billboard.com Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 "The Wanted's Official Top 10 Biggest Selling Singles Revealed". Official Charts Company. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 "The Wanted - Battleground - Review - Allmusic". Allmusic. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 "News: The Wanted - Battleground - 'The Wanted continue to break the boyband mould on their latest album'". 4music. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 "BBC - Music - Review of The Wanted - Battleground". BBC. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  6. 1 2 "The Wanted: 'Battleground' - Album review - Music Review - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "Review: The Wanted, Battleground". OK! Magazine. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  8. 1 2 "The Wanted - Battleground - Virgin Media". Virgin Media. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Review: The Wanted - Battleground". Media Essentials.
  10. 1 2 "Chart Track". Irish Albums Chart. GfK. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  11. 1 2 "Archive Chart". UK Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
  12. ↑ Jones, Alan (14 November 2011). "UK Album Chart Analysis: Susan Boyle LP sells 73k units". Music Week. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "British certifications – Wanted". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Wanted in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Click Search
  14. 1 2 The Wanted - Battleground - swisscharts.com Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company
  16. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Wanted – Battleground". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  17. ↑ "British album certifications – Wanted – Battleground". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Battleground in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  18. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Battleground by The Wanted". iTunes. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  19. ↑ Wanted / Battleground - Hmv Hong Kong
  20. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Battleground by The Wanted". iTunes. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "BATTLEGROUND". Livraria Cultura. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
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