Everything about Hard Candy Madonna Album totally explained
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Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album by
American singer-songwriter
Madonna and was released first on
25 April,
2008 by
Warner Bros. Records. It was her last studio album to be released under her contract with Warner Bros. (a
compilation album to be released in late
2008 or early
2009 will complete it).. It has already sold more than 1 million copies worldwide after one month of release.
Release
April 26 was the release date in
Australia but many retailers chose to sell the album two days early on
April 24, while a select few European countries saw the album's release on
April 25; on
28 April 2008 in the
United Kingdom,
Brazil and most other
European countries, and on
29 April 2008 in the
United States,
Argentina,
Mexico and
Canada. Beginning on
April 21 and ending on
April 27, these songs were distributed: "Candy Shop", "Miles Away", "Give It 2 Me", "Heartbeat", "Beat Goes On", "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" and "She's Not Me". The album was also streamed on
MySpace, four days before the United States release.
"Miles Away" is also currently being used as the theme song for
SBS TV/
Fuji TV's Japanese television drama
Change starring
Takuya Kimura.
Musical style
The album has an overall
hip-hop/
urban pop feel, while remaining a
dance-
pop record at heart.
Stuart Price, the producer of
Confessions on a Dance Floor, described the new album as moving in an urban direction.
The Sun quoted a source as saying: “It’s not all hip-hop though, there are a lot of producers from a lot of genres in there. It could be her most ambitious project yet.” In an interview for industry magazine Hollywood Daily People, Justin Timberlake noted: "It’s an R&B/pop/dance record, but it’s still Madonna... A couple of times I pushed her in a direction where it took a minute before we saw eye to eye. Her approach was, 'Well, I just haven’t done that' and I was like, 'Yeah, that’s why you should do it'.”
The New York Times viewed the album as a crowd-pleaser by stating, "It’s the kind of album a record company longs for in the current embattled market: a set of catchy, easily digestible, mass-appeal songs by a star who’s not taking chances."
The album features vocal appearances by
Justin Timberlake,
Timbaland,
Pharrell Williams and
Kanye West along with production credits from Timbaland, Timberlake,
The Neptunes, and
Nate "Danja" Hills as well as co-production from Madonna, and includes a guest appearance of American
guitarist and
singer-songwriter Wendy Melvoin, best known for her work with
Prince, contributing with guitars on the song "She's Not Me", on which she's mentioned.
Promotion
Madonna has gone on the record many times in the last month, stating that she'll indeed embark on a fall tour to go with the album. Possible dates leaked on
May 7, 2008, stating that the tour would begin on
August 23,
2008 in
Cardiff,
Wales.
She did several small performances to promote the album on the
Hard Candy Promo Tour. A concert at the
Roseland Ballroom was well received by critics.
MSN streamed the entire concert live, while
Verizon streamed four of the six songs.
Reception
Critical reception
Like
Confessions on a Dancefloor, the album received a number of generally favorable reviews.
Reuters noted: "As parting gifts go, Madonna's 11th studio album -- and her last before she exits long-term record label Warner Bros. -- is unusually generous, if early reviews are to be believed.
[...]Released internationally this week, and hitting U.S. stores on Tuesday, "Hard Candy" scored solidly among rock critics."
Rolling Stone said that
Hard Candy is the work of "a songwriting team of American chart royalty" that help "revisit her roots as an urban-disco queen."
The Observer wrote that "whenever Hard Candy threatens to get boring, something always happens to recapture your interest."
The album was still criticized for being "an attempt to harness the urban market", with Mark Savage, of
BBC Music, writing that "Timbaland's tracks are frequently reminiscent of his (superior) work for
Nelly Furtado" and later stated that "if a handful of the tracks had been delivered to more producers with a touch more subtlety,
Hard Candy could have ranked alongside Madonna's best."
The Independent said that the album reflects "how a once diverse talent has ossified into simply satisfying the sweet tooth of functional dance-pop."
Allmusic bluntly stated: "Hard Candy is a rare thing: a lifeless Madonna album."
Chart performance
The album has so far debuted at number one in 27 countries. The album entered at number one in the charts in the
United Kingdom,
Ireland,
Australia,
Germany,
Canada, the
United States,
Italy,
France,
Greece,
Japan,
Netherlands,
Portugal,
South Africa,
Sweden,
Spain,
Finland and
Slovakia.
During its first day of release in the Netherlands,
Hard Candy sold over 60,000 copies, gaining a platinum certification. Also in Finland, it has already sold more than 15,000 copies, making the album receive a Gold certification in Finland on its first day of release. After two days of release in France, Hard Candy has debuted at number one on the French albums chart. It debuted at number one on the
Oricon daily album chart in Japan, selling about 9,387 copies.
Hard Candy also debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart, where Madonna joined a select group of artists to achieve ten number one albums. Only
The Beatles, with 15, and
Elvis Presley, with 11, have bettered her accomplishment.The album dropped to number 2 in the second week,to number five the third and is now at number 7. Madonna achieved a similar feat in
Australia, where it became her seventh album to reach number one on the
ARIA Albums Chart. The album was certified gold in its first week.
According to
Nielsen SoundScan,
Hard Candy sold 100,000 copies in the United States upon its first day of release. It officially debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 with over 280,000 copies sold.
Hard Candy became her seventh number one album, making her the female artist with the second-most number one albums, behind Barbra Streisand. also reaching number five on the International Top 20. In
Brazil the album entered straight at number three, now is number two. In
Argentina, after debuting at number-four on the Shipments chart, it climbed to number one.
Singles
The lead single of the album is "
4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake. "4 Minutes" has reached number one in twenty-three countries including
the Netherlands,
Germany,
Canada,
United Kingdom,
Australia,
Denmark,
Italy,
Finland,
Greece,
Switzerland and
Norway and the
United World Chart. "4 Minutes" has been number one on the United World Chart for 6 weeks currently on the week of May 31. Madonna holds the record for the artist with the most number one hits worldwide.
The second single, "
Give It 2 Me" will be released in
July. Madonna confirmed it on
BET's "
106 & Park". On the show she stated that she'd just finished filming the video and that it would feature Pharrell Williams.
Leaks
In July 2007, a track called "The Beat Goes On" leaked on the internet. This version was with only Pharrell and Madonna. The released version on "Hard Candy" features a new production and a rap from
Kanye West.
Hard Candy leaked onto the internet in its entirety less than a week before the release date. Specific tracks leaked on to the internet prior to the full album leak, including "4 Minutes", "Candy Shop", and "The Beat Goes On". There were numerous "fake" albums that leaked onto the internet which included the bonus tracks from Confessions on a Dance Floor which included "Super Pop".
Formats
CD — containing the 12-track album.
CD Japanese Edition — 13-track edition including the bonus track "Ring My Bell".
CD Limited Collectors Edition Candy Box — 14-track edition containing the album, two "4 Minutes" remixes in a hinged DVD-sized "Candy" box with a 16-page booklet and approximately 35 Starlite Mint candies packaged in clear cello bag.
LP Limited Edition — containing the 12-track album on three regular-weight vinyl discs (one black, two “candy” coloured swirled) in a three-pocket Stoughton jacket, with bonus audio CD of the album.
iTunes Deluxe Pre-order version — 16-track edition containing the album, two "4 Minutes" remixes, bonus track "Ring My Bell", digital booklet and a "Give It 2 Me" remix.
iTunes Pre-order version — 13-track edition containing the album, digital booklet and bonus track "Ring My Bell".
Deluxe Digital version — 15-track edition containing the album, two "4 Minutes" remixes, digital booklet and a "Give It 2 Me" remix.
Digital version — 12-track edition containing the album and digital booklet.
Vodafone Exclusive — from April 21, 2008, seven tracks from the album were released at a rate of one a day counting down the week before the album was available. Each track remained live for 24 hours for download before being replaced by the next one.
Track listing
"Candy Shop" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 4:15
"4 Minutes" (featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) (Madonna, T. Mosley, J. Timberlake, N. Hills) — 4:03
"Give It 2 Me" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 4:48
"Heartbeat" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 4:04
"Miles Away" (Madonna, T. Mosley, J. Timberlake, N. Hills) — 4:49
"She's Not Me" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 6:05
"Incredible" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 6:20
"Beat Goes On" (featuring Kanye West) (P. WIlliams, Madonna, K. West) — 4:27
"Dance 2night" (Madonna, T. Mosley, J. Timberlake, H. Lane) — 5:03
"Spanish Lesson" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 3:38
"Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" (Madonna, T. Mosley, J. Timberlake, N. Hills, J. Henry) — 5:09
"Voices" (Madonna, T. Mosley, J. Timberlake, N. Hills, H. Lane) — 3:39
Bonus tracks
iTunes Pre-order Edition, iTunes Deluxe Pre-order Version, CD Japanese Edition:
"Ring My Bell" (P. WIlliams, Madonna) — 3:54
iTunes Deluxe Pre-order Version, Deluxe Digital Version:
"4 Minutes (Peter Saves New York Edit)" — 5:00
"4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix Edit)" — 4:38
"Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Edit)" — 4:59
CD Limited Collectors Edition Candy Box:
"4 Minutes (Tracy Young House Edit)" — 3:33
"4 Minutes (Rebirth Remix Edit)" — 3:42
Album Credits
Production
Executive Producer: Madonna
tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and "Ring My Bell": Produced by The Neptunes. Co-produced by Madonna.
tracks 2, 5, 11, 12: Produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Danja.
track 9: Produced by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Co-produced by Hannon Lane. Additional Production by Demacio "Demo" Castellon.
track 12: Co-produced by Hannon Lane.
"4 Minutes (Peter Saves New York Edit)": Remix by Peter Rauhofer for Unique Productions. Additional Production by Eric Kupper.
"4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix Edit)": Produced, MIxed and Mastered by Junkie XL in the Computer Hell Cabin. Additional Sound Design by André Ettema and Sam Estes.
"Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Edit)": Remix by Paul Oakenfold. Additional Production by Ian Green.
"4 Minutes (Tracy Young House Edit)": Produced and Remixed by Tracy Young. Additional Production by Joseph Carrano.
"4 Minutes (Rebirth Remix Edit)": Produced by Demacio "Demo" Castellon. Additional Production and Remixing by Vincent di Pasquale and Larry Grant.
Personnel
Vocals: Madonna
track 2: Vocals by Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
track 8: Rap by Kanye West
Additional Vocals: Pharrell Williams
tracks 5, 9, 11, 12: Background Vocals: Justin Timberlake
Recorded by Spike Stent, Andrew Coleman and Alex Dromgoole at Sarm Studios, London
Recording Assistants: Graham Archer and Nate Herwick
Mixed by Spike Stent and Andrew Coleman at the Record Plant, CA
Engineered by Andrew Coleman
tracks 2, 5, 11, 12: Recorded by Marella "Ms. Lago" Araica and Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Programmed and Mixed by Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Assistant Engineers: Julian Vasquez, Vadim Chislov, Graham Archer and Fareed Salamah
SCE Assistants: José and Joseph Castellon
track 9: Recorded by Demacio "Demo" Castellon
Guitars: Justin Timberlake, Dan Warner, Wendy Melvoin, Darrell Pearson and Monte Pittman
Keyboards: Hannon Lane and Danja
Drums: Timbaland
Bass: Darrell Pearson
Scratching: DJ Demo
Protools Editing: Ron Taylor
Strings: Stevie Blacke
Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound
Photography by Steven Klein
Art Direction by Giovanni Blanco
Management: Guy Oseary
Certifications, peaks and sales
| Country |
Peak
position |
Certification |
Sales/shipments |
| Argentina |
1 |
— |
— |
| Australia |
1 |
Gold |
35,000 |
| Austria |
1 |
— |
— |
| Belgium |
2 |
Gold |
15,000 |
| Brazil |
2 |
— |
40,000 |
| Canada |
1 |
Gold |
58,000 |
| Czech Republic |
1 |
— |
— |
| Denmark |
1 |
Platinum |
30,000 |
| Europe |
1 |
— |
— |
| Finland |
1 |
Gold |
16,200 |
| France |
1 |
Gold |
110,000 |
| Germany |
1 |
— |
— |
| Greece |
1 |
Gold |
7,500 |
| Hungary |
1 |
— |
— |
| Ireland |
1 |
— |
— |
| Italy |
1 |
— |
— |
| Japan |
1 |
Gold |
122,061 |
| Mexico |
4 |
Gold |
40,000 |
| New Zealand |
5 |
— |
— |
| The Netherlands |
1 |
Platinum |
60,000 |
| Norway |
2 |
— |
— |
| Philippines |
1 |
— |
— |
| Poland |
1 |
— |
— |
| Portugal |
1 |
Gold |
10,000 |
| Singapore |
1 |
— |
— |
| South Korea |
1 |
— |
— |
| Spain |
1 |
— |
— |
| Sweden |
1 |
Gold |
20,000 |
| Switzerland |
1 |
— |
— |
| Taiwan |
5 |
— |
— |
| United Kingdom |
1 |
Gold |
150,000 |
| United States |
1 |
— |
1,384,000 |
Release history
| Region |
Date |
Catalog |
| Netherlands |
April 25, 2008 |
9362-49884-9 |
| Poland |
| Finland |
| Worldwide |
| Singapore |
| Ireland |
| Italy |
| Thailand |
| Germany |
| Australia |
April 26, 2008 |
| Brazil |
April 28, 2008 |
| Israel |
| Philippines |
| Portugal |
| United Kingdom |
| Canada |
April 29, 2008 |
|
| Chile |
|
| Argentina |
|
| Mexico |
|
| United States |
2-421372 [CD]; 2-440444 [SpecialEdition CD] |
| Japan |
April 30, 2008 |
WPCR-12880 |
| Russia |
May 5, 2008 |
CD |
| Ukraine |
CD |
| United Kingdom |
May 12, 2008 |
9362-49868-6 [Vinyl] |
| Finland |
May 7, 2008 |
9362-49876-8 [SpecialEdition CD] |
| Portugal |
May 19, 2008 |
9362-49876-8 [SpecialEdition CD] |
| United States |
June 10, 2008 |
1-470972 [Vinyl] |
Further Information
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