Robyn | ||||
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Studio album by Robyn | ||||
Released | 27 April 2005 (see release history) |
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Genre | Electropop, synthpop, R&B, dance | |||
Length | 38:20 (Swedish edition) 42:10 (international edition) |
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Label | Konichiwa, Cherrytree | |||
Producer | Klas Åhlund, The Knife, Fabian Torsson, Johan Liljedahl, Patrik Berger, Teddybears, Kleerup | |||
Robyn chronology | ||||
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Singles from Robyn | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
International release cover
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Robyn is the fourth studio album by Swedish recording artist Robyn. It was released by Konichiwa Records on 27 April 2005 in Sweden. The album represented a change in Robyn's musical style, and featured pop and electronic dance music; inspirations were electronic duo The Knife and rock band Teddybears.[1] It also marks Robyn's first album release on her own record label, Konichiwa Records, which she founded in 2005.[1]
Contents |
In 2003, Robyn left her record label, Jive Records, because of the lack of artistic control offered to her by the label. The previous year she had released her third album, Don't Stop the Music, but felt disillusioned by the label's attempt to market her as the next Christina Aguilera in the United States. Robyn described the album as a "big compromise" and was upset because she "was going backwards" and not "doing what [she] wanted to".[1]
That same year, Robyn returned home to Sweden and discovered the electronic music brother and sister duo The Knife while browsing through a record store. She became inspired by how the duo self-financed and released their recordings and bought herself out of her recording contract with Jive Records. She was free from her contract, but did not want to sign with another major label because she felt that "it was totally illogical. Why would I do that? I felt like either I quit making music or I start my own record company".[1] Six months after leaving Jive Records, Robyn founded her own record label Konichiwa Records and began recording songs for her fourth album.[2]
In terms of the album's lyrical inspiration, Robyn told noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul in March 2007: "I think the biggest lyrical inspiration for this album was going back to when I was like 15 and on the subway listening to hip hop. Back then - because I didn't know many people in Sweden who knew about rap, it was like my own music world - where the lyrics were very direct. So I tried to return to that age when you're so strong and self-confident, while acknowledging there's also a part of being a teenager when you're sometimes very insecure and feel very fragile."[3]
"Be Mine!", the album's first single release in Sweden, reached number three and spent nineteen weeks on the singles chart.[4] The song received positive reviews from critics, and was named the fourth best song of 2005 by Stylus Magazine.[5] The second single, "Who's That Girl?", reached number thirty-seven in Sweden. Its lyrics discuss the feelings of a female who had been left beaten by the unpredictability of gender and image politics.[1] The songs "Handle Me" and "Crash and Burn Girl" were released as radio-only promotional singles in Sweden and were accompanied by music videos that featured Robyn dancing in a nightclub.
The album's lead single in the United Kingdom, "Konichiwa Bitches", received positive reviews from critics due to its "hip-hop sensibilities" and ability to illustrate "the zeal [Robyn] takes in making music".[6] The song received limited airplay and reached number ninety-eight in the UK. "With Every Heartbeat", a collaboration with Kleerup, was released as the second single in the UK. It reached number one and became Robyn's most successful single release in the UK. The album's third UK single, "Handle Me", backed by remixes by Soul Seekerz, reached number seventeen. "Be Mine!" was released as the album's fourth single on January 14, 2008.[7] and reached number ten.[8] "Who's That Girl" was the fifth UK single released from the album on April 28, 2008 and reached #26. "Dream On" was released on November 17, 2008 as the lead single from the special edition of the Robyn album and reached #29.
The lead single from the album in the United States, "With Every Heartbeat", was released January 29, 2008 as a digital download only. It was serviced to dance clubs and dj's and eventually reached #5 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart, as well as #12 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart. The second U.S. single, "Handle Me", was released on April 1, 2008 and reached #11 on Billboards Hot Dance Club Play chart and #4 on the Hot Dance Airplay chart.
Robyn debuted on the Swedish albums chart at number one, and became Robyn's first number one album release.[9] The album remained on the chart for thirty-six weeks, and was certified platinum in 2006.[10] The album reached the number thirty-five in Norway, and remained on the albums chart for one week.[11] Although the album charted only in Sweden and Norway, in May 2005, it reached number sixty on the European Top 100 albums chart.[12] The album became Robyn's first release to chart on the UK Albums Chart, where it debuted at number twenty on August 2007.[13] The following week the album peaked at number nineteen. On January 13, 2008, the album re-entered the top forty at number eighteen, then climbed to number eleven three weeks later.[14] In January 2008, Robyn was certified gold in the UK.[15]
In 2006, Robyn was certified platinum, and has sold over 40,000 copies in Sweden.[10] In 2007, Robyn signed a North American distribution deal with Interscope Records.[16] She was asked by Interscope to include a rapper on the album to highlight its hip hop elements. In an interview with Metro International, Robyn said she understood why the label wants her to include a rapper, but does not want to "work with Akon or some other lame rapper. I want to work with someone who's gangsta, like Snoop or Method Man".[17] On April 29, 2008, Robyn was finally released in North America and debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #100,[18] with 7,000 copies sold.[19] It would only spend one week on the charts.[20] "Dream On" later appeared on the North American release of Robyn without Ola Salo's vocals.[21]
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [22] |
Blender | [23] |
Robert Christgau | (A-)[24] |
Entertainment Weekly | (A)[25] |
NME | (8/10)[26] |
Pitchfork Media | (8.2/10)[27] |
Rolling Stone | [28] |
Slant Magazine | [29] |
Stylus Magazine | (A-)[30] |
The Village Voice | (favorable)[31] |
Upon its initial release in 2005, Robyn was well-received by music critics. Allmusic editor John Lucas called Robyn "one of the finest pop albums of the decade".[22] Stylus Magazine's Jessica Popper wrote that the album "manages to combine several of the currently popular music genres whilst still making a perfect pop album. It's one of the few Europop albums that not only deserves worldwide domination, but also has a really good chance of achieving it".[32] Jaime Gill of Yahoo! Music described the album as "playful, self-effacing and sassy, and very very female" and named "Be Mine!" as its best song.[33] In a review for the Manchester Evening News, Paul Taylor described the album as "undeniably sexy" and called Robyn "a mini-Madonna in the making".[34] Larissa Dubecki of The Age wrote that the album is "bursting at the seams with breezy, three-minute confections", but describe songs such as "Robotboy" as "embarrassing".[35] Pitchfork Media reviewer Jess Harvell wrote that Robyn's "pop fun is a bit knowing--she's 26 after all. But trust the Swedes. They know what they're doing with this sort of thing."[27] The website also named Robyn one of the best albums of 2005.[36] Since mid-2007 Robyn has received heavy play on Maximum Shine's themed radio show "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" at WKDU in Philadelphia (rarely has Robyn been off the "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" weekly top ten for the last several months).
Robyn was also well-received by music critics upon its US release in early 2008. Entertainment Weekly gave it an A, referring to the album as "hooky dance-pop greatness".[25] Billboard praised its "sassy and sweet dance pop gems".[37] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A- rating,[24] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction".[38] James Hunter of The Village Voice complimented its "fast electro arrangements tending toward the geometric" and commented "Her appeal is questionable when she tries to sound like an American rapper, but on tracks where she just sings [...] she gives Europop a swift Swedish energy and presence".[31] It has received a rating of 86 out of 100 on Metacritic. It was one of the best-reviewed albums of the year based on Metacritic, and was listed as the best reviewed pop album of the decade.[39][40] Entertainment Weekly also named it the fourth best album of 2008.[41] Online music magazine Pitchfork Media placed Robyn at 68 in their 200 Album of the Decade list.[42]
Swedish edition | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
1. | "Curriculum Vitae" (featuring Swingfly) | Robyn, Klas Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 1:53 | ||||
2. | "Who's That Girl" | Robyn | Robyn, The Knife, Alexander Kronlund | The Knife | 3:47 | ||||
3. | "Handle Me" | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:47 | ||||
4. | "Robotboy" | Åhlund | Åhlund, Joakim Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:31 | ||||
5. | "Be Mine!" | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:27 | ||||
6. | "Bionic Woman" (Interlude) | 0:16 | |||||||
7. | "Crash and Burn Girl" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:35 | ||||
8. | "Tomteverkstan" (Interlude) | 0:17 | |||||||
9. | "Konichiwa Bitches" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 2:37 | ||||
10. | "Bum Like You" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:42 | ||||
11. | "Eclipse" | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:29 | ||||
12. | "Should Have Known" | Robyn, Kronlund | Robyn, Kronlund | Fabian Torsson | 3:59 | ||||
13. | "Anytime You Like" | Robyn | Robyn, Johan Liljedahl, Patrik Berger | Berger, Liljedahl* | 3:52 |
International edition | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
1. | "Curriculum Vitae" (featuring Swingfly) | Robyn, Klas Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 1:53 | ||||
2. | "Konichiwa Bitches" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 2:37 | ||||
3. | "Cobrastyle" | Klas Åhlund, Joakim Åhlund, Patrick Arve, Ewart Brown, Fabian Torsson, Troy Rami, David Parker, Sylvia Robinson | Åhlund, Åhlund, Arve, Brown, Torsson, Rami, Parker, Robinson | Teddybears | 4:10 | ||||
4. | "Handle Me" | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:47 | ||||
5. | "Bum Like You" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:42 | ||||
6. | "Be Mine!" | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:27 | ||||
7. | "With Every Heartbeat" (with Kleerup) | Robyn | Robyn, Andreas Kleerup | Kleerup | 4:13 | ||||
8. | "Who's That Girl" | Robyn | Robyn, The Knife, Alexander Kronlund | The Knife | 3:47 | ||||
9. | "Bionic Woman" | 0:16 | |||||||
10. | "Crash and Burn Girl" | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:35 | ||||
11. | "Robotboy" | Åhlund | Åhlund, Joakim Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:31 | ||||
12. | "Eclipse" | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:29 | ||||
13. | "Should Have Known" | Robyn, Kronlund | Robyn, Kronlund | Fabian Torsson | 3:59 | ||||
14. | "Anytime You Like" | Robyn | Robyn, Johan Liljedahl, Patrik Berger | Berger, Liljedahl* | 3:52 |
EU special edition bonus track[43] | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
15. | "Dream On" | Åhlund | Robyn, Christian Falk, Åhlund | Falk | 3:16 |
EU special edition Bonus DVD | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
1. | "Konichiwa Bitches" (video) | ||||||||
2. | "With Every Heartbeat" (feat. Kleerup) (video) | ||||||||
3. | "Handle Me" (video) | ||||||||
4. | "Be Mine!" (old version) (video) | ||||||||
5. | "Be Mine!" (new version) (video) | ||||||||
6. | "30 min Interview" |
UK re-release bonus track | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
15. | "Jack U Off" | Prince | Prince | Berger, Liljedahl* | 2:15 |
US edition bonus tracks | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
15. | "Dream On" | Åhlund | Robyn, Falk, Åhlund | Falk | 3:16 | ||||
16. | "Handle Me" (RedOne Remix) | Åhlund | Åhlund | Åhlund | 4:09 |
Borders bonus track | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
16. | "Robotboy" (alternative version) | Åhlund | Åhlund, Joakim Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:31 |
iTunes bonus track | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
17. | "Bum Like You" (alternative version) | Robyn, Åhlund | Robyn, Åhlund | Åhlund | 3:39 |
UK special edition[43] | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length | ||||
15. | "Dream On" | Åhlund | Robyn, Falk, Åhlund | Falk | 3:16 | ||||
16. | "Keep This Fire Burning" (Rerecorded version) | Remee, Robyn, Ulf Lindström, Johan Ekhé | Robyn, Ghost | Åhlund | 3:41 | ||||
17. | "Show Me Love" (Rerecorded version) | Robyn, Max Martin | Robyn, Martin | Åhlund | 2:30 | ||||
18. | "Jack U Off" | Prince | Prince | Berger, Liljedahl* | 2:15 |
(*) Co-producer
The following people contributed to Robyn:[44][45]
Charts
End-of-year charts
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Certifications
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Preceded by Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen Störst av allt by Carola |
Swedish Albums Chart number-one album May 5–12, 2005 May 19–26, 2005 |
Succeeded by Störst av allt by Carola Mezmerize by System of a Down |
Region | Date | Label | Catalog |
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Sweden[56] | April 27, 2005 | Konichiwa Records | KOR002 |
Norway | |||
France[57] | April 2, 2007 | KOR005 | |
United Kingdom[58] | |||
Germany[59] | August 10, 2007 | Ministry of Sound/Edel | 0181739 |
United Kingdom (re-release)[60] | August 13, 2007 | Island | 1744780 |
Australia | October 5, 2007 | Modular | MODCD074 |
United States[61][62] | April 29, 2008 | Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope | 001095902 |
Japan[63][64] | May 14, 2008 | Universal | UICI-1070 |
Region | Date | Label | Catalog |
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Germany[43] | August 29, 2008 | Ministry of Sound/Edel | 01913339 |
United Kingdom[65] | November 24, 2008 | Island | 1792706 |
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