Stories (Avicii album)
Stories is the second studio album by Swedish electronic music producer Avicii, released on 2 October 2015 by PRMD Music and Island Records.[1] It was produced by Avicii along with Salem Al Fakir, Alex Ebert, Carl Falk, Kristoffer Fogelmark, Martin Garrix, Dhani Lennevald, Ash Pournouri, Albin Nedler, and Vincent Pontare on several tracks. It is his final album before his death in 2018. This album was followed by his 3rd and final album, Tim which was released posthumously in June of 2019.
Stories | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 October 2015 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:40 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Avicii chronology | ||||
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Singles from Stories | ||||
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Stories was released to mixed to positive reviews from critics. Four singles were released from the album: "Waiting for Love", "Pure Grinding", "For a Better Day", and "Broken Arrows", along with the promotional singles "Ten More Days" and "Gonna Love Ya". Stories has sold one million copies worldwide as of November 2015,[2] and was the fourth most-streamed album of the year worldwide on Spotify.[3]
Background
In July 2014, Avicii told Rolling Stone that he had worked on 70 songs for his next album and would include collaborations with Jon Bon Jovi, Billie Joe Armstrong, Chris Martin, Wyclef Jean, Serj Tankian and Matisyahu. Describing the album, Avicii said: "It's going to be a lot more song-oriented."[4] On 2 March 2015, Avicii performed live at Australia's Future Music Festival. A lot of songs were leaked onto the internet from Avicii's UMF 2015 set. These songs include "Waiting for Love", "For a Better Day", "City Lights" and "Sunset Jesus", leaked under the name "Attack".[5] A complete track listing of the set can be found on Avicii's SoundCloud page.[6]
On 22 May 2015, Avicii premiered his first single from Stories, "Waiting for Love". The track was co-produced by DJ and producer Martin Garrix. Almost a month later, Avicii communicated through Twitter that he had finished the album after two years of work.[7] On 4 August 2015, it was announced on iHeartMedia Summit that Avicii's next single from Stories was "For a Better Day", featuring singer Alex Ebert. On 28 August, he released his next two singles, the other being "Pure Grinding".[8]
Singles
"Waiting for Love" is a song featuring Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost. Avicii released it on the 22 May 2015. "For a Better Day" is a song featuring Alex Ebert. Avicii released it on 28 August 2015. "Pure Grinding" is a song featuring Kristoffer Fogelmark and Earl St. Clair. Avicii released it on 28 August 2015. "Broken Arrows" is a song featuring Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band. Avicii first released it on 29 September 2015, three days ahead of the album release as a pre-order single. It became an official single during October 2015.
Promotional singles
"Ten More Days" is a song featuring Zak Abel. Avicii released it on 30 September 2015, two days ahead of album release as a pre-order single. "Gonna Love Ya” is a song featuring Sandro Cavazza. Avicii released it on 1 October 2015, one day ahead of the album release as a pre-order single.[9]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 64/100[10] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Billboard | [12] |
The Boston Globe | (favourable)[13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
The album received positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 64, indicating favourable reviews. David Jeffries from AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating that "the pleasing, alive, and diverse Stories is a fine reason to think of Avicii as a producer of attractive music, with EDM, pop, and all other genres on a sliding scale."[11] The Boston Globe's Maura Johnston says that "Stories drags a bit at the end, the low point being a reggae-lite track starring former Fugee Wyclef Jean and the fusion-minded Matisyahu, but when it hits, it hits big."[13] Michaelangelo Matos, from Billboard, gives the album a mixed-positive review, praising "Talk to Myself", "Touch Me" and "City Lights", saying they "are more or less direct Daft Punk homages, with a filtered, boogie-disco feel, playful effects and found-sound cut-ups".[12]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Waiting for Love" |
| 3:50 | |
2. | "Talk to Myself" |
|
| 3:55 |
3. | "Touch Me" |
| Bergling | 3:06 |
4. | "Ten More Days" |
| Bergling | 4:05 |
5. | "For a Better Day" |
|
| 3:26 |
6. | "Broken Arrows" |
|
| 3:52 |
7. | "True Believer" |
| Bergling | 4:48 |
8. | "City Lights" |
|
| 6:28 |
9. | "Pure Grinding" |
|
| 2:51 |
10. | "Sunset Jesus" |
| 4:24 | |
11. | "Can't Catch Me" |
| Bergling | 3:59 |
12. | "Somewhere in Stockholm" |
| Bergling | 3:22 |
13. | "Trouble" |
| Bergling | 2:51 |
14. | "Gonna Love Ya" |
|
| 3:35 |
Total length: | 54:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "The Nights" |
|
| 2:56 |
Total length: | 57:29 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "The Days" |
|
| 4:38 |
16. | "The Nights" |
|
| 2:56 |
17. | "Waiting for Love" (Sam Feldt Remix) |
|
| 5:10 |
Total length: | 67:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "The Days" |
|
| 4:38 |
16. | "The Nights" |
|
| 2:57 |
17. | "Levels" (radio edit) | 3:22 | ||
18. | "I Could Be the One" (vs. Nicky Romero) (Nicktim Radio Edit) | 3:28 | ||
19. | "Silhouettes" (radio edit) | 3:32 | ||
20. | "X You" (radio edit) | 3:20 | ||
21. | "Feeling Good" | 3:50 |
Personnel
Vocals
- Simon Aldred (track 1)
- Sterling Fox (track 2)
- Celeste Waite (track 3)
- Zak Abel (track 4)
- Alex Ebert (track 5)
- Zac Brown (track 6)
- Chris Martin (track 7)
- Avicii (track 7)
- Noonie Bao (track 8)
- Jonas Wallin (track 8)
- Kristoffer Fogelmark (track 9)
- Earl St. Clair (tracks 9, 14)
- Sandro Cavazza (track 10)
- Matisyahu (track 11)
- Wyclef Jean (track 11)
- Daniel Adams-Ray (track 12)
- Wayne Hector (track 13)
- Sandro Cavazza (track 14)
- Robbie Williams (track 15)
- Brandon Flowers (track 15)
- Salem Al Fakir (track 15)
- Nicholas Furlong (track 16)
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria)[56] | Gold | 7,500* |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[58] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Poland (ZPAV)[59] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
Singapore (RIAS)[60] | Gold | 5,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[61] | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- "Stories - Avicii | Release Info". AllMusic.
- PRMD Music (2 November 2015) PRMD Music on Twitter. twitter.com
- "Drake Is The World's Most Streamed Artist on Spotify for 2015". news.spotify.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
- Edwards, Gavin (31 July 2014). "Avicii Calls in Rock & Roll Collaborators for Follow-Up to 'True'". Rolling Stone. No. 1214. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- Middleton, Ryan (19 April 2015) Avicii Releases Ultra Music Festival 2015 Live Set Filled With New 'Stories' Songs. musictimes.com
- "Avicii - Ultra Music Festival 2015". SoundCloud.
- "Tim Bergling on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- "Avicii Releases Two New Singles 'Pure Grinding' & 'For A Better Day'". edm.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
- "Team Avicii - Gonna Love Ya will get released tomorrow!". Facebook. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- "Reviews for Stories by Avicii". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- "AllMusic Review by David Jeffries". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- "Avicii Expands His Musical Reach on 'Stories': Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- Johnston, Maura (1 October 2015). "Album review: Avicii, 'Stories'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- "Superstar Swedish DJ turns kitchen-sink pop producer, with disappointing results". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- "Stories by Avicii". iTunes. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- "Avicii Releases Two New Singles, Unveils Tracklist For 'Stories'". YourEDM. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- "Stories (UK Version)". iTunes. 2 October 2015.
- "iTunes – ミュージック – Stories by Avicii". iTunes. 2 October 2015.
- "Australiancharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- "Austriancharts.at – Avicii – Stories" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Ultratop.be – Avicii – Stories" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Ultratop.be – Avicii – Stories" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Avicii Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 41.Týden 2015 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart.
- "Danishcharts.dk – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Avicii – Stories" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- "Avicii: Stories" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- "Lescharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Avicii – Stories" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2015. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Italiancharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Top of the Shops - アルバムの公式リストは、日本で数週間を販売しました" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- "Charts.nz – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "VG-lista - Avicii / Stories". vg.no. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "2015년 41주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
- "Spanishcharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- "Swisscharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- "Avicii Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Avicii Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Avicii Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- "Avicii: Stories" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- "Official Irish Albums Chart: 27 April 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- "Årslista Album – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- "Årslista Album – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- "Hot Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- "Årslista Album – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- "Årslista Album, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- "Årslista Album, 2020". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- "Årslista Album, 2021". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- "Austrian album certifications – Avicii – Stories" (in German). IFPI Austria. 10 August 2017.
- "Danish album certifications – Avicii – Stories". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Type Avicii in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Stories in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2016 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 15 June 2016.
- "Singapore album certifications – Avicii – Stories". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- "Avicii - Stories" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
- "British album certifications – Avicii – Stories". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 April 2023.