Shades of Purple

This article is about the M2M album. For shades of the color purple, see Shades of purple.
Shades of Purple
Studio album by M2M
Released March 7, 2000[1]
Recorded 1998–1999
Genre Pop
Length 51:07
Label Atlantic
Producer
M2M chronology
Shades of Purple
(2000)		 The Big Room
(2002)
Alternative cover
Asian edition cover
Singles from Shades of Purple
  1. "Don't Say You Love Me"
    Released: October 26, 1999
  2. "Mirror Mirror"
    Released: February 22, 2000
  3. "Everything You Do"
    Released: December 5, 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau[3](A-)
Entertainment Weekly[4](B)
Billboard[5]Favourable

Shades of Purple is the debut album from Norwegian pop duo, M2M. It was released in 2000 and reached No. 7 in Norway, No. 89 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Top Heatseekers chart. Over 1.5 million copies of the album were sold worldwide. It was nominated for best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.

Three singles were released from the album, including Don't Say You Love Me, which had already been released as the lead single of the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack.

Production

The album was recorded in London, Sweden and New York,[6] when Raven was 14 and Larsen was 15.[7] Raven and Larsen co-wrote most of the songs on the album; "Girl in Your Dreams" was the first song Raven had ever written.[8] The pair wrote over 30 songs in anticipation of recording; 16 of these were recorded, and 13 made it onto the album. One of the unreleased songs, The Feeling is Gone, was released as a B-side on the European single version of Don't Say You Love Me.[9]

The track "Our Song" uses the chorus of the Bee Gees' hit single "Too Much Heaven" as its own chorus.[5][9] Raven and Larsen had previously been unaware of "Too Much Heaven"; the chorus was added at the suggestion of their producer. According to M2M, the Bee Gees listened to "Our Song" and liked it.[9]

When questioned about the album title, M2M replied it was chosen "Because our favourite colour is purple. And we want to get a title that expressed that the album is us and through our eyes."[9]

Release and reception

The album was released in the US on 7 March 2000.[1] Its release was delayed in Sweden due to a dispute with a local band there that also used the name "M2M".[10]

The album received critical acclaim. Robert Christgau gave it an A-, concluding "even when the writing is ordinary, the quality teenpop, some assembly-line and some personalized, is transfigured by the duo's singing. If the result isn't brazen or fizzy enough to suit the marketplace, then nuts to the marketplace."[3] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B, saying M2M's "precise Euro-dance pop is fun, fun, fun, and behind the lip gloss is enough insecurity to charm."[4] Heather Phares from AllMusic said "Overall, Shades of Purple is a strong debut from a young group that still sounds fresh and innocent ... something of a rarity in teen pop."[2] Michael Paoletta from Billboard gave a favourable review, saying "The 13 tracks on display here showcase a seasoned singing style that is, quite frankly, the antithesis of teen sensations like Britney Spears", concluding "Beautifully sun-kissed, Shades of Purple is poised to be the soundtrack of spring/summer 2000.[5]

Singles

The first single from the album was Don't Say You Love Me, which had already been released as the lead song from the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack. There was a minor lyric change between the versions, as the original version contained the lyrics "then you start kissing me", which was deemed inappropriate for Pokémon's young viewers and was changed to "then you say you love me". The original version was retained on Shades of Purple.[9] Promoted by a "nonstop marketing effort", advanced airing on Radio Disney and the affiliation with Pokémon, the single was very successful.[11] It charted in over a dozen countries, including at No. 2 in Norway, No. 4 in both Australia and New Zealand,[12] No. 16 in the UK[13] and No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.[14] It was certified gold in both Australia[15] and the US,[16] and was nominated for the year's best song at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.[17]

The second single from the album was Mirror Mirror, which reached No. 30 in Australia,[18] No. 13 in Canada and No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[19] It was certified gold in the US.[20] The album's final single was "Everything You Do", which reached No. 21 on the US Hot Dance Singles Sales.[21] Additionally a music video, directed by Tryan George, was filmed in Norway for the song The Day You Went Away.[22] All of the singles on the album appeared on M2M's 2003 best-of album The Day You Went Away.[23]

Accolades and sales

Shades of Purple had sold 268,000 copies in the US by March 2000.[24] Over 1 million copies of the album had been sold worldwide by September 2001,[25] and over 1.5 million copies by January 2002.[26]

The album was nominated for the best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.[17]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't Say You Love Me"  
  • Bralower
  • Zizzo
3:46
2."The Day You Went Away"  
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
  • Bralower (exec.)
  • Rowe
3:43
3."Girl in Your Dreams"  RavenRowe3:31
4."Mirror Mirror"  
  • DeViller
  • Hosein
3:21
5."Pretty Boy"  
  • Bottolf Lødemel
  • Nora Skaug
4:40
6."Give a Little Love"  
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
  • Bralower (exec.)
  • Rowe
3:59
7."Everything You Do"  
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Lars Aass
  • Bralower
  • Kenneth Lewis
4:02
8."Don't Mess with My Love"  
Bralower3:44
9."Dear Diary"  
Bralower3:58
10."Do You Know What You Want"  
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Full Force
Full Force4:06
11."Smiling Face"  
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
Rowe4:15
12."Our Song"  
Mather3:54
13."Why"  
Bralower4:20
Total length:51:07
Sample credits

Charts and certifications

Chart (2000) Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[27] 63
Jananese Singles Chart[28] 97
Norwegian Singles Chart[29] 7
US Billboard 200[30] 89
US Top Heatseekers[30] 1
Country Certification Sales
Chile Gold 10,000
Indonesia 7× Platinum 280,000
Malaysia 3× Platinum 110,000
Norway Gold 20,000
Philippines 4× Platinum 90,000
Singapore 2× Platinum 30,000
South Korea Platinum 30,000
Taiwan Platinum 70,000
Thailand 8× Platinum 500,000

References

  1. 1 2 Arnesen, Jon (5 February 2000). "M2M make their name via Atlantic". Music & Media. 17 (6): 3.
  2. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "M2M: Shades of Purple". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "M2M". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Shades of Purple". Entertainment Weekly. 10 March 2000. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Paoletta, Michael (11 March 2000). "M2M: Shades of Purple". Billboard: 26.
  6. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (27 November 1999). "Atlantic's M2M aims for kid, adult appeal". Billboard. 111 (48): 15, 98.
  7. ↑ "Storsalg kan gi ny gullkontrakt". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 1 March 2002. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  8. ↑ Hay, Carla (13 May 2000). "M2M Crosses Atlantic". Billboard. Nielsen N.V.: 149.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "M2M chats with fans on AllPop". Canoe.com. 3 April 2000. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Plateselskap avviser pengekrav". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 27 March 2000. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (27 November 1999). "Atlantic's M2M aims for kid, adult appeal". Billboard. Nielsen N.V. 111 (48): 15, 98.
  12. ↑ "M2M – Don't Say You Love Me". lescharts.com. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  13. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 336. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  14. ↑ "M2M: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2000 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Herborg ble Årets spellemann". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 2 March 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "M2M – Mirror Mirror (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "M2M: Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  20. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 2000". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 113 (6): 64. February 10, 2001. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Everything You Do".
  22. ↑ "Production Notes". Billboard: 73. 27 January 2001.
  23. ↑ Brown, Marisa. "The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  24. ↑ Barry A. Jeckell (1 March 2002). "Jewel Takes Labelmate M2M On The Road". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "M2M Online". M2M. Archived from the original on September 26, 2001.
  26. ↑ "M2M Online". M2M. Archived from the original on January 22, 2002.
  27. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 May 2002" (PDF) (638). Pandora Archive. May 20, 2002. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  28. ↑ "Ｍ２ＭのCDアルバムランキング、Ｍ２Ｍのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  29. ↑ "M2M Albums". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  30. 1 2 "M2M: Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
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