Special (Lizzo album) explained

Special
Type:studio
Artist:Lizzo
Cover:Lizzo - Special.png
Alt:The cover for the 2022 Lizzo album Special shows the artist wearing nothing but a sequined head garment; the entire image is in gray scale with SPECIAL written out in large white capital letters
Caption:Standard cover
Released:July 15, 2022
Recorded:September 2021 – March 2022
Genre:
Length:35:16
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Cuz I Love You
Prev Year:2019

Special is the fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Lizzo, released by Nice Life and Atlantic Records on July 15, 2022.[2] [3] It was preceded by the lead single "About Damn Time", released on April 14, 2022, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the top ten in twelve other countries.

Special, has been described by critics as a pop, funk, disco, hip hop, and R&B album. It received positive reviews from music critics. The album peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming, at the time, the highest-charting album by a female artist in 2022, as well as the largest week by units earned, among all albums released by women in 2022.[4] It reached the top ten on the UK, Australian, Canadian, Hungary, and New Zealand album charts.

Background

Lizzo released her third studio album and major-label debut studio album, Cuz I Love You, on April 19, 2019.[5] The album was met with positive reviews and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.[6] The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, contributing to Lizzo receiving the most nominations at the ceremony. The album also won the award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

In October 2020, Lizzo announced that her fourth studio album was nearing completion, saying she had "a few more songs to write".[7] In January 2021, American singer SZA confirmed to have heard new material from Lizzo.[8] In August 2021, Lizzo announced "Rumors", her first song after two years, which was released on August 13.[9] The standalone single features fellow American rapper Cardi B.

During her keynote speech at the South by Southwest festival in March 2022, Lizzo announced that her album was finished, saying "It’s done so it’s coming very very soon…and it’s good. I worked real hard on it, so it better be good."[10]

Production and recording

Recording for "Special" began in 2018, but the tracks that made up the album only started to be recorded in September 2021 and was finished by March 2022.[11]

In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1 in April 2022, Lizzo explained that the album was originally titled In Case Nobody Told You until Max Martin helped her "restructure" the hook of the song "Special", which she then changed the title of the album to.[12]

In another interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 in July 2022, Lizzo talked about the origins of the track "Coldplay", with Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin briefly appearing in the interview as well. The track features a monologue by Lizzo where she talks about a recent vacation in which she "was with somebody, and I was just looking at the stars. And I was with him, and I was singing ["[[Yellow (Coldplay song)|Yellow]]"]."[13]

Promotion

On March 21, 2022, Lizzo previewed the single "About Damn Time" on The Late Late Show with James Corden, with a release date of April 14.[14] Shortly after the release of the song and its accompanying music video, Lizzo formally announced Special, with a release date of July 15.[15]

On July 6, Lizzo revealed the tracklist of Special on her Instagram account by showing the back cover of its vinyl packaging.[16]

Singles

"About Damn Time" was released on April 14, 2022, as the lead single of the album. The song was a commercial success peaking at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US as well as reaching top 3 in 7 other countries.

On July 18, 2022 "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)" was released to Italian radio as the album's second single.[17] In the United States the song impacted hot adult contemporary radio on August 1, 2022, and contemporary hit radio, as well as rhythmic contemporary radio on August 2, 2022.[18] [19] [20]

The title track was released on January 13, 2023, as the album's third single. While "Special" was rumored to have a remix featuring American singer SZA dating back to November 2022, it was finally confirmed by Lizzo on her social media accounts when she announced the official remix.[21] The "Special" Remix featuring SZA was released on February 9, 2023.[21]

Promotional singles

"Grrrls" was released on June 10, 2022, as the album's first promotional single.[22]

Tour

See main article: The Special Tour.

On April 25, 2022, Lizzo announced a full arena tour in support of the album, starting on September 23, 2022, in Sunrise, Florida and ending on June 2, 2023, in Thousand Palms, California. Latto opened for the tour.[23]

Critical reception

Reviews

Special received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its initial release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 78, based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Writing for Evening Standard David Smyth states that "This time she'll sweep an older generation into her gang too. Many of the biggest tunes channel Seventies disco and Eighties synthpop" and added "It's clear she isn’t an outsider any more. This is her world, and we're lucky to live in it." In an article for The Independent, reviewer Helen Brown pointed that Special is overflowing with love and gratitude to friends, family, lovers and fans and added that [Lizzo's] rap flow has a terrific tensile strength and said that when singing, she delivers as both a belter and a breathy balladeer. Special is good as hell."

NME contributor Nick Levine gave the album four out of five stars, observing that "Lizzo's overwhelmingly positive message, Special is sometimes a bit cheesy," before concluding that "Lizzo knows exactly who she is as an artist and what she wants to achieve: she's the bad bitch with an incredible talent for making people feel good". In a more mixed reception of the album, Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit believed that for "most songs on Special, there is a rawer, more real iteration somewhere else in Lizzo’s catalog," and that having the "glossiest pop sheen steamrolled over them, erasing any wrinkles or mishaps" removed "the exact thing that made [Lizzo's songs] endearing to begin with." PopMatters published two contrasting reviews of the album, with John Amen scoring the album 7/10 and commenting that "Special is as much a celebration of the Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook cosmos as it is an in-person, post-Covid bacchanal."[24] while Nick Malone scored the album 4/10 and wrote that "Special is such a disappointment because you can hear the better album Lizzo is capable of making."[25]

Controversy over word choice

The song "Grrrls" earned controversy for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics "I'mma spaz / I'm about to knock somebody out". Disability advocates viewed the use of the term "spaz" as an offensive ableist slur and called for Lizzo to remove the song.[26] [27] [28] Some internet users claimed that "spaz" is used differently in African-American Vernacular English and is synonymous with "freaking out," but disability organizations in the UK and the US have criticized its use.[29] Shortly afterwards, Lizzo issued an apology and released an updated version of the song, stating, "I never want to promote derogatory language."[30] The updated song lyrics replace "I'mma spaz" with "Hold me back".[31]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Special debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 69,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week, becoming Lizzo's highest-charting album to date.[32] It was the highest-charting album by a female artist in 2022, as well as the largest week by units earned, among all albums released by women in 2022 until it was surpassed by Beyoncé's Renaissance and later by Taylor Swift's Midnights.[33]

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022–2023)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] 38
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[37] 19
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[38] 65
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[39] 3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 34

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[41] 160

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
VariousJuly 15, 2022[42]
JapanAugust 31, 2022[43]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Album: Lizzo - Special. The Arts Desk. Joe. Muggs. July 16, 2022. July 16, 2022. October 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221017090350/https://theartsdesk.com/node/88437/view. live.
  2. Web site: Lizzo Announces New Album Special, Shares Video for New Song 'About Damn Time' . . April 14, 2022 . April 14, 2022 . April 15, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220415235041/https://pitchfork.com/news/lizzo-shares-video-for-new-song-about-damn-time-watch/ . live .
  3. Web site: Anderson . Carys . Lizzo announces new album, Special, shares "About Damn Time": Stream . . April 14, 2022 . April 14, 2022 . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610071447/https://consequence.net/2022/04/lizzo-about-damn-time-stream/ . live .
  4. Caulfield . Keith . 2022-07-24 . Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Lands Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 . 2022-07-25 . Billboard . en-US . July 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220724190353/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/bad-bunny-un-verano-sin-ti-number-one-sixth-week-billboard-200-albums-chart-1235117355/ . live .
  5. Web site: Lizzo Announces New Album and Tour . . 19 April 2022 . 28 January 2019 . July 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190723030752/https://pitchfork.com/news/lizzo-announces-new-album-and-tour/ . live .
  6. Billboard 200 - 2019-09-07 . Billboard . 19 April 2022 . 7 September 2019 . April 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220419155710/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2019-09-07/ . live .
  7. Web site: Lizzo has 'a few more songs' to write before her new album is finished . Music-News.com . 20 April 2022 . March 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301230725/https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/135543/Lizzo-has-a-few-more-songs-to-write-before-her-new-album-is-finished . live .
  8. Web site: SZA appears to tease new Lizzo music: "Best song I ever heard in my life" . NME . 20 April 2022 . 19 January 2021 . January 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125141850/https://www.nme.com/news/music/sza-says-new-lizzo-music-made-her-cry-2859465 . live .
  9. Web site: Lizzo Releasing "Rumors," First New Song in 2 Years, Next Week . Pitchfork . 19 April 2022 . 2 August 2021 . August 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210813054750/https://pitchfork.com/news/lizzo-releasing-rumors-first-new-song-in-2-years-next-week/ . live .
  10. Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . 2022-03-13 . Lizzo Says New Album Is Done, Rips Texas's Anti-Trans Legislation During SXSW Keynote Speech . 2022-04-20 . Rolling Stone . en-US . March 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313222730/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lizzo-sxsw-2022-keynote-speech-1320680/ . live .
  11. Web site: Everything We Know About Lizzo's New Album 'Special' . 2022-08-17 . www.grammy.com . August 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220817015503/https://www.grammy.com/news/lizzo-special-new-album-2022-details-track-list-songs-about-damn-time-grrls-tour-cover-art . live .
  12. Web site: April 15, 2022 . Lizzo hypes new album, reveals how she deals with stress and more in Apple Music 1 Q&A . April 17, 2022 . Attack the Culture . April 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220421235029/https://www.attacktheculture.com/hip-hop-news/lizzo-hypes-new-album-reveals-how-she-deals-with-stress-and-more-in-apple-music-1-qampa . live .
  13. Blistein . Jon . 2022-07-13 . Lizzo Says Coldplay's 'Yellow' Became Her Make Out Song -- and Chris Martin Approves . . en-US . 2022-07-13 . July 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220713154141/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lizzo-chris-martin-coldplay-yellow-zane-lowe-1382223/ . live .
  14. Web site: Lizzo Previews New Song 'About Damn Time,' Belts Out Harry Styles in Riff-Off With James Corden Entertainment Tonight . 2022-05-20 . www.etonline.com . March 22, 2022 . en-US . May 20, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220520154503/https://www.etonline.com/lizzo-previews-new-song-about-damn-time-belts-out-harry-styles-in-riff-off-with-james-corden-181235 . live .
  15. Aniftos . Rania . April 14, 2022 . Lizzo's New Music Is Here & It's 'About Damn Time' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414232525/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/lizzo-about-damn-time-single-album-announcement-1235059535/amp/ . April 14, 2022 . April 14, 2022 . Billboard.
  16. lizzobeeating. CfsI05PlvC3. SHES A 10 BUT YOU CANT GET HER UNTIL JULY 15TH LIZZOMUSIC.COM . 6 July 2022. 7 July 2022. .
  17. Web site: LIZZO "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)" (Radio Date: 18/07/2022) . 2022-07-27 . radiodate.it . en . July 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220727100915/https://radiodate.it/radio-date/lizzo-2-be-loved-am-i-ready-233962-18-07-2022-radiodate/ . live .
  18. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access. July 29, 2022. January 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200123070408/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases. live.
  19. Web site: Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases. All Access. July 29, 2022. March 5, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220305001113/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. live.
  20. Web site: Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases. All Access. July 29, 2022. June 19, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170619205638/https://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases. live.
  21. Bowenbank . Starr . 2023-02-09 . Lizzo & SZA's 'Special' Remix Has a Release Date . 2023-02-09 . Billboard . en-US . February 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230209041436/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lizzo-sza-special-remix-release-date-1235250680/ . live .
  22. Web site: 2022-06-14 . Lizzo removes 'harmful' ableist slur from new song Grrrls after criticism . 2022-07-26 . the Guardian . en . August 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801070848/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/14/lizzo-removes-harmful-ableist-slur-from-new-song-grrrls-after-criticism . live .
  23. Web site: 25 April 2022 . Lizzo Announces Fall 2022 North American Tour . 26 April 2022 . Pitchfork . April 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220426063205/https://pitchfork.com/news/lizzo-announces-fall-2022-north-american-tour/ . live .
  24. Web site: 2022-07-19 . Lizzo: Special (take 2) Review . 2022-07-19 . PopMatters . en-US . July 19, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220719141853/https://www.popmatters.com/lizzo-special-album-review-take2 . live .
  25. Web site: 2022-07-18. Lizzo's new album isn't as 'Special' as she thinks it is. 2022-07-19. PopMatters. July 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220720005441/https://www.popmatters.com/lizzo-special-album-review-take1. live.
  26. Web site: 2022-06-13 . Fans ask Lizzo to remove song over offensive lyric . 2022-06-13 . BBC News . en-US . June 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220613161923/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-61782726 . live .
  27. Web site: Fans ask Lizzo to remove song over offensive lyric . BBC News . 13 June 2022 . 13 June 2022 . June 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220621121316/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-61782726 . live .
  28. Web site: Yip . Waiyee . Lizzo is being slammed for using an 'ableist slur' in her new single 'Grrrls' . Insider . 13 June 2022.
  29. Why Beyoncé and Lizzo Changed the Same Lyric on Their New Albums . August 1, 2022 . Time . August 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801220401/https://time.com/6202642/beyonce-lizzo-lyrics-ableist-changed/ . live .
  30. Web site: Garcia . Thania . 2022-06-13 . Lizzo Releases New Version of 'Grrrls' After Backlash Over Ableist Lyric: 'I Never Want to Promote Derogatory Language' . 2022-06-14 . Variety . August 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220804234451/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/lizzo-new-version-grrls-ableist-lyric-1235293167/ . live .
  31. Web site: June 13, 2022 . Lizzo Says She Will Remove 'Harmful Word' from 'GRRRLS' Lyrics . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220628170214/https://www.vulture.com/2022/06/lizzo-announces-lyric-change-harmful-word-grrrls.html . June 28, 2022 . June 15, 2022 . Vulture.
  32. Bad Bunny's 'Un Verano Sin Ti' Lands Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200. Trust. Gary. Billboard. July 24, 2022. July 24, 2022. July 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724190353/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/bad-bunny-un-verano-sin-ti-number-one-sixth-week-billboard-200-albums-chart-1235117355/. live.
  33. Caulfield . Keith . 2022-08-07 . Beyonce's 'Renaissance' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Year's Biggest Debut By a Woman . 2022-08-07 . Billboard . en-US . August 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220807222008/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/beyonce-renaissance-billboard-200-debut-no-1-1235123568/ . live .
  34. Web site: Z-Ro on Instagram: "Repost from @derrickmc Big shout out to @lizzobeeating for showing love to the King of the Ghetto @z_ro on her new single #iLoveYouBitch "I'm from Houston, and there's this Houston rapper named Z-Ro who has a song called "I Hate U B*TCH. Suddenly I was like, hold up, what if I sang the 'I Hate U B*TCH' melody but said "I love you, b*TCH' instead? It just came out, and it might be the greatest thing we've ever done. As I was writing the lyrics, I realized that I wanted to write a universal love song one you could sing to the person you're f*cking and your best friend, to your family or to someone you just met at a bar." - Lizzo via @uproxxmusic @uproxx Writer @drossignol_" . August 16, 2022 . August 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220816003649/https://www.instagram.com/p/ChNhZjbDgWU/ . live .
  35. 2022-07-15 . Song You Need to Know: Lizzo's 'Coldplay' . 2022-07-16 . Rolling Stone . July 16, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220716140445/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/lizzo-song-you-need-to-know-coldplay-1383653/ . live .
  36. Web site: Album – Classifica settimanale WK 29 (dal 15.07.2022 al 21.07.2022). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. July 23, 2022. March 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200318054616/https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/classifiche.kl#/charts/1/2022/29. live.
  37. Web site: https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/dia/w/2022-07-25/p/2/. ja:週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2022年07月25日付 （2022年07月11日～2022年07月17日）. Oricon. ja. Weekly Digital Album Ranking dated July 25, 2022 (July 11, 2022–July 17, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20220720032139/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/dia/w/2022-07-25/p/2/. July 20, 2022. live. July 20, 2022.
  38. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of July 20, 2022. Billboard Japan. ja. July 20, 2022. July 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220720162538/http://billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2022&month=07&day=25. live.
  39. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. July 25, 2022. July 23, 2022. October 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221019071126/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=5366. live.
  40. Web site: Veckolista Album, vecka 29. Sverigetopplistan. July 29, 2022. July 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220729075419/https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/54?dspy=2022&dspp=29. live.
  41. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022. December 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221202030432/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2022/top-billboard-200-albums/. live.
  42. Special release formats:
    1. Web site: Special Transparent Purple Cassette . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414222517/https://store.lizzomusic.com/products/cassette-1 . April 14, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . Lizzo.
    2. Web site: Special CD . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414222458/https://store.lizzomusic.com/products/explicit-cd . April 14, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . Lizzo.
    3. Web site: Special Digital Album . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414222501/https://store.lizzomusic.com/products/special-explicit-digital-album . April 14, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . Lizzo.
    4. Web site: Special by Lizzo . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220715060159/https://music.apple.com/us/album/special/1619161952 . July 15, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . Apple Music (US).
    5. Web site: Special Vinyl . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414222210/https://store.lizzomusic.com/products/retail-standard-vinyl . April 14, 2022 . July 15, 2022 . Lizzo.
  43. Web site: Lizzo/リゾ「Special / スペシャル」 Warner Music Japan. ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン Warner Music Japan. October 1, 2022. ja-JP. October 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221001231256/https://wmg.jp/lizzo/discography/26118/. live.

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