Ready for the Weekend (album) explained

Ready for the Weekend
Type:studio
Artist:Calvin Harris
Cover:Calvin Harris - Ready for the Weekend (album).png
Recorded:2008–2009
Studio:Earth's Core (Glasgow)
Genre:Dance[1]
Length:52:20
Label:
Producer:Calvin Harris
Prev Title:I Created Disco
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:18 Months
Next Year:2012

Ready for the Weekend is the second studio album by Scottish musician Calvin Harris, released on 14 August 2009 by Fly Eye and Columbia Records. The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It spawned the singles "I'm Not Alone", "Ready for the Weekend", "Flashback" and "You Used to Hold Me".

Background

Harris had been working on the album since the release of his debut album, I Created Disco, with the first tracks being recorded in 2008. In April 2008, Harris stated that the only existing copy of his then-upcoming album was lost when his laptop was misplaced during the baggage handling problems at the opening of London Heathrow Terminal 5.[2] He later stated on the BBC's Glastonbury Festival 2008 coverage that he got his baggage back including the album within a few days. However, Harris ultimately admitted in April 2009 that this was a lie as the album was not in his luggage at all, and that he hoped that what he said would give him more time to finish recording the album.[3]

"Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La" was used in a Coca-Cola advertisement in mid-2009.[4]

Singles

"I'm Not Alone" was released as the album's lead single on 6 April 2009. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, knocking off Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".[5] It spent two weeks atop the chart, before dropping to number three in its third week.[6] "Ready for the Weekend" was released as the album's second single on 9 August 2009. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.[7]

"Flashback" was released as the third single from the album on 2 November 2009. The track reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.[7] The album's fourth and final single, "You Used to Hold Me", was released on 8 February 2010, peaking at number 27 on the UK chart.[7] An extended version of Harris's 2008 chart-topping collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, "Dance wiv Me", is also included on the album.

Critical Reception

The Metacritic score for the album was 65/100. Several reviewers drew on Harris’ comment that he was intending to make a “stadium dance” album and noted the bigger scale and greater sense of a party crowd atmosphere in Ready for The Weekend compared to Harris’ previous album I Created Disco. James McMahon of NME for example referred to the “music-for-the-people philosophy embodied at the core of Harris’ anthem-heavy new record”. [8]

Neil McCormick called the album “big, bold and colourful”, describing how the album’s songs “start out simple and organic” before evolving closer to electronic dance music over the course of the track. McCormick writes about how “The pop genius is in the way these develop and mutate, rather than settling into obvious, dumb grooves”.[9]

Commercial performance

Ready for the Weekend debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 36,308 copies in its first week.[10] The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 16 October 2009, and by November 2014, it had sold 274,786 copies in the United Kingdom.[11] The album was also successful in Ireland, where it peaked at number six on the Irish Albums Chart. In the United States, it reached number 12 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 22 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Ready for the Weekend attained moderate success elsewhere, reaching number 39 in Australia, number 74 in Belgium (Wallonia) and number 139 in France.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ready for the Weekend.[12]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[13] 6
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 47
European Albums (Billboard)[15] 9

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)Position
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[16] 43
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 100

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Australia14 August 2009Sony[18] [19]
Ireland[20] [21]
United Kingdom17 August 2009[22] [23] [24]
FranceCD[25]
United States18 August 2009Digital downloadUltra[26]
Japan26 August 2009Sony[27]
Germany25 September 2009Ministry of Sound[28]
France5 October 2009Digital download[29]
United States6 October 2009CDUltra[30]
France12 October 2009LP[31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Haider . Arwa . Calvin proves he's here to stay . . 17 August 2009 . 17 August 2009.
  2. Web site: DJ loses album in baggage backlog . . 4 April 2008 . 30 July 2014.
  3. Web site: Robinson . Peter . Peter Robinson (journalist) . Calvin Harris interview . . 21 April 2009 . 20 August 2020.
  4. Web site: Sweney . Mark . Calvin Harris soundtracks Coca-Cola ad . The Guardian . 7 May 2009 . 30 July 2014.
  5. Web site: Jones . Alan . GaGa edges it in albums chart . . 14 April 2009 . 30 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140726000313/http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/gaga-edges-it-in-albums-chart/039753 . 26 July 2014.
  6. Web site: Williams . Paul . Number One is number one . Music Week . 27 April 2009 . 30 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140203182629/http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/number-one-is-number-one/039826 . 3 February 2014.
  7. Web site: Calvin Harris . . 26 May 2016.
  8. Web site: McMahon . James . Album review : Calvin Harris – 'Ready for the Weekend' . . 25 August 2009 . 15 September 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121015212530/http://www.nme.com/reviews/10776 . 15 October 2012.
  9. Web site: McCormick . Neil . Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend, pop CD of the week . . 6 August 2009 . 14 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121112065301/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/5979213/Calvin-Harris-Ready-for-the-Weekend-pop-CD-of-the-week.html . 12 November 2012.
  10. Web site: Dance dominates charts with Harris and Guetta at the peak . Music Week . 24 August 2009 . 22 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140730175236/http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/dance-dominates-charts-with-harris-and-guetta-at-the-peak/040607 . 30 July 2014.
  11. Web site: Jones . Alan . Official Charts analysis: Ed Sheeran pips Calvin Harris to No.1 on albums . Music Week . 10 November 2014 . 7 March 2015 . subscription.
  12. Ready for the Weekend . . 2009 . liner notes . . 88697571912.
  13. ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 24th August 2009 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090804140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20090805-0000/issue1017.pdf . dead . 2009-08-04 . . 1017 . 18 . 24 August 2009 . 22 October 2012 . National Library of Australia.
  14. Web site: Calvin Harris – Ready for the Weekend . nl . . 2 September 2011.
  15. Hits of the World . Billboard . 121 . 35 . 5 September 2009 . 63 . 0006-2510 . Google Books.
  16. Web site: ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Albums 2009 . Australian Recording Industry Association . 22 October 2012.
  17. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009 . Official Charts Company . 7 March 2015.
  18. Web site: Ready for the Weekend . . 7 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150403054408/https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/dance/ready-for-the-weekend/254698/ . 3 April 2015.
  19. Web site: Ready For The Weekend (2009) Calvin Harris . . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808044146/http://www.zdigital.com.au/artist/calvin-harris/release/ready-for-the-weekend-2 . 8 August 2014 . 30 July 2014.
  20. Web site: Ready for the Weekend – Calvin Harris (CD) . . 12 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100315/http://www.hmv.ie/Ready-for-the-weekend-Calvin-Harris/movies-games-entertainment/pd/28928 . 2 April 2015.
  21. Web site: Ready For The Weekend (2009) Calvin Harris . . Ireland . 30 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140429190525/http://ie.7digital.com/artist/calvin-harris/release/ready-for-the-weekend-2 . 29 April 2014.
  22. Web site: Ready for the Weekend by Calvin Harris . . United Kingdom . 2 September 2011.
  23. Web site: Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend . . 30 July 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101103182601/http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=995889 . 3 November 2010.
  24. Web site: Ready for the Weekend [VINYL] ]. Amazon UK . United Kingdom . 30 July 2014.
  25. Web site: Ready for the weekend – Calvin Harris – CD album . fr . . 20 August 2020.
  26. Web site: Ready for the Weekend (Bonus Track Version) by Calvin Harris . iTunes Store . United States . 2 September 2011.
  27. Web site: http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/calvinharris/discography/SICP-2348 . ja:レディー・フォー・ザ・ウィークエンド . Ready for the Weekend . ja . . 8 March 2015.
  28. Web site: Ready for the Weekend (Bonus Track Version) by Calvin Harris . iTunes Store . Germany . 30 July 2014.
  29. Web site: Ready for the Weekend (Deluxe Edition) par Calvin Harris . iTunes Store . fr . France . 22 October 2012.
  30. Web site: Calvin Harris: Ready for the Weekend . Amazon . United States . 2 September 2011.
  31. Web site: Ready for the weekend – Calvin Harris – Vinyl album . fr . Fnac . 20 August 2020.

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