Swan Songs (Hollywood Undead album) explained

Swan Songs
Type:	studio
Artist:	Hollywood Undead
Cover:	hollywoodundeadswansongs.jpg
Released:	September 2, 2008
Recorded:	July 2005 – May 2008
Genre:	Rap rock^[1] nu metal^[2]
Label:	A&M Octone Polydor
Producer:	Don Gilmore Danny Lohner Jimmy Yuma Deuce
Chronology:	Hollywood Undead studio album
Next Title:	American Tragedy
Next Year:	2011

Swan Songs is the debut studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. It was released through Octone Records and Polydor Records on September 2, 2008.^[3] "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes.^[4] The band released four music videos for four songs on the album, "No. 5", "Undead", "Young", and "Everywhere I Go".^[4] When purchased through Amazon.com and at some other retailers, the album includes a bonus track and an option to unlock music videos.^[3]

Background

Swan Songs was supposed to be released on the band's original label, MySpace Records in 2007, however it was postponed by the record label when they requested to have some of the songs removed and others censored. The band declined and switched labels to Octone which wouldn't require them to censor their songs.^[5] The song "Undead" is featured in the video games UFC Undisputed 2009 and Madden NFL 09.^[4] The song "Young" is featured as downloadable content for Rock Band 2.^[6]

Critical reception

Swan Songs received mostly mixed reviews. Dave Donnelly of AllMusic gave the album a 2 out of 5 stars, saying that the lyrics were uninteresting and that the album was "given over to ironic frat-boy party rap" (using the singles "Everywhere I Go" and "No. 5" as examples).^[7]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200 selling 21,000 copies in its first week.^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written and performed by Hollywood Undead, with specific writers detailed for each track.

Personnel

Credits for Swan Songs adapted from Allmusic.

Hollywood Undead

• Aron "Deuce" Erlichman – lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, executive production, engineering (tracks: 1–2, 4–9 and 11-13, bonus tracks 15-21), programming (tracks: 1–2, 4–9 and 11-13, bonus tracks 15-21), mixing (track: 13, bonus tracks 15-21), guitar (track 8)
• Jordon "Charlie Scene" Terrell – vocals (tracks: 1, 3–5, 7, 9-11, and 13, bonus tracks 15-19), guitars (on all tracks except on track 8)
• Jorel "J-Dog" Decker – vocals (tracks: 1-2, 5–7, and 9-11, bonus tracks 16-20), keyboards (tracks: 1, 6-7, and 11, bonus track 20)
• George "Johnny 3 Tears" Ragan – vocals (tracks: 1-2, 5-7, and 9-14, bonus tracks 15-16, 18-19, and 21)
• Dylan "Funny Man" Alvarez – vocals (tracks: 1, 4–5, 9, and 13, bonus tracks 16 and 19)
• Matthew "Da Kurlzz" Busek – vocals (tracks: 1-3, 5-6, and 9-11, bonus tracks 16-17 and 19), drums (tracks: 5, 7, 9, and 11, bonus tracks 16-19), percussion (tracks: 5, 7, 9, and 11, bonus tracks 16-19)
• Jeffrey "Shady Jeff" Phillips – vocals (bonus tracks 17 and 20)

Additional musicians

• Josh Freese – drums (tracks: 1, 6 and 11)
• Danny Lohner – guitars (tracks: 2, 8 and 14), engineering, production
• Paul Pavao – guitar (track 6)
• Dean Saenz – drums (track 2)
• John Tempesta – drums (track 14)

Production

• Don Gilmore – production
• Billy Howerdel – engineering
• Mark Kiczula – assistant
• Ben Grosse – mixing
• Dave McNair – mastering
• Jonas Åkerlund – art direction, photography
• Jason Goad – illustrations
• Fox Phelps – assistant
• Jimmy Yuma – assistant, production

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Position
US Billboard 200^[9]	66
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[10]	21

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog	Ref
United States	September 2, 2008	A&M/Octone	CD, Digital download	001133102	^[11]
			CD with Bonus Tracks	001199002	^[12]
Japan	May 6, 2009		CD, Digital download	B001133102	^[13]
European Union	May 18, 2009	Polydor Group		B002436WEE	^[14]
Germany	July 31, 2009	A&M/Octone
European Union	December 1, 2009	Polydor Group	Vinyl	B002M81UA2	^[15]
United States	May 11, 2018	A&M/Octone		B0027938-01	^[16]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tim . Grierson . Top 10 Essential Rap-Rock Songs . . March 27, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130327081258/http://rock.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/BestRapRockSongs.htm . October 9, 2019.
2. Web site: 10 Albums That Remind Us Why Nü Metal F*cking Sucked. MetalSucks. April 6, 2023. April 17, 2023.
3. Web site: Swan Songs: Hollywood Undead . Amazon . August 5, 2008 .
4. Web site: Hollywood Undead Official Website . August 9, 2008 . Hollywoodundead.com.
5. Web site: ARTISTdirect Interview: Hollywood Undead . September 2, 2008 . Artistdirect.com.
6. http://www.rockband.com/music/songs Official song listing
7. Web site: Swan Songs — Hollywood Undead. Dave Donnelly. Allmusic.
8. Young Jeezy Nets Second Album Chart-Topper . . September 13, 2008.
9. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009. Billboard. October 1, 2020.
10. Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2009. Billboard. October 1, 2020.
11. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1420506|pure_url=yes}} Overview: Swan Songs - Hollywood Undead]. Allmusic. May 15, 2011.
12. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1685761|pure_url=yes}} Overview: Swan Songs (Bonus Tracks) - Hollywood Undead]. Allmusic. May 15, 2011.
13. Web site: Swan Songs (CD) - Hollywood Undead - HMV Online Shopping & Information Site. HMV Online Japan. May 15, 2011.
14. Web site: Swan Songs: Hollywood Undead: Amazon.co.uk: Music. Amazon (UK). May 15, 2011.
15. Web site: American Tragedy (Deluxe Edition): Hollywood Undead: Amazon.co.uk: Music. Amazon (UK). May 15, 2011.
16. Web site: Hollywood Undead - Swan Songs 10th Anniversary 2LP - Limited Edition Blue Vinyl. uDiscover. August 14, 2018.