85% Proof

85% Proof is the sixth studio album by English recording artist Will Young. It was released by Island Records on 25 May 2015, in the United Kingdom.[2] It is Young's first album since signing a new recording contract with Island Records in 2012, and his first studio album since Echoes in 2011. Inspired by experiences in the time between 2011 and 2014, 85% Proof is about challenges in Young's life: accepting himself, forgetting sadness, and living happily. The themes of the songs vary; while some are light, others are dark. The album is produced by Jim Eliot, who has worked with Young on his previous album, and Mimi Stilwell of Kish Mauve band, whom Young always works with.[3] The writing process for the album lasted only 10 days, and the first songs were approved by the chief executive of the record company.

85% Proof
Studio album by
Released25 May 2015 (2015-05-25)
Length36:02
LabelIsland
ProducerJim Eliot, Mimi Stilwell
Will Young chronology
The Essential
(2013)
85% Proof
(2015)
Lexicon
(2019)
Singles from 85% Proof
  1. "Love Revolution"
    Released: 27 March 2015
  2. "Thank You"
    Released: 24 July 2015
  3. "Joy"
    Released: 20 August 2015
  4. "What the World Needs Now Is Love"
    Released: 27 November 2015[1]

85% Proof debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with total sales of 21,321 copies in its first week, becoming Young's fourth number-one studio album. In Scotland, the album debuted at number two on the Scottish Albums Chart. Upon its release, 85% Proof received mostly positive reviews from music critics.

Several singles have been released from the album. The first one, "Love Revolution", premiered on national radio on 27 March 2015. The music video for the second single, "Like a River", was released on Young's official Vevo channel and on his Twitter account on 20 April 2015. "Thank You" was released as the third single on 24 July 2015. Young embarked on a 22-date tour called "Love Revolution Tour" on 29 October 2015 to support the album. 85% Proof was re-released on 20 November 2015 and includes the single "What the World Needs Now Is Love".[4]

Background

In 2011, Young released Echoes, which was a commercial success and became his third number-one album on the UK Albums Chart. Since then, he spent time on stages in the West End, received an Olivier Award nomination for his role in Cabaret, and taught music in his old school in Birmingham. He also wrote for the Huffington Post, and took part in activities in support of LGBT rights.[5] During this time, he studied somatics, "which is about bodily energy", as he told The Guardian in an interview: "Human psychology and behaviour is fascinating, because the more I learn about myself the more I learn about other people. You understand things when you understand them. It makes me a better person, adult, boyfriend, son, everything".[6]

From the beginning of his career to Echoes, Young had recorded five albums under a recording contract with Sony. While taking part in the film Cabaret in London in 2012, he met the CEO of Universal Music David Joseph, and Darcus Beese of Island Records, and left Sony, signing a new record deal with Island Records.[7][8] "It was time for a change, nothing more. I’d seen out the whole deal – the whole six album deal with Sony – which I'm really proud of", he told Rob Copsey of the Official Charts Company, "I’ve also changed management from 19 which is a big deal after 15 years, and thankfully they’re just brilliant. It was time for a shake-up."[7]

Composition

In an interview with The Guardian, Young said that he got the idea for the record after recording his previous album Echoes (2011), and stated that "It was about mindfulness", since he had to do a lot of work on his own, and had learnt ways to understand the human body.[6] The new music would not be influenced by the music on the charts, as he told the Daily and Sunday Express.[9] Young stated that the album's title refers to the alcoholic strength of moonshine, which is difficult to determine: "I thought it was interesting that with listening to music, I don't know how good something is [until I try it], so it's like a fermentation process. It has to be tasted to be able to tell."[10] Also, he noticed that he didn't have a clear idea about the album like the previous one, Echoes, "I don't overthink it. I just do what's happening that day." Hence, many different songs came out and Young just picked the ones he loved for the record.[10]

According to Young, 85% Proof "is largely upbeat" and focused on making audiences happy with songs like "Brave Men", "Love Revolution", and "Joy". "This album is all about shrugging off unhappiness and accepting what I am", he said.[11] The song "Like a River" is about the battle with his inner demons. Memories of the days being bullied at prep school inspired him to write the song. When talking to The Independent on the radio, Young highlighted its beauty: " 'You need to go, I need to let you go'. It was really empowering."[12]

Recording

In an interview with UTV, Young stated that the recording process is still a thrill for him, mentioning that "It’s the most exciting thing," and "That’s kind of why I take breaks from it, because if I was doing it the whole time, it wouldn’t mean so much." Also, he unveiled that he had completed the writing for the album in only 10 days without any samples, with Kish Mauve and his band, whom he did the last record with and who are "good friends"; the first three songs were immediately approved by the president of Island Records, Darcus Beese, after being sent to him.[13][14]

Promotion and release

On Good Morning Britain, Young announced that he was recording his sixth studio album. On 25 March 2015, he revealed the title and artwork on his Instagram page, having set up the account on the same day.[2] The track listing was revealed on 30 March 2015.[15]

The album's release was preceded by the single "Love Revolution", which had its UK radio premiere on 27 March 2015.[2] Another track, "Like a River", was also available before the album's release, along with an accompanying video. The video was released on 20 April 2015, through Young's official YouTube channel. Young also tweeted on his Twitter account about the video's concept.[16][17] On 16 June 2015, a video for "Thank You" and the remix by French DJ and producer Fred Falke were released on YouTube and SoundCloud. The music video was filmed at Porchester Baths in London and directed by Nick Barleet.[18]

On 2 June 2015, it was announced that Young was embarking on his first tour in four years in order to promote 85% Proof. The tour was titled Love Revolution Tour.[19]

Critical reception

The Guardian[20] gave the album three stars out of five and described the closing track "I Don't Need a Lover" as "This one is a piano ballad dominated by a vocal performance of silvery regret and loss. It’s a reminder of how good Young can be (and how much he has influenced Sam Smith)." Clashmusic.com also focused on the final track in their 7 out of 10 review, describing it as "The album's finest moment, 'I Don't Need A Lover', concludes proceedings with a minimal backdrop to accompany Young's emotive falsetto built around a piano and some relatively reserved strings. It's quite sincerely breathtaking and a reminder that no matter who the artist or the genre, a well-written song paired with a striking voice is all it takes to capture the listener's ear."[21]

Commercial performance

The album peaked at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart after selling 21,321 copies in its first week, marking Young's fourth studio album to top the UK charts.[22] On the Scottish Albums Chart, the album made its entry at number 2. As of 28 June 2019, the album has sold 96,356 copies.

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Jim Eliot.

85% Proof – Standard version[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Brave Man"4:03
2."Promise Me"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:35
3."Love Revolution"
2:58
4."U Think I'm Sexy"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:29
5."Gold"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:50
6."Like a River"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:39
7."Joy"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:28
8."Blue"
3:34
9."Thank You"
  • Young
  • Eliot
3:39
10."I Don't Need a Lover"3:47
85% Proof – Deluxe version (bonus tracks)[23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Dare"
3:51
12."Where Are You Tonight"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:24
13."You Keep on Loving Me"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:50
14."Always on My Mind"
2:06
85% Proof — Re-release version (bonus tracks)[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Dare"
  • Young
  • Stannard
  • Howes
3:51
12."Where Are You Tonight"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:24
13."You Keep on Loving Me"
  • Young
  • Eliot
  • Stilwell
3:50
14."Always on My Mind"
  • Carson
  • Christopher
  • James
2:06
15."What the World Needs Now Is Love"3:09

Sample credits

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] 38
Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[26] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 60,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format
Ireland 22 May 2015 CD, digital download
United Kingdom 25 May 2015

References

  1. "What the World Needs Now Is Love – Single". iTunes Store.
  2. Corner, Lewis (25 March 2015). "Will Young announces new album 85% Proof". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  3. Jones, Rhian (15 June 2015). "Will Young: I resented my Pop Idol link to begin with". Music Week. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  4. "85% Proof (Deluxe)". iTunes Store.
  5. Alexander, Ella (26 May 2015). "EXCLUSIVE: Will Young on Simon Cowell: 'I don't like bullies'". glamourmagazine.com. Condé Nast UK. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  6. Sullivan, Caroline (27 May 2015). "Will Young: 'I'm basically a pervert'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. Copsey, Rob (22 May 2015). "Will Young interview: "After 15 years, it was time for a shake-up"". officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  8. Corner, Lewis (8 November 2012). "Will Young leaves Sony, signs new deal with Island Records". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazine UK. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  9. Kyriazis, Stefan (22 April 2015). "'I'm such a show-off' Will Young on booze, boxing and explosive new album 85% Proof". Daily Express. Northern and Shell Media Publications. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  10. "Will Young interview: "There is some anger in this record"". Digital Spy.
  11. "Interview: Will Young's back - and he's angry!". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  12. Jones, Rhian (23 May 2015). "Will Young interview: 'I'm not angry any more, I'd love to sit down with Simon Cowell, interview him on radio'". The Independent. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  13. Convery, Louise (17 April 2015). "Will Young 'excited' about first album in four years". u.tv. UTV Ltd. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  14. Frost, Caroline (19 May 2015). "Will Young Interview: First Pop Idol Winner Has One Question For Pop Mogul Simon Cowell, On Eve of First Album in Four Years". HuffPost. HuffPost Entertainment. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  15. "Will Young reveals '85% Proof' album tracklisting". The Version. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  16. Copsey, Rob (20 April 2015). "Watch Will Young's dark music video for new song Like A River". officialcharts.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  17. Rigby, Sam (20 April 2015). "Will Young unveils music video for new track 'Like a River'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazine UK. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  18. Copsey, Rob (16 June 2015). "Will Young releases emotional Thank You music video". officialcharts.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  19. Copsey, Rob (2 June 2015). "Will Young announces 22-date 2015 Love Revolution UK tour". officialcharts.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  20. Caroline Sullivan. "Will Young: 85% Proof review – ballads of silvery regret and loss". The Guardian.
  21. "Will Young - 85% Proof". Clash Magazine.
  22. Williamson, Coral (1 June 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Will Young's 85% Proof is 100% No.1 on sales of 21,321". Music Week. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  23. "85% Proof - Deluxe edition". iTunes Store. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  24. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 22, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. "British album certifications – Will Young – 85% Proof". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type 85% Proof in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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