Piece by Piece (Katie Melua album)

Piece by Piece is the second studio album by British-Georgian jazz and blues singer Katie Melua. It was released on 26 September 2005 by Dramatico Records. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at #1 with 120,459 copies sold in its first week.[3]

Piece by Piece
Studio album by
Katie Melua
Released26 September 2005
Recorded2004–2005
StudioEwshot Hall
Genre
Length44:32
LabelDramatico
ProducerMike Batt
Katie Melua chronology
Call Off the Search
(2003)		 Piece by Piece
(2005)		 Pictures
(2007)
Singles from Piece by Piece
  1. "Nine Million Bicycles"
    Released: 19 September 2005
  2. "I Cried for You"
    Released: 2005
  3. "Spider's Web"
    Released: 17 April 2006
  4. "It's Only Pain"
    Released: 11 September 2006
  5. "Shy Boy"
    Released: 20 November 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Its first single, Mike Batt's song "Nine Million Bicycles", became Melua's first top five hit in the UK and caused controversy when science writer Simon Singh said the lyrics "demonstrates a deep ignorance of cosmology and no understanding of the scientific method". After an amusing and good-natured debate in the Press Melua eventually recorded Singh's version, which both agreed was scientifically accurate and musically pathetic.[4]

The second single was a double A-side comprising "I Cried for You" and a cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven". The former song was written after Melua met the writer of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and is about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, while the latter was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Just Like Heaven. The single peaked outside the UK top twenty, and the album's third single, "Spider's Web" (which Melua wrote when she was eighteen, during the Iraq War) did not reach the top forty.

Melua wrote the title song "Piece By Piece" after she broke up with her boyfriend Luke Pritchard, and "Half Way up the Hindu Kush" was written by Katie and Mike Batt playing on the unusualness of the title phrase, which cropped up in a conversation about scarves on a train journey. Alongside covers of "Blues in the Night" and Canned Heat's "On the Road Again", the album includes "Thank you, Stars", which was previously released as a B-side on Melua's debut single "The Closest Thing To Crazy" in 2003.

The album was re-released in 2006, as Piece by Piece: Special Bonus Edition, with three additional tracks and a bonus DVD with concert Moment by Moment and promo videos.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Shy Boy"Mike Batt3:22
2."Nine Million Bicycles"Batt3:15
3."Piece by Piece"Katie Melua3:24
4."Halfway Up the Hindu Kush"
  • Melua
  • Batt
3:06
5."Blues in the Night"
4:12
6."Spider's Web"Melua3:58
7."Blue Shoes"Batt4:39
8."On The Road Again"
4:38
9."Thank You, Stars"Batt3:39
10."Just Like Heaven"
3:35
11."I Cried For You"Melua3:38
12."I Do Believe in Love"Melua3:00
13."It's Only Pain" (Special Bonus Edition track)Batt 
14."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (Acoustic version) (Special Bonus Edition track)Lennon–McCartney 
15."Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" (Special Bonus Edition track)Batt 

Variants

A special edition for Spanish department store El Corte Inglés had additional tracks - Spanish language versions of "Closest Thing to Crazy" ("Esa Clase de Locura") and "Faraway Voice" (aka "Otra vez tu").

The American release had two extra tracks (but not the Special Bonus edition tracks), "Jack's Room" and "Market Day in Guernica".

Chart and certifications

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[46] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[47] Platinum 50,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[48] 4× Platinum 160,000^
Germany (BVMI)[49] 4× Platinum 800,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[50] 4× Platinum 60,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[51] 3× Platinum 240,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[52] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[53] 3× Platinum 120,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[54] 2× Platinum 40,000*
South Africa[53] Platinum 30,000 
Sweden (GLF)[55] Platinum 60,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[56] 3× Platinum 120,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57] 4× Platinum 1,200,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[58] 3× Platinum 3,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Production
  • Producer: Mike Batt
  • Engineer: Steve Sale
  • Arranger: Mike Batt
  • Photography: Simon Fowler

References
  1. AllMusic review
  2. "Rolling Stone review".
  3. "Official Chart Analysis: Springsteen album sells 74k, Gotye single shifts another 81k". Music Week. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  4. Simon Singh (30 September 2005). "Simon Singh: Katie Melua's bad science | Education". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. "Ultratop.be – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  9. "Danishcharts.dk – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  11. "Katie Melua: Piece By Piece" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  14. "Italiancharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  16. "Charts.nz – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  19. "Portuguesecharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  21. "Swedishcharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  22. "Swisscharts.com – Katie Melua – Piece By Piece". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  24. "Katie Melua Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  25. "Katie Melua Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  27. "Jaaroverzichten 2005". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  30. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  36. "Rapports Annuels 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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  48. "Danish album certifications – Katie Melua – Piece by Piece". IFPI Denmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2007 to obtain certification.
  49. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Katie Melua; 'Piece by Piece')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  50. "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  51. "Dutch album certifications – Katie Melua – Piece by Piece" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Piece by Piece in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  52. "New Zealand album certifications – Katie Melua – Piece by Piece". Recorded Music NZ.
  53. Sexton, Paul (3 June 2006). "When Katie Comes To Call". Billboard. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  54. "Polish album certifications – Katie Melua – Piece by Piece" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  55. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2007" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  56. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Katie Melua; 'Piece by Piece')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  57. "British album certifications – Katie Melua – Piece by Piece". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Piece by Piece in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  58. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2006". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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