Westlife (album)

Westlife is the debut studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. The album was released on 1 November 1999 through RCA. The album spawned the five UK number-one hit singles "Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", the double A-side "I Have a Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun", and "Fool Again".

Westlife
Studio album by
Westlife
Released1 November 1999
Recorded1998–1999
StudioRokstone Studios
(London, England),
Cheiron Studios
(Stockholm, Sweden),
CaVa Studios
(Glasgow, Scotland)
GenrePop
Length65:32
LabelRCA, BMG
ProducerSimon Cowell (exec.), Steve Mac (also exec.), Wayne Hector (exec.), Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Rami Yacoub, TTW, David Foster, Pete Waterman, Jake Schulze, David Frank, Steve Kipner, Cutfather & Joe, Jaime Ikeda, Rovi, Clive Gardiner
Westlife chronology
Westlife
(1999)		 Coast to Coast
(2000)
Alternative cover
2000 North American cover
Singles from Westlife
  1. "Swear It Again"
    Released: 12 April 1999
  2. "If I Let You Go"
    Released: 9 August 1999
  3. "Flying Without Wings"
    Released: 18 October 1999
  4. "I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun"
    Released: 6 December 1999
  5. "Fool Again"
    Released: 27 March 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllRovi[1]
AllMusic[2]
The Tribune (Chandigarh)[3]

Background

Westlife signed to Arista Records for the North American territory after auditioning for the label's founder, Clive Davis.[4] Westlife released "Swear It Again" as their debut and only single released in the United States. The singles was serviced to radio in February and released commercially on 7 March 2000. The album was released on 4 April 2000 with an altered track listing that included the new song, "My Private Movie".[4]

In 2005, the album was released in a compilation box collection with Westlife's fourth studio album, Turnaround.

Commercial performance

Due to all five singles from the album peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart in less than a year, Westlife created a chart history record that remains unbroken to date. Despite this, however, the album entered and peaked at number two, being beaten only by an extra 1,000 copies of Steptacular by Steps.[5] The album was the biggest chart dropper on the top 40 in UK music history when, in its 58th week on the charts it leapt from No. 79 to No. 3 before falling to No. 37 the following week.[6] Despite the history, the album successfully managed to peak at No. 1 in Scotland in the year 2001 after premiering at No. 6 at the Scottish Charts in 1999.[7]

The album became the eighth best-selling album of 1999 in the United Kingdom, and ended up being certified 4× Platinum.[8] The album went on to spend seventy-four weeks in the UK Top 100.[9] A video album related to the release, entitled "The Westlife Story", was released in October 2000, peaking at number 15 on the UK Visual Chart. The release was available on both VHS and DVD. The DVD was later made available in a five disc set entitled "Westlife: The Complete Story".

In 2000, the album was released in the United States and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers and peaked at 129 on the Billboard 200.

The album also peaked at number 1 in Ireland[10] and 15 in Australia. Westlife also remains the best-selling international album ever in Indonesia and Philippines, receiving 20× platinum certifications for over 1 million copies sold in Indonesia and 25× Platinum certifications for over 500,000 units sold in the Philippines.[11][12]

Track listing

The album's standard edition featured 17 tracks. While the band said they recorded 22 songs for the debut album,[13] standard and other versions have a total of 26 tracks overall.

European standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swear It Again"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:07
2."If I Let You Go"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:41
3."Flying Without Wings"Mac, HectorMac3:36
4."Fool Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:53
5."No No"Andreas Carlsson, RamiRami3:15
6."I Don't Wanna Fight"Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David FosterMac5:03
7."Change the World"Lance Ellington, Topham, TwiggTTW3:10
8."Moments"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:17
9."Seasons in the Sun"Jacques Brel, Rod McKuenTTW4:09
10."I Need You"Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, RamiRami3:48
11."Miss You"Jake Schulze, RamiJake, Rami3:53
12."More Than Words"Gary Cherone, Nuno BettencourtMac3:53
13."Open Your Heart"Andreas Carlsson, JakeJake3:40
14."Try Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:34
15."What I Want Is What I've Got"Alexandra Talomaa, RamiRami3:34
16."We Are One"Alexandre Desplat, Mac, HectorMac3:44
17."Can't Lose What You Never Had"David Frank, Steve KipnerFrank, Kipner4:26
Japanese bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Story of Love"Patrick Tucker, Shepard Solomon, Arnthor BirgissonJaime Ikeda, Rovi3:54
Australian bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
North American standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swear It Again"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:07
2."Can't Lose What You Never Had"David Frank, Steve KipnerFrank, Kipner4:26
3."I Don't Wanna Fight"Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David FosterMac5:03
4."My Private Movie"Steve Kipner, David Kopatz, Jack KugellCutfather & Joe4:05
5."Flying Without Wings"Mac, HectorMac3:36
6."If I Let You Go"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:41
7."Fool Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:53
8."No No"Andreas Carlsson, RamiRami3:15
9."Miss You"Jake Schulze, RamiSchulze, Rami3:53
10."Open Your Heart"Carlsson, SchulzeSchulze3:40
11."We Are One"Alexadre Desplat, Mac, HectorMac3:44
12."I Need You"Carlsson, Max Martin, RamiRami3:48
13."More Than Words"Gary Cherone, Nuno BettencourtMac3:53
Special edition bonus disc[14]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
2."On the Wings of Love"Topham, TwiggWaterman3:22
3."Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)Steve Mac, Wayne HectorSteve Mac4:04
4."If I Let You Go" (Extended Mix)David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson5:32
5."That's What It's All About"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:22
6."Flying Without Wings" (A cappella)Mac, HectorMac3:33
Special edition Cassette version/Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
1."Swear It Again"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:07
2."If I Let You Go"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:41
3."Flying Without Wings"Mac, HectorMac3:36
4."Fool Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:53
5."No No"Andreas Carlsson, RamiRami3:15
6."I Don't Wanna Fight"Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David FosterMac5:03
7."Change the World"Lance Ellington, Topham, TwiggTTW3:10
8."Moments"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:17
9."Seasons in the Sun"Jacques Brel, Rod McKuenTTW4:09
10."I Need You"Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, RamiRami3:48
11."Miss You"Jake Schulze, RamiJake, Rami3:53
12."More Than Words"Gary Cherone, Nuno BettencourtMac3:53
Special edition Cassette version/Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducersLength
13."Open Your Heart"Andreas Carlsson, JakeJake3:40
14."Try Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:34
15."What I Want Is What I've Got"Alexandra Talomaa, RamiRami3:34
16."We Are One"Alexandre Desplat, Mac, HectorMac3:44
17."Can't Lose What You Never Had"David Frank, Steve KipnerFrank, Kipner4:26
18."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
19."On the Wings of Love"Topham, TwiggWaterman3:22
20."Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)Steve Mac, Wayne HectorSteve Mac4:04
21."If I Let You Go" (Extended Mix)David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson5:32
22."That's What It's All About"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:22
23."Flying Without Wings" (A cappella)Mac, HectorMac3:33
Deluxe[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."On the Wings of Love"Topham, TwiggWaterman3:22
2."Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)Steve Mac, Wayne HectorSteve Mac4:04
3."If I Let You Go" (Extended Mix)David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson5:32
4."That's What It's All About"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:22
5."Flying Without Wings" (A cappella)Mac, HectorMac3:33
Platinum edition bonus disc[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Tunnel of Love"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:19
2."My Private Movie"Steve Kipner, David Kopatz, Jack KugellCutfather & Joe4:05
3."Fool Again" (2000 Remix)Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson4:04
4."Until the End of Time"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac3:11
5."Forever"Mac, Hector, Mark Johnson, Ali TennantMac5:05
6."Everybody Knows"Mac, HectorMac4:05
7."Let's Make Tonight Special"Mac, Hector, TennantMac4:57
8."Ronan Keating Interviews Westlife"  3:30
Malaysian bonus karaoke VCD[17]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swear It Again"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:07
2."If I Let You Go"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:41
3."Flying Without Wings"Mac, HectorMac3:36
4."Fool Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:53
5."No No"Andreas Carlsson, RamiYacoub3:15
6."I Don't Wanna Fight"Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David FosterMac5:03
7."Change the World"Lance Ellington, Topham, TwiggTTW3:10
8."Moments"Mac, HectorMac4:17
9."Seasons in the Sun"Jacques Brel, Rod McKuenTTW4:09
10."I Need You"Carlsson, Max Martin, RamiRami3:48
11."Miss You"Jake Schulze, RamiSchulze, Rami3:53
12."More Than Words"Gary Cherone, Nuno BettencourtMac3:53
13."Open Your Heart"Carlsson, SchulzeSchulze3:40
14."Try Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:34
15."What I Want Is What I've Got"Alexandra Talomaa, RamiRami3:34
16."We Are One"Alexandre Desplat, Mac, HectorMac3:44
17."Can't Lose What You Never Had"David Frank, Steve KipnerFrank, Kipner4:26
18."I Have a Dream"Andersson, UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
Philippine and Singaporean bonus karaoke VCD[17]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Have a Dream"Andersson, UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
2."Swear It Again"Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:07
3."If I Let You Go"David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:41
4."Flying Without Wings"Mac, HectorMac3:36
5."Fool Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:53
6."No No"Andreas Carlsson, RamiYacoub3:15
7."I Don't Wanna Fight"Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David FosterMac5:03
8."Change the World"Lance Ellington, Topham, TwiggTTW3:10
9."Moments"Mac, HectorMac4:17
10."Seasons in the Sun"Jacques Brel, Rod McKuenTTW4:09
11."I Need You"Carlsson, Max Martin, RamiRami3:48
12."Miss You"Jake Schulze, RamiSchulze, Rami3:53
13."More Than Words"Gary Cherone, Nuno BettencourtMac3:53
14."Open Your Heart"Carlsson, SchulzeSchulze3:40
15."Try Again"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:34
16."What I Want Is What I've Got"Alexandra Talomaa, RamiRami3:34
17."We Are One"Alexandre Desplat, Mac, HectorMac3:44
18."Can't Lose What You Never Had"David Frank, Steve KipnerFrank, Kipner4:26
No.1 Hits & Rare Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Have a Dream"Benny Andersson, Björn UlvaeusPete Waterman4:07
2."On the Wings of Love"Topham, TwiggWaterman3:22
3."Swear It Again" (Rokstone Mix)Steve Mac, Wayne HectorMac4:04
4."If I Let You Go" (Extended Mix)David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson5:32
5."That's What It's All About"Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson3:22
6."Flying Without Wings" (A cappella)Mac, HectorMac3:33
7."Fool Again" (2000 Remix)Kreuger, Elofsson, MagnussonKreuger, Magnusson4:04
The Westlife Story
No.TitleLength
1."The Westlife Story" (Documentary) 
2."Swear It Again" (Video) 
3."If I Let You Go" (Video) 
4."Flying Without Wings" (Video) 
5."I Have a Dream" (Video) 
6."Seasons in the Sun" (Video) 
7."Fool Again" (Video) 
8."Photo Gallery" 
9."Hidden Track" 
10."Trivia Quiz" 
11."Interactive Scene & Song Selection" 
12."Weblink" 
13."Previously Unseen Footage" 

Notes

  • "Swear It Again" is also referred to as "Swear It All Over Again" according to music repertoires.[18]
  • "No No" is also referred to as "No No I Don't Need Nobody" or "No No (I Don't Need Nobody)" according to music repertoires.[18]
  • "I Don't Wanna Fight" is also referred to as "I Don't Want to Fight" according to music repertoires.[18]
  • "Miss You" is also referred to as "I Miss You" according to music repertoires.[18]
  • "Can't Lose What You Never Had" is also referred to as "Can't Lose What U Never Had" according to music repertoires.[18]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[48] 2× Platinum 40,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)[49] Gold 75,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[50] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[51] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Philippines (PARI)[52] Diamond 500,000[11]
Sweden (GLF)[53] Gold 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] 5× Platinum 1,500,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[55] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*
Worldwide — 6,000,000[56]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Country Date Formats
United Kingdom 1 November 1999 Standard (17 tracks)
Japan 4 April 2000 Standard (18 tracks)
Philippines 18 April 2000 Deluxe (2×CD)
United States 7 May 2000 Standard (13 tracks)
Australia 15 May 2000 Standard (18 tracks)
Philippines 31 July 2000 Platinum (2×CD, CD+DVD)
United Kingdom 15 October 2000 Video (The Westlife Story)
Japan 19 December 2000 Standard (No.1 Hits & Rare Tracks)

References
  1. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllRovi. 7 December 1999. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  2. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllMusic. 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  3. "Music Zone". The Tribune. 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. Taylor, Chuck (5 February 2000). "Dublin's Darling Westlife Wins Over Europe, Aims For Success In U.S.". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. 112 (6): 110. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. "British certifications". British Phonographic Industry.
  6. "Record-Breakers and Trivia – Albums". everyhit.com.
  7. "Scottish Albums (14 January 2001)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  8. "British certifications – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry. Type Westlife in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  9. "Take That". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  10. "Hits of the World". Billboard: 61. 27 November 1999.
  11. Google News Archive (15 May 2001). "Westlife brings Coast to Coast in Manila". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  12. Sofia, Maya (20 October 2011). "Boyband Westlife Resmi Bubar Tahun Depan" (in Indonesian). Viva News. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  13. "Westlife: not just another boy band". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  14. "Westlife - Westlife Malaysia DOUBLE CD (310176)". Eil.com. 18 November 2004. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  15. "Westlife – Westlife". discogs.com. 18 November 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  16. "Westlife - Westlife - Platinum Deluxe Edition Indonesia DOUBLE CASSETTE (176228)". Eil.com. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  17. "Westlife - Westlife Karaoke Singapore VIDEO CD (183874)". Eil.com. 1 May 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  18. "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com.
  19. "Australiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  21. "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 2". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 16 January 2000.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  23. "Hits of the World". Billboard: 69. 22 January 2000.
  24. "Westlife: Westlife" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  25. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  26. "Tonlist Top 30". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  27. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 1, 2000". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  28. "Hits of the World: November 27, 1999 (Pages 60, 61)". Billboard. Billboard Magazine. 27 November 1999. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  29. "Charts.nz – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  30. "Norwegiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  31. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. "Swedishcharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  33. "Swisscharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  34. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  35. "Westlife Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  36. "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  37. "Års Hitlister 2000" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 16 November 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  38. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  39. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  40. "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 1999". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  41. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  42. "Jaaroverzichten 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  43. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  44. "Top Selling Albums of 2000". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  45. "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 2000". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  46. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  47. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  48. "Danish album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". IFPI Denmark. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
  49. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Westlife in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Westlife in the box under TÍTULO
  50. "Dutch album certifications – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Westlife in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  51. "New Zealand album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". Recorded Music NZ.
  52. "List of PARI Gold, Platinum & Diamond Awardees". Philippine Association of the Record Industry.
  53. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  54. "British album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Westlife in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  55. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  56. "Westlife in summer's biggest musical event". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 26 May 2001. p. 42. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
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