Paramore (album)
Paramore is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released on April 5, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen as a follow-up to Brand New Eyes (2009). Recorded between April and November 2012, the album was described by the band as being a "statement" and a reintroduction of the band to the world and to themselves. It is the first album without guitarist Josh Farro, the only album without drummer Zac Farro and the final album with bassist Jeremy Davis before his departure in 2015.[2]
Paramore
April 5, 2013
April, June 27 – November 1, 2012
63:47
The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, with lead guitarist Taylor York co-producing on four tracks. In contrast to band's previous work, the production of Paramore showcases the band's experimentation with new musical genres, such as new wave and funk rock, and features three acoustic interludes. Paramore received acclaim from music critics, who praised the band's maturity and experimentation in terms of musicianship as well as Williams' vocals and overall presence on the album. Several publications included the album in their year-end lists, including The A.V. Club and The Guardian.
Paramore was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 106,000 copies. The album also topped the charts in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and New Zealand, where it became their first album to reach the peak. It also became their second chart topper in the United Kingdom. In March 2016, Paramore was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales exceeding 1,000,000 units in the United States. The group followed the record release with The Self-Titled Tour in promotion, with European, North American, Asian, Latin American, and Oceania legs announced. In 2014, the band co-headlined Monumentour with Fall Out Boy. A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 24, 2014, which includes two new tracks, a demo, a re-recorded version of "Hate to See Your Heart Break", and live tracks of songs from their previous albums.
Four singles were released from the album: "Now", "Still Into You", "Daydreaming", and the Grammy-winning song "Ain't It Fun". "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun" have reached top ten positions on various charts in the United States and have been certified double platinum by the RIAA, making Paramore the first of the band's albums to have produced more than one double-platinum single.
In November 2022, the band changed the album cover on streaming services to an image of Hayley Williams shot from behind. The denim jacket, worn by Williams, reads "Grow Up", which is also the name of a non-single track found on this album. The change is speculated to be due to legal disputes between the band and former bassist Jeremy Davis.[3]
Background and recording[edit]
The recording of Paramore began in April 2012 with the song "Daydreaming".[4] After a brief pause, recording resumed on June 27 of that year[5] and ended on November 1, 2012.[6] It is the first Paramore album released after the departure of Josh and Zac Farro, both of whom left the band in 2010.[6][7]
The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, longtime bassist for Beck and Nine Inch Nails, who has previously produced records for M83 and Neon Trees.[8] In an interview with Electronic Musician, Meldal-Johnsen stated he wanted "the album to sound very visceral and a little bit less locked down and computerized, more 1981 than 2012, with a nod to 2016."[9] In an interview with Digital Spy, Taylor York stated "I don't think we've ever been so proud and satisfied with something we've done."[8] On June 29, 2012, the band had confirmed that Nine Inch Nails and Angels & Airwaves drummer Ilan Rubin would be recording drums for the album.[10][11]
In an interview with Rolling Stone, lead vocalist Hayley Williams explained "That whole time for our band was such a dark season. It was emotionally exhausting, and by the time we got around to the point where we were going to start writing, we just really wanted to enjoy the process of making an album" when asked about the direction of the band after Brand New Eyes.[12] Regarding the album being self-titled, Williams explained "The self-titled aspect of the whole thing is definitely a statement. I feel like it's not only reintroducing the band to the world, but even to ourselves ... By the end of it, it felt like we're a new band."[13] She also stated that she was inspired by Blondie's and Siouxsie and the Banshees' records when writing the new songs: "They've got so much heart and soul in them."[14]
Composition[edit]
According to Patrick Bowman at Idolator, the album features the same alternative rock and pop-punk sound of Paramore's previous albums.[67] Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star stated the band abandoned the emo genre in favor of power pop.[68] Josh Bell of Las Vegas Weekly called the album a "collection of catchy, energetic pop-rock songs".[69] At Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson characterized it as a "Blondie-indebted 21st-century new-wave album".[70] Matt Collar of AllMusic condisers this album to be a move towards "a multi-layered '80s synth-pop sound."[71] According to Justin Cober-Lake of PopMatters, "[the album has] touches of new wave, pop-punk, funk, alt-rock, pop, balladry, and even a series of ukelele interludes."[72] PopMatters also noted that the album "careens between edgy hard rock (“Fast in My Car”, “Now”, “Anklebiters”), ‘80s R&B (“Ain't It Fun”), power pop (“Daydreaming”), tender balladry (“Hate to See Your Heart Break”), and lavish Spector-esque melodrama (“(One of Those) Crazy Girls”)."[73]
Commercial performance[edit]
The album has been a major commercial success worldwide, debuting at number one in eight countries including the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Argentina, New Zealand, Brazil and Australia (where it was the eighth consecutive number one debut on the chart and also the 32nd self-titled album to top the Australian chart).[97] The album also peaked within the top 20 of 9 other countries. In the US, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 106,000 copies. This marks the first Paramore album to reach the top spot on the chart.[98]
"Still Into You" charted within the top 10 in Australia and Ireland and reached the top 20 in several others. The single topped the UK rock chart and peaked at number 14 in the singles chart, thus becoming the band's second highest charting single in that country, behind "Ignorance" from the band's previous album Brand New Eyes. In the US, the song peaked at number 24, matching "The Only Exception" from the same album as the band's highest charting single at the time. It also peaked at number 6 in the US Rock Chart and number 8 in the US Mainstream Top 40. "Ain't It Fun" shared similar success, charting within the top 10 in Canada and Hungary. It eventually became Paramore's best selling single to date in the US, charting at number ten in the Billboard 100, number 2 in the US Mainstream Top 40 and number 1 the US Rock Chart and Adult Top 40. The single marks the first time a Paramore song has reached the Top 10 in the US.
Paramore
Additional personnel