Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly! is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, released in North America on October 24, 2000 by DreamWorks Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1999 to 2000. It peaked at number twenty-four on the US Billboard 200 chart, and received critical acclaim. It produced four singles: "I'm Like a Bird", "Turn Off the Light", "Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days)", and "Hey, Man!". The album spent seventy-eight weeks on the Billboard 200, and hit double-platinum status in the US in January 2002.[1]
Whoa, Nelly!
October 24, 2000
1999–2000
- The Gymnasium
- Iguana Studios
- McClear Digital Studios
(Toronto, Canada) - Can-Am Studio
(Tarzana, California) - Metalworks Studios
(Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
47:06
- Gerald Eaton
- Brian West
- Nelly Furtado
- Jon Levine
After the release of the album, Furtado headlined the Burn in the Spotlight Tour and appeared on Moby's Area:One tour. According to Maclean's magazine, Whoa, Nelly! has sold 5-6 million copies Worldwide as of 2006. The album also caught the eye of record producer Timbaland, who later signed Furtado to his record label.[2][3]
Composition[edit]
Whoa, Nelly combines elements of a large number of genres. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic states that "much of the record sounds like folk-pop tinged with bossa nova" and describes the songs as "blends of pop, folk, dance, and Latin".[4] According to Heidi Sherman from Spin "Furtado takes on mainstream urban pop, alternative folk, R&B-soul, and Brazilian samba on Whoa, Nelly!".[5] Billboard notes that "Nelly Furtado sees no reason for separating rock guitars from pop melodies from R&B/hip hop beats from effervescent bossa nova".[6] Other articles on Billboard describe Whoa, Nelly as a trip-pop and worldbeat/rock album.[7][8]
Commercial performance[edit]
Whoa, Nelly! debuted with first week sales of 4,087 in the United States.[20] It officially made its debut on the Billboard 200 at number 190 on the week of January 13, 2001.[21] Due to the help of radio airplay, by the end of 2000 the album was now selling up to 12,000 copies per week; by the end of 2001 it was selling up to 55,000 copies per week. It eventually reached its peak at number 24 on the chart and is currently certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[20]
In Furtado's home country of Canada the album peaked at number two and is currently certified 4× platinum.[22][23]
All tracks produced by Nelly Furtado, Gerald Eaton and Brian West, except for "Well, Well", which is produced by Furtado and Jon Levine.
Samples