The World from the Side of the Moon explained

The World from the Side of the Moon
Type:studio
Artist:Phillip Phillips
Cover:The World from the Side of the Moon.jpg
Border:yes
Recorded:2012
Genre:Pop rock[1]
Length:45:18
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The World from the Side of the Moon is the debut album from American Idol season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips. The album was released on November 19, 2012, and includes Phillips' coronation song, "Home". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in August 2013.

The World from the Side of the Moon spawned two hit singles "Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone", both singles charted the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and hit number-one on the Adult Contemporary chart for more than three weeks.[2] [3] Both "Home" and "Gone, Gone, Gone" also received certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); "Home" received quadruple-platinum certification, while "Gone, Gone, Gone" received Platinum.

Background

Phillip Phillips began writing songs with collaborators and recording rough tracks for the album before the American Idol Tour began in July 2012.[4] He collaborated with David Ryan Harris on "Tell Me a Story", which he described as his favorite song in the album and the one he is most proud of.[5] [6] Other songwriters he collaborated with include Greg Holden and Drew Pearson who wrote his coronation song "Home". After the success of this song, Phillips indicated that the album would have a couple of songs similar to "Home".[7] He wrote with his brother-in-law Benjamin Neil "Drive Me", a song he had originally wanted to be his coronation song. His girlfriend Hanna Blackwell also contributed lines to the lyrics on the bonus track "Take Me Away". All but three of the tracks on the main album were written or co-written by him, with four of the songs he wrote himself.[8] He cowrote "Get Up Get Down" with the producer Greg Wattenberg and Derek Fuhrmann in Wattenberg's New York studio. Songs selected by 19 were presented to him but some were discarded, amongst those he chose were "Gone, Gone, Gone".[9]

The album title, The World from the Side of the Moon, came from the lyrics of the first song on the album, "Man on the Moon." Phillips described it as the experience of watching himself in a DVD of the whole Idol season someone gave him, "so I was kind of watching myself from a whole different world that no one else really knows. It's interesting to see how it happened and so fast. That's how I picked the title: I felt like I watched myself grow and this whole album is representing where I am."[5]

The producer of the album was Gregg Wattenberg. The album was recorded in three weeks at the Quad Studios in New York after the Idol tour had finished.[5] [10] He had originally planned to release his album early 2013,[11] but later the date of the album release was rescheduled to November 19, 2012.[12]

On November 19, 2013, an expanded version of his "Moon" album was released. It included three live recordings, including "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Where We Came From," and "Man on the Moon." Those three tracks were also on "Phillip Phillips Live EP," also out on November 19.[13]

Critical reception

The World from the Side of the Moon has received mixed to positive reviews from professional music critics, and has an overall Metacritic rating of 61 indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14] Most critics noted influences from Dave Matthews Band and Mumford & Sons in the album. Glenn Gamboa of Newsday opined that Phillips "offers up Dave Matthews Band's jamming-blues-rock hybrid to a younger generation in "Get Up Get Down," while also giving the indie-leaning folk of current darlings Mumford & Sons an attractive American face in "Gone Gone Gone."" Gary Graff of Billboard noted that Phillips' song "Home", "aligned him with the Mumford & Sons nu-folk movement," but considered "the album actually plays out more like the year's second-best Dave Matthews Band release." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic thought the similarities to Dave Matthews Band to be "near farcical," and the similarities to other bands led Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone to wonder if Phillips is redundant "when we've already got Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz, why do we need another earnestly raspy balladeer with ace acoustic-guitar skills?" Rosen nevertheless thought that "he's far better in originals like "Gone, Gone, Gone" and his hit "Home," which build from folksy picking to hooting power-ballad choruses, a pleasantly popified take on Arcade Fire." Emily Tan of Idolator was enthusiastic and thought that the album "showcases Phillips’ potential as a musician, singer and songwriter who can rise above the generic pop that these reality competitions sometimes spawn." Katie Hasty of HitFix considered that "this collection is shot after shot at the Next Big Single," and added that "some melodies will achieve exactly the radio single sound Universal undoubtedly hoped Phillips could achieve." Kristin Coachman of Blogcritics.org commented that Phillips in the album "reflects every bit of the gravelly voiced pop rock artist, with jazz leanings that he portrayed during his Idol run."[15] Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly viewed the songs written by Phillips alone to be "more circuitous, brooding" and "less compelling" than those he co-wrote with other songwriters, but nevertheless concluded that the album is "the most relevant debut album the Idol machine has cranked out in years."

Chart performance

The album debuted at No. 4 in the Billboard 200 with sales of 169,000 copies,[16] and it stayed for seven weeks in the top 10 on The Billboard 200.[17] It also debuted at No. 1 in the Rock Albums and No. 2 in the Digital Albums charts.[18] It was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 9, 2013, and Platinum on August 21, 2013. The album has sold 1,033,000 copies as of November, 2013.[19] It was on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for 61 weeks. That puts in #2 of all the debut albums by American Idol winners.[20]

In Canada, the album reached No. 9 in its album chart on its debut.[18] The album was certified gold in Canada on January 17, 2013.

Singles

Phillip Phillips' coronation song "Home", which was released in May 2012 straight after the finale of American Idol, was included in his album. The song was still rising in the radio chart before the album was released, therefore no other single was released in advance of the album release. Instead, "Where We Came From" was released for promotional purpose on November 6, 2012, before the album debut, and it also served as a free download on the album's pre-order.[21]

In December 2012, Phillips revealed that "Gone Gone Gone" would be the second single.[22] The song was released to AAA and HAC radio on February 11, 2013,[23] and U.S. Mainstream Top 40 radio on May 28, 2013.[24]

"Where We Came From" was the third single from the album.[25] [13] It was released to radio on July 29, 2013, and debuted on the AAA chart in August 2013.[26] The music video was filmed in August 2013 by director Cameron Buddy.[27]

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)Position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[29] 18
US Billboard 200[30] 14
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[31] 4

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)Position
US Billboard 200[32] 126
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33] 49

Certifications

Release history

Phillips ran a very limited-time promotion during which fans could order the deluxe version of the album, and he would personally sign the booklet. The promotion ended only a few hours after it began.[34] Interscope announced that the album will be rereleased with additional live tracks on the anniversary of its release, November 19, 2013.[35]

Region
Date Format(s) Label Edition(s)
United StatesCD, digital downloadInterscope Records, 19 RecordingsStandard, deluxe
United Kingdom[36]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The World from the Side of the Moon - Phillip Phillips. AllMusic. . Rovi Corporation. November 27, 2012.
  2. Adult Contemporary. Billboard.
  3. Adult Contemporary. Billboard.
  4. Phillip Phillips on 'Idol' Tour, Album: 'It's Gonna Be a Long Summer' . Gary. Graff . Billboard . July 3, 2012 .
  5. News: 'American Idol's' Phillip Phillips Talks New Album, Facial Hair, Future (Q&A) . Shirley. Halperin . . October 26, 2012 . October 28, 2012 .
  6. News: Phillip Phillips Reveals His Favorite Song From Debut Album: Is It "Home?" (VIDEO) . Tiffany. Wan . Wetpaint . October 24, 2012 .
  7. News: Phillip Phillips: Where In The World Did He Get That Album Title? . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020001704/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1695683/phillip-phillips-world-from-the-side-of-the-moon-album.jhtml . dead . October 20, 2012 . James. Montgomery. MTV . Oct 16, 2012 . Oct 17, 2012 .
  8. News: Phillip Phillips's 'The World from the Side of the Moon': Exclusive Album Audio Preview! . Lyndsey. Parker . The Hollywood Reporter . November 1, 2012 . November 1, 2012 .
  9. 'Phillip Phillips' The Billboard Cover Story . Phil. Gallo . Billboard. January 7, 2013 . January 8, 2013 .
  10. News: 'American Idol' Winner Phillip Phillips Reveals Album Art, Production Credits . Shirley. Halperin . The Hollywood Reporter . October 15, 2012 .
  11. News: Phillip Phillips Debut Album Release Date Pushed Back to Early 2013 (VIDEO) . Amanda. Bell. Wetpaint. August 31, 2012. October 28, 2012 .
  12. News: 'American Idol' winner Phillip Phillips announces album title, release date . Grady. Smith . EW.com. October 15, 2012. October 29, 2012 .
  13. Phillip Phillips, 'Where We Came From (Live)': Exclusive Video Premiere . Kevin. Rutherford . October 31, 2013 . Billboard .
  14. News: Phillip Phillips' 'The World from the Side of the Moon': What the Critics Are Saying . Michele Amabile Angermiller . The Hollywood Reporter . November 22, 2012 .
  15. Web site: Music Review: Phillip Phillips - The World from the Side of the Moon . Kristin. Coachman . Blogcritcs.org . November 19, 2012 .
  16. Rihanna Gets First No. 1 Album, Phillip Phillips & Kid Rock Debut Top Five . Keith. Caulfield . Billboard . November 28, 2012. November 28, 2012 .
  17. News: Chart Watch Extra: Phillips Takes Idol Title . Grein . Paul . Chart Watch . Yahoo . 2013-03-27 . March 27, 2013.
  18. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=phillip phillips|chart=all}} The World from the Side of the Moon - Phillip Phillips ]. Billboard .
  19. News: Chart Watch: Eminem Returns to #1, Gaga Sinks to #8 . Grein . Paul . Yahoo Music . 2013-11-27 . November 27, 2013.
  20. Web site: More Billboard - Chart Date 06/01/19. May 31, 2019. mjsbigblog.
  21. Web site: Where We Came From. Amazon . November 6, 2012 .
  22. News: Yahoo! Canada Music Exclusive: "American Idol" winner Phillip Phillips confirms his official second single will be "Gone, Gone, Gone" . Yahoo! Canada Music . Grace. Stanisci . December 19, 2012 .
  23. Web site: Papadatos. Markos . Review: Phillip Phillips releases new single 'Gone, Gone, Gone' to radio . Digital Journal . Feb 24, 2013.
  24. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases - Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates ... . All Access . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120507205726/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . May 7, 2012 . May 21, 2013 .
  25. Web site: Phillip Phillips "Where We Came From" . https://web.archive.org/web/20131102083302/http://playiga.com/track/phillip-phillips-where-we-came-from/ . November 2, 2013.
  26. Web site: 'American Idol' on the Charts: Phillip Phillips' Third Single Debuts . August 23, 2013 . Fred. Bronson . The Hollywood Reporter .
  27. Web site: Phillip Phillips "Where We Came From" (Cameron Duddy, dir.). VideoStatic.
  28. Web site: Justin Timberlake Debuts At Number One On ARIA Album Chart. Noise11. March 24, 2014.
  29. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2013. Billboard. November 12, 2020.
  30. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2013. Billboard. November 12, 2020.
  31. Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2013. Billboard. November 12, 2020.
  32. Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200. Billboard. January 31, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200930183821/https://www.billboard.com/charts/decade-end/billboard-200 . September 30, 2020.
  33. Decade-End Charts: Top Rock Albums. Billboard. December 1, 2020.
  34. Web site: Phillip Phillips " World From The Side of The Moon (Deluxe Version)" . Phillip Phillips Store.
  35. Web site: Interscope Promotion .
  36. Web site: The World From The Side Of The Moon . October 4, 2013 . Amazon .