Journals (album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Journals
Compilation album by
Justin Bieber
ReleasedDecember 23, 2013 (2013-12-23)
RecordedNovember 2012–November 2013
Genre
Length55:03
Label
Producer
Justin Bieber chronology
Believe Acoustic
(2013) 		Journals
(2013) 		Purpose
(2015)
Singles from Journals
  1. "Heartbreaker"
    Released: October 7, 2013
  2. "All That Matters"
    Released: October 14, 2013
  3. "Hold Tight"
    Released: October 21, 2013
  4. "Recovery"
    Released: October 28, 2013
  5. "Bad Day"
    Released: November 4, 2013
  6. "All Bad"
    Released: November 11, 2013
  7. "PYD"
    Released: November 18, 2013
  8. "Roller Coaster"
    Released: November 25, 2013
  9. "Change Me"
    Released: December 2, 2013
  10. "Confident"
    Released: December 9, 2013

Journals is the second

Maejor Ali, Andre Harris, D.K. the Punisher, Soundz, and the Audibles, as well as previous producers Chef Tone, T-Minus, Diplo, Darkchild and Sir Nolan. A ten-week digital download campaign entitled Music Mondays, in which one new song was released every Monday night, was held from October 7, 2013, to December 9, 2013. In addition to the songs released on Music Mondays, Journals is also composed of five other previously unreleased songs. The recording sessions took place while Bieber was on his Believe Tour
(2012—2013), which generated one or two songs a day throughout the entire tour.

Despite promotion of the album making Bieber reach number one on the

RIAA
. It reached the top-forty in some countries and debuted in the top 10 only in Denmark and Norway.

The compilation was meant to be released physically, but due to Bieber's record label not fully agreeing with him venturing into

music critics. Although some praised its mature direction and labeled it his best material, others dismissed its similar themes and "unfinished" production. The album has since come to be regarded as a cult favorite among Bieber's fans.[7]

Background and recording

While touring with his Believe Tour throughout 2012 and 2013, Justin Bieber managed to write new songs every day. According to his manager, Scooter Braun, the writing process had him "writing one to two songs a day for the entire tour and [...] label[ing] them by the city he wr[o]te them in."[8] In January 2013, Bieber confirmed he was writing for a new album,[9] as well as American R&B singer R. Kelly that confirmed he was working with Bieber on the album.[10] Meanwhile, in June of the same year, he confirmed a new album, the rest of the Believe Tour and a movie for 2013.[11] In July, Braun gave an interview for MTV News, where he discussed the album, claiming: "For this project, we want to do things a little bit differently. And there are more songs than 10 or 12, so if you have more music and you have more things you want to express, you gotta think out the box, and [think like] ’How do I get this out there in a unique way where it gets directly to my fans and I can express myself through music directly to them?’ And I think that's what it's about when you have people who are incredibly creative, things happen."[12] In August, Bieber confirmed he was working with American rapper Future. It was also reported he was working with Juicy J, Ludacris and Big Sean.[13] In December, he also confirmed he was working with Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne.[14]

As executive producer, Justin enlisted previous collaborators such as Rodney Jerkins, Maejor, Diplo and Sir Nolan, while working with a range of new R&B producers such as The Audibles, Andre Harris, D.K. the Punisher, Soundz, Chef Tone, T-Minus, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd and others. Boyd became one of the most frequent collaborators on the album, writing with Bieber several songs as well as producing some. According to the producer, Bieber suggested they to "flip those Craig David chords and [...] create something." By doing so, he came up with the song "Recovery", a song that was finished at Cherry Beach Sound in Toronto. As he recalled, the process had Bieber hearing Boyd songs and selected them to sing, and many songs from the producer turned into songs off Journals. Boyd continued: "He [Bieber] just felt them so much, so strongly. It was just a matter of me letting go of the fact that I don't care about me being a singer more so than I care about putting great music out into the universe. Then I was able to do it. The songs that I felt like were too mature, we changed them up to fit him like a custom suit."[15]

Composition

An

Usher out of EDM mode."[1] According to one of its producers, Jason Boyd, "Justin grew up listening to R&B. Journals was trying because it was going against the grain [of what he had been doing sonically], but it served so much of a purpose in him growing up."[15] Chris Martins of Billboard also noted that the album "drew on Boyd's experience writing for 112, Usher and Chris Brown."[18]

The album is composed by many "slow numbers", such as "Hold Tight," "All Bad" and "PYD", which Carl Williot of

The Tony Rich Project" feel to it, while "Backpack" is a futuristic pop song with a guitar solo.[1] The music is slower and more restrained, with clean-toned electric guitar licks and gently stuttering R&B groove;[20] "Recovery" features a "Craig David-sampling swoon" of "Fill Me In", "All that Matters" pushes Bieber's "earnest vocal into the limelight over an instrumental that relies on little more than swirling guitar strums and plush bass," and "Heartbreaker" features "chords [that] swim in and out of focus over a low-slung groove and vocals [that] float menacingly somewhere over your head" as Fact's Aimee Cliff noticed.[17]

Music and lyrics

Journals main themes deal with

Plugged In noted that "'Journals' is a mournfully desperate, frequently "freaky" set of songs that finds the 19-year-old Canadian singer begging for a second chance with an ex. And it's tempting to buy in to Justin Bieber's repeated pleas for one last loop-around with his beloved. That's because the painfully plaintive nature of his repeated pleas gives him an air of wounded authenticity. It's not hard to believe that he really has lost the one girl (Selena Gomez) who means everything to him, and that he'll do anything to win her back."[23]

The first song, "

sexist accusation" about how "females like to run their mouths."[23] "PYD" features Bieber and R. Kelly singing about "having sex with a woman in just about as many locations as they can brainstorm. The titular acronym stands for "put you down," a slang reference to sex."[23]

The eighth track, "

YOLO [you only live once] with a conscience" theme.[1] "Backpack" finds Bieber "fall[ing] in love with an alien girl whom he desires to 'stay in my backpack forever'."[19] "What's Hatnin'" focuses on conflict resolution and forgiveness,[23] "Swap It Out" "looks into the complicated feelings that go into a relationship,"[2] and "Memphis" "finds Bieber exploring a relationship, wherein he wants to be with his butterfly-giving girl 24/7."[2] The bonus song, "Flatline", "explores a failed relationship, due to his busy schedule and the girl in question always contacting him at the wrong times, then not returning the phone calls he attempts to make."[24]

Release and promotion

On October 3, 2013, Bieber announced that he would release one new song every Monday for 10 weeks, leading up to the release of his Believe theatrical film, which saw a limited one-week release on Christmas Day 2013. Each of the singles released has its own original artwork, featuring a white and purple theme.

UK Singles Chart and other five territories.[27] The second song, "All That Matters", was released on October 14, 2013, and was the first to receive a music video treatment, released on December 2, 2013.[28] It was another number-one single in Denmark, while reaching the top-twenty in eight countries, including the United Kingdom. In the United States, it reached number 24.[29] "Hold Tight" was the third, released on October 21, 2013, and also his third consecutive number-one in Denmark; elsewhere it reached the top-forty in over ten countries,[30] followed by "Recovery" and "Bad Day", released on October 28, 2013, and November 4, 2013, respectively, with both reaching the top-forty in many countries, while the latter becoming the album's fourth number-one single in Denmark.[31][32] The other five subsequent singles, "All Bad", "PYD", "Roller Coaster", "Change Me" and "Confident", were released each a week and attained moderate impact on the charts worldwide,[33][34][35] with "Roller Coaster" and "Confident" also reaching the top of Denmark charts,[36][37] and the latter also receiving a music video treatment.[38]

On December 9, 2013, Bieber announced that the ten Music Monday releases would be packaged with an additional five new songs in a compilation entitled Complete My Journals. Although the album was initially set for release on December 16, 2013, the date was pushed back one week to December 23, as Bieber intended to include one more song on the compilation. Though it does not appear on the album itself, the bonus track, "Flatline", was available for a free download on the iTunes Store for a limited time.[39] Journals was available on iTunes from January 2, 2014, and all sixteen songs are available for purchase individually.[3] According to one of its producers and Bieber's personal friend, Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd, the album was supposed to receive a full release, as well as its singles to be promoted on radio, however the label didn't support it because it wasn't the direction they wanted Justin to go.[15] It was, however, eventually released on LP in 2016.[6]

On May 29, 2014, the song "Looking For You", which features

hip hop trio, Migos and produced by Danja, was released on SoundCloud
. It was possibly going to appear on the album, but failed to make the final cut and did not receive an official release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Los Angeles Times
[21]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel(mixed)[42]
New York Daily News[22]
NewsdayB-[43]
Spin(positive)[1]
Toronto Star[19]
The Washington Post(negative)[44]

Journals met with lukewarm reviews, with most music critics noting his artistic growth. In a positive review, Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times praised the "tunes that take up his evolving reputation with surprising candor" as well as the fact that "he's using that voice to confront the awkward aging-in-public process head-on." He also called the album "a come-to-Jesus moment that has nothing to do with Christmas."[21] Jim Farber of New York Daily News noted that Journals "has a cohesion nowhere evident on the Bieb’s three previous studio CDs," while also praising the album for "find[ing] an energy in Bieber’s deepening personality" and the music that "finds him more fully engaged."[22] Aimee Cliff wrote for Fact that the album is "a resounding achievement" and "trumps at every turn with its secret weapon: subtlety,"[17] while Brandon Soderberg of Spin called it "a cohesive, well-paced collection of narcotic R&B," claiming that the album's "elegance is conveyed via denser production choices and our host’s artful crooning."[1] Ben Rayner of Toronto Star applauded Bieber's voice, calling it "sufficiently well suited to the material that he can almost sell his new persona." Rayner also acknowledged that " tunes are often surprisingly interesting from a production standpoint," however he pointed out that "there’s too much of the same."[19]

Niko John of

Absolute Punk went on to write that "'Journals' is undoubtedly his greatest work to date and shows a more mature, sexual side to the Canadian pop-star. However, it is an experiment that at times works and at others feels like Bieber is trying way too hard to discard his boy image."[40] Sandeep Singh of Verdens Gang wrote that Journals is "neither a profound diary or a studio album it could have been [...] But this is undoubtedly the best Bieber has bubbled up to now."[45] The Washington Post's Alison Stewart offered a negative outlook on the project, writing that "Justin Bieber ends a bad year with a bad album."[44] In his review written for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Piet Levy wrote that Bieber is "less an eager child than a confident adult, although when Bieber's flat come-ons are juxtaposed with seasoned R&B star R. Kelly on "PYD," it's clear that as a performer, he still has a lot of growing up to do."[42]

Track listing

Journals track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Heartbreaker"
4:21
2."All That Matters"
  • Bieber
  • Harris
  • D.K. the Punisher[a]
3:08
3."Hold Tight"
4:15
4."Recovery"
  • The Audibles
  • Poo Bear[a]
  • Mally Mall[a]
3:00
5."Bad Day"
  • The Audibles
  • Poo Bear[a]
  • Mally Mall[a]
2:26
6."All Bad"
  • Harris
  • Poo Bear[a]
3:01
7."PYD" (featuring R. Kelly)
  • Sirota
  • The Audibles
  • Poo Bear[a]
  • Mally Mall[a]
5:17
8."Roller Coaster"
3:20
9."Change Me"
  • Bieber
  • Harris
  • Boyd
Harris2:43
10."Confident" (featuring Chance the Rapper)
Soundz4:07
11."One Life"
  • Bieber
  • Green
  • Scales
  • Maejor Ali
  • Chef Tone
4:02
12."Backpack" (featuring Lil Wayne)
4:11
13."What's Hatnin'" (featuring Future)
Soundz3:28
14."Swap It Out"
  • Bieber
  • Jordan
  • Giannos
  • Boyd
  • The Audibles
  • Poo Bear
4:01
15."Memphis" (featuring Big Sean)
3:43
Total length:55:03
Journals — Spotify edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Flatline"
  • Bieber
  • Coby
  • Gudwin
Soundz
3:39
Total length:58:43
Journals — Amazon Music edition
No.TitleLength
16."All That Matters" (music video)3:40
Total length:58:43
Journals — iTunes Store edition (bonus videos)
No.TitleLength
16."All That Matters" (music video)3:40
17."Believe"2:23
18."Guatemala Pencils of Promise Journal"3:02
Total length:64:08
Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[46] 35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[47] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[48] 54
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[49] 2
Finnish Albums (
Suomen virallinen lista)[50]
 33
French Albums (
SNEP)[51]
 174
Irish Albums (IRMA)[52] 64
Italian Albums (FIMI)[53] 38
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[54] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[55] 46
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[56]
 3

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[57] 78

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[58] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[60] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Canada December 23, 2013 Digital download The Island Def Jam Music Group [61]
United States [62]
United States February 12, 2016 LP Universal Music Enterprises [6]
Canada February 26, 2016 [63]
Germany March 25, 2016 [64]
France [65]
Italy [66]
United Kingdom [67]
Spain April 1, 2016 [68]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Soderberg, Jason (January 8, 2014). "Justin Bieber Made a Pretty Great R&B Album, Despite Himself". Spin. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Menyes, Carolyn (December 23, 2013). "Review: Justin Bieber releases five new R&B influenced songs to complete 'Journals' album [LISTEN]". Music Times. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Werde, Bill (December 9, 2013). "Justin Bieber's 'Journals' Collection to Drop In Time For Christmas (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  4. ^ Coleman, Miriam (9 December 2013). "Justin Bieber Dropping Limited-Release 'Journals'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  5. Idolator
    . Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "Journals". Amazon.com. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. ^ "How Justin Bieber's 'Journals' Laid the Foundation For His Turn to R&B". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  8. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (April 24, 2013). "Justin Bieber Has How Many New Songs In His Journal?". MTV News. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  9. ^ "Justin Bieber Vows To "Prove Doubters Wrong" While Working On New Music". Capital FM. January 4, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  10. ^ "R. Kelly Chills With Justin Bieber". Rap-Up. January 22, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "Justin Bieber Says 'No Break,' Confirms New Album and Movie". Singersroom. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (July 8, 2013). "Justin Bieber Will 'Speak For Himself' On Next Album And Movie". MTV News. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  13. ^ "Justin Bieber + Future = Collaboration In the Works?". PopStopTV.com. August 19, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  14. ^ "Chance the Rapper and Justin Bieber are working together, possibly with Diplo, R. Kelly, Lil Wayne and Big Sean". Fact. December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Golden, Zara (November 11, 2015). "How Justin Bieber Grew Into Himself, According To Poo Bear". The Fader. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  16. ^
    Idolator
    . Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  17. ^ a b c d e Cliff, Aimee (January 17, 2014). "Journals - FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". Fact. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  18. ^ Martins, Chris (November 5, 2015). "Billboard Cover: Justin Bieber Says 'I Was Close to Letting Fame Destroy Me'". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  19. ^ a b c d Rayner, Ben (December 24, 2013). "Justin Bieber's Journals aims for maturity: Album review". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Review: Justin Bieber comes of age in 'Journals'". Los Angeles Times. 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  21. ^ a b c d e Wood, Mikael (December 24, 2013). "Review: Justin Bieber comes of age in 'Journals'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  22. ^ a b c Farber, Jim (December 20, 2013). "'Journals,' music review". New York Daily News. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  23. ^
    Plugged In
    . Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  24. ^ Menyes, Carolyn (December 23, 2013). "Review: Justin Bieber's heart goes 'Flatline' in new free iTunes single [DOWNLOAD]". Music Times. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  25. ^ Menyes, Carolyn (December 12, 2013). "Justin Bieber releases rest of 'Journals' artwork on Instagram, featuring chess pieces, a blocky M and a rocket ship [PHOTO]". Music Times. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  26. ^ Lipshut, Jason (October 7, 2013). "Justin Bieber Releases Moody 'Heartbreaker' Single: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  27. ^ "Heartbreaker by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  28. ^ Greer, Carlos (December 3, 2013). "Justin Bieber Releases Steamy New Video for 'All That Matters'". People. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  29. ^ "All That Matters by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  30. ^ "Hold Tight by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  31. ^ "Recovery by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  32. ^ "Bad Day by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  33. ^ "All Bad by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  34. ^ "PYD by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  35. ^ "Change Me by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  36. ^ "Roller Coaster by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  37. ^ "Confident by Justin Bieber - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  38. ^ Ortiz, Edwin (January 29, 2014). "Watch the Music Video for Justin Bieber's "Confident" with Chance The Rapper". Complex. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  39. ^ "BIG NEWS!!! Wrote another smash this week! Want you to have it! Making it a Christmas gift and moving #journals to the 23rd! So..." Twitter. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  40. ^
    Absolute Punk
    . Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  41. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (December 23, 2013). "Review: Justin Bieber, 'Journals'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  42. ^ a b Levy, Piet (December 23, 2013). "Justin Bieber reminds us that he still makes music". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  43. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (December 13, 2013). "Justin Bieber's 'Journal' review: Haphazard collection". Newsday. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  44. ^
    Washington Post
    . Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  45. ^ Singh, Sandeep (December 23, 2013). "Musikkanmeldelse: Justin Bieber - "Journals"". Verdens Gang. Schibsted. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  46. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Justin Bieber – Journals". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  47. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Bieber – Journals" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  48. ^ "Ultratop.be – Justin Bieber – Journals" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  49. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Justin Bieber – Journals". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  50. Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland
    . Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  51. ^ "Lescharts.com – Justin Bieber – Journals". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  52. Chart-Track. IRMA
    . Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  53. ^ Classifica settimanale WK 52 (dal 23-12-2013 al 29-12-2013) Archived 2014-01-03 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). fimi.it. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  54. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Justin Bieber – Journals". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  55. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  56. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  57. IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original
    on May 26, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  58. ^ "Danish album certifications – Justin Bieber – Journals". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  59. ^ "British album certifications – Justin Bieber – Journals". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  60. ^ "American album certifications – Justin Bieber – Journals". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  61. ^ "Journals by Justin Bieber on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  62. ^ "Journals by Justin Bieber on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  63. ^ "Journals". Amazon.ca. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  64. ^ "Journals". Amazon.de. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  65. ^ "Journals". Amazon.fr. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  66. ^ "Journals". Amazon.it. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  67. ^ "Journals". Amazon.co.uk. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  68. ^ "Journals". Amazon.es. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Journals_(album)&oldid=1216637283"