Westlife (album)

Westlife
Studio album by
Westlife
Released1 November 1999
Studio
  • Rokstone (London, England)
  • Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)
  • CaVa (Glasgow, Scotland)
GenrePop
Length65:37 (standard edition)
51:00 (North American edition)
Label
Producer
Westlife chronology
Westlife
(1999) 		Coast to Coast
(2000)
Westlife
North American edition art cover
Singles from Westlife
  1. "Swear It Again"
    Released: 19 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: 13 December 1999
  5. "Fool Again"
    Released: 27 March 2000

Westlife is the debut studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 1 November 1999 through RCA.

Critics found Westlife's debut polished and catchy but criticized it for being overly similar and excessively sentimental. 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".

Background

Westlife emerged from a Sligo-based pop group formed by schoolmates Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan, who initially performed together in school and local theatre productions before forming a vocal group in 1997.[1] After several early name changes and an initial single release, the group came to the attention of manager Louis Walsh, who restructured the line-up in 1998 by adding Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden.[2] Renamed Westlife, the group signed a four-million-pound major record deal with RCA Records in November 1998 and immediately flew to Stockholm to commence recording their debut album.[3] They gained early exposure supporting Boyzone and the Backstreet Boys, and made their first national television appearance later that year.[3]

Release

Their lead single "Swear It Again" was released in April 1999. Two further singles followed and the album was released in November 1999.[4] The album's standard edition features 17 tracks, while the band said they had recorded 22 songs for their debut album.[5] For North America, Westlife signed to Arista Records after auditioning for the label's founder, Clive Davis.[6] Westlife released "Swear It Again" as their debut there 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".[6]

A documentary 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, available in VHS and DVD, tells the story of how the five members became Westlife, the recording of their first album, and includes their then 4 music videos. On 26 June 2000, the DVD was re-released, containing all their then 6 music videos, and on 18 November 2002, it was included in the five disc box set entitled Westlife: The Complete Story.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyC[8]
The Tribune[9]

Indian English-language newspaper The Tribune wrote: "Mainly comprising soulful ballads and mid-tempo filers, this is a delightful album [...] The tracks worth listening to include the hit single "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", "Change the World", "What I Want Is What I’ve Got", "We Are One", "Can't Lose What You Never Had" and the current chart topper "Fool Again". A lot of potential there."[9]

AllMusic editor Jaime Sunao Ikeda found that the album was "well-sung, but all too similar in its final output. Mostly comprised of ballads whose theme is the obvious sort, the hooks are infectious and several tracks are destined for recurrent radio status in the not-too-distant future [...] Every song is well-produced and well-placed in the set; as mentioned, each track is perfectly executed. This assemblage is a worthy complement to the listening pleasures of anyone enjoying the likes of today's most popular boybands."[7]

Elisabeth Vincentelli from Entertainment Weekly felt that Westlife "should come with a warning to diabetics." She added: "Westlife have staked a claim on the boy-band map: syrupy ballads and nothing else. Slaves to girls' desires, they spend their entire self-titled debut CD hoping, moping, moaning, and begging for another chance, girl. Even the cover of Extreme's "More Than Words" sounds like it was lifted from Andrew Lloyd Webber."[8]

Commercial performance

All five singles from the album peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in less than a year. Despite this, however, the album itself entered and peaked at number two, beaten by Steptacular by Steps. 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.[10] In Scotland, the album peaked at No. 1 years after its release in 2001 after originally peaking at No. 6 on the Scottish Charts in 1999.[11] The album also peaked at number 1 in Ireland[12] and 15 in Australia.

The album became the eighth best-selling album of 1999 in the United Kingdom and was certified 5× Platinum.[13] The album spent seventy-four weeks in the UK Top 100.[14] Westlife is the best-selling international album ever in Indonesia and the 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.[15][16] 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.

Track listing

Westlife – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swear It Again"
Mac4:08
2."If I Let You Go"
  • Kreuger
  • Magnusson
3:41
3."Flying Without Wings"
  • Mac
  • Hector
Mac3:36
4."Fool Again"
  • Kreuger
  • Elofsson
  • Magnusson
  • Kreuger
  • Magnusson
3:54
5."No No"
Rami3:14
6."I Don't Wanna Fight"
Mac5:03
7."Change the World"
TTW3:09
8."Moments"
  • Mac
  • Hector
Mac4:17
9."Seasons in the Sun"
TTW4:08
10."I Need You"
Rami3:49
11."Miss You"
  • Jake Schulze
  • Rami
  • Schulze
  • Rami
3:53
12."More Than Words"
Mac3:54
13."Open Your Heart"
  • Carlsson
  • Schulze
Schulze3:38
14."Try Again"
  • Kreuger
  • Elofsson
  • Magnusson
  • Kreuger
  • Magnusson
3:34
15."What I Want Is What I've Got"
Rami3:33
16."We Are One"
Mac3:42
17."Can't Lose What You Never Had"
  • Frank
  • Kipner
4:23
Total length:65:37
Westlife – Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
18."Story of Love"
  • Jaime Ikeda
  • Rovi
3:54
Total length:69:31
Westlife – Australian edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
19."I Have a Dream"
Pete Waterman4:07
Total length:73:38
Westlife – North American edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Swear It Again"
  • Mac
  • Hector
Mac4:08
2."Can't Lose What You Never Had"
  • Frank
  • Kipner
  • Frank
  • Kipner
4:24
3."I Don't Wanna Fight"
  • Mac
  • Hector
  • Cetera
  • Foster
Mac5:03
4."My Private Movie"
  • Kipner
  • David Kopatz
  • Jack Kugell
Cutfather & Joe4:04
5."Flying Without Wings"
  • Mac
  • Hector
Mac3:36
6."If I Let You Go"
  • Kreuger
  • Elofsson
  • Magnusson
  • Kreuger
  • Magnusson
3:41
7."Fool Again"
  • Kreuger
  • Elofsson
  • Magnusson
  • Kreuger
  • Magnusson
3:54
8."No No"
  • Carlsson
  • Rami
Rami3:14
9."Miss You"
  • Schulze
  • Rami
  • Schulze
  • Rami
3:53
10."Open Your Heart"
  • Carlsson
  • Schulze
Schulze3:38
11."We Are One"
  • Desplat
  • Mac
  • Hector
Mac3:42
12."I Need You"
  • Carlsson
  • Martin
  • Rami
Rami3:49
13."More Than Words"
  • Cherone
  • Bettencourt
Mac3:54
Total length:51:00
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" 

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Westlife
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[49] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Indonesia (ASIRI)[50] 20× Platinum 1,000,000[50]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[51] Gold 75,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[52] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] 3× Platinum 45,000^
Norway — 95,000[54]
Philippines — 500,000[15]
Singapore — 93,000[55]
Sweden (GLF)[56] Platinum 80,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] 5× Platinum 1,500,000*
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[57] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*
Southeast Asia — 1,500,000[58]
Worldwide — 6,000,000[59]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Westlife 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)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Westlife manager tells it straight". BBC. 29 October 2001. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  2. ^ Cowell, Simon (2003). I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But.... Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-1741-3.
  3. ^ a b Bower, Tom (2012). Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0345533951.
  4. ^ "Westlife: Our Story". HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 89–103. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Westlife: not just another boy band". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b Taylor, Chuck (5 February 2000). "Dublin's Darling Westlife Wins Over Europe, Aims For Success in U.S.". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media. p. 110. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ a b "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllMusic. 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  8. ^ a b Vincentelli, Elisabeth (2 June 2000). "Music Zone". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Music Zone". The Tribune. 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Record-Breakers and Trivia – Albums". everyhit.com.
  11. ^ a b "Scottish Albums (14 January 2001)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 27 November 1999. p. 61.
  13. ^ a b "British album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Westlife Westlife in the "Search:" field.
  14. ^ "Take That". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b Cruz Jr., Ruben (15 May 2001). "Westlife brings Coast to Coast in Manila". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  16. ^ Sofia, Maya (20 October 2011). "Boyband Westlife Resmi Bubar Tahun Depan" (in Indonesian). Viva News. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  19. ^ "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 2". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 16 January 2000.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 15 January 2000. p. 8. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Westlife: Westlife" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Westlife – Westlife" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  24. ^ "Tonlist Top 30". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  25. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 1, 2000". GfK Chart-Track. IRMA. Archived from the original.
  26. ^ "Hits of the World: November 27, 1999 (Pages 60, 61)". Billboard. 27 November 1999.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  28. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Top 10 Albums of the Week". The Straits Times. 20 November 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 24 August 2024 – via National Library Board of Singapore and SPH Media.
  30. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  31. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 13/11/1999 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  34. ^ "Westlife Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Års Hitlister 2000" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 16 November 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  38. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  39. ^ "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 1999". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  40. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  42. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  43. ^ "Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 2000" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52. 23 December 2000. p. 9. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
  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. Retrieved 12 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  47. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  48. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  49. ^ "Danish album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". IFPI Danmark.
  50. ^ a b Sofia, Maya (20 October 2011). "Boyband Westlife Resmi Bubar Tahun Depan" (in Indonesian). Viva News. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  51. ^ "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 the TÍTULO column heading.
  52. ^ "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.
  53. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  54. ^ "Westlife til Norge igjen". E24 Næringsliv (in Norwegian). 9 July 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  55. ^ "Life!". The Straits Times. 9 January 2001. p. 2. Retrieved 27 August 2023. The Singapore Phonogram Videogram Association (SPVA) said Westlife's debut sold over 93,000 copies, making it the No. 1 album in the Top 10 English
  56. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  57. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  58. ^ McClure, Steve (30 December 2000). "Music Scenes Thrive In Asia". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  59. ^ "Westlife in summer's biggest musical event". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 26 May 2001. p. 42. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
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