Jump to content

Life Support (Madison Beer album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
"Good in Goodbye" redirects here. Not to be confused with No Good in Goodbye.

Life Support
Studio album by
Madison Beer
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2021 (2021-02-26)
RecordedAugust 2018– August 2019
Genre
Length46:30
Label
Producer
Madison Beer chronology
As She Pleases
(2018) 		Life Support
(2021) 		Silence Between Songs
(2023)
Singles from Life Support
  1. "Good in Goodbye"
    Released: January 31, 2020
  2. "Selfish"
    Released: February 14, 2020
  3. "Baby"
    Released: August 21, 2020
  4. "Boyshit"
    Released: December 11, 2020

Life Support is the debut studio album by American singer Madison Beer. It was released on February 26, 2021, by Access and Epic Records.[1] Beer herself co-wrote the entire album, and co-produced most of the record, which is a concept album created in the midst of a major depressive episode and Beer's diagnosis with borderline personality disorder. The album lyrically revolves around themes of mental health, grief and heartbreak, as well as Beer's experiences with public scrutiny and building resilience during the making of the record. Musically, Life Support is a pop and R&B record with elements of indie pop.

Life Support was promoted by the release of four singles; "Good in Goodbye", "Selfish", "Baby" and "Boyshit", and three promotional singles; "Stained Glass", "Blue" and "Everything Happens for a Reason". The album debuted and peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries.

Background

On November 9, 2018, Beer released "Hurts Like Hell" as the lead single from her then untitled debut studio album.[2] After its release, Beer revealed that the album would be released sometime in 2019.[2] "Hurts Like Hell" was later removed from the album and "Dear Society" replaced it as the album's lead single, which was released on May 17, 2019.[3] In August 2019, the album's title Life Support was leaked.[4] Shortly after that, Beer announced that she had signed with Epic Records and that she planned to release new music soon.[5] Beer wrote the album with the intent of truly expressing herself and having her own voice, stating "I feel like I'm finally being seen for things that I value and being viewed for things that I actually feel really good about. And my music I feel like is speaking for itself," adding "This is who I am."[6] She also shared that she wanted to show that mental health issues and internet perfection are not exclusive of one another, stating "'You have a perfect life.' And I'm like, no, I want to show you even if it looks like I do, I am also struggling severely and in therapy every single day and I'm on anxiety medication. I just wanted to deconstruct this idea that people have that if you present like you have a perfect life on social media, that doesn't mean that you actually do," signifying that she wanted to express that not everything you see means someone's life is perfect. Describing the album in three words, she chose "Honest, brave and badass".[7] Her favorite track lyrically is "Effortlessly".[7]

With my album, I made a promise to myself that this is going to be my time to express honestly and truthfully how I've been feeling. I could finally tell my story the way I wanted to tell it and touch on things like medications that are harmful for young adults that I’ve been put on, and real shit I've never been able to talk about

— Beer speaking about the album.[8]

Music and lyrics

Life Support was described by reviewers as a dark, personal, and sad album influenced by R&B, indie pop, and pop.[9][10] In an interview with Zach Sang and Dan Zolot, Beer confirmed that she was inspired by a variety of artists, including Tame Impala, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande and Twenty One Pilots.[11] Lyrically, the album deals with mental health, self reflection, grief, and breaking one free of restraints.[6]

"Good in Goodbye" is a break-up anthem[12] with a dark melody[13] that, according to Beer, is about "cutting ties with a toxic person, no matter how tough it can feel at the time, is sometimes the only way forward." "Default", a sentimental ballad, details Beer's struggles with anxiety and suicidal ideation.[14] "Selfish" is a slow-tempo pop "breakup ballad"[15] with stripped down production that emphasizes Beer's vocals.[15] Lyrically, the song is about toxic relationships.[8] "Stained Glass" is a downbeat ballad about public scrutiny and Beer's struggles with mental health.[16][17] The song's production begins with just piano before adding drums on the song's chorus and Beer's vocal performance was described as "haunting and beautiful".[18][16] "Sour Times" was inspired by Tame Impala, with lyrics detailing Beer's experiences with harassment and getting taken advantage due to a mentally vulnerable state. The country ballad "Homesick" samples a dialogue of the sci-fi animated sitcom Rick and Morty, which Madison states is her favorite cartoon. Primarily, the songs talks about social alienation and Beer's abandonment issues, by referencing her beliefs in outer space species. The album closes with "Everything Happens For A Reason", a country ballad with 50s-60s influences, in which the lyrics suggest that Beer will never heal from her pain, but remains looking for the reason.[7]

The main writers of the album, Kinetics & One Love, who also worked with Beer on As She Pleases are also writers of fellow artist Melanie Martinez, whom Beer is inspired by and "loves", and is the reason she chose her writers specifically.[11]

Singles

"Good in Goodbye" was released as the album's lead single on January 31, 2020.[14] It reached number 15 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart and impacted contemporary hit radio in Italy on April 3, 2020.[19] A music video was released to accompany the song's release.[20]

"Selfish" was released as the album's second single on February 14, 2020. It reached number 19 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart as well as entering official charts in Canada, Ireland and the UK. It impacted contemporary hit radio in the United States on May 19, 2020.[21] The song also received a music video that was directed by Beer herself.[citation needed]

Promotional singles

"Stained Glass" was released on April 3, 2020, as the album's promotional single.[18]

Tour

On May 17, 2021, Beer announced a 26-date North American tour, titled The Life Support Tour, which had a 23-date European leg announced on June 9. On July 30, she announced Maggie Lindemann and Audriix would be the opening acts for the North American leg. Leah Kate was announced as the European leg opener on March 15, 2022. The American leg of the tour began on October 18, 2021, in Toronto at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and ended on November 28, 2021, in Los Angeles at The Wiltern. The European leg began on March 28, 2022, in Madrid at La Riviera and concluded on April 28, 2022, in Oslo at Vulkan Arena.[22]

The Life Support Tour
Tour by Madison Beer
Associated albumLife Support
Start dateOctober 18, 2021 (2021-10-18)
End dateApril 28, 2022 (2022-04-28)
Legs2
No. of shows27 in North America
26 in Europe
53 in total
Madison Beer concert chronology

Setlist

The following setlist was obtained from the October 18, 2021 concert, held at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[23][24]

  1. "The Beginning" (Intro)
  2. "Baby" (Extended)
  3. "Good in Goodbye"
  4. "Stay Numb and Carry On"
  5. "Emotional Bruises"
  6. "Reckless"
  7. "Homesick"
  8. "Stained Glass"
  9. "Default"
  10. "Effortlessly"
  11. "Selfish"
  12. "Interlude" / "Blue"
  13. "Sour Times"
  14. "Dear Society"
  15. "Boyshit"
  16. "Has Anyone Seen the White Rabbit?" (Interlude)
  17. "Follow the White Rabbit"
Encore
  2. "Everything Happens for a Reason"

Notes

• During the show in Oslo, "Channel Surfing / The End" was performed.[25]

Shows

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening acts.
Date City Country Venue Opening act(s)
North America
October 18, 2021 Toronto Canada Queen Elizabeth Theatre Maggie Lindemann
Audriix[26]
October 20, 2021 Montréal L'Olympia
October 22, 2021 New Haven United States Toad's Place
October 24, 2021 New York City Terminal 5
October 25, 2021 Boston House of Blues
October 26, 2021 Philadelphia Theatre of Living Arts
October 28, 2021 Silver Spring The Fillmore
October 30, 2021 Charlotte The Underground
October 31, 2021 Atlanta Buckhead Theatre
November 2, 2021 Lake Buena Vista House of Blues
November 3, 2021 Fort Lauderdale Revolution Live
November 5, 2021 New Orleans House of Blues
November 6, 2021 Dallas The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
November 7, 2021 Houston House of Blues
November 9, 2021 Nashville Brooklyn Bowl
November 11, 2021 Detroit Saint Andrew's Hall
November 12, 2021 Chicago House of Blues
November 14, 2021 Minneapolis Varsity Theater
November 15, 2021 Kansas City The Truman
November 17, 2021 Denver Summit Music Hall
November 18, 2021 Salt Lake City The Depot
November 20, 2021 Portland Roseland Theater
November 21, 2021 Vancouver Canada Vogue Theatre
November 22, 2021 Seattle United States Neptune Theatre
November 24, 2021 San Diego House of Blues
November 27, 2021 San Francisco The Fillmore
November 28, 2021 Los Angeles Wiltern Theatre
Europe
March 28, 2022 Madrid Spain Sala Riviera Leah Kate[27]
March 29, 2022 Barcelona Razzmatazz
April 1, 2022 Milan Italy Fabrique
April 2, 2022 Ciampino Orion Live Club
April 3, 2022 Zürich Switzerland X-tra
April 4, 2022 Munich Germany Backstage Werk
April 6, 2022 Frankfurt Batschkapp
April 7, 2022 Cologne Live Music Hall
April 9, 2022 Brussels Belgium La Madeleine
April 10, 2022 Paris France L'Olympia
April 12, 2022 London England O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
April 13, 2022
April 15, 2022 Manchester Manchester Academy
April 16, 2022 Birmingham O2 Institute
April 18, 2022 Dublin Ireland Olympia Theatre
April 19, 2022 Belfast Northern Ireland Ulster Hall
April 20, 2022 Glasgow Scotland O2 Academy Glasgow
April 22, 2022 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
April 23, 2022 Berlin Germany Metropol
April 24, 2022 Hanover Capitol Hannover
April 26, 2022 Copenhagen Denmark Amager Bio
April 27, 2022 Stockholm Sweden Fryshuset Klubben
April 28, 2022 Oslo Norway Vulkan Arena

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[28]
Beats Per Minute72%[29]
NME[30]
Pitchfork5.9/10[31]

Life Support was met with positive reviews from critics upon its release, many of whom praised her vocal performance and the album's subject matter. According to Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, critics gave Life Support a score of 71, based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[33]

Writing for Beats Per Minute, JT Early said: "Life Support is a lovingly-crafted project which explores mental health, heartbreak, toxicity and self-assertion. The album presents an array of lush pop and R&B tracks connected through decadent orchestration. The soundscapes here are cinematic and cohesive, while Beer's versatile vocals easily go from sultry to dreamily resonant to emphatically cold. Life Support is a victorious debut from a singer whose determination and passion has allowed her to overcome any naysayers and detractors."[29] Hannah Mylrea of NME wrote: "On a lesser album, the eclecticism might lead to a lack of coherence, but this record is always threaded through with Beer's diaristic lyricism. With its consistent, gut-punching honesty and witty wordplay, you'll always find something special on Life Support."[30] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic said: "The album's 17 tracks address subject matter including breakups, grief, and struggles with mental health with a mix of pop, R&B, and alternative stylings."[28]

Commercial performance

Life Support entered the national charts in various territories. In the United States, it debuted at number 65 on the US Billboard 200 with 11,800 album equivalent units, according to Rolling Stone charts.[34] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 28, making it Beer's first top 40 on the country. Elsewhere, the album debuted at number 21 in Ireland, number 23 on Canada, and number 33 in New Zealand.

Track listing

Life Support track listing[35]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Beginning"
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
0:58
2."Good in Goodbye"
2:22
3."Default"
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
1:57
4."Follow the White Rabbit"
  • Beer
  • Keen
  • Clampitt
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
3:00
5."Effortlessly"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Clampitt
  • Paul Shelton
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
2:49
6."Stay Numb and Carry On"
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • One Love
2:44
7."Blue"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Clampitt
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
3:50
8."Interlude"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Clampitt
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
1:50
9."Homesick"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
3:47
10."Selfish"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Jaramye Daniels
  • Dussolliet
  • Clampitt
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
3:43
11."Sour Times"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Clampitt
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
2:45
12."Boyshit"
  • Clampitt
  • Nappi
  • Bart Schoudel[v]
2:40
13."Baby"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Dussolliet
  • Clampitt
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • One Love
3:28
14."Stained Glass"
  • Beer
  • Dussolliet
  • Clampitt
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • One Love
3:28
15."Emotional Bruises"
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • 1993
3:01
16."Everything Happens for a Reason"
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
2:26
17."Channel Surfing / the End"
  • Beer
  • Boland
  • Clampitt
  • Shelton
  • Dussolliet
  • Sommers
  • Beer
  • Clampitt
1:44
Total length:46:32

Notes

  • "Boyshit" is stylized in all caps.
  • "Homesick" contains excerpts from the adult animated sitcom, Rick and Morty, performed by Justin Roiland.[7]
  • "Channel Surfing / the End" samples Beer's 2019 single "Dear Society" as well as parts of a demo version of "Stained Glass".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[35]

  • Madison Beer – vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (tracks 2,12), songwriting (all tracks), production (tracks 1-11,13-17), executive production (all tracks)
  • Leroy Clampitt – songwriting (1-5,7,8,10-17), production (all tracks), executive production (all tracks), bass (1-11,13,15-17), guitar (1,2,4-7,14,16), keyboards (1,2,5,8-11,13,15), programming (1,2,5,7-14,16), vocal production (1-16), drums (2,4-11,13-17), piano (3,12,17), synthesizer (3,4,7,12), strings (7), record engineering (10), electric guitar (12)
  • Kinetics & One Love – songwriting (2,6,9,10,11,13,14,17)
    • One Love – production (2,6,13,14), bass (2,13), drums (2,6,13), keyboards (2,13), programming (2,6,11,13), piano (11), vocal production (13), backing vocals (17)
  • Elizabeth Lowell Bowland – songwriting (2,5-11,13,15,17), vocals (6), backing vocals (2,5,11,17), synthesizer (13)
  • Isaiah Dominique Libeau – songwriting (2)
  • Rachel Keen – songwriting (3,4), keyboards (3)
  • Paul "Phamous" Shelton – songwriting (5,17), backing vocals (5)
  • Jaramye Daniels – songwriting (10)
  • Jake Banfield – songwriting (12)
  • Pete Nappi – songwriting (12), production (12), bass (12), guitar (12), keyboards (12), programming (12)
  • Upsahl – songwriting (12), backing vocals (12)
  • 1993 – production (15)
  • E. Kidd Bogart – songwriting (15)
  • Larus "Leo" Arnarson – songwriting (15), bass (15), drums (15), keyboards (15)
  • Oscar Scivier – executive production (all tracks)
  • Smoke – miscellaneous production (2), programming (2)
  • Bart Schoudel – vocal engineering (12), vocal production (12)
  • Kinga Bacik – strings (1,16,17), cello (3,6,10)
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering (all tracks)
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing (all tracks)

Design

  • Amber Park – creative direction, design
  • Amber Asaly – photography
  • Isabella Pettinato Santos – assistant

Charts

Chart performance for Life Support
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] 36
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[37] 39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[38] 47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[39] 129
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[40] 23
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[41] 32
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] 85
French Albums (SNEP)[43] 134
Irish Albums (OCC)[44] 21
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[45] 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[46] 33
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[47] 34
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[48] 46
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 55
UK Albums (OCC)[50] 28
US Billboard 200[51] 65

References

  1. ^ Beer, Madison [@madisonbeer] (December 7, 2020). "#LIFESUPPORT #BOYSHIT" (Tweet). Retrieved December 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b Jackson, Jhoni (November 14, 2018). "All Eyes on Madison Beer". Paper. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. ^ Nied, Mike (May 17, 2019). "Madison Beer Kickstarts Her Debut Album With "Dear Society"". Idolator. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Naomi (July 31, 2019), "Madison Beer Rocks Minuscule Daisy Dukes And Tight Corset In New Photos", Inquisitr, retrieved May 9, 2020
  5. ^ "Madison Beer signs to Epic Records". First Access. Archived from the original on June 23, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Madison Beer Says She's 'Finally Being Seen' for What She 'Values' as She Drops Album Life Support". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Jokic, Natasha (February 25, 2021). "Madison Beer Opened Up About Her Debut Album, Mental Health, And Why She Mostly Stays Off TikTok". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (April 14, 2020). "Madison Beer: A Rising Pop Star Looks Past Her Bubblegum Roots". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Madison Beer: Life Support". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. ^ "Madison Beer – 'Life Support' review: gut-punch honesty". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Madison Beer Breaks Down Her Debut Album "Life Support" + Relationships, Album #2 & More, February 26, 2021, retrieved February 28, 2021
  12. ^ "Madison Beer - Good In Goodbye". Euphoria. January 31, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  13. ^ Buddha, Sneaker (February 2, 2020). "'Good In Goodbye' by Madison Beer". XMPL. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Madison Beer Drops New Break Up Track "Good in Goodbye"". Post Kulture. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Wass, Nied (February 14, 2020). "Madison Beer Speaks Her Truth On New Single "Selfish"". Idolator. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Powell, Andrew (May 5, 2020). "Madison Beer's "Stained Glass"". The Gate. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Clarke, Patrick (April 3, 2020). "Madison Beer confronts mental health struggles on new single 'Stained Glass'". NME. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (April 3, 2020). "Madison Beer Is Afraid of Breaking on 'Stained Glass'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  19. ^ "Madison Beer "Good In Goodbye"". Radiodate.it. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  20. ^ Krol, Charlotte (January 31, 2020). "Madison Beer shares new "break-up song" 'Good in Goodbye'". NME. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  22. ^ "Madison Beer LIVE". Madison Beer's official website. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  23. ^ "Madison Beer Setlist at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto". setlist.fm. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Pimienta, Edgar (October 18, 2021). "Madison Beer". guestpectacular.com. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  25. ^ Pimienta, Edgar (April 28, 2022). "Madison Beer". guestpectacular.com. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Cantor, Brian (July 30, 2021). "Madison Beer Announces Maggie Lindemann, Audriix As Special Guests For North American "Life Support" Tour Dates". Headline Planet. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  27. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  29. ^ a b Early, JT (March 4, 2021). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  30. ^ a b Mylrea, Hannah (February 26, 2021). "Madison Beer – 'Life Support' review: diaristic lyricism with gut-punch honesty". NME. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  31. ^ Blum, Dani (February 26, 2021). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  32. ^ "Critic Reviews for Life Support". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  33. ^ Life Support by Madison Beer, retrieved March 23, 2021
  34. ^ "Top 200 Popular Albums". Rolling Stone Music Charts. February 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Credits / Life Support / Madison Beer". Tidal. February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  36. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  37. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Madison Beer - Life Support". austriancharts.at. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Madison Beer – Life Support" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  39. ^ "Ultratop.be – Madison Beer – Life Support" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  40. ^ "Madison Beer Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  41. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Madison Beer – Life Support" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  42. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Madison Beer – Life Support" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  43. ^ "Lescharts.com – Madison Beer – Life Support". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  44. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  45. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  46. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  47. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 9, 2021". VG-lista. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  48. ^ "Discos Más Vendidos en España". March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  49. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Madison Beer – Life Support". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  50. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  51. ^ "Madison Beer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Life_Support_(Madison_Beer_album)&oldid=1259497601"