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Play On (Carrie Underwood album)

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Play On
Studio album by
Carrie Underwood
ReleasedNovember 3, 2009 (2009-11-03)
RecordedJuly 2008 – September 2009
StudioStarstruck Studios (Nashville)
Maratone Studios (Stockholm)
Germano Studios (New York City)
GenreCountry pop
Length48:20
Label
Producer
Carrie Underwood chronology
Carnival Ride
(2007) 		Play On
(2009) 		Blown Away
(2012)
Singles from Play On
  1. "Cowboy Casanova"
    Released: September 14, 2009
  2. "Temporary Home"
    Released: December 14, 2009
  3. "Undo It"
    Released: May 24, 2010
  4. "Mama's Song"
    Released: September 13, 2010

Play On is the third studio album by American country music singer Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States on November 3, 2009, through Arista Nashville. Play On was produced by Mark Bright who also produced Underwood's Carnival Ride and seven other songs off of Some Hearts.[1]

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 318,000 copies, which was rated as the highest first-week sales for a female artist in 2009 upon release. It is her second album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, and her third to debut atop the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. As of October 2016, the album has been certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA, Platinum by the CRIA and Gold by the ARIA. Play On has since sold over three million copies worldwide. "Temporary Home" and "Mama's Song" were both nominated for Grammy Awards, while Play On was nominated for Album of the Year at both the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards and 2010 Country Music Association Awards, and won Favorite Country Album at the American Music Awards of 2010.

The album spawned three consecutive Billboard Hot Country Songs number one singles — "Cowboy Casanova", "Temporary Home" and "Undo It", all of which certified Multi-Platinum or Platinum by the RIAA. The fourth single, "Mama's Song", reached number two on the chart and received a Gold certification from the RIAA. "Cowboy Casanova" achieved one of the biggest single-week upwards on the Billboard Hot 100 of all time, when it climbed from 96 to 11 in its second week.

Background

Carrie Underwood at the 2009 American Music Awards

Songwriter Luke Laird said of writing the album's title track, "Carrie had pretty much blocked out three months to write for this album, and she probably wrote over 60 songs during that period. This was the first time Natalie and Carrie had met, and "Play On" was actually the second song we wrote that day. When we finished writing the first song, Carrie went downstairs to get a drink, and I told Natalie, "I'll bet she's going to want to write another song." Because when Carrie comes in to write, she's ready to work all day."[2]

The album was originally to have included some songs that Underwood wrote with Ne-Yo.[3] One of the tracks entitled "Look at Me" was previously recorded by country singer, Alan Jackson, on the Billy: The Early Years soundtrack. Vince Gill sang background vocals on the track.[4] "Mama's Song" sold more than 31,000 copies in its debut week.[5]

Promotion

Prior to the release of Play On, three promotional singles were made available by iTunes. "Mama's Song" released on October 12 followed by "Temporary Home" which was released on October 20 and "Undo It" released on October 27. Billboard.com also posted a 60-second clip of each song being released on iTunes.

On October 16, 2009, Underwood performed in Singapore to promote the album to the Asian media. The album was released on November 2 in various parts of Asia, followed by a November 3 release in the United States. Underwood performed on Late Show with David Letterman on November 2, and performed a special outdoor concert at Lincoln Center on Good Morning America on the release day, and rounded out her week with a visit to Live with Regis and Kelly on November 5.

She debuted several of her singles at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards.

She also appeared on several shows to promote her album including Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live With Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, American Music Awards, CNN International, and at the Grand Ole Opry.

On the November 16, 2009, episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Underwood performed "Temporary Home", which became the second official single from Play On.

Singles

"Cowboy Casanova" served as the lead single for Play On. The song was released on September 14, 2009, two months before the album's official release and debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs at number 26, the fifth highest debut by a female artist on the chart. It jumped from number 96 to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its second week, one of the biggest single-week upwards on the chart of all time. The song received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 45th ACM Awards where Underwood was nominated as an artist and a composer. The music video for "Cowboy Casanova" was released in October 2009. The song has sold 2,300,000 copies in the United States and has been certified 2× platinum.

"Temporary Home", the second single, was released to country radio starting the week of December 14, 2009. The song has hit at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs becoming her ninth number one song in the process. It has also hit number 41 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song was released in February 2010. Underwood won the CMT award for Best Live Performance at the 2010 CMT Awards for her performance during her personal CMT Invitation Only. The song received a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal performance. The song sold 1,093,000 copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

The third single, "Undo It", was released on May 24, 2010. Underwood performed the song on the season finale of American Idol and at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The song peaked at number 23rd on the Hot 100, giving Underwood her eleventh Top 40 single and reached number one on Hot Country Songs chart. "Undo It" was nominated for the 2010 Teen Choice Award for 'Choice Country Song' and sold 1,600,000 copies making it a certified Platinum single.

The fourth single, "Mama's Song", was officially released to radio on September 13, 2010. Underwood announced its release in an interview after her performance on The Today Show on NBC on July 30. The music video premiered on VEVO on September 24, 2010. "Mama's Song" reached the number two position on the country charts. It has been certified Gold and has sold 443,000 copies. At the 54th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

Year Song Peak chart positions
US Country US CAN
2009 "Cowboy Casanova" 1 11 16
"Temporary Home" 1 41 65
2010 "Undo It" 1 23 43
"Mama's Song" 2 56 68

Promotional singles

Prior to the release of the album, three promotional singles were released exclusively on Apple's iTunes Store. These promotional singles should not be confused with ordinary singles.

"Mama's Song" was the first promotional single and was released on October 12, 2009. It was released to radio as the fourth official single off the album on September 13, 2010. "Temporary Home" was the second promotional single and was released on October 20, 2009. It was released to radio as the second official single off the album on December 14, 2009. "Undo It" was the final promotional single and was released on October 27, 2009. It was released to radio as the third official single off the album on May 24, 2010.

"Temporary Home" received multiple forms of promotion, including performances on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien,;; the television special A Home For the Holidays, Underwood's personal CMT Invitation Only event, Underwood's Christmas variety show, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special, at the 45th ACM Awards, and on her Play On Tour.

After Underwood performed the track "Change" during the 2010 Idol Gives Back, the song received a 2,001% gain in sales, selling 9,000 to a total of 53,000 digital downloads.[6] "Look at Me", a cover of a song originally by Alan Jackson, debuted at No. 22 on Country Digital Songs in 2014 after it appeared in a viral video,[7] and sold 18,000 copies for the week for a total of 80,000 sold.[8]

Song Peak chart
positions 		Sales
US CAN
"Mama's Song" 56 68 39,000
"Temporary Home" 41 65 31,000
"Undo It" 23 43 28,000

Tours

North American Tour

Underwood began the Play On Tour on March 11, 2010. The tour includes several legs traveling across the globe, with the first and second leg focusing on the United States and Canada. Her opening acts/guest performers for the spring tour were Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia. The second leg included Sons of Sylvia and country singer Billy Currington. The first leg began in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 11, and concluded in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the Minnesota State Fair on August 31. The second leg began on September 25, in Portland, Oregon, and concluded on December 19, in Calgary, Canada.

The tour was ranked at number 15 on the Top 100 Tours in July 2010 for the first half of the year. Within four months of the tour's first leg, it raked in an approximate total of $18,400,000, and sold over 375,000 tickets.

In December 2010, the tour ranked at number 19 for the largest North American tours of 2010,[9] and again at number 31 for the largest tours worldwide for the 2010 touring year.[10] The tour made a collective total of $38,300,000 [9] and reached to over one million fans,[11] becoming Underwood's largest tour to date.

Australian Tour

On May 16, 2011, Sony Music and Underwood collectively announced the singer would travel to Australia in June 2011 to promote her Play On album for her first international headline tour. During the tour's duration, Underwood would also release the Play On: Deluxe Edition exclusively to Australia. The album included six previous number one singles of Underwood's, as well as a studio recording of "Home Sweet Home", a recording in which has never been featured on an album before.[12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(54/100)[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB[15]
Los Angeles Times[16]
Paste5.7/10[17]
PopMatters[18]
Slant Magazine[19]
St. Petersburg Times[20]
USA Today[21]

Play On had a score of 54 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "mixed or average reviews" from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars. He argues that "Carrie is still nominally a country artist and sometimes will sing supported by fiddles and steel guitar, but this is crossover pop pure and simple, whether it's the thundering rhythms on the Shania-styled strut "Cowboy Casanova" or the succession of maudlin melodies on the preponderance of power ballads."[22] In his Consumer Guide, Robert Christgau gave the album a "dud" rating ((dud)).[23] Leah Greenblatt rated it B in Entertainment Weekly, saying "If it seems vaguely insulting to call the smashingly successful American Idol alum's material formulaic, know at least that it is, three albums in, one of the most well-honed formulas in the business."[24]

Sean Daly from the St. Petersburg Times argues that Play On is Underwood's "weakest album to date," but predicts that the album will "sell like gangbusters." Daly says that "Cowboy Casanova", "co-written by 50 Cent buddy Mike Elizondo, brazenly bites from both 'Before He Cheats' and 'Last Name'." Daly highlights the song "Someday When I Stop Loving You". He says that it "is so good. It has a vague '70s feel, reminiscent of all those great old Chicago songs."[25]

Accolades

Award Category Result
45th Academy of Country Music Awards Album of the Year Nominated
1st American Country Awards Album of the Year Won
2010 Teen Choice Awards Choice Album - Country Nominated
44th Country Music Association Awards Album of the Year Nominated
2010 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album Won

Commercial performance

Play On debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, as well as the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 318,000 copies, and rated as the highest first week sales for a female artist in 2009, before being overtaken by Susan Boyle a few weeks later.[26] In its second week, the album slipped to number three with sales of 128,000. Play On spent nine consecutive weeks at number two in Top Country Albums Chart, and stayed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 for its first eight weeks of release. By October 2015, the album had sold 2,300,000 copies in the US, and it was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on October 24, 2016, for three million units in sales and streams.[27][28]

The album debuted at number 114 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart and number 93 on the UK Albums Chart,[29] becoming Underwood's first entry on both charts. In Canada, the album debuted at number two on the Canadian charts with 15,000 sales.[30] In Australia, it debuted at number three on the Top 20 Country Albums chart and at number 80 on the National Album Charts ARIA Top 100. Underwood traveled to Australia for a promotional tour for the deluxe edition of Play On during June 2011. For the chart week following her promotional tour, the album re-entered both the Top 20 Country Albums chart and the National Album Charts ARIA Top 100 at number two and number 14. The album rose to number one on the Top 20 Country Albums chart the following week giving Underwood her first number one album in Australia, and remained stable on the National Album Charts ARIA Top 100, at number 15. It has reached Gold status in Australia and it is her first album to do so.[31] Play On has since sold over three million copies worldwide.[32]

Play On charted at number seventy three on Billboard 200 and at number 15 on Top Country Albums for the year ending 2009.[33] In December 2010, the album was placed on Billboard's Year-End Charts, landing at number four for Country Albums, and at number twelve for Billboard 200 Albums. The following year, it charted at number 37 for Country Albums [34] and number 176 for Billboard 200 Albums.[35]

Track listing

Play On track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cowboy Casanova"
Mark Bright3:56
2."Quitter"
  • Martin
  • Bright
3:40
3."Mama's Song"
Bright4:00
4."Change"
Bright3:13
5."Undo It"
  • Underwood
  • DioGuardi
  • Frederiksen
  • Laird
Bright2:58
6."Someday When I Stop Loving You"
Bright4:03
7."Songs Like This"
Bright2:37
8."Temporary Home"
  • Underwood
  • Laird
  • Zac Maloy
Bright4:29
9."This Time"
  • Lindsey
  • McEwan
  • Sampson
Bright3:52
10."Look at Me" (featuring Vince Gill)
Bright3:16
11."Unapologize"
Bright4:38
12."What Can I Say" (featuring Sons of Sylvia)
Bright3:57
13."Play On"
Bright3:41
Total length:48:20
Deluxe edition (Australia/New Zealand)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Don't Forget to Remember Me"
Bright4:00
15."Jesus, Take the Wheel"
  • James
  • Lindsey
  • Sampson
Bright3:46
16."Before He Cheats"
Bright3:19
17."So Small"
  • Underwood
  • Laird
  • Lindsey
Bright3:45
18."Just a Dream"
Bright4:44
19."Last Name"
  • Underwood
  • Laird
  • Lindsey
Bright4:01
20."Home Sweet Home"
Bright3:38

Notes

  • The compact disc version of the deluxe edition is a two-disc package.
  • The track numbers on disc 2 are numbered 1–7, which corresponds to numbers 14–20 listed above.

Personnel

Vocals

  • Ashley Clark – lead vocals (12)
  • Lisa Cochran – backing vocals (3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13)
  • Perry Coleman – backing vocals (3, 5, 9, 11)
  • Vince Gill – backing vocals(10)
  • Wes Hightower – backing vocals(4, 6, 7, 13)
  • Hillary Lindsey – backing vocals (6, 8)
  • Sons of Sylvia – backing vocals (12)
  • Carrie Underwood – lead vocals, backing vocals

Musicians

The Nashville String Machine (4)

  • Anthony LaMarchina, Carole Rabinowitz and Julie Tanner – cello
  • Jack Jezioro and Craig Nelson – string bass
  • Monisa Angell, Bruce Christensen, Jim Grosjean, Betsy Lamb and Kristin Wilkinson – viola
  • David Angell, Janet Darnall, David Davidson, Conni Ellisor, Carl Gorodetzky, Stefan Petrescu, Pamela Sixfin, Alan Umstead, Catherine Umstead, Mary K. Vanosdale, Bruce Wethey and Karen Winkelmann – violin

Group vocals (1)

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Play On
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[53] Platinum 80,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 2,300,000[27]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Play On
Region Date
United Kingdom[54] November 2, 2009
Singapore[55]
Norway
Finland
Sweden
United States[55] November 3, 2009
Canada[56]
Spain
Denmark
South Africa
Luxembourg
Belgium
Netherlands
Austria
New Zealand
France
Switzerland
Portugal
Ireland
Thailand
Germany
Greece
Australia[57] November 6, 2009
Japan May 19, 2010
Australia (Deluxe Edition) June 10, 2011
New Zealand (Deluxe Edition)

References

  1. ^ Songfacts. "Play On by Carrie Underwood - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ Staff, The Boot StaffThe Boot (March 9, 2016). "Story Behind the Song: Carrie Underwood, 'Play On'". The Boot. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ^ Mansfield, Brian (August 25, 2009) Carrie Underwood writing with Ne-Yo USA Today.
  4. ^ Mansfield, Brian (May 21, 2010). "Services". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Mansfield, Brian (October 21, 2009). "Carrie Underwood, 'Glee' spur Idol track sales". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  6. ^ Mansfield, Brian (April 28, 2010). "Adam Lambert joins the million-download club". USA Today. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  7. ^ Fred Bronson (February 24, 2014). "'American Idol' on the Charts: Taking a New 'Look' at an Old Carrie Underwood Song". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  8. ^ Conaway, Alanna (February 19, 2013). "Country Chart News - The Top 30 Digital Singles - Feb 12, 2014: Miranda Debuts, Brantley Gilbert #1, Cole Swindell Remains Hot". Roughstock. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "2010 Year End: TOP 50 North American Concert Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2012.
  10. ^ "2010 Year End: TOP 50 Worldwide Concert Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2012.
  11. ^ "News : Carrie Underwood Tour Reaches 1 Million Fans". CMT. January 5, 2011. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  12. ^ "Country Music News - Latest local and international country music news". Country Music Channel. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  13. ^ "Critic Reviews for Play On". Metacritic. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  14. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Play On - Carrie Underwood". AllMusic. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  15. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (November 3, 2009). "Carrie Underwood, 'Play On': The extended Music Mix album review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  16. ^ Lewis, Randy (November 2, 2009). "Album review: Carrie Underwood's 'Play On'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  17. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (November 18, 2009). "Carrie Underwood: Play On :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  18. ^ O'Neill, Joshua (November 24, 2009). "Carrie Underwood: Play On". PopMatters. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  19. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (November 5, 2009). "Carrie Underwood: Play On". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  20. ^ Daly, Sean (November 8, 2009). "Carrie Underwood's new album, "Play On", is her weakest yet". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  21. ^ Shriver, Mansfield, Gundersen, Jones, Jerry, Brian, Edna, Steve (November 3, 2009). "Listen Up: Carrie Underwood expands worldview in 'Play On'". USA Today. Retrieved November 4, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "Carrie Underwood Embraces Her Idol Status". idolator. November 2, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  23. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Carrie Underwood". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  24. ^ November 3, Leah Greenblatt Updated; EST, 2009 at 05:58 PM. "Carrie Underwood, 'Play On': The extended Music Mix album review". EW.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "Underwood Has an Undertow". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  26. ^ (2009-11-11)
  27. ^ a b Trust, Gary (October 11, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Chart Beat's 'Piano Man' Returns!". Billboard.
  28. ^ a b "American album certifications – Carrie Underwood – Play On". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ^ a b "Album Top 40 from the Official UK Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  30. ^ a b c John Williams (November 12, 2009). "Underwood can't beat MJ on charts | Music | Entertainment". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  31. ^ http://www.countrymusicchannel.com.au/pages/main-menu/win/win-prizes/win-carrie-underwood-s-new-album[permanent dead link‍]
  32. ^ "Remember When Carrie Underwood Released 'Play On'?". Country Now. November 3, 2020. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  33. ^ "Year End Charts: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. 2009.
  34. ^ "Billboard Year End Charts". Billboard.com. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  35. ^ "Billboard Year End Charts". Billboard.com. December 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  36. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Carrie Underwood". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  37. ^ Oricon Chart 13/11/09 - Bon Jovi debuta em 1º lugar. Retrieved November 25, 2009. [dead link‍]
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  39. ^ "Top 40 Country Artist Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  40. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (November 11, 2009). "Carrie Underwood Claims Second No. 1 Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  41. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Carrie Underwood – Play On". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  42. ^ "Top 20 Country Chart - Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  43. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Country Albums 2010". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  44. ^ "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  45. ^ "Best of 2010 - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  46. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Country Albums 2011". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  47. ^ "Best of 2011 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  48. ^ "Best of 2011 - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  49. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 50 Country Albums 2012". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  50. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  51. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  52. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  53. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Carrie Underwood – Play On". Music Canada.
  54. ^ "Play On OFFICIAL UK release date". Carriefans.com. October 17, 2009. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  55. ^ a b "News : Carrie Underwood Promotes New Album, Play On, in Singapore". CMT. October 21, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  56. ^ "Carrie Underwood Reveals 'Play On'". The Boot. August 31, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
  57. ^ "Play On release date in Australia". Carriefans.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
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