Europop (album)
{{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date<ref name=Italiancharts.com/> | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Contact!2001studioEuropopEiffel 65-Europop.jpgEiffel 65Template:Start date<ref name=Italiancharts.com/>1998–1999Template:Hlist65:35Template:HlistTemplate:Hlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Europop is the debut studio album by Italian electronic group Eiffel 65. The album was released in late 1999 as under Bliss Corporation and Universal Records and Republic Music (Universal and Republic would merge to Universal Republic). The album is most notable for the group's two biggest hits: "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" and "Move Your Body," which topped the charts worldwide in 2000.
Background
The title of Europop describes its genre; it combines several dance styles unique to European countries, such as the United Kingdom's trip hop, Germany's techno, and Italy's dance music, and songs are structured like typical pop songs.<ref name = "CNN Transcript">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album follows a deep house template featuring vocoder vocal effects, synthesizer hooks, and "nursery rhyme choruses,"<ref name = "AllMusic"/><ref name = "SanDiegoTribune"/> with occasional deviations from it into string-orchestrated hip-hop ("Living in a Bubble") and "trippy" house stylings ("Now is Forever" and "Europop").<ref name = "AllMusic"/> Elements of 1980s synthpop dominate,<ref name = "EWreview"/> with reviews making comparisons to Depeche Mode<ref name = "EWreview"/><ref name = "PlainDealer"/> (especially towards "Your Clown"<ref name = "HousChrno"/><ref name = "AllMusic"/>), Erasure,<ref name = "EWreview"/><ref name = "PlainDealer"/> a-ha, and Duran Duran.<ref name = "PlainDealer"/>
The album features pitch-corrected vocals and Euro disco beats throughout.<ref name = "Popmatters"/> Eiffel 65 perform all the songs on this album in English.
Reception
Template:Music ratings Contemporaneous reviews from Entertainment Weekly, the Houston Chronicle, and The Plain Dealer welcomed the humorous, light-weight dance-pop style of Europop in a pop music market saturated with mostly dour music, calling serious cuts such as "Your Clown" and "Now is Forever" the LP's weakest.<ref name = "EWreview"/><ref name = "HousChrno"/><ref name = "PlainDealer">Template:Cite news</ref> Reviews from The Plain Dealer and Rolling Stone also appreciated its rejection of intellectual pretentiousness common in electronic music.<ref name = "PlainDealer"/><ref name = "RollingStone"/> On the other hand, the album was criticized for a lack of differentiation (in composition and production techniques) between songs,<ref name = "SanDiegoTribune"/><ref name = "EWreview"/> with Jose F. Promis writing its best moments came when it combined its template with different genres.<ref name = "AllMusic"/> In his review for Courier News, Tab Benoit called Eiffel 65 a "one-trick pony" for using the same vocal effect for all tracks.<ref name = "CourierNews"/>
The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and the song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, impressive for an EDM song at the time of its release. In February 2000, the album was certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of two million copies in the US.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. The track numbers correspond to the US release.<ref name="liner notes">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
Eiffel 65
- Jeffrey Jey – vocals
- Maurizio Lobina – keyboards, programming
- Gabry Ponte – DJ, mixing
Additional personnel
- Angelica Villella – mixing (1, 2, 4–8, 10, 14)
- Mauro Di Deco – mixing (3, 9, 11–13)
- Chris Zippel – mastering
- Massimo Gabutti – executive producer
- Luciano Zucchet – executive producer
Charts
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Weekly charts
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 7 |
| European Albums (Music & Media) | 18 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2000) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
97 |
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
49 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
63 |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 78 | |
| French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
52 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
50 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
86 |
| UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
235 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 29 |
Certifications
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