Shades of Purple
Two teenage girls walking down a street together; the image uses a purple filter. 'M2M' appears in the upper left corner and 'Shades of Purple' appears in the bottom right. The cover has a purple, floral border.
Studio album by
M2M
Released7 March 2000[1]
Recorded1999-2000
GenrePop
Length51:07
LabelAtlantic
Sony Music (Asia)
Producer
M2M chronology
Synger Kjente Barnesanger
(1996)		 Shades of Purple
(2000)		 The Big Room
(2001)
Alternative cover
Two teenage girls, one blonde and one brunette, sitting on a bed in front of a purple wall. The girls are surrounded by watermarks of violets. 'M2M' appears in the upper left corner and 'Shades of Purple' appears in the bottom right.
Asian edition cover
Singles from Shades of Purple
  1. "Don't Say You Love Me"
    Released: 11 October 1999
  2. "Mirror Mirror"
    Released: 22 February 2000
  3. "Girl In Your Dreams"
    Released: May 2000, limited release in Asia
  4. "Pretty Boy"
    Released: 4 August 2000
  5. "Everything You Do"
    Released: 5 December 2000
  6. "The Day You Went Away"
    Released: 1 January 2001

Shades of Purple is the debut studio album by Norwegian pop duo M2M. It was released in the US on 7 March 2000 by Atlantic Records. It reached No. 7 in Norway, No. 89 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the US Top Heatseekers chart. The single "Don't Say You Love Me", which had already been released as the lead single of the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack in October 1999, appears on the album. A further two singles, "Mirror Mirror" and "Everything You Do" were released throughout 2000.

The album received a positive critical response. Robert Christgau gave the album an 'A−', praising the duo's singing. Michael Paoletta from Billboard said it was "poised to be the soundtrack of spring/summer 2000." Shades of Purple sold over 1.5 million units worldwide and was nominated for best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.

Background and composition

Marion Raven and Marit Larsen come from Lørenskog in the district east of Oslo.[3] They became friends at age five, and formed their own band when they were eight.[4] They released a children's album, Synger Kjente Barnesanger, under the band name "Marit & Marion", which was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award[3] when they were both 12 years old.[5] They continued writing pop songs and sent demo recordings out. One of the demos ended up at Atlantic Records and they were signed to a worldwide contract in 1998,[6] after which they shortened their name to M2M, which reflects the initials of both their first names.[4]

The album was recorded in London, Sweden and New York,[3] when Raven was 14 and Larsen was 15.[7] Raven and Larsen co-wrote most of the songs on the album.[8] "Girl in Your Dreams" was the first song Raven had ever written.[8] She wrote it when she was 13 about a boy she liked that was not interested in her.[9] The pair wrote over 30 songs in anticipation of recording; 16 of these were recorded, and 13 made it onto the US version of the album. One of the unreleased songs, "The Feeling is Gone", was released as a B-side on the European[10] and Japanese[11] single versions of "Don't Say You Love Me", and also appears on the Australian version of the album.[12]

The track "Our Song" uses the chorus of the Bee Gees' hit single "Too Much Heaven" as its own chorus.[13][10] Raven and Larsen had previously been unaware of "Too Much Heaven"; the chorus was added at the suggestion of their producer.[10] When questioned about the album title, M2M replied that purple was their favourite colour and they wanted "a title that expressed that the album is us and through our eyes."[10]

Release and promotion

The album was released in both Europe and Asia in mid-February 2000[1] and the US on 7 March.[1] It had been released worldwide by the end of March, except in Sweden where a shipment of 20,000 copies was delayed for at least four weeks due to a legal dispute with a local band there that also used the name "M2M".[14]

In December 1999 Warner Music Group, which owns Atlantic Records, stated they expected to sell at least five to six million copies of Shades of Purple.[15] Sales had exceeded one million by September 2000, though investors were disappointed as they had not yet recuperated the amount they had spent promoting the duo; they expected to break even before the end of the year.[16] The album sold 107,000 units in its opening week in the US, debuting at number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and reached number 89 on the US Billboard 200, staying on the chart for sixteen weeks.[17] and had sold 268,000 units there by March 2002.[18] Worldwide sales of the album exceeded 1.5 million by January 2002.[19]

Beginning in August 1999, M2M toured and performed extensively to promote their debut single "Don't Say You Love Me", performing several concerts in the US[20] and throughout Asia,[21] as well as appearing on an episode of the show One World,[22] and performing at Walt Disney World in February 2000.[23] M2M continued to keep a high profile following the release of Shades of Purple, appearing on Top of the Pops in March 2000[24][25] embarking on a tour of US high schools[26] and touring with Hanson in September.[16]

Singles

"Don't Say You Love Me" was released in October 1999 as the lead song from the Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack.[27] There was a minor lyric change between the versions, as the original version contained the lyrics "then you start kissing me", which was deemed inappropriate for Pokémon's young viewers and was changed to "then you said you love me". The original version was retained on Shades of Purple.[10] Promoted by a "nonstop marketing effort", advanced airing on Radio Disney and the affiliation with Pokémon, the single was successful.[20] It charted at No. 2 in Norway, No. 4 in both Australia and New Zealand,[28] No. 16 in the UK[29] and No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.[30] It was certified gold in both Australia[31] and the US,[32] and was nominated for the year's best song at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.[33]

The second single from the album was '"Mirror Mirror", which reached No. 30 in Australia,[34] No. 13 in Canada and No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[30] It was certified gold in the US.[35] The album's final single was "Everything You Do", which reached No. 21 on the US Hot Dance Singles Sales.[30] Additionally a music video, directed by Tryan George, was filmed in Norway for the song "The Day You Went Away",[36] which was released as a promotion single in Mexico.[37] All of the singles on the album appeared on M2M's 2003 best-of album The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M.[38]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[39]
Entertainment WeeklyB[40]
Rolling Stone[41]
The Village VoiceA−[42]

The album received critical acclaim. The Village Voice's Robert Christgau stated that "even when the writing is ordinary, the quality teenpop, some assembly-line and some personalized, is transfigured by the duo's singing."[42] Entertainment Weekly critic Arion Berger wrote that M2M's "precise Euro-dance pop is fun, fun, fun, and behind the lip gloss is enough insecurity to charm."[40] Heather Phares from AllMusic said "Overall, Shades of Purple is a strong debut from a young group that still sounds fresh and innocent ... something of a rarity in teen pop."[39] Michael Paoletta from Billboard gave a favourable review, saying "The 13 tracks on display here showcase a seasoned singing style that is, quite frankly, the antithesis of teen sensations like Britney Spears", concluding "Beautifully sun-kissed, Shades of Purple is poised to be the soundtrack of spring/summer 2000."[13] The album was nominated for the best pop album at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards.[33]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't Say You Love Me"
  • Bralower
  • Zizzo
3:46
2."The Day You Went Away"
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
  • Bralower (exec.)
  • Rowe
3:43
3."Girl in Your Dreams"RavenRowe3:31
4."Mirror Mirror"
  • Deviller
  • Hosein
3:21
5."Pretty Boy"
  • Bottolf Lødemel
  • Nora Skaug
4:40
6."Give a Little Love"
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
  • Bralower (exec.)
  • Rowe
3:59
7."Everything You Do"
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Lars Aass
  • Bralower
  • Kenneth Lewis
4:02
8."Don't Mess with My Love"
Bralower3:44
9."Dear Diary"
Bralower3:58
10."Do You Know What You Want"
Full Force4:06
11."Smiling Face"
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Matt Rowe
Rowe4:15
12."Our Song"
Jazayeri, Mather3:54
13."Why"
Bralower4:20
Total length:51:07
Australian and Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."The Feeling Is Gone"
  • Larsen
  • Raven
  • Rowe
Rowe3:14
Total length:54:21

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from AllMusic.[2] Writers and producers are mentioned in track listing.

M2M Additional musicians Production Artwork and management
  • Jimmy Bralower – drums
  • Kent Wood - keyboards
  • Dave Deviller – guitar
  • Johnny Gale – electric guitar
  • Steve Lewinson – bass
  • Ken Lewis – electric guitar
  • Per Magnusson – keyboards
  • Milton McDonald – guitar
  • Esbjörn Öhrwall – guitar
  • Matt Rowe – keyboards
  • Marc Shulman – electric guitar
  • Steve Sidelnyk – percussion
  • John Thernis – guitar
  • Tom Wolk – bass, buitar, keyboards, slide guitar
  • Kent Wood – keyboards
  • Peter Zizzo – bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards
  • Steve Boyer – engineer, vocal recording
  • Jimmy Bralower – arranger, drum programming, engineer
  • Robert Jazayeri - composer
  • Michael Brauer – mixing
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Jake Davies – engineer
  • Dave Deviller – programming, vocal producer
  • Sean Hosein – programming, vocal producer
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • David Krueger – arranger, engineer, programming
  • Ken Lewis – engineer
  • Bernard Löhr – mixing
  • Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
  • Per Magnusson – arranger, programming
  • Kaj Robole – engineer
  • Matt Rowe – programming
  • Mark Rubenstein – engineer
  • Ken Schubert – engineer
  • John Siket – engineer
  • Peter Zizzo – arranger
  • Richard Bates – art direction, design
  • Andrea Brooks – art direction, design

Charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] 63
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[44] 97
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[45] 7
US Billboard 200[30] 89
US Top Heatseekers[30] 1

References

  1. 1 2 3 Arnesen, Jon (5 February 2000). "M2M make their name via Atlantic". Music & Media. 17 (6): 3.
  2. 1 2 "M2M – Shades of Purple – Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Taylor, Chuck (27 November 1999). "Atlantic's M2M aims for kid, adult appeal". Billboard. 111 (48): 15, 98.
  4. 1 2 "Sounds From the Big Room". The Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 30 June 2002. p. F03.
  5. ↑ "M2Ms favoritt-gutter". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 30 December 1999. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Biography". M2M Music. Archived from the original on 3 June 2002. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Storsalg kan gi ny gullkontrakt". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 1 March 2002. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 Hay, Carla (13 May 2000). "M2M Crosses Atlantic". Billboard. Nielsen N.V.: 149.
  9. ↑ Disney Channel in Concert: BBMak & M2M in Concert (Television program). Disney Channel. 29 April 2000.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "M2M chats with fans on AllPop". Canoe.com. 3 April 2000. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Don't Say You Love Me". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  12. ↑ M2M (2000). Shades of Purple (CD). Australia: Atlantic Records. 7567-92964-2.
  13. 1 2 Paoletta, Michael (11 March 2000). "M2M: Shades of Purple". Billboard: 26.
  14. ↑ "Plateselskap avviser pengekrav". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 27 March 2000. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "M2M debuterer med Aguilera". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 17 December 1999. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  16. 1 2 "M2M: Gigant-underskudd tross million-salg". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 18 September 2000. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "2000 News Archive". M2M Music. Archived from the original on 15 April 2002.
  18. ↑ Barry A. Jeckell (1 March 2002). "Jewel Takes Labelmate M2M On The Road". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  19. ↑ "M2M Online". M2M. Archived from the original on 22 January 2002.
  20. 1 2 Taylor, Chuck (27 November 1999). "Atlantic's M2M aims for kid, adult appeal". Billboard. Nielsen N.V. 111 (48): 15, 98.
  21. ↑ "M2M tilbake i Norge". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 24 November 1999. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  22. ↑ One World: "Band on the Run" (television episode). Universal Television. 27 November 1999. Event occurs at 3:44.
  23. ↑ "M2M møtte sine fans". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). February 14, 2000. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  24. ↑ "Plateselskap avviser pengekrav". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). March 27, 2000. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  25. ↑ Top of the Pops (Television episode). BBC One. 31 March 2000.
  26. ↑ "Slapper av før M2M-sirkuset". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 8 February 2000. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  27. ↑ "M2M Set to Thrill Fifth Ave. Throngs; NYC Flagship Warner Bros. Studio Store Performance to Mark Pokemon Album Release/Film Opening". Business Wire. 28 October 1999. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  28. ↑ "M2M – Don't Say You Love Me". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  29. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 336. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 "M2M: Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  31. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  32. ↑ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  33. 1 2 "Herborg ble Årets spellemann". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 2 March 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  34. ↑ "M2M – Mirror Mirror (song)". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  35. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 2000". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 113 (6): 64. 10 February 2001. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  36. ↑ "Production Notes". Billboard: 73. 27 January 2001.
  37. ↑ M2M (2000). The Day You Went Away (Promo single). Atlantic Records. 0756872387.
  38. ↑ Brown, Marisa. "The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  39. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Shades of Purple – M2M". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  40. 1 2 Berger, Arion (10 March 2000). "Shades of Purple". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  41. ↑ Hunter, James (27 April 2000). "M2M: Shades Of Purple". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 August 2002. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  42. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (2 May 2000). "Consumer Guide: Alt Lives!!". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  43. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 173.
  44. ↑ Ｍ２ＭのCDアルバムランキング、Ｍ２Ｍのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  45. ↑ "M2M Albums". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2015.

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