Permission to Land

Permission to Land is the debut studio album by the British glam rock band The Darkness, released on 7 July 2003 in the UK and 16 September 2003 in the US. The album topped the UK Albums Chart^[1] and reached number thirty-six on the American Billboard 200 chart.^[2] Five singles were released from Permission to Land: "Get Your Hands off My Woman", "Growing on Me", "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" (which only appears on the German Christmas edition), and "Love Is Only a Feeling". "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was the most successful, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.^[1]

Permission to Land
Studio album by The Darkness
Released	7 July 2003
Recorded	2002−03
Studio	Chapel (South Thoresby, Lincolnshire), Paul Smith Music (London)
Genre	Hard rock, glam metal
Length	38:09
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Pedro Ferreira
The Darkness chronology
I Believe in a Thing Called Love (2002) Permission to Land (2003) One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back (2005)
Singles from Permission to Land
"Get Your Hands off My Woman" Released: 24 February 2003 "Growing on Me" Released: 16 June 2003 "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" Released: 22 September 2003 "Christmas Time" Released: 15 December 2003 "Love is Only a Feeling" Released: 22 March 2004

History

The band was renowned for their live shows from very early on, and such was the popularity of the band, they had a Carling Homecoming gig booked for the London Astoria before they had even signed a record deal. Joe Taylor, Aled Jones and Paul Scaife at The Tip Sheet, a weekly magazine and CD insert for UK music industry insiders, first heard about the band through a post on The Tip Sheet message board, and featured "Love Is Only a Feeling" in January 2002. Record of the Day featured the song again around the time of SXSW in March 2003. "Friday Night" was to be featured next, but they were told the band was saving it for an album.^[3]

According to A&R man Nick Raphael in an interview with HitQuarters, there was no initial clamour to sign the band: "There couldn't have been less of a buzz, and only two record labels showed any interest in them."^[4] He believes the reason for lack of interest was that "The business as a whole thought they were uncool. In fact, people were saying that they were a joke and that they weren't real."^[4] As part of Sony Music UK, Raphael had attempted to sign them but the band instead opted to go with Atlantic Records.^[4]

Permission to Land went straight up to number two on the UK Albums Chart upon its release on 7 July 2003, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell over 1.4 million copies in the UK alone.^[5]

In October 2023, a deluxe edition named "Permission to Land… Again" was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album. This edition includes B-sides, unreleased demos, and live tracks.^[6]

Recording

The band took inspiration for some of their work from the local north Suffolk area surrounding their home town, Lowestoft, including "Black Shuck", based on the legend of a dog which supposedly haunts the church of the nearby village of Blythburgh. "Stuck in a Rut" also mentions a set of roads known as the "Barnby Bends", and the "Acle Straight", both of which are prominent routes between Lowestoft and Beccles and Norwich and Great Yarmouth respectively. The band recorded an interview for MTV Japan, which discusses the inspiration behind these songs, as well as featuring self-filmed footage of their home town. This features on a bonus DVD included with the Japanese deluxe edition of the album.

Both brothers, Justin and Dan Hawkins used Gibson Les Paul Standard guitars for recording of the album with Justin plugged into an old, early version of the Mesa Boogie Rectifier and Dan into a Marshall plexi. Reports also that a THD Univalve was used in the recording.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Blender	[9]
Entertainment Weekly	D[10]
The Guardian	[11]
Mojo	[12]
NME	7/10[13]
Pitchfork	8.4/10[14]
Q	[15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
Uncut	[17]

The album received widespread acclaim by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album earned an average score of 79, based on 19 reviews.^[7]

"Permission to Land will never be the album that The Darkness think it is," decided Classic Rock, "but, taken in the spirit that it is offered, it's certainly more fun than Use Your Illusion."^[6] In July 2019, Decibel Magazine inducted Permission to Land into their Hall of Fame, stating that the album "that came to define hard rock in the early aughts sounds nothing like anything else that was released in 2003 – or the previous decade, for that matter".^[18]

Awards and accolades

Justin Hawkins at Finland, Ankkarock

The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003. They then went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band. The third single from the album, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", was a substantial hit in the UK as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching No.2 in 2003.^[19][20]

In addition to its chart success, Permission to Land also provided the Darkness with two high-profile music awards; Best Rock Album at the 2003 Kerrang! Awards^[21] and Best British Album at the 2004 BRIT Awards (at which they also won the awards for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act).^[22] Permission to Land was voted 49th in the 50 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century in Kerrang!. Permission to Land was later referenced in the song "Whichever Way You Wanna Give It" by lead singer Justin Hawkins' other band Hot Leg. In 2005, the album was ranked number 356 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.^[23] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[24] In 2016, Metal Hammer ranked Permission to Land sixty-third in their list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century, calling it 'one of the greatest debut albums of all time'.^[25]

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black Shuck"	3:20
2.	"Get Your Hands off My Woman"	2:46
3.	"Growing on Me"	3:29
4.	"I Believe in a Thing Called Love"	3:36
5.	"Love Is Only a Feeling"	4:19
6.	"Givin' Up"	3:34
7.	"Stuck in a Rut"	3:17
8.	"Friday Night"	2:56
9.	"Love on the Rocks with No Ice"	5:56
10.	"Holding My Own"	4:56

All tracks are written by Justin Hawkins, Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain and Ed Graham

European Christmas edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)"	3:42

Japanese deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"The Best of Me"	3:31
12.	"Makin' Out"	3:42

Japanese deluxe edition bonus DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"History of the Darkness" (Documentary)	20:00
2.	"Get Your Hands Off My Woman" (Live at the Astoria)	4:34
3.	"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" (Live at Knebworth)	3:52

B-sides

No.	Title	Appearance(s)	Length
1.	"The Best of Me"	B-side to "Get Your Hands off My Woman"	3:31
2.	"How Dare You Call This Love?"	B-side to "Growing on Me"	3:53
3.	"Bareback"	B-side to "Growing on Me"	3:07
4.	"Makin' Out"	B-side to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"	3:42
5.	"Physical Sex"	B-side to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"	3:34
6.	"Out of My Hands"	B-side to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love"	3:34
7.	"I Love You 5 Times"	B-side to "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)"	3:43
8.	"Planning Permission"	B-side to "Love Is Only a Feeling"	2:30
9.	"Curse of the Tollund Man"	B-side to "Love Is Only a Feeling"	3:09
10.	"I Had a Dream"	unreleased outtake	2:53
11.	"I Need You"	unreleased outtake	3:57

Personnel

Justin Hawkins – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, piano Dan Hawkins – guitar Frankie Poullain – bass guitar Ed Graham – drums

Additional Pedro Ferreira – production, mixing, engineering Mike Marsh – mastering Will Bartle – recording assistance Nick Taylor – mixing assistance Bruce Band – artwork Patrick Ford – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Permission to Land Chart (2003–2004) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 17 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[27] 40 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 43 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[29] 10 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[30] 21 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[31] 30 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[32] 17 French Albums (SNEP)[33] 62 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] 19 Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] 2 Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] 16 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 5 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38] 13 Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 8 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 59 UK Albums (OCC)[42] 1 US Billboard 200[43] 36 Weekly chart performance for Permission to Land Chart (2023) Peak position Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[44] 13

Year-end charts 2003 year-end chart performance for Permission to Land Chart (2003) Position Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 62 UK Albums (OCC)[46] 6 2004 year-end chart performance for Permission to Land Chart (2004) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[47] 55 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[48] 15 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 64 UK Albums (OCC)[50] 56 US Billboard 200[51] 129

Certifications

Certifications for Permission to Land

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52]	Platinum	70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[53]	Platinum	100,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[54]	Gold	20,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[55]	Platinum	15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[56]	Gold	30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[57]	4× Platinum	1,404,909[5]
United States (RIAA)[58]	Gold	710,000[59]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[60]	Platinum	1,000,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Artist Chart History – Darkness". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
2. "Artist Chart History – The Darkness". Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
3. "Success Stories". Record of the Day. 1 February 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
4. "Interview With Nick Raphael" Archived 27 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine, HitQuarters, 25 May 2005.
5. Alan Jones (13 October 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Liam Gallagher debuts at No.1 with more than 100,000 album sales". Music Week.
6. Hotten, Jon (August 2003). "Black humour". Classic Rock #56. p. 90.
7. "Reviews for Permission To Land by The Darkness". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
8. Phares, Heather. "Permission to Land – The Darkness". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
9. Pemberton, Andy (November 2003). "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Blender (21): 110. Archived from the original on 8 August 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
10. Brunner, Rob (15 August 2003). "Rating the contenders for Britain's top music prize". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
11. Sullivan, Caroline (4 July 2003). "The Darkness: Permission to Land". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
12. "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Mojo (117): 98. August 2003.
13. Wild, Tim (2 July 2003). "The Darkness: The Darkness". NME. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
14. Plagenhoef, Scott (9 October 2003). "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
15. "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Q (205): 104. August 2003.
16. Kemp, Rob (10 September 2003). "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Rolling Stone. No. 932. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
17. "The Darkness: Permission to Land". Uncut (76): 97. September 2003.
18. Green, Nick. "The Darkness – "Permission to Land"". Decibel. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
19. "The Official Charts Company – The Darkness – I Believe in a Thing Called Love". Official Charts Company. 13 December 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
20. "The Official Charts Company – Singles Chart for week up to 27 December 2003". Official Charts Company. 27 December 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
21. "The Darkness rock Kerrang! awards". BBC. 22 August 2003. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
22. "Brits 2004: The winners". BBC. 17 February 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
23. Best of Rock & Metal – Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 67. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
24. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
25. '100 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century', Metal Hammer, Summer 2016, issue 286, p. 39.
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29. "The Darkness Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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31. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Darkness – Permission to Land" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
32. "The Darkness: Permission to Land" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
33. "Lescharts.com – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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36. "Italiancharts.com – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
37. "Charts.nz – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
38. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
39. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
40. "Swedishcharts.com – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
41. "Swisscharts.com – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
42. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
43. "The Darkness Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
44. "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 41. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
45. "Årslista Album – År 2003" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
46. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2003". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
47. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2004". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
48. "Top Selling Albums of 2004". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
49. "Årslista Album – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
50. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
51. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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54. "Danish album certifications – The Darkness – Permission to Land". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
55. "New Zealand album certifications – The Darkness – Permission to Land". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
56. "Sverigetopplistan – The Darkness" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
57. "British album certifications – The Darkness – Permission To Land". British Phonographic Industry.
58. "American album certifications – The Darkness – Permission To Land". Recording Industry Association of America.
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60. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2003". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2020.

External links

• Permission to Land at Metacritic