Promises and Lies

Promises and Lies is the tenth album by the British reggae band UB40, released in 1993. It includes the hit from the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Sliver, "Can't Help Falling in Love", originally sung by Elvis Presley. The album reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 6 in the United States. It is the band's best-selling album, having sold over 9 million copies.^[10]

Promises and Lies
Studio album by UB40
Released	12 July 1993[1]
Genre	Reggae
Length	47:09
Label	Virgin/DEP
Producer	UB40
UB40 chronology
Labour of Love II (1989) Promises and Lies (1993) Guns in the Ghetto (1997)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Calgary Herald	C+[3]
Robert Christgau	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
Music Week	[7]
The Observer	(favorable)[8]
Q	[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"C'est La Vie"		4:31
2.	"Desert Sand"		4:48
3.	"Promises and Lies"		3:38
4.	"Bring Me Your Cup"		5:41
5.	"Higher Ground"		4:21
6.	"Reggae Music"		4:06
7.	"(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You" (Elvis Presley cover)	Luigi Creatore, Hugo Peretti, George David Weiss	3:27
8.	"Now and Then"		3:40
9.	"Things Ain't Like They Used to Be"		4:01
10.	"It's a Long Long Way"		4:29
11.	"Sorry"		4:27
Total length:			47:09

All tracks are written by UB40 (Brian Travers, Ali Campbell, Earl Falconer, Jimmy Brown, Norman Hassan, Robin Campbell, Mickey Virtue and Terence Wilson), unless otherwise noted

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Promises and Lies Chart (1993–94) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 2 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 1 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[15] 2 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 2 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 6 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 2 UK Albums (OCC)[21] 1 US Billboard 200[22] 6

Year-end charts 1993 year-end chart performance for Promises and Lies Chart (1993) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 15 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] 20 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 21 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[15] 12 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 23 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] 7 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[28] 9 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 11 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 7 US Billboard 200[31] 77 1994 year-end chart performance for Promises and Lies Chart (1994) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 39

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Promises and Lies

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina	—	67,000[33]
Australia (ARIA)[34]	Gold	35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[35]	Gold	25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[36]	Platinum	100,000^
Colombia	—	40,000[37]
France (SNEP)[38]	Platinum	300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[39]	Platinum	500,000^
Indonesia	—	250,000[40]
Ivory Coast	—	22,000[40]
Netherlands (NVPI)[41]	Platinum	100,000^
New Zealand	—	72,000[37]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42]	3× Platinum	300,000^
Sweden (GLF)[43]	Gold	50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44]	Platinum	50,000^
South Africa	—	150,000[37]
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]	2× Platinum	600,000^
United States (RIAA)[46]	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of best-selling albums in Indonesia

References

1. "none" (PDF). Music Week. 10 July 1993. p. 2. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
2. AllMusic
3. Muretich, James (8 August 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
4. Robert Christgau
5. Entertainment Weekly
6. Hochman, Steve (22 August 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
7. Jones, Alan (17 July 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 7. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
8. Spencer, Neil (11 July 1993). "Pop Releases". The Observer.
9. Q
10. Fitzmaurice, Larry (2 October 2018). "A Primer on UB40, the Band Brett Kavanaugh for Some Reason Wanted to Fight". Vulture. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
11. "Australiancharts.com – UB40 – Promises and Lies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
12. "Austriancharts.at – UB40 – Promises and Lies" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
13. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2226". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – UB40 – Promises and Lies" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
15. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – UB40 – Promises and Lies" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
17. "Charts.nz – UB40 – Promises and Lies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
18. "Norwegiancharts.com – UB40 – Promises and Lies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
19. "Swedishcharts.com – UB40 – Promises and Lies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
20. "Swisscharts.com – UB40 – Promises and Lies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
22. "UB40 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
23. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1993". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
24. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2332". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
25. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
26. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
27. "Top Selling Albums of 1993 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
28. "LOS 50 TÍTULOS CON MAYORES VENTAS EN LAS LISTAS DE VENTAS DE AFYVE EN 1993" (PDF) (in Spanish). Anuarios SGAE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
29. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
30. "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
31. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
32. "Top Selling Albums of 1994 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
33. "Argentina". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 10 December 1994. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
34. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1993 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
35. "Austrian album certifications – UB40 – Promises" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
36. "Canadian album certifications – UB40 – Promises". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
37. Sexton, Paul (14 August 1993). "Honeymoon Continues with UB40". Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
38. "French album certifications – UB40 – Promises" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
39. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (UB40; 'Promises + Lies')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
40. Dondoni, Luca (28 July 1993). "Grazie a Sharon Sione gli Ub 40 spopolano". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 53. Retrieved 4 March 2021. Duecentocinquantamila copie vendute in Indonesia, oltre a 5 milioni di cassette pirata, 22 mila copie in un piccolo Paese come la Costa d'Avorio, 72 mila in Nuova Zelanda e addirittura 150 mila in Sud Africa
41. "Dutch album certifications – UB40 – Promises" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 11 March 2019. Enter Promises in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1993 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
42. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 935. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
43. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Promises')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
45. "British album certifications – UB40 – Promises and lies". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
46. "American album certifications – UB-40 – Promises and lies". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 March 2019.