Ready for the Weekend (album)

Ready for the Weekend is the second studio album by Scottish musician Calvin Harris, released on 14 August 2009 by Fly Eye and Columbia Records. The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It spawned the singles "I'm Not Alone", "Ready for the Weekend", "Flashback" and "You Used to Hold Me".

Ready for the Weekend
Studio album by Calvin Harris
Released	14 August 2009 (2009-08-14)
Recorded	2008–2009
Studio	Earth's Core (Glasgow)
Genre	Dance[1]
Length	52:20
Label	Fly Eye Columbia
Producer	Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris chronology
I Created Disco (2007) Ready for the Weekend (2009) 18 Months (2012)
Singles from Ready for the Weekend
"I'm Not Alone" Released: 6 April 2009 "Ready for the Weekend" Released: 9 August 2009 "Flashback" Released: 2 November 2009 "You Used to Hold Me" Released: 8 February 2010

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Daily Telegraph	[4]
Dotmusic	7/10[5]
Evening Standard	[6]
The Guardian	[7]
The Independent	[8]
musicOMH	[9]
NME	7/10[10]
Spin	[11]
Under the Radar	4/10[12]

Background

Harris had been working on the album since the release of his debut album, I Created Disco, with the first tracks being recorded in 2008. In April 2008, Harris stated that the only existing copy of his then-upcoming album was lost when his laptop was misplaced during the baggage handling problems at the opening of London Heathrow Terminal 5.^[13] He later stated on the BBC's Glastonbury Festival 2008 coverage that he got his baggage back including the album within a few days. However, Harris ultimately admitted in April 2009 that this was a lie as the album was not in his luggage at all, and that he hoped that what he said would give him more time to finish recording the album.^[14]

"Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La" was used in a Coca-Cola advertisement in mid-2009.^[15]

Singles

"I'm Not Alone" was released as the album's lead single on 6 April 2009. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, knocking off Lady Gaga's "Poker Face".^[16] It spent two weeks atop the chart, before dropping to number three in its third week.^[17] "Ready for the Weekend" was released as the album's second single on 9 August 2009. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart.^[18]

"Flashback" was released as the third single from the album on 2 November 2009. The track reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.^[18] The album's fourth and final single, "You Used to Hold Me", was released on 8 February 2010, peaking at number 27 on the UK chart.^[18] An extended version of Harris's 2008 chart-topping collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, "Dance wiv Me", is also included on the album.

Critical reception

The Metacritic score for the album was 65/100. Several reviewers drew on Harris’ comment that he was intending to make a “stadium dance” album and noted the bigger scale and greater sense of a party crowd atmosphere in Ready for The Weekend compared to Harris's previous album I Created Disco. James McMahon of NME for example referred to the “music-for-the-people philosophy embodied at the core of Harris’ anthem-heavy new record”. ^[19]

Neil McCormick called the album “big, bold and colourful”, describing how the album’s songs “start out simple and organic” before evolving closer to electronic dance music over the course of the track. McCormick writes about how “The pop genius is in the way these develop and mutate, rather than settling into obvious, dumb grooves”. ^[20]

Commercial performance

Ready for the Weekend debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 36,308 copies in its first week.^[21] The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 16 October 2009,^[22] and by November 2014, it had sold 274,786 copies in the United Kingdom.^[23] The album was also successful in Ireland, where it peaked at number six on the Irish Albums Chart.^[24] In the United States, it reached number 12 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart and number 22 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.^[25][26] Ready for the Weekend attained moderate success elsewhere, reaching number 39 in Australia, number 74 in Belgium (Wallonia) and number 139 in France.^[27]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Rain"		4:36
2.	"Ready for the Weekend"		3:37
3.	"Stars Come Out"		4:28
4.	"You Used to Hold Me"		3:51
5.	"Blue"		3:41
6.	"I'm Not Alone"		3:31
7.	"Flashback"		3:49
8.	"Worst Day" (featuring Izza Kizza)	Harris Izza Kizza	3:46
9.	"Relax"		3:49
10.	"Limits"		3:42
11.	"Burns Night"	Harris Mark Irving	2:20
12.	"Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La"		3:17
13.	"Dance wiv Me" (Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome)	Dylan Mills Harris Nick Detnon Tyrone Paul	4:24
14.	"5iliconeator"		3:29

All tracks are written by Calvin Harris, except where noted

iTunes Store bonus tracks^[28][29][30]

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Greatest Fear"	6:20
16.	"I'm Not Alone" (deadmau5 Mix) (France and US only)	8:15
17.	"Ready for the Weekend" (Fake Blood Remix) (France only)	5:40

Japanese edition bonus tracks^[31]

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Ready for the Weekend" (High Contrast Remix)	5:42
16.	"Ready for the Weekend" (Fake Blood Remix)	5:40
17.	"I'm Not Alone" (Tiësto Remix)	6:41
18.	"I'm Not Alone" (☆Taku Takahashi Remix)	5:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ready for the Weekend.^[32]

• Calvin Harris – production, arrangement, vocals, instruments, design concept
• Snake Davis – saxophone (track 1)
• Mary Pearce – additional vocals (track 2)
• Ayah Marar – additional vocals (tracks 3, 7, 10)
• Izza Kizza – vocals (track 8)
• Mark Irving – guitar (track 11)
• Dizzee Rascal – vocals (track 13)
• Chrome – vocals (track 13)
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
• Matthew Shave – sleeve photography
• Spiros Politis – inside photography
• Steve Stacey – design

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2009) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] 39 Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[34] 6 Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 47 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 74 European Albums (Billboard)[36] 9 French Albums (SNEP)[37] 139 Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] 6 Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[39] 1 UK Dance Albums (OCC)[40] 1 US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[25] 12 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[26] 22

Year-end charts Chart (2009) Position Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[41] 43 UK Albums (OCC)[42] 100

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43]	Gold	35,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44]	Gold	7,500‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[22]	Platinum	274,786[23]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref(s)
Australia	14 August 2009	CD digital download	Sony	[45][46]
Ireland			Fly Eye Columbia	[47][48]
United Kingdom	17 August 2009	CD LP digital download		[28][49][50]
France		CD	Cinq 7 Wagram	[51]
United States	18 August 2009	Digital download	Ultra	[30]
Japan	26 August 2009	CD digital download	Sony	[31]
Germany	25 September 2009		Ministry of Sound	[52]
France	5 October 2009	Digital download	Cinq 7 Wagram	[29]
United States	6 October 2009	CD	Ultra	[53]
France	12 October 2009	LP	Cinq 7 Wagram	[54]

References

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