Westlife (album)

Westlife is the debut studio album by Irish boy band Westlife. The album was released on 1 November 1999 through RCA. The album spawned the five UK number-one hit singles "Swear It Again", "If I Let You Go", "Flying Without Wings", the double A-side "I Have a Dream"/"Seasons in the Sun", and "Fool Again".

Westlife
Studio album by Westlife
Released	1 November 1999
Recorded	1998–1999
Studio	Rokstone (London, England) Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden) CaVa (Glasgow, Scotland)
Genre	Pop
Length	65:37 (standard edition) 51:00 (North American edition)
Label	RCA BMG
Producer	Simon Cowell (exec.) Steve Mac (also exec.) Wayne Hector (exec.) Per Magnusson David Kreuger Rami Yacoub TTW David Foster Pete Waterman Jake Schulze David Frank Steve Kipner Cutfather & Joe Jaime Ikeda Rovi Clive Gardiner
Westlife chronology
Westlife (1999) Coast to Coast (2000)
Westlife
North American edition art cover
Singles from Westlife
"Swear It Again" Released: 19 April 1999 "If I Let You Go" Released: 9 August 1999 "Flying Without Wings" Released: 18 October 1999 "I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun" Released: 13 December 1999 "Fool Again" Released: 27 March 2000

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllRovi	[1]
AllMusic	[2]
The Tribune (Chandigarh)	[3]

Background and release

Westlife signed to RCA in November 1998 and immediately flew to Stockholm to commence recording their debut album. Their lead single "Swear It Again" was released in April 1999. Two further singles followed and the album was released in November 1999.^[4] The album's standard edition features 17 tracks, while the band said they had recorded 22 songs for their debut album.^[5]

For North America, Westlife signed to Arista Records after auditioning for the label's founder, Clive Davis.^[6] Westlife released "Swear It Again" as their debut there on 7 March 2000. The album was released on 4 April 2000 with an altered track listing that included the new song, "My Private Movie".^[6]

A documentary video album related to the release, entitled "The Westlife Story", was released in October 2000, peaking at number 15 on the UK Visual Chart. The release, available in VHS and DVD, tells the story of how the five members became Westlife, the recording of their first album, and includes their then 4 music videos. On 26 June 2000, the DVD was re-released, containing all their then 6 music videos, and on 18 November 2002, it was included in the five disc box set entitled Westlife: The Complete Story.

Commercial performance

All five singles from the album peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in less than a year. Despite this, however, the album itself entered and peaked at number two, beaten by Steptacular by Steps.^{[citation needed]} The album was the biggest chart dropper on the top 40 in UK music history when, in its 58th week on the charts it leapt from No. 79 to No. 3 before falling to No. 37 the following week.^[7] In Scotland, the album peaked at No. 1 years after its release in 2001 after originally peaking at No. 6 on the Scottish Charts in 1999.^[8] The album also peaked at number 1 in Ireland^[9] and 15 in Australia.

The album became the eighth best-selling album of 1999 in the United Kingdom and was certified 5× Platinum.^[10] The album spent seventy-four weeks in the UK Top 100.^[11] Westlife is the best-selling international album ever in Indonesia and the Philippines, receiving 20× platinum certifications for over 1 million copies sold in Indonesia and 25× Platinum certifications for over 500,000 units sold in the Philippines.^[12][13]

In 2000, the album was released in the United States and debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers and peaked at 129 on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

Westlife – Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Swear It Again" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:08
2.	"If I Let You Go" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily, McFadden)	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:41
3.	"Flying Without Wings" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:36
4.	"Fool Again" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:54
5.	"No No" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily, McFadden)	Andreas Carlsson, Rami	Rami	3:14
6.	"I Don't Wanna Fight" (lead vocals: Feehily, Filan)	Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David Foster	Mac	5:03
7.	"Change the World" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Lance Ellington, Topham, Twigg	TTW	3:09
8.	"Moments" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:17
9.	"Seasons in the Sun" (lead vocals: Egan, McFadden, Filan, Feehily, Byrne)	Jacques Brel, Rod McKuen	TTW	4:08
10.	"I Need You" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily, McFadden)	Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, Rami	Rami	3:49
11.	"Miss You" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Jake Schulze, Rami	Schulze, Rami	3:53
12.	"More Than Words" (lead vocals: Filan, McFadden)	Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt	Mac	3:54
13.	"Open Your Heart" (lead vocals: Filan, McFadden, Feehily)	Carlsson, Schulze	Schulze	3:38
14.	"Try Again" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily, McFadden)	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:34
15.	"What I Want Is What I've Got" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily, McFadden)	Alexandra Talomaa, Rami	Rami	3:33
16.	"We Are One" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	Alexandre Desplat, Mac, Hector	Mac	3:42
17.	"Can't Lose What You Never Had" (lead vocals: Filan, Feehily)	David Frank, Steve Kipner	Frank, Kipner	4:23
Total length:				65:37

Westlife – Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Story of Love"	Patrick Tucker, Shepard Solomon, Arnthor Birgisson	Jaime Ikeda, Rovi	3:54
Total length:				69:31

Westlife – Australian edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"I Have a Dream"	Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus	Pete Waterman	4:07
Total length:				73:38

Westlife – North American edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Swear It Again"	Steve Mac, Wayne Hector	Mac	4:08
2.	"Can't Lose What You Never Had"	David Frank, Steve Kipner	Frank, Kipner	4:24
3.	"I Don't Wanna Fight"	Mac, Hector, Peter Cetera, David Foster	Mac	5:03
4.	"My Private Movie"	Steve Kipner, David Kopatz, Jack Kugell	Cutfather & Joe	4:04
5.	"Flying Without Wings"	Mac, Hector	Mac	3:36
6.	"If I Let You Go"	David Kreuger, Jörgen Elofsson, Per Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:41
7.	"Fool Again"	Kreuger, Elofsson, Magnusson	Kreuger, Magnusson	3:54
8.	"No No"	Andreas Carlsson, Rami	Rami	3:14
9.	"Miss You"	Jake Schulze, Rami	Schulze, Rami	3:53
10.	"Open Your Heart"	Carlsson, Schulze	Schulze	3:38
11.	"We Are One"	Alexadre Desplat, Mac, Hector	Mac	3:42
12.	"I Need You"	Carlsson, Max Martin, Rami	Rami	3:49
13.	"More Than Words"	Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt	Mac	3:54
Total length:				51:00

The Westlife Story

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Westlife Story" (Documentary)
2.	"Swear It Again" (Video)
3.	"If I Let You Go" (Video)
4.	"Flying Without Wings" (Video)
5.	"I Have a Dream" (Video)
6.	"Seasons in the Sun" (Video)
7.	"Fool Again" (Video)
8.	"Photo Gallery"
9.	"Hidden Track"
10.	"Trivia Quiz"
11.	"Interactive Scene & Song Selection"
12.	"Weblink"
13.	"Previously Unseen Footage"

Personnel

Acoustic guitar, electric guitar: Mats Berntoft (tracks: 2, 4, 14) Arrangement (strings): Henrik Janson (tracks: 2, 4, 11, 13, 14) Richard Niles (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Ulf Janson (tracks: 2, 4, 11, 13, 14) Arrangement (vocals): Steve Mac (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Wayne Hector (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Artwork (design): root Backing vocals (additional): Anders Von Hofsten (tracks: 2, 11, 13 to 15) Andreas Carlsson (tracks: 2, 5, 13) Bass guitar: Steve Pearce (tracks: 3, 6, 12, 16) Tomas Lindberg (tracks: 2, 13, 15)

Engineering assistance: Daniel Pursey (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Engineer for mix: Matt Howe (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Engineer and programming: Chris Laws (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Executive producer: Simon Cowell Steve Mac Wayne Hector Guitar: Esbjörn Öhrwall (tracks: 11, 13, 15) Paul Gendler (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 16) Keyboards: Per Magnusson (tracks: 2, 4, 14) Photography: Brian Aris

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999–2000) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 15 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 5 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[16] 12 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 8 European Albums Chart[18] 10 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[19] 40 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 55 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[21] 16 Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 1 Malaysian Albums (IFPI)[23] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 5 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 1 Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 48 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 25 UK Albums (OCC)[29] 2 US Billboard 200[30] 129

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 46 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[32] 78 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] 98 European Albums (Eurochart Hot 100)[34] 96 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 61 UK Albums (OCC)[36] 9 Chart (2000) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[37] 65 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 100 European Albums (Eurochart Hot 100)[39] 40 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[40] 14 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 91 UK Albums (OCC)[42] 32 Chart (2001) Position UK Albums (OCC)[43] 117

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Westlife

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44]	Gold	35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[45]	2× Platinum	40,000‡
Indonesia	—	1,000,000[13]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[46]	Gold	75,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[47]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48]	3× Platinum	45,000^
Norway	—	95,000[49]
Philippines	—	500,000[12]
Singapore	—	93,000[50]
Sweden (GLF)[51]	Platinum	80,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[10]	5× Platinum	1,500,000*
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[52]	2× Platinum	2,000,000*
Southeast Asia	—	1,500,000[53]
Worldwide	—	6,000,000[54]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Formats
United Kingdom	1 November 1999	Standard (17 tracks)
Japan	4 April 2000	Standard (18 tracks)
Philippines	18 April 2000	Deluxe (2×CD)
United States	7 May 2000	Standard (13 tracks)
Australia	15 May 2000	Standard (18 tracks)
Philippines	31 July 2000	Platinum (2×CD, CD+DVD)
United Kingdom	15 October 2000	Video (The Westlife Story)
Japan	19 December 2000	Standard (No.1 Hits & Rare Tracks)

See also

• List of best-selling albums in Indonesia
• List of best-selling albums in the Philippines

References

1. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllRovi. 7 December 1999. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
2. "Listen to Westlife by Westlife - Album Reviews, Credits, and Awards". AllMusic. 1999. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
3. "Music Zone". The Tribune. 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
4. "Westlife: Our Story". HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 89–103. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
5. "Westlife: not just another boy band". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
6. Taylor, Chuck (5 February 2000). "Dublin's Darling Westlife Wins Over Europe, Aims For Success in U.S.". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 6. Nielsen Business Media. p. 110. ISSN 0006-2510.
7. "Record-Breakers and Trivia – Albums". everyhit.com.
8. "Scottish Albums (14 January 2001)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
9. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 27 November 1999. p. 61.
10. "British album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". British Phonographic Industry.
11. "Take That". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
12. Cruz Jr., Ruben (15 May 2001). "Westlife brings Coast to Coast in Manila". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
13. Sofia, Maya (20 October 2011). "Boyband Westlife Resmi Bubar Tahun Depan" (in Indonesian). Viva News. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
14. "Australiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
15. "Ultratop.be – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
16. "Listen - Danmarks Officielle Hitliste - Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark - Uge 2". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. 16 January 2000.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
18. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 22 January 2000. p. 69.
19. "Westlife: Westlife" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
20. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
21. "Tonlist Top 30". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
22. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 1, 2000". Chart-Track. IRMA.
23. "Hits of the World: November 27, 1999 (Pages 60, 61)". Billboard. 27 November 1999.
24. "Charts.nz – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
26. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Westlife – Westlife". Hung Medien.
29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
30. "Westlife Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
31. "Jaaroverzichten 1999". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
32. "Års Hitlister 2000" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 16 November 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
33. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1999". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
34. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. 1 January 2000. p. 11. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
35. "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 1999". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
36. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
37. "Jaaroverzichten 2000". Ultratop. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
38. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
39. "Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 2000" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 52. 23 December 2000. p. 9. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 19 January 2019 – via American Radio History.
40. "Top Selling Albums of 2000". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
41. "Year list Album (incl. Collections), 2000". Sverigetopplistan (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 December 2020.
42. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
43. "The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
44. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
45. "Danish album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". IFPI Danmark.
46. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Westlife in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Westlife in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
47. "Dutch album certifications – Westlife – Westlife" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Westlife in the "Artiest of titel" box.
48. "New Zealand album certifications – Westlife – Westlife". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
49. "Westlife til Norge igjen". E24 Næringsliv (in Norwegian). 9 July 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
50. "Life!". The Straits Times. 9 January 2001. p. 2. Retrieved 27 August 2023. The Singapore Phonogram Videogram Association (SPVA) said Westlife's debut sold over 93,000 copies, making it the No. 1 album in the Top 10 English
51. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2000" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
52. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2000". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
53. McClure, Steve (30 December 2000). "Music Scenes Thrive In Asia". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. p. 60. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
54. "Westlife in summer's biggest musical event". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 26 May 2001. p. 42. Retrieved 11 June 2020.