| V | |||||||
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| Studio album by Maroon 5 | |||||||
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V (roman numeral for Five) is the fifth studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on August 29, 2014, by Interscope Records. V was Maroon 5's first album to be released through Interscope after the band's previous label, A&M Octone Records, transferred them along with most of its artists to Interscope. The album also saw the return of keyboardist Jesse Carmichael after his absence from recording, touring and promoting Overexposed (2012). V debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 164,000 copies in the first week. The album produced three singles: "Maps", "Animals", and "Sugar", peaking at number six, number three, and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, respectively. A fourth single, "This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfucker," was released on May 15, 2015 as the lead single off of the album's reissue pack. "Feelings" was released as the album's fifth and final single on September 14, 2015.
Background
In 2012, Maroon 5 released their fourth studio album Overexposed. The record was released during a time of commercial momentum for the band following the success of "Moves Like Jagger" (recorded with Christina Aguilera), a single which lead singer Adam Levine credited as having "revived the group", and the album's lead single, "Payphone", which became both a critical and commercial success. Overexposed was described by the band as their "most poppiest record to date", with critics giving the album mixed reviews upon its release, describing the album as having lacked memorable hooks and charm, and having exposed their limitations. The album, however, was met with a positive note with praise directed generally at Levine's vocals and the album's production.
Recording
V was recorded by the band at Conway Studios in downtown Los Angeles, California over a year-long period from 2013 through to mid 2014. The recording sessions for V saw the band's keyboardist Jesse Carmichael return to the band after a two-year hiatus, which saw him absent during the recording and promotion for Overexposed. V also features a collaboration with Gwen Stefani called "My Heart Is Open", co-written with Sia Furler. James Valentine stated that the band has known Furler for a long time and working with her was "really cool."
Artwork
The album cover for V was created by South Korean photographer Lee Jung. It features a 1.3m neon lighted crosstube formed in the shape of the roman numeral for five, the title of the album. The red neon display is placed in front of a reservoir in the Gyeonggi Province, with mountains in the background. The Maroon 5 logo appears out of focus in the background as a sign perched on the side of the mountain, similar to the famous Hollywood Sign. An alternate cover for the album was created by Indonesian graphic designer Bayo Gale. It features the tiger's face with a shape of the letter V with a vertex at the bottom and the Maroon 5 logo.
Release and promotion
Departing from then-active A&M Octone Records, the band signed with its related label, Interscope Records in May 2014 to release the album. V was unveiled by the band and Interscope on May 19, 2014, slated for a release date of September 2, 2014 in the United States. Through a signed contract with Live Nation, the band had also announced that they are also set to embark on a world tour in late 2014 through to early 2015 in support of V. The artwork for V was unveiled through a series of five puzzle piece clues released daily through the band's Facebook page from July 17 through to July 21. After the series was completed, the album's artwork, in addition to its track listing, were unveiled on July 21, 2014. Moreover, to promote the album, the band performed on The Today Show (as part of the Toyota concert series) at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, New York on September 1, 2014. The band started the Maroon V Tour in February 2015 at venues mainly to take place in North America and Europe. The tour concluded on May 12, 2018 in Zapopan, Mexico, comprising 136 shows.
Singles
- "Maps", was released on June 16, 2014, as the first single from the album. The song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 giving the band their ninth top-ten hit in the country. "Maps" also reached the top-ten in an additional fourteen countries, including a peak of number two on the UK Singles Chart.
- "Animals" was released as the album's second single on August 25, 2014. The song peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving the band their tenth top-ten hit in the country. "Animals" also peaked within the top-ten in an additional ten countries, and has also sold in excess of 200,000 copies in the UK alone. Likewise with their previous single, "Animals" achieved platinum status in the US for sales exceeding 1,000,000 copies.
- "Sugar" was released on January 13, 2015 as the third single from the album. It is the most successful single from the album, reaching the top-ten in 24 countries, including number six in Australia, number seven on the UK Singles Chart, and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. As of April 2015, the song has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide, including 300,000 copies in the UK, and over 1,500,000 copies in the US.
- "This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfucker" was released on May 15, 2015 as the fourth single from the album. It will be the lead single off of the album's reissue pack.
- "Feelings" was sent to contemporary hit and adult contemporary radio on September 14, 2015 as the fifth and final single from the album.
Promotional single
- "It Was Always You" was released as the album's only promotional single on July 29, 2014, peaking at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart and number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Other songs
- "My Heart Is Open" featuring Gwen Stefani, charted at number 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, which is equivalent to #107 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is featured on advertisements of the 2014 film The Best of Me.
Critical reception
The album received generally mixed reviews upon its release. On Metacritic, V received a weighted average score of 55/100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". In a four-star review, Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone called the songs "precision-tuned and lustrously polished, jammed with hooks and choruses that build a man cave in your brain." Brian Mansfield of USA Today gave the album two and a half stars out of four, remarking the album was "easy to digest and contains all sorts of flavors while still being its own thing." In a 86 out of 100 review for Billboard, Brad Wete argued the album "reveals that their foundation has not been removed." Writing on behalf of AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album three and a half stars out of five, praising the band for "[embracing] the tuneful, slightly soulful adult contemporary pop band they've always been".
Not all reviews were positive. Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly graded the album a C, suggesting Levine's songwriting didn't "live up to his ability to work a crowd." Writing for The Guardian, Tim Jonze gave the album two out of five stars, dismissing it as "evidence as to why most people can't remember a Maroon 5 song two seconds after it finishes." In a two star review from The Observer, Theo Leanse called the album "a gaudy chunk of over-produced electro-pop-rock", but noted its accessibility, saying it "flips a smug V-sign at us, knowing we'll never free its singles from our skulls." Evan Rytlewski gave a C+ review on behalf of The A.V. Club commenting the band "stayed hip", but only by "furnishing a too-perfect, soundstage ideal of whatever the kids are into these days." In the New York Daily News, Jim Farber criticized the hooks on the album for being "so annoying, you won't be able to scrub them from your mind." Annie Galvin delivered a 5/10 review for PopMatters stating, "As far as lightweight, easy-listening charts pop goes, V doesn’t totally offend the sensibilities, and that’s surely more than can be said about some of Maroon 5’s overly pandering, less exploratory 'pop-rock' peers."
Commercial performance
In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 164,000 copies in the U.S. and earned their second US number-one album since 2007's It Won't Be Soon Before Long. As of January 2015, it has sold over 620,000 copies.
In Canada, the album also debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, with 15,000 copies sold for the week. In its second week, the album remained at number one with 7,700 copies.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maps" | Adam Levine, Ryan Tedder, Benjamin Levin, Ammar Malik, Noel Zancanella | Benny Blanco, Tedder, Zancanella, Noah Passovoy | 3:10 | |
| 2. | "Animals" | Levine, Shellback, Levin | Shellback | 3:51 | |
| 3. | "It Was Always You" | Levine, Sam Martin, Jason Evigan, Marcus Lomax, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson | Evigan, The Monsters & Strangerz, S. Johnson, Martin, Isaiah Tejada | 4:00 | |
| 4. | "Unkiss Me" | Levine, Johan Carlsson, Ross Golan | Carlsson, Passovoy | 3:58 | |
| 5. | "Sugar" | Levine, Joshua Coleman, Lukasz Gottwald, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Mike Posner, Henry Walter | Ammo, Cirkut | 3:55 | |
| 6. | "Leaving California" | Levine, Levin, Nate Ruess, Malik, Tor E. Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen | Blanco, StarGate, Passovoy | 3:23 | |
| 7. | "In Your Pocket" | Levine, Shellback, T. Jimson, M. Flygare | Shellback, Astma & Rocwell | 3:39 | |
| 8. | "New Love" | Levine, Tedder, Zancanella | Tedder, Zancanella | 3:16 | |
| 9. | "Coming Back for You" | Levine, Martin, Evigan, Lomax J. Johnson, S. Johnson | Evigan, The Monsters & Strangerz, S. Johnson, Martin, Tejada | 3:47 | |
| 10. | "Feelings" | Levine, Shellback, Oscar Görres | Shellback, OzGo | 3:14 | |
| 11. | "My Heart Is Open" (featuring Gwen Stefani) | Levine, Levin, Sia Furler, Rodney Jerkins, Andre Lindal | Blanco, Darkchild, Lindal, Levine | 3:57 |
| Reissue bonus track | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 12. | "This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a Motherfucker" | Levine, Shellback | Shellback | 3:45 | ||||||
| Deluxe edition bonus tracks | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 12. | "Shoot Love" | Levine, Levin, Mallik, Shellback, Paul Epworth | Shellback, Epworth | 3:10 | ||||||
| 13. | "Sex and Candy" (Marcy Playground cover) | John Wozniak | 4:25 | |||||||
| 14. | "Lost Stars" (performed by Adam Levine) | Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, Nick Southwood | 4:27 | |||||||
| Japanese and Walmart ZinePak editions (bonus tracks) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 15. | "Maps" (Slaptop Remix) | Levine, Levin, Tedder, Malik, Zancanella | Blanco, Tedder, Zancanella, Passovoy, Slaptop | 4:02 | ||||||
| 16. | "Maps" (Remix) (featuring Big Sean) | Levine, Levin, Tedder, Malik, Zancanella, Sean Anderson | Blanco, Tedder, Zancanella, Passovoy, DJ Reflex | 3:51 | ||||||
| Japanese bonus DVD | ||||||||||
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| No. | Title | |||||||||
| 1. | "International EPK" (Interview) | |||||||||
| 2. | "Lost Stars" (acoustic performance) | |||||||||
| 3. | "Maps" (music video) | |||||||||
| 4. | "Maps (Behind the Scenes)" | |||||||||
Personnel
Maroon 5
- Adam Levine – lead and backing vocals, guitars, additional drums, songwriting
- Jesse Carmichael – keyboards, backing vocals
- Mickey Madden – bass guitar
- James Valentine – guitars
- Matt Flynn – drums, percussion
- PJ Morton – keyboards
Additional musicians
- Sam Schamberg – additional handclaps and vocals
- Jason Fields – additional handclaps and vocals
- Travis Leete – additional handclaps and vocals
- Shawn Tellez – additional handclaps and vocals
- Shellback – songwriting, production, additional instrumentation, backing vocals, programming
- Sam Farrar – backing vocals
- Ashley Cahill – backing vocals
- Ryan Jackson-Healy – backing vocals
- Ross Golan – backing vocals
- Johan Carlsson – songwriting, additional instrumentation, keyboards, mixing, production, programming, vocal production, backing vocals
- Mattias Bylund – strings
- Dr. Luke – instrumentation, programming, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming, synth bass
- Ammo & Cirkut - additional instrumentation and programming
- Mike Posner – additional vocals, composer
- Stargate – additional instrumentation and programming
- Aryn Wüthrich – backing vocals
- Astma & Rocwell – additional instrumentation and programming
- The Monsters and the Strangerz – songwriting, production, additional instrumentation
- Gwen Stefani – vocals (featured guest on "My Heart Is Open")
- Phil Peterson – strings
Technical personnel
- Ryan Tedder – songwriting, production, additional instrumentation, programming
- John Armstrong – assistant
- Astma – additional instrumentation, production, programming
- Tim Blacksmith – executive production
- Max Martin – executive production, vocal production
- Noah "Mailbox" Passovoy – production
- Benny Blanco – songwriting, production, additional instrumentation, programming
- Ammar Malik – songwriting
- Linda Carbone – publicity
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Danny D. – executive producer
- Carleen Donovan – publicity
- Mikkel Storleer Eriksen – songwriting, engineer
- Jason Evigan – songwriting, additional instrumentation, production, programming, vocal production
- Eric Eylands – assistant
- Rachael Findlen – assistant
- Michel Flygare – songwriting, production
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Clint Gibbs – engineer
- Oscar Görres (OzGo) - songwriting, production, additional instrumentation, programming
- John Hanes – mixing
- Tor Erik Hermansen – songwriting
- Jacob Hindlen – songwriting
- Sia – songwriting
- Nate Ruess – songwriting
- Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins – songwriting
- Andre Lindal – songwriting
- Joshua Coleman – songwriting
- Lee Jung – photography
- Seif "Mageef" Hussain – production coordination
Release history
| Region | Date | Edition | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | August 29, 2014 | Standard, deluxe | CD, digital download, HFPA | Interscope |
| Brazil | Universal Music Brazil | |||
| China | November 1, 2014 | Standard | Universal Music China | |
| South Korea | September 1, 2014 | Standard, deluxe, Blu-ray | Universal Music Korea | |
| United States | September 2, 2014 | Standard, deluxe (explicit), standard, deluxe (clean) | CD, LP, digital download | 222, Interscope |