The Beginning (Black Eyed Peas album)
Sixth studio album and prequel to The E.N.D.
The Beginning is the sixth studio album by the American group Black Eyed Peas, released on November 26, 2010, through Interscope Records. It acts as a prequel to their 2009 album The E.N.D. The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies in its first week. Critical reception was generally mixed to negative. This was the group’s last album with Fergie as a member, after which they took a five-year break.
The band confirmed they were working on a new album on June 6, 2010, in an interview with The Big Issue, describing it as a sequel to The E.N.D. will.i.am later said the album “symbolizes growth, new beginnings, and starts a fresh new perspective” and announced the title The Beginning with a planned release of November 30, 2010. The album was officially announced in a press release on October 26, 2010. Two promotional singles preceded the album: “Do It Like This” on November 15, 2010, and “Light Up the Night” on November 22, 2010. The Beginning was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things for 2010, and audience members received copies 11 days before the official release. A tour, the Beginning Massive Stadium Tour, ran from June to November 2011, with 20 shows starting in France.
The lead single, “The Time (Dirty Bit),” was released on November 3, 2010, and debuted on US radio on November 16. Its music video, directed by Rich Lee, came out on November 23. The song reached number one in over 15 countries. The second single, “Just Can’t Get Enough,” impacted US mainstream radio on February 8, 2011, and was announced via Twitter and the band’s site on January 21. Its video, directed by Ben Mor, was filmed over three days in Tokyo a week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The song topped charts in many countries. “Don’t Stop the Party” was announced as the third single by will.i.am on May 9, 2011, with a music video released on iTunes the next day, directed by Ben Mor and featuring on-stage and backstage footage from the group’s 2009–2010 The E.N.D World Tour.
Promotional singles included “Do It Like This,” released worldwide on November 16, 2010, and on iTunes on November 26, as part of “The Countdown to The Beginning.” “Light Up the Night” followed on November 24 worldwide and November 26 on iTunes, charting at number 99 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Music
- Nationality
- American
- Known for
- Sixth studio album
- prequel to The E.N.D.
- final album with Fergie
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Beginning was confirmed to be in development on June 6, 2010, during an interview for The Big Issue. will.i.am announced the album's title, stating it 'symbolizes growth, new beginnings, and starts a fresh new perspective,' with a release date of November 30, 2010. The album was officially announced via press release on October 26, 2010. Promotional singles 'Do It Like This' and 'Light Up the Night' were released in November 2010. The album was one of Oprah's Favorite Things for 2010, and audience members received copies 11 days before its official release. A tour called The Beginning Massive Stadium Tour ran from June to November 2011, comprising 20 shows.
The lead single, 'The Time (Dirty Bit)', was released on November 3, 2010, and topped charts in more than 15 countries. The second single, 'Just Can't Get Enough', was released on February 18, 2011, and its music video was shot in Tokyo one week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The third and final single, 'Don't Stop the Party', was released on June 24, 2011. The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 119,000 units. Critical reception was generally mixed to negative, with a Metacritic score of 47 based on 19 reviews. Critics praised the production but criticized the lack of Fergie's input, will.i.am's vocals, use of Auto-Tune, and lyrics.
Reader's Guide
The Beginning represents a transitional moment for the Black Eyed Peas, marking the end of the Fergie era and the group's final album before a five-year hiatus. Its commercial performance was modest compared to its predecessor, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200 and selling over 800,000 copies in the United States by October 2011. The album achieved number one in France and reached the top ten in several other countries. Critics were divided: some praised its production and club-oriented sound, while others found it repetitive and lyrically weak. The album's reliance on Auto-Tune and electronic beats continued the direction set by The E.N.D., but with less vocal presence from Fergie. The Beginning's legacy is tied to its role as a prequel and its status as the group's last work with its most commercially successful lineup. Its singles, particularly 'The Time (Dirty Bit)' and 'Just Can't Get Enough', achieved international chart success, but the album overall is often viewed as a less cohesive effort than its predecessor.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Time (Dirty Bit) | William Adams, Allan Pineda, Damien LeRoy, Franke Previte, John DeNicola, Donald Markowitz | 5:07 |
| 2 | Light Up the Night | Adams, Pineda, Keith Harris, Ricky Walters | 4:21 |
| 3 | Love You Long Time | Adams, Stacy Ferguson, Joshua Alvarez | 3:45 |
| 4 | XOXOXO | Adams, Pineda, Jean Baptiste | 3:45 |
| 5 | Someday | Adams, Baptiste, Pineda, Jaime Gomez | 4:33 |
| 6 | Whenever | Adams, Ferguson | 3:16 |
| 7 | Fashion Beats | Adams, Ferguson, Harris, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards | 5:20 |
| 8 | Don't Stop the Party | Adams, Pineda, Gomez, Ferguson, Alvarez, LeRoy | 6:07 |
| 9 | Do It Like This | Adams, Pineda, Gomez, LeRoy | 5:29 |
| 10 | The Best One Yet (The Boy) | Adams, Pineda, Gomez, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Sylvia Gordon, Baptiste | 4:25 |
| 11 | Just Can't Get Enough | Adams, Pineda, Gomez, Ferguson, Alvarez, Stephen Shadowen, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Julie Frost | 3:39 |
| 12 | Play It Loud | Adams, Michael McHenry, Baptiste | 4:21 |
| Total length | 54:05 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
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