Paris (Paris Hilton album)

Paris
Studio album by Paris Hilton
Released August 22, 2006
Recorded 2004–06
Genre Pop[1][2]
Length 39:50
Label Warner Bros.
Producer
Singles from Paris
  1. "Stars Are Blind"
    Released: June 5, 2006
  2. "Turn It Up"
    Released: July 11, 2006
  3. "Nothing in This World"
    Released: August 28, 2006

Paris is the debut studio album by American media personality and singer Paris Hilton. It was released on August 22, 2006 by Warner Bros. Records. The entire album was posted on AOL Music on August 14, 2006, becoming available for online stream eight days before the scheduled release date.[3] After getting signed to the label in 2005, Hilton began working on the album with the producer Rob Cavallo, who was originally set to produce the entire record. They recorded the song "Screwed", which was intended to be the lead single. However, after meeting with Scott Storch, Hilton decided to change the musical direction of the album and make more hip hop and R&B influenced songs. She collaborated with other producers, including Fernando Garibay, J.R. Rotem, Dr. Luke and Greg Wells. Musically, Paris is a pop album that is influenced by hip hop and R&B. It also incorporates elements of other genres, such as reggae, soul and pop rock, in its production.

Upon its release, Paris received generally mixed reviews from music critics, but noted a commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 77,000 copies.[4] As of October 2013, the album has sold 200,000 copies in the United States and over 600,000 copies worldwide.[5][6]

Three singles were released from the album. "Stars Are Blind" was released as the lead single on June 5, 2006 to critical acclaim. It peaked at number eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the highest debuting singles of 2006. The second single, "Turn It Up", managed to be successful on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, peaking at number one. "Nothing in This World", the album's third and final single, was released on August 28 and peaked at number twelve on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Background and recording

Hilton first announced plans to record an album in 2003 during the production of her reality television series The Simple Life. She began early collaborations with Romeo Antonio. Together they recorded six songs, including a midtempo ballad with the working title "Loneliness".[7][8] In 2004, she met with the producer Robb Boldt. In collaboration with JC Chasez, she started recording new demos.[9] Around that time, she was pitched the song "Screwed", written by Kara DioGuardi and Greg Wells.[10] She began talking about the song in many interviews, saying it would be the first single from the album. In June 2004, Hilton established her own record label, Heiress Records, on which she was planning to release the album.[11] That same summer, Haylie Duff said in an interview that "Screwed" was actually intended to be recorded by her and would be the first single from her debut album, which was later cancelled.[12] It was followed by a legal battle for the song. In August 2004, a lo-fi leak of Hilton's recording of the song circulated onto the Internet from an Orlando radio station airing, which complicated the legal battle.[13] After meeting with the producer Rob Cavallo, Hilton recorded a new version of the song and was planning to shoot a music video with David LaChapelle.[14] Not long afterwards, Duff was dropped by Hollywood Records which allowed Hilton to claim the song as hers.

Around the same time, Lil Jon agreed to produce some tracks for Hilton. He sent over four tracks for her to consider. She picked a song called "That's Hot" but later commented: "It's really like hip-hop though, so I told him to tone it down a little. It's hot, but it's more like for Lil' Kim, and I told him to make it more like me." However, Hilton was unable to get in the studio with him since she was working on the film Pledge This! in Miami.[15] Other reports were made about a possible collaboration with The Black Eyed Peas.[16] Hilton continued her work with Cavallo, who was initially set to serve as a producer for the entire record. Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's was also invited to work with her and Cavallo. Wiedlin spoke on her work with Hilton: "I think her voice is sounding good. The first time she sang she was super nervous and she just didn't really have experience singing. And one of the main things I did was kind of guide her through the vocals. And as she is getting more and more comfortable in the studio, she is just getting better and better. I think people are going to be really surprised when they hear the record. It's going to be good." Hilton later confirmed a cover version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" would appear on the album.[17]

In the summer of 2005, Hilton met with the producer Scott Storch in Miami and was invited to his recording studio. After recording the song "Turn It Up", she decided to change the musical direction of the album and make more hip hop and R&B-influenced songs.[18] After months of collaboration with Storch, with contributions from Fernando Garibay, Dr. Luke, J.R. Rotem, and Greg Wells, Paris was finally complete and ready for release.

Release and promotion

Tentatively called Screwed, Hilton decided to change the album's title to Paris Is Burning. It was originally scheduled to be released in February 2005 with the first single released in December 2004, but after she decided to change the album's concept following her collaboration with Scott Storch, the release date was pushed back. In December 2005, it was announced that the album, then titled 1 Crazy Party, would feature the songs "Screwed", "Turn It Up" and "All the Boys Are Chasing Me" (an early version of "Fightin' Over Me") featuring Fat Joe and Nelly.[19] In January 2006, a song called "My Mistake" was confirmed for the album. It was allegedly about Hilton's infamous sex tape scandal.[20]

During the first week of the album's release, Hilton became a target of the street artist Banksy, when 500 copies of her album in 48 record shops across the United Kingdom were replaced with his own alternative version. His rework of the album featured remixes produced by himself and Danger Mouse. The tracklist contained satire song titles such as "Why Am I Famous?", "What Have I Done?" and "What Am I For?" He also changed the cover sleeve and booklet to display pictures of the singer topless. The original barcode had been left on the album so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered.[21][22][23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(positive)[25]
Blender(mixed)[26]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
The Guardian[27]
The Observer[28]
Rolling Stone[29]
Slant Magazine[30]
Yahoo! Music UK7/10[31]

Paris received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, out of 100, to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 57, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[24] AllMusic was positive, commenting that the album was "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too".[1] Mark Daniels from Yahoo! Music called the album "actually rather good", before adding, "To many it'll appear that [...] Ms Hilton has bought herself a singing career. And in many ways it could be argued that she has. But so what? With some contagious pop, genuinely stylish moments and a complete lack of inane ballads, it was worth every penny".[31] According to Billboard's Keith Caulfield, "Does it matter that Paris Hilton isn't a great singer? Not really. [...] Wisely, the gaggle of producers and writers enlisted for the project don't require Hilton to do more than she's capable of, thus making "Paris" an enjoyable pop romp. [...] Naysayers be damned: Hilton releasing an album does not signal the end of days. "Paris" won't change the world, but it's good fun.[25]

Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review, and described the album as a "candy box well-stocked with NutraSweet melodies", but with lyrics "often both inane and vaguely porny".[2] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine stated that the album was not bad, and it would likely earn better notices than recent albums by other female artists. However, he criticized the hip hop-influenced tracks.[30] The Observer's Craig McLean remarked that "The heiress's first album might be more than the musical equivalent of the ghostwritten autobiography after all".[28] Randy Lewis from Los Angeles Times thought that Paris "isn't truly awful. [...] With infectious beats and hooky sonic textures established by the hit-laden pros surrounding her, all Hilton has to bring to the party is, well, Paris". However, he criticized her vocals.[32] MusicOMH gave a negative review, criticizing the album as a whole, before saying that the parts which "aren't bad" were the bits which did not involve Hilton.[33]

Singles

"Turn It Up" was planned as the lead single for the album, and was commissioned for remixes by Paul Oakenfold, Peter Rauhofer, and Tracy Young. It premiered at the Winter Music Conference in March 2006, but a last minute decision was made to release "Stars Are Blind", which was sent to radio in May. Produced by Garibay, "Stars Are Blind" was released digitally June 20 and as a CD-maxi single on July 18, and peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Turn It Up" was then released as a digital single on July 11[34] and on 12-inch vinyl on August 22.[35] "Nothing in This World" followed as the third and final single.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Turn It Up"  
Storch 3:12
2. "Fightin' Over Me" (featuring Fat Joe & Jadakiss)
  • Hilton
  • Storch
  • Magnet
  • Fat Joe
  • Jadakiss
  • Alonzo Jackson
  • Taura Jackson
Storch 4:01
3. "Stars Are Blind"  
  • Garibay
  • Solomon (co.)
 3:56
4. "I Want You"  
Rotem 3:12
5. "Jealousy"  
  • Hilton
  • Storch
  • DioGuardi
Storch 3:40
6. "Heartbeat"  
Storch 3:43
7. "Nothing in This World"  
Dr. Luke 3:10
8. "Screwed"  
 3:41
9. "Not Leaving Without You"  
  • Hilton
  • DioGuardi
  • Wells
  • Wells
  • DioGuardi
 3:35
10. "Turn You On"  
  • Hilton
  • Storch
  • A. Jackson
  • T. Jackson
  • Courtney Triggs
Storch 3:06
11. "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"  
Storch 4:34
Total length:
 39:50
Additional notes

Credits and personnel

Performers
Production
  • Paris Hilton – executive producer
  • Scott Storch – executive producer, producer
  • Tom Whalley – executive producer
  • J.R. Rotem – producer, mixing
  • Dr. Luke – producer
  • Greg Wells – producer
  • Rob Cavallo – producer
  • Fernando Garibay – producer, programming, engineer
  • Alonzo Jackson – producer
  • Penelope Magnet – producer
  • Taura "Aura" Jackson – producer
  • Sheppard Solomon – producer
  • Jennifer Karr – arrangement
  • Kara DioGuardi – arrangement, producer
  • Chris "Crown-One" Brown – engineer
  • Conrad Golding – engineer
  • Eric Weaver – engineer, recording
  • Nikolas "Niko Don" Marzouca – engineer
  • Wayne "The Brain" Allison – engineer
  • John Hanes – engineer (ProTools)
  • Aniella Gottwald – assistant engineer
  • Tony Maserati – mixing
  • Neeraj Khajanchi – assistant mix engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Tim Roberts – assistant mix engineer
  • Jake Davies – recording
  • Matt Beckley – recording
  • Chris Steffen – recording
  • Michael Lattanzi – recording
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Jeff Aldrich – A&R
  • Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff – art direction
  • Matt Taylor – art direction, design
  • Anthony Mandler – photography
  • James White – photography

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[36]

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[37] 24
Austrian Albums Chart[37] 9
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[37] 18
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[38] 49
Canadian Albums Chart[39] 4
Danish Albums Chart[37] 20
Dutch Albums Chart[37] 28
Finnish Albums Chart[37] 17
French Albums Chart[37] 67
German Albums Chart[37] 18
Greek International Albums Chart 11
Hungarian Albums Chart[40] 40
Irish Albums Chart[37] 27
Italian Albums Chart 22
Japanese Albums Chart 8
New Zealand Albums Chart[37] 16
Spanish Albums Chart 98
Swedish Albums Chart[37] 6
Swiss Albums Chart[37] 7
UK Albums Chart[37] 29
US Billboard 200[37] 6

References

  1. 1 2 3 Paris (Paris Hilton album) at AllMusic
  2. 1 2 3 Leah Greenblatt (2006-08-28). "Entertainment Weekly review". Ew.com. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  3. ↑ TMZ Staff. "Paris: The ENTIRE Album, a Week Early", TMZ, August 14, 2006.
  4. ↑ Caulfield, Keith. "Kim Kardashian vs. Paris Hilton: Whose Debut Single Sold More?", Billboard, Prometheus Global Media, March 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ Billboard Staff. "Paris Hilton to Release Second Album on Cash Money, Feature Lil Wayne", Billboard, Prometheus Global Media, May 22, 2013.
  6. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason. "Paris Hilton Returns With 'Good Time': Watch Lil Wayne-Assisted Video", Billboard, Prometheus Global Media, October 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Paris Hilton To Become Pop Star?", popdirt.com, August 12, 2003.
  8. ↑ MTV News Staff. "For The Record: Quick News On Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton, Kelly Osbourne, Glassjaw, Elvis Costello, The Cure & More", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, August 12, 2003.
  9. ↑ Moss, Corey. "JC Chasez Gives Up On ‘Sex,’ Teams Up With Paris Hilton", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, June 11, 2004.
  10. ↑ Moss, Corey. "Ashlee And Hilary’s Hitmaker Is Eager To Work With Paris Hilton", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, March 7, 2005.
  11. ↑ WENN. "Paris Hilton To Launch Record Label", Contactmusic.com, June 29, 2004.
  12. ↑ MTV News Staff. "Haylie Duff Not Giving Up On 'Screwed'", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, August 12, 2004.
  13. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Leak Complicates Paris/ Haylie Fight Over Who Gets ‘Screwed’", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, August 5, 2004.
  14. ↑ MTV News Staff. "For The Record: Quick News On Paris Hilton And The Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, Fat Joe, Duran Duran & More", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, August 31, 2004.
  15. ↑ "Paris Hilton Starts Filming National Lampoon's Pledge This In Miami", Business Wire, August 31, 2004.
  16. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Paris Hilton Hooks Up With Lil Jon, Shares Her Horsemeat Gross-Out", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, November 22, 2004.
  17. ↑ Merrick, Bob. "A Go-Go's Surreal Life", Out, January 2, 2005.
  18. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer. "Scott Storch Says He And Paris Are Making ‘Amazing’ Music", MTV, Viacom Media Networks, August 31, 2005.
  19. ↑ Best Week Ever. "Stream Paris Hilton if you dare", VH1, Viacom Media Networks, December 2, 2005.
  20. ↑ Best Week Ever. "Paris Hilton: My Favorite Mistake", VH1, Viacom Media Networks, January 27, 2006.
  21. ↑ "Paris Hilton targeted in CD prank", BBC News Online, BBC, September 3, 2006.
  22. ↑ SPIN Staff. "Danger Mouse, Banksy Burn Paris", SPIN, Spin Media, September 5 2006.
  23. ↑ Lynch, Sean. "Paris Hilton Reworked Album / Dangermouse Collaboration - The 50 Greatest Banksy Works of All Time", Complex, Complex Media, November 1, 2013.
  24. 1 2 "Paris Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  25. 1 2 Billboard magazine review
  26. ↑ Blender magazine review Archived October 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ↑ Alexis Petridis (2006-08-10). "The Guardian review". London: Arts.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  28. 1 2 "The Observer review". Web.archive.org. 2011-06-03. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  29. ↑ "Rolling Stone review". Web.archive.org. 2010-01-24. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  30. 1 2 "Slant Magazine review". Slantmagazine.com. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  31. 1 2 "Yahoo! Music review". Web.archive.org. 2011-06-13. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  32. ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/22/entertainment/et-paris22
  33. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20061123000418/http://www.musicomh.com/albums5/paris-hilton_0806.htm
  34. ↑ "Turn It Up – Single by Paris Hilton". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  35. ↑ "Turn It Up [Vinyl]". Amazon (US). Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  36. ↑ Paris (liner notes). Paris Hilton. Warner Bros. Records. 2006. 9362-44138-2.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Paris Hilton – Paris – αCharts.us". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  38. ↑ "Belgian Ultratop 50 Albums (Wallonia)". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  39. ↑ Paris Hilton – Paris – Allmusic
  40. ↑ Hungarian Albums Chart

External links

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