Who We Used to Be

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Who We Used to Be
Blunt as a young boy throwing a toy plane in a grassy field
Studio album by
James Blunt
Released27 October 2023 (2023-10-27)
Length31:01
LabelAtlantic
Producer
James Blunt chronology
The Stars Beneath My Feet (2004–2021)
(2021) 		Who We Used to Be
(2023)
Singles from Who We Used to Be
  1. "Beside You"
    Released: 2 August 2023
  2. "All the Love That I Ever Needed"
    Released: 22 September 2023
  3. "The Girl That Never Was"
    Released: 4 October 2023

Who We Used to Be is the seventh studio album by English singer James Blunt, released on 27 October 2023 through Atlantic Records. It was preceded by the release of three singles, including the lead, "Beside You".[1] It was released alongside Blunt's quasi-memoir Loosely Based on a Made-Up Story.[2]

Background[edit]

On 2 August 2023, Blunt announced the release date for Who We Used to Be, his first studio album since 2019's Once Upon a Mind.[3]

Blunt wrote the song "Dark Thought" about visiting his friend Carrie Fisher's house after she had died in 2016. The two met in England in 2003, and Blunt lived in Fisher's house in Los Angeles after he moved there to record Back to Bedlam (2004). Fisher had previously spoken about how she "became James's therapist".[4]

Singles[edit]

On 2 August 2023, Blunt released the single "Beside You". The official music video was released on 10 August 2023.[5] The single peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 25 August 2023.[6]

The album's second single, "All the Love That I Ever Needed" was released on 22 September 2023.[7]

"The Girl That Never Was" was released as the album's third official single on 4 October 2023.[8] The official music video, released on 12 October 2023, was directed by Blunt's former collaborator Vaughan Arnell.[9] On 27 October 2023, Blunt performed the song on the BBC's The One Show. On writing the song, Blunt stated: "I'm married. We had aspirations to start a family and...people in my situation have gone through that, you win some battles and you lose some. And the ones that we have lost we struggle with a bit."[10] The single peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 3 November 2023.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[12]
Financial Times[2]
I[13]
Retropop[14]
The Times[15]

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times wrote that Blunt's "new songs slot neatly into the usual groove. They're efficiently assembled and easy on the ear. There are heartfelt clichés about life being like a carousel and tunes that press emotional buttons with military precision, all surging major chords and downcast minor ones".[2] Retropop commented that the tracks are "not all upbeat [...] and as Blunt declares his zest for life, he also navigates the challenges before him; aging, loss and the passing of time all play into the narrative that forms a complex picture of the performer, at the height of success, as he enters a new decade". The publication concluded that "there's no question it's one of his most confident offerings and, in terms of the songs themselves, his best in a long time".[14] Mike Milenko, reviewing for Clash, opined that the album is "one of Blunt's best albums to date and serves as a tantalising glimpse into the singer/songwriter's growth and maturity as an artist".[12] Pip Ellwood-Hughes, writing for Entertainment Focus, felt Blunt was the "freest" he had ever sounded, adding that he had "crafted a solid pop album".[16]

Commercial performance[edit]

On 30 October 2023 the UK's Official Charts Company revealed that Who We Used to Be was at number five on the midweek chart,[17] which it debuted at on the final chart.[18] The album stayed on that chart for two weeks; on the UK Album Sales Chart, Who We Used to Be charted for fifteen weeks.[19]

Track listing[edit]

Who We Used to Be track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Saving a Life"
Jack & Coke2:55
2."Some Kind of Beautiful"
  • Coffer
  • Needle
  • Matt James[a]
2:58
3."Beside You"
The Six3:05
4."Last Dance"
  • Coffer
  • Robson
2:48
5."All the Love That I Ever Needed"
  • Blunt
  • Nick Hahn
3:17
6."The Girl That Never Was"
  • Blunt
  • Rick Parkhouse
  • George Tizzard
Red Triangle3:13
7."Cold Shoulder"
  • Blunt
  • Parkhouse
  • Tizzard
Red Triangle3:08
8."I Won't Die with You"
  • Blunt
  • Parkhouse
  • Tizzard
Red Triangle3:04
9."Dark Thought"
  • Blunt
  • Parkhouse
  • Tizzard
Red Triangle3:43
10."Glow"
  • Blunt
  • Boardman
  • Needle
The Six2:50
Total length:31:01
Deluxe edition tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Confetti and Roses"
Robson3:43
12."Care a Little Less"
  • Blunt
  • Sunny Berhane
  • Hunter Hill
Jimmy Hogarth2:45
13."A Thousand Lives"
  • Blunt
  • Boardman
  • Hill
  • Needle
  • Sean Poole
The Six3:10
14."When You're Gone"
  • Blunt
  • Berhane
  • Nick Bradley
  • Coffer
  • Needle
  • Coffer
  • Loose Change
  • Needle
3:02
Total length:43:41

Note

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.

Personnel[edit]

Musicians

  • James Blunt – vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (track 1)
  • Jakob Hazell – backing vocals, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1)
  • Svante Haldin – backing vocals, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion (1)
  • Jonny Coffer – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, piano, programming (2, 4, 14)
  • Martin Hannah – additional programming (2, 4, 14), guitar (2, 14)
  • Mike Needle – backing vocals (2)
  • James Essien – backing vocals (3)
  • Rick Boardman – keyboards (3, 10, 13); bass, drums, guitar, programming, synthesizer (3); piano (10, 13)
  • David Strääf – drums, guitar, programming, synthesizer (3)
  • Steve Robson – keyboards (4, 11), bass (4); programming, string arrangement (11)
  • John Garrison – bass (5, 6)
  • Nick Hahn – acoustic guitar, keyboards (5)
  • Karl Brazil – drums (5)
  • Luke Potashnik – guitar (5)
  • Paul Sayer – guitar (5)
  • Chris Pemberton –piano (5)
  • Mark Crew – programming, synthesizer (5)
  • George Tizzard – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, drums, piano (6–9)
  • Rick Parkhouse – backing vocals, electric guitar, programming, synthesizer (6–9)
  • Peteris Sokolovskis – cello (3, 9)
  • Dino Medanhodzic – backing vocals, bass, drums, guitar, programming, strings (10, 13)
  • George Lindsay – drums (11)
  • Jo Hill – backing vocals (12)
  • Samuel Dixon – bass (12)
  • Dan McDougall – drums (12)
  • Jimmy Hogarth – guitar (12)
  • Martin Slattery – keyboards (12)

Technical

  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing (1–5, 7–9, 11–14)
  • Red Triangle – mixing (6)
  • Dino Medanhodzic – mixing (10)
  • Jakob Hazell – engineering (1)
  • Svante Haldin – engineering (1)
  • Martin Hannah – engineering (2, 4, 14)
  • Steve Robson – engineering (11)
  • Jimmy Hogarth – engineering (12)
  • Louis Henry Sarmiento – additional engineering (11)
  • Luke Glazewski – additional engineering (12)

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Who We Used to Be
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 61
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 15
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 11
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[27] 20
Italian Albums (FIMI)[28] 97
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 40
Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 6
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 4
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ Zemler, Emily (2 August 2022). "James Blunt Welcomes the Highs and the Lows on Breezy Single 'Beside You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (25 October 2023). "James Blunt's heartfelt clichés are easy on the ear in Who We Used to Be – album review". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  3. ^ Zemler, Emily (2 August 2023). "James Blunt Welcomes the Highs and the Lows on Breezy Single 'Beside You'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  4. ^ Stenzel, Wesley (23 October 2023). "James Blunt remembers his 'best friend' Carrie Fisher". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Beside You (Official video)". 10 August 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart: 25 August 2023 – 31 August 2023". Official Charts Company. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  7. ^ Houghton, Cillea (22 September 2023). "James Blunt Drops Nostalgic 'All the Love That I Ever Needed'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  8. ^ "James Blunt drops latest single The Girl That Never Was". Retro Pop Magazine. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  9. ^ "The Girl That Never Was (Official video)". 12 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ Hallam, Katy (27 October 2023). "BBC The One Show viewers sobbing as James Blunt shares tragic reason for new song". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100: 3 November 2023 – 9 November 2023". Official Charts Company. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b Milenko, Mike (27 October 2023). "James Blunt – Who We Used to Be | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  13. ^ Power, Ed (27 October 2023). "James Blunt, Who We Used to Be review: Give the posh troubadour the benefit of the doubt!". I. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  14. ^ a b "James Blunt – Who We Used to Be". Retropop. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  15. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (27 October 2023). "James Blunt: Who We Used to Be review – the most basic pop clichés". The Times. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  16. ^ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (27 October 2023). "James Blunt – Who We Used To Be review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  17. ^ Griffiths, George (30 October 2023). "Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) already has the biggest opening week of the year". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  19. ^ "James Blunt - Who We Used to Be - Chart History". Official Charts. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  20. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 November 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1757. Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 November 2023. p. 6.
  21. ^ "Austriancharts.at – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Top Albums (Week 44, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  28. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 44 (dal 27.10.2023 al 02.11.2023)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  29. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Swisscharts.com – James Blunt – Who We Used to Be". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
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