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The Secret Life Of... (album)

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The Secret Life of... is the debut studio album by Australian pop rock band the Veronicas, released on 17 October 2005 on Sire Records.[2] A special limited edition DVD was released with the US version. This edition included two extra songs and videos, and was only available online. It reached number 2 in Australia and is certified 4x platinum.[3] The album spent over a year in the ARIA Albums Chart, without leaving the top 40. The album also reached number 5 in New Zealand and number 3 in the Billboard Top Heatseekers. The Secret Life of... has sold around 50,000 copies in the USA. In early 2007, the album was released worldwide to countries in Asia and in the UK. Positive reception of singles has already been successful in parts of Europe and Asia.

The Secret Life of...
Studio album by
The Veronicas
Released17 October 2005
Recorded2005
Genre
Length42:32
Label
Producer
The Veronicas chronology
The Secret Life of...
(2005) 		Hook Me Up
(2007)
Singles from The Secret Life of...
  1. "4ever"
    Released: 22 April 2005
  2. "Nobody Wins"
    Released: 29 May 2005
  3. "Everything I'm Not"
    Released: 21 November 2005
  4. "When It All Falls Apart"
    Released: 21 March 2006
  5. "Revolution"
    Released: 7 August 2006
  6. "Leave Me Alone"
    Released: 4 November 2006

The first single to be released off the album, "4ever", received much radio play in Australia and America. It reached number 2 on the ARIA Singles Chart, also reaching number 20 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 90 on the U.S. Billboard Pop 100. The song "Secret" is featured on Dance! Online, a multiplayer online casual rhythm game.

In September 2006, the Veronicas were nominated for 3 ARIA Awards for The Secret Life of..., including Best Pop Release, Highest Selling Album and Breakthrough Artist Album. On 29 October, at the ARIA Awards, The Secret Life of... won Best Pop Release. They lost Breakthrough Artist Album to Wolfmother and Highest Selling Album to Human Nature.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Artistdirect     [5]
Blender     [6]
E! Online     [7]
Rolling Stone     [8]
Sputnikmusic     [9]
Stylus(A)[10]
PopMatters(4/10)[11]
Slant Magazine     [12]
The Age(unfavorable)[13]

The album received generally positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic stated "[...] it's a terrific little pop record [...] an unexpected gift, a slick, tuneful set of pure sugarcoated fun. Here, melody runs through both the verses and choruses, the hooks dig deeper, not just on the tracks helmed by Martin, but on the Orgliasso sisters' songs, too."[4] Laura Sinagra from Blender complimented their songs "4ever", which she said sounded like "[...] a remix of Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" [...]" and "When It All Falls Apart" which has "[...] the marching, singalong wistfulness of great late-'80s arena pop." But she called the ballads "[...] copious [and] dull[...]" but complimented their cover of Tracy Bonham's hit Mother Mother.[6] E! Online gave the album a C grade complementing "4ever" as "[...] an endearing pop take on the Donnas' slutty garage rock." But then said the album "[...] feels like it was designed by committee, with each track sounding like a second generation Xerox of the token girlie rocker hit on the last five Now! compilations[...]"[7] Christian Hoard from Rolling Stone said that "4ever" was the only exceptional song on the album while the rest of it "[...] is overrun with bland, airbrushed introspection like "Mother Mother" and "Nobody Wins."[8] Slant Magazine called the album "[...] so damned slick and irresistible[...] There's a punky sassiness to most of the album[...]"[12] Dan Raper of PopMatters compared their style of music to those of Avril Lavigne Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. He complimented their songs "Revolution", "Leave Me Alone", "Mouth Shut" and "Heavily Broken" stating that "[...]half the songs on the record fall into this mould of attractively packaged, unremarkable pop."[11] Craig Mathieson of The Age gave positive reviews for "4ever" and "Revolution" but criticised the rest of the album.[13] The New York Times said the album had "Sugar-sharp songs with a hint of intrigue[...]", and Entertainment Weekly also complimented them stating "Guilty pleasure or not, these girls won't be a Secret for long."[14]

Chart performance

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In Australia, The Secret Life of... made its debut at number seven on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart on the issue dated 30 October 2005.[15] After dropping and rising on the charts for up to six months the album eventually went on to peak at number two where it stayed for two weeks.[16] By the end of 2005 the album was certified platinum[17] and by 2006 it was made a further four times platinum with a shipment of 280,000 copies.[18] In New Zealand, the album made its debut and peaked at number five in 2006.[19] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand for shipments of 7,500 copies.[20]

It made its debut and peaked at number one hundred and thirty-three in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 chart.[21] It spent only two weeks on the chart[21] with sales of 14,556 copies.[22] It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart where it spent ten weeks.[21]

In Europe, the album peaked at number eleven on the Ultratop 50 albums chart in Belgium.[23] The album spent a total of nineteen non-consecutive weeks on the chart.[24] In the rest of Europe it peaked at number seventy-five on the Dutch MegaCharts[25] and at number sixty-one on the Switzerland album charts.[26]

Singles

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"4ever" was released as the album's lead single on 15 August 2005.[27] The single was successful in Australia peaking at number two and peaking at number seven in New Zealand.[28] In Europe it became a top 40 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Switzerland[28] and in the United States it peaked at number twelve on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[29] "Everything I'm Not" was released as the second single in Australia and New Zealand. It peaked at number seven in Australia and number ten in New Zealand.[30] It also peaked at number three on the Ultratip charts in Belgium.[30] "When It All Falls Apart" was the third single in Australia, New Zealand and Europe and their second single in the United States. It peaked at number seven in Australia and New Zealand, becoming their third consecutive top ten hit from the album in both countries.[31] In Belgium it peaked at number 18 and 83 on the Dutch Charts.[31] "Revolution" was released as the fourth single from the album in Australia. It was released on 7 August 2006 and it peaked at number eighteen.[32] "Leave Me Alone" was the final single to be released from their album. It peaked at number forty-one in Australia and was on the top-fifty chart for only two weeks.[33]

Promotion

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See also: List of the Veronicas concert tours

The Veronicas made several appearances around the world to promote their album. They performed live on Dancing with the Stars,[34] Rove Live,[35] Sunrise[36] and Total Request Live in Italy[37] and Australia.[38] On 2 October 2005 they performed 4ever live at the 2005 NRL Grand Final during the pre-match show.[39] They also performed live at the 2006 ARIA Music Awards,[40] the 2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards[41] and the 2006 Belgium TMF Awards.[42]

The Veronicas also sung the theme song for The WB TV series "Related"[43][44] where their songs were regularly featured as well making an appearance in the episode "Daddy's Little Girl" where they performed "Heavily Broken".[45] They also appeared in an episode of the ABC Family series Beautiful People entitled "Where are We Now?" where they performed "Revolution".[46] Their song "4ever" was featured in the 2006 movie She's the Man,[47] as well as being featured in an episode of The Hills, and in the third season of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Their song "Nobody Wins" was also featured in an episode of The Hills.

The album received further promotion when they embarked on their first US tour which went from 28 January 2006 to 3 March 2006.[48] They then embarked on their first Australian tour in April 2006 where all their shows were sold out.[49][50] And finally in August 2006 they embarked on the "Revolution Tour" in Australia which marked one year since the release of "4ever".[51][52] They also supported Ryan Cabrera on a tour of the US[53] and were also meant to tour with Ashlee Simpson during her 2006 U.S. summer tour but had to pull out after Lisa became ill with throat nodules and needed surgery.[54]

Track listing

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The Secret Life Of... track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."4ever"
  • Martin
  • Gottwald
3:30
2."Everything I'm Not"
  • Martin
  • Yacoub
  • Gottwald
3:24
3."When It All Falls Apart"
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
3:15
4."Revolution"
  • Maida
  • Kreviazuk
3:07
5."Secret"
Gad3:34
6."Mouth Shut"
  • Gad
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
Gad3:39
7."Leave Me Alone"
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
3:31
8."Speechless"
  • Gad
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
  • S. Dally
  • J. Forthsyth
Gad3:58
9."Heavily Broken"
  • Eric Nova
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
Clif Magness4:17
10."I Could Get Used to This"
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
  • Alexander
  • Steinberg
3:16
11."Nobody Wins"
Magness3:53
12."Mother Mother"Tracy BonhamGreg Wells3:07
Total length:42:27
Brazilian bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."A Teardrop Hitting the Ground[a]"
3:13
US limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."How Long"
  • Malcolm Pardon
  • Fredrik Rinman
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
DeadMono3:53
14."Did Ya Think"
  • Magness
  • DioGuardi
  • J. Origliasso
  • L. Origliasso
Magness2:45
US limited edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."4ever" (music video)3:28
2."Everything I'm Not" (music video)3:26
3."Everything I'm Not" (making of)19:47
4."Behind the Scenes Footage"4:49
Total length:31:33

Notes

  • ^[a] "A Teardrop Hitting the Ground" is listed simply as "Teardrop" on digital platforms.[55]

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] 4× Platinum 280,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] Gold 7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalogue
Australia 17 October 2005[59] Sire Records CD 9362493712
New Zealand 31 January 2006[60] Warner Music CD, digital download
United States 14 February 2006[61] Sire Records CD B000E1MY8G
United Kingdom 15 February 2006[62] CD SIRE49913.2
Germany 17 November 2006[63] Warner Music B000IOM8BW

References

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  1. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r812031
  2. ^ "Veronicas / Secret Life Of ..." Sanity.com.au. Retrieved 30 December 2008. [dead link‍]
  3. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Albums". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
  4. ^ a b "AllMusic review of The Secret Life of...". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  5. ^ "ArtistDirect review of The Secret Life of...". Artistdirect. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Blender review of The Secret Life of...". Blender. Archived from the original on 18 December 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  7. ^ a b "E!Online review of The Secret Life of...". E! Online. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Rolling Stone Magazine review of The Secret Life of...". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 June 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  9. ^ "SputnikMusic review of The Secret Life of...". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  10. ^ "Stylus Magazine review of The Secret Life of...". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  11. ^ a b "PopMatters review of The Secret Life of...". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Slant Magazine review of The Secret Life of...". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  13. ^ a b Mathieson, Craig (14 October 2005). "The Age review of The Secret Life of...". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  14. ^ The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly reviews for The Secret Life of. The Secret Life of the Veronicas Metacritic. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  15. ^ ARIA Charts Issue 30 October 2005. ARIA Top 50 albums australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  16. ^ a b ARIA Charts Issue 30 April 2006. ARIA Top 50 albums australian-charts.com. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  17. ^ ARIA Charts Accreditations. ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2005 Albums Archived 27 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  18. ^ ARIA Charts Accreditations. ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Albums Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  19. ^ a b ARIA Charts Issue 6 February 2006. New Zealand top 40 albums charts.org.nz. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  20. ^ RIANZ Album Chart 26 June 2006. New Zealand top 40 albums Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  21. ^ a b c d e Billboard 200 Chart peak. The Secret Life Of... - The Veronicas(2005) Billboard.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  22. ^ US sales. Billboard Top 200 Debut Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Veronicas News. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  23. ^ a b Ultratop 50 Chart peak. Ultratop 50 album chart 16 September 2006 Ultratop. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  24. ^ Ultratop 50 Chart run. Ultratop 50 chart run Ultratop. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  25. ^ a b MegaCharts chart run. MegaChart chart run Ultratop. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  26. ^ a b Swiss Music Chart run. Swiss chart run Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  27. ^ 4ever release date in Australia. 4Ever [SINGLE] [IMPORT] Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  28. ^ a b "4ever - worldwide chart peaks". acharts.us. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
  29. ^ 4ever US chart peak. THE VERONICAS on the us charts! Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine ricki-leeforums.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  30. ^ a b Everything I'm Not chart peak. Everything I'm Not Chart peaks australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  31. ^ a b When It All Falls Apart chart peak. When It All Falls Apart Chart peaks australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  32. ^ Revolution chart peak. Revolution Chart peaks australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  33. ^ Leave Me Alone chart peak. Leave Me Alone Chart peaks australian-charts.com. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  34. ^ Dancing with the Stars. YouTube - The Veronicas Performance on Dancing With the Stars YouTube. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  35. ^ Revolution Rove Live performance. Ratings for Rove Live - 2006 Archived 1 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine RoveOnline.com. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  36. ^ Sunrise live performance. The Veronicas - 4ever (live) YouTube. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  37. ^ TRL Italy live performance. The Veronicas - 4ever (live TRL Padova, Italy) YouTube. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  38. ^ TRL Australia live performance. the veronicas - 4ever live on trl YouTube. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  39. ^ Rugby League Grand Final live performance. Pete Murray to headline NRL grand final Smh.com.au. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  40. ^ "2006: 19th Annual ARIA Awards". Aria Awards.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  41. ^ 2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ The Veronicas backstage @ TMF Awards (after winning). 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  43. ^ Related Theme. The Veronicas - Related Theme Song YouTube. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  44. ^ Related Theme. Veronicas' 'Secret' a success in marketing, routine. U.Utah. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  45. ^ Related: Daddy's Little Girl. Related Episode 12: Daddy's Little Girl TV.com. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  46. ^ Beautiful People: Where are We Now?. Beautiful People Episode 14: Where are We Now? TV.com. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  47. ^ She's the Man soundtrack. She's the Man (2006) soundtrackinfo.com. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  48. ^ The Veronicas News Tour Archives Archived 10 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  49. ^ "Every girl's a Veronica tonight". 20 April 2006.
  50. ^ The Veronicas - Tour Announcement
  51. ^ The Veronicas announce national Australian tour![permanent dead link‍]
  52. ^ "The year of the Veronicas". 18 September 2006.
  53. ^ "Veronicas to hit the road". Archived from the original on 5 November 2005. Retrieved 30 September 2005.
  54. ^ "Enforced spell for Veronicas". Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  55. ^ "Spotify". Spotify.
  56. ^ "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  57. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  58. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Veronicas – The Secret Life…". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  59. ^ Australian release date. Secret Life of - Veronicas, The Archived 8 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine jbhifionline.com.au. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  60. ^ New Zealand release date. The Veronicas :- The Secret Life of The Veronicas marbecks.co.nz. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  61. ^ US release date. The Secret Life Of... Amazon.com. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  62. ^ UK release date. Secret Life Of The Veronicas HMV. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  63. ^ Germany release date. The Secret Life of the Veronicas Amazon.de. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
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