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Why Me? Why Not.

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Why Me? Why Not.
Studio album by
Liam Gallagher
Released20 September 2019 (2019-09-20)
RecordedApril 2018 – April 2019
Studio
  • Abbey Road & RAK, London
  • Bonnie Hill, Echo, & Republic, Los Angeles
Genre
Length39:30
LabelWarner
Producer
Liam Gallagher chronology
As You Were
(2017) 		Why Me? Why Not.
(2019) 		MTV Unplugged (Live at Hull City Hall)
(2020)
Singles from Why Me? Why Not.
  1. "Shockwave"
    Released: 7 June 2019
  2. "The River"
    Released: 26 June 2019
  3. "Once"
    Released: 26 July 2019
  4. "One of Us"
    Released: 16 August 2019
  5. "Now That I've Found You"
    Released: 11 October 2019
  6. "Gone"
    Released: 19 March 2020

Why Me? Why Not. is the second solo studio album by English musician Liam Gallagher, released on 20 September 2019 by Warner Records, a day before his 47th birthday.[1] The album's lead single "Shockwave" became one of Gallagher's biggest solo hits, the best selling vinyl single of 2019 in the UK, and his first solo single to top a chart in general after reaching No. 1 in Scotland.[2] The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, achieving silver certification in its first week and later being certified gold.[3][4]

Background and recording

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Gallagher, the former frontman of Oasis, had made a successful comeback following the break-up of his post-Oasis band Beady Eye with his platinum-certified debut solo album, As You Were (2017). The album entered the British charts at No. 1, outselling the entire top 10 combined and achieving gold certification in its first week, while also selling more copies than both Beady Eye albums combined. In addition, it received a positive reaction from critics and audiences.

Gallagher revealed that he had begun work on his second album in April 2018, confirming that he would again be working with producer Greg Kurstin as well as Andrew Wyatt, both of whom were involved with his first album. Recording began in April 2018 in Los Angeles and continued sporadically through to 2 April 2019.[5][6] Some recording was done at Abbey Road Studios in London, most famously used by Gallagher's idols the Beatles. The album features his 18-year-old son Gene playing bongos on the track "One of Us". Unlike his first album, all the tracks are co-written by Gallagher.

The album's name comes from two drawings by Beatles singer John Lennon that Gallagher owns; the first (titled "Why Me?") was bought by Gallagher from a Lennon art exhibition in Munich in 1997, and the second (titled "Why Not.") was given to Gallagher by Lennon's widow Yoko Ono shortly thereafter.[7]

Promotion

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On 30 May 2019, Gallagher did a live stream from a local pub's garden, in which he played a new song entitled "Shockwave".[8] The song was later debuted live at Hackney's Round Chapel in London[9] and made available for streaming 7 June as well as a physical vinyl release five days later. Second single, "The River", was released with a music video on 27 June, two days before Gallagher's appearance at Glastonbury festival, in which the song was debuted live.[10]

The documentary film Liam Gallagher: As It Was, which details his comeback and solo career beginnings, premiered on 6 June and featured a snippet of the song "Once". The song gained acclaim from fans and was finally released on 26 July as the third single. Gallagher himself declared it to be one of the best songs he has ever been involved with.[11]

Gallagher played an acoustic set for MTV Unplugged in Hull City Hall on 3 August, showcasing his solo songs as well as selected Oasis tracks. "Once" debuted live and new songs "One of Us", "Now That I've Found You", "Gone", and "Why Me? Why Not." were played publicly for the first time.[12] Gallagher also performed several Oasis songs, including "Stand by Me" for the first time since 2001, and "Sad Song" which he had never performed live before. For the Oasis material, Gallagher was joined on stage by former Oasis guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs.[13] The special aired on 27 September, several hours after the album debuted at number one in the UK. The performance was later released as Gallagher's first live album, MTV Unplugged (Live At Hull City Hall), containing 10 out of the 17 songs performed. It was released on 12 June 2020 and debuted at number one on the UK charts, becoming Gallagher's third UK no.1 album.[14][15]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[16]
Metacritic74/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
The Guardian[19]
The Independent[20]
Mojo[21]
NME[22]
Pitchfork6.3/10[23]
Q[24]
Rolling Stone[25]
The Times[26]
Uncut7/10[27]

Why Me? Why Not. received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Many positive reviews complemented the album for expanding on the sound of As You Were, with Gallagher's vocals also being singled out for praise. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 74 based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]

Track listing

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The final track listing was revealed by Gallagher on Twitter.[28] An exclusive original demo of the song "Once" appears on the Collector's Edition.

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Shockwave"
Kurstin3:30
2."One of Us"
  • Gallagher
  • Damon McMahon
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:25
3."Once"
  • Gallagher
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:33
4."Now That I've Found You"
Aldred3:20
5."Halo"
  • Gallagher
  • Kurstin
  • Wyatt
Kurstin3:58
6."Why Me? Why Not."
  • Gallagher
  • Aldred
  • Aldred
  • Adam Noble
3:38
7."Be Still"
  • Gallagher
  • Kurstin
  • Wyatt
Kurstin3:00
8."Alright Now"
  • Gallagher
  • McMahon
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:47
9."Meadow"
  • Gallagher
  • Kurstin
  • Wyatt
Kurstin4:05
10."The River"
  • Gallagher
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:26
11."Gone"
  • Gallagher
  • Michael Tighe
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:45
Total length:39:30
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Invisible Sun"
  • Gallagher
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:36
13."Misunderstood"
  • Gallagher
  • Aldred
Noble4:16
14."Glimmer"
  • Gallagher
  • Tighe
  • Wyatt
  • Constantin Veis
  • Alex Veis
Wyatt3:40
Total length:51:02
Collector's Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Once" (original demo)
  • Gallagher
  • Wyatt
Wyatt3:50
Total length:54:52

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Strauss, Matthew (13 June 2019). "Liam Gallagher Details New Album Why Me? Why Not". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  2. ^ "WATCH: Liam Gallagher confirms Why Me? Why Not release date". Radio X.
  3. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Officialcharts.com.
  4. ^ "BRIT Certified". BPI.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  5. ^ Reilly, Nick (16 April 2018). "Liam Gallagher to begin recording 'As You Were' follow-up next week". NME. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  6. ^ Skinner, Tom (23 March 2019). "Liam Gallagher shares update on progress of new album while branding Noel a "hipster"". NME. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  7. ^ "What's the story behind Liam Gallagher's new album title: Why Me. Why Not?". Radio X.
  8. ^ Moore, Sam (30 May 2019). "Listen to the first preview of Liam Gallagher's new single 'Shockwave'". NME.
  9. ^ Daly, Rhian (5 June 2019). "Watch Liam Gallagher play new song 'Shockwave' for first time at London gig". NME.
  10. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  11. ^ Gallagher, Liam (25 July 2019). "Once is one of the best songs I've ever had the pleasure to be part of, and believe you me I've sang on many a great tune. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do LG x".
  12. ^ "Liam Gallagher Setlist at Hull City Hall, Kingston upon Hull". setlist.fm. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Liam Gallagher Stuns Hull City Hall With Biblical MTV Unplugged Set". www.mtv.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Liam Gallagher shares new release date for 'MTV Unplugged' live album". Nme.com. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Liam Gallagher's MTV Unplugged earns him a third Number 1 and fastest-selling vinyl album of 2020 so far". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Why Me? Why Not. by Liam Gallagher reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Why Me? Why Not. by Liam Gallagher Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  18. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (20 September 2019). "Why Me? Why Not. – Liam Gallagher". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  19. ^ Petridis, Alexis (19 September 2019). "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not. review – more meat and veg rock'n'roll". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  20. ^ White, Adam (19 September 2019). "Album reviews: Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not. and Keane – Cause and Effect". The Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  21. ^ Rogers, Jude (October 2019). "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not". Mojo (311): 82.
  22. ^ Bassett, Jordan (20 September 2019). "Liam Gallagher – 'Why Me? Why Not.' review: a stellar sequel that adds depth of character". NME. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  23. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (24 September 2019). "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  24. ^ Doherty, Niall (October 2019). "It's Only Rock'n'Roll". Q (403): 104.
  25. ^ Martoccio, Angie (20 September 2019). "Liam Gallagher's 'Why Me? Why Not' Surges Forward While Looking Back". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  26. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (20 September 2019). "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not review — the Oasis soap opera rumbles on". The Times. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  27. ^ Bonner, Michael (November 2019). "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not". Uncut (270): 25.
  28. ^ "Why Me? Why Not. (Deluxe Edition) by Liam Gallagher". Apple Music. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  33. ^ "On The Charts: September 30, 2019". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  36. ^ "Liam Gallagher: Why Me? Why Not." (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  37. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 39, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  39. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2019. 39. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  40. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Liam Gallagher". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  41. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Why Me? Why Not. on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  43. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2019-09-30" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  44. ^ "Charts.nz – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  45. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 39, 2019". VG-lista. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  47. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 39: del 20.9.2019 al 26.9.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  48. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  49. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not.". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  50. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  51. ^ "Liam Gallagher Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  52. ^ "Liam Gallagher Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  53. ^ "Liam Gallagher Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  54. ^ Copsey, Rob (1 January 2020). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – Liam Gallagher – Why Me Why Not". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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