Survivor

Survivor is the third studio album by American girl group Destiny's Child, released by Columbia on May 1, 2001 in United States. The album involves production by Beyoncé and J.R. Rotem with additional production from Poke & Tone, Cory Rooney and Mark J. Feist. Survivor spawned four singles, including the number one-hits Bootylicious and Independent Women Part 1, the Beyoncé-penned Survivor and The Bee Gees's cover ballad Emotion.

The album debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on May 19, 2001 with first-week sales of a staggering 663,000 units and stayed at number one for two weeks straight. It earned Destiny's Child three grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album. Survivor was certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA on January 7, 2002. Billboard magazine ranked Survivor at number 70 on the magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[1]

Background
In December 1999, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson tried to split with their manager, Mathew Knowles, claiming that he was keeping too much of the group's profits and that he favored Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland.[2] When the music video for "Say My Name" debuted in February 2000, Roberson and Luckett found out that they were being replaced with Michelle Williams, a former backup singer, and Farrah Franklin, an aspiring singer-actress.[2] In July 2000, just five months after joining, it was announced that Franklin would be leaving the group.[2] According to the group, Franklin missed a handful of promotional appearances and concerts and was asked to leave the group.[2] Franklin stated that she quit because of negative vibes in the group and her inability to assert any control in decision making.[2]

Recording
After emerging as the group's focal point, Knowles assumed more control taking a greater hand in writing the material and even producing some of the record herself.[3] Knowles wrote and produced almost every single track on the album, although, Knowles didn't intend to write and produce most of the songs on the album.[4] She explained, "I only wanted to do like three songs ... The label kept saying, Do another song, do another song, do another song. It wasn't planned. It wasn't like I said, OK, I'm going to take charge."[4] The album was originally planned to be called Independent Women, but was later changed to Survivor because of the turmoil that has coincided with the group.[5]

The song "Survivor" was inspired by a joke that a radio station had made about the fact that three members had already left the group.[6] Knowles was inspired to take the negative comment and turn it into a positive thing by writing a song out of it.[6] Knowles wrote the song "Bootylicious" on a plane flight to London while listening to the track "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks when the word "Bootylicious" just popped in to her head.[4] While recording sessions were going on, Rowland recorded the song "Angel" which appeared on the soundtrack of Down to Earth.[3]

Singles from Survivor
"Independent Women Part 1"
Released: October 10, 2000
"Survivor"
Released: February 13, 2001
"Bootylicious"
Released: June 26, 2001
"Emotion"
Released: November 13, 2001
"Nasty Girl"
Released: April 2, 2002

Commercial performance
Survivor, the highly-anticipated new release from Destiny's Child, the world's best-selling female group, has entered the Billboard album chart at #1 with the highest first week's sales figures (more than 663,000) of any female group in the SoundScan era and the highest first week's sales figures of any album in Columbia Records history.

The group's international success is remarkable as well, with Survivor hitting the #1 slot in 9 other countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Holland, Germany, Austria, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada and Top #10 or better in many other nations including Sweden (#2), Japan (#5), France (#6), Finland (#, and Italy (#9).

With Survivor, Destiny's Child became the first U.S. female group to have a #1 album on the UK charts since Diana Ross & the Supremes hit that slot 24 years ago with a "Greatest Hits" package. Survivor is the first album of original studio material (i.e., not a "greatest hits" collection) by a female American group to hit #1 in the 43-year history of the UK chart. With two #1 UK singles ("Independent Women Part I" and "Survivor"), Destiny's Child holds the record for most #1 UK singles by any U.S. female group. The last female American group to have a #1 UK single was the Bangles with "Walk Like An Egyptian" in 1987.

"Survivor," the album's title track is currently the #2 single on the Billboard Hot 100 having spent six weeks in that spot. "Independent Women Part I" (the smash single from the "Charlie's Angels" soundtrack which also appears on Survivor) has occupied the #1 slot on Billboard's Hot 100, Hot R&B and Hot Dance charts. Destiny's Child has just finished lensing a video--featuring a cameo by Stevie Nicks--for "Bootylicious," the next single from Survivor.

Survivor debuted at number one in several countries including the United Kingdom where it was certified 3x Platinum by BPI for sales of over 900,000 and went on to sell over a million copies. It also reached number one in Canada selling over 31,000 copies in its first week. It landed in the top ten in Poland, Sweden, Japan, France, Italy, and Finland. Worldwide, the album sold five million copies in its first five weeks, and though in the U.S. it did not perform as well as The Writing's on the Wall, worldwide it matched the success of the previous album and even surpassed it in some countries. In Europe the album was certified 2x platinum in recognition of two million albums sold across the continent, its sales have since surpassed the three million mark. In Canada, Survivor debuted at number one, selling over 31,000 copies in its first week, and it was certified 4x platinum (400,000 copies) in October 2003. In the United Kingdom, the album was certified 3x platinum; it spent four weeks at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and eventually sold 1,030,000. The album was certified 2x platinum in Australia. The IFPI reported that Survivor was the 3rd best-selling album worldwide of 2001 with 7.8 million copies sold during the year. Survivor has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Critical reception
[hide] Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [7]
Entertainment Weekly (B+)[8]
Blender
Slant Magazine [9]
Robert Christgau [10]
Rolling Stone 2004[11]
The album garnered positive to mixed reviews. "Survivor" received a score of 63/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] Entertainment Weekly praised the album saying that "(Survivor) is the divas' premature, but inevitable growing pains album." Spin Magazine commented that "Survivor is relentlessly inventive in its recombinations."[13] But New York Magazine was less impressed saying: "All fifteen tracks are one-dimensional disses and dismissals of scantily clad women, vengeful boyfriends, and the group's assorted doubters." Allmusic commented that: "As contrived and calculated as a Mariah Carey record, only without the joy."[14]

The album won the Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year", the Teen Choice Award for "R&B/Soul Album of the Year - Group, Band, or Duo", and the American Music Award for "Favorite Pop/Rock Album". Destiny's Child won the Grammy Award for "Best R&B Vocal by Duo or Group" for the song "Survivor". Survivor itself was nominated for Best R&B Album.

US edition
"Independent Women Part I" (B. Knowles, S. Barnes, C. Rooney, J. C. Olivier) – 3:42
"Survivor" (includes interlude) (B. Knowles, A. Dent, M. Knowles) – 4:14
"Bootylicious" (B. Knowles, R. Fusari, F. Moore, S. Nicks) – 3:28
"Nasty Girl" (B. Knowles, A. Dent, M. Bassi N. Hacket) – 4:18
"Fancy" (B. Knowles, D. Wiggins, J. Rotem) – 4:13
"Apple Pie à la Mode" (B. Knowles, R. Fusari, F. Moore) – 2:59
"Sexy Daddy" (B. Knowles, D. Elliott) – 4:07
"Independent Women Part II" (B. Knowles, R. Stewart, E. Seats, F. Comstock, D. Donaldson) – 3:46
"Happy Face" (R. Fusari, C. Gaines, B. Knowles, B. Lee, F. Moore) – 4:20
"Emotion" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 3:56
"Dangerously in Love" (B. Knowles, E, McCalla Jr.) – 4:53
"Brown Eyes" (W. Afanasieff, B. Knowles) – 4:49
"The Story of Beauty" (B. Knowles, K. Fambro) – 3:32
"Gospel Medley" (Dedicated to Andretta Tillman) (B. Knowles, K. Franklin, R. Smallwood) – 3:25
"You've Been So Good"
"Now Behold the Lamb"
"Jesus Loves Me"
"Total Praise"
"Outro (DC-3) Thank You" (B. Knowles, K. Rowland, M. Williams, R. Fusari, B. Lee, C. Gaines) – 4:03

International edition
Cat. number: Europe COL 501783 2,[15] Australia 501703 2[16]
"Independent Women Part I" (B. Knowles, S. Barnes, C. Rooney, J. C. Olivier) – 3:42
"Survivor" (includes interlude) (B. Knowles, A. Dent, M. Knowles) – 4:14
"Bootylicious" (B. Knowles, R. Fusari, F. Moore, S. Nicks) – 3:28
"Nasty Girl" (B. Knowles, A. Dent, M. Bassi N. Hacket) – 4:18
"Fancy" (B. Knowles, D. Wiggins, J. Rotem) – 4:13
"Apple Pie à la Mode" (B. Knowles, R. Fusari, F. Moore) – 2:59
"Sexy Daddy" (B. Knowles, D. Elliott) – 4:07
"Perfect Man" (B. Knowles, R. Stewart, E. Seats) – 3:41
"Independent Women Part II" (B. Knowles, R. Stewart, E. Seats, B. Knowles, F. Comstock, D. Donaldson) – 3:46
"Happy Face" (R. Fusari, C. Gaines, B. Knowles, B. Lee, F. Moore) – 4:20
"Dance with Me" (B. Knowles, K. Karlin, C. Schack) – 3:43
"My Heart Still Beats" (featuring Beyoncé) (B. Knowles, W. Afanasieff) – 4:08
"Emotion" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 3:56
"Brown Eyes" (W. Afanasieff, B. Knowles) – 4:49
"Dangerously in Love" (B. Knowles, E, McCalla Jr.) – 4:53
"The Story of Beauty" (B. Knowles, K. Fambro) – 3:32
"Gospel Medley" (Dedicated to Andretta Tillman) (B. Knowles, K. Franklin, R. Smallwood) – 3:25
"You've Been So Good"
"Now Behold the Lamb"
"Jesus Loves Me"
"Total Praise"
"Outro (DC-3) Thank You" (B. Knowles, K. Rowland, M. Williams, R. Fusari, B. Lee, C. Gaines) – 4:03
"Survivor" (Enhanced music video)

Credits and personnel

Mark J. Feist – producer, arranger, programming
Tony Maserati – mixing
Vladimir Meller – mastering
Dave Pensado – mixing
Nunzio Signore – guitar
Richard Travali – mixing
D'Wayne Wiggins – guitar, producer
Richard J. Davis – production coordination
James Hoover – engineer, vocal engineer
Walter Afanasieff – bass, programming, drum programming, arranger, producer, keyboards
Tom Coyne – mastering
Poke – producer
Corey Rooney – producer
Jim Caruana – engineer
Dexter Simmons – mixing
Poke & Tone – producer
Brian Springer – engineer, vocal engineer
Flip Osman – assistant engineer, assistant
Jill Topol – stylist
Destiny's Child – main performer
Nick Thomas – mixing
Dan Workman – guitar, mixing, vocal engineer, engineer
Damon Elliott – producer, engineer
Troy Gonzalez – engineer
Anthony Dent – producer, engineer
Rob Fusari – producer
Beyoncé Knowles – vocals, songwriter, producer, vocal arrangement
Kelly Rowland – vocals, songwriter
Michelle Williams – vocals, songwriter
Farrah Franklin – vocals (international version)
Michael McCoy – assistant engineer
Wassim Zreik – assistant
Mathew Knowles – producer, executive producer
Tina Knowles – hair stylist, stylist
Orlando Calzada – engineer
Michael Conrader – engineer
Dave Way – mixing
Marla Weinhoff – prop stylist
Greg Bieck – keyboards, digital programming, drum programming, engineer, programming
Pete Krawiec – assistant engineer
Kent Huffnagle – engineer
Ramon Morales – engineer
Falonte Moore – producer
Errol McCalla – programming, producer
Bill Lee – producer
Woody Pornpitaksuk – author
Eric Seats – multi instruments
Robert Conley – programming
Terry T. – engineer
Thom Cadley – mixing
David Donaldson – keyboards, vocal engineer
Calvin Gaines – producer
David Gleeson – engineer

Chart (2001) Provider Peak
position Certification Sales
Australian ARIA Albums Top 50[17] ARIA 2 2x Platinum 140,000
Austrian Albums Chart[17] Media Control 3 Platinum 20,000
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart[17] Ultratop 1
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart[17] 5
Brazilian Albums Chart[17] ABPD Gold[18] 100,000[19]
Canadian Albums Chart[20] CRIA 1 4x Platinum 400,000
Danish Albums Chart[17] 1 Platinum 30,000
Dutch Albums Chart[17] MegaCharts 3 2x Platinum 160,000
Finnish Albums Chart[17] 3 Platinum[21] 34,122
French Albums Chart[17] SNEP/IFOP 11 Gold 250,000
German Albums Chart Media Control 1[22] Platinum 300,000
Italian Albums Chart[17] FIMI 10 20,000
Japanese Albums Chart[23] Oricon 12
New Zealand Albums Chart[17] RIANZ 1 2x Platinum 30,000
Norwegian Albums Chart[17] VG Nett 8 Platinum 30,000
Polish Albums Chart 1 Gold[24] 30,000
Swedish Albums Chart[17] GLF 5 Platinum 100,000
Swiss Albums Chart[17] Media Control 2 Platinum 45,000
UK Albums Chart BPI/The Official UK Charts Company 1 3x Platinum 900,000
U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 1 4x Platinum 5,000,000[25]
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1

Preceded by
All for You by Janet Jackson Billboard 200 number-one album
May 19 – June 1, 2001 Succeeded by
Lateralus by Tool
Preceded by
Free All Angels by Ash
8701 by Usher UK number one album
May 12, 2001 – May 25, 2001
July 28, 2001 – August 10, 2001 Succeeded by
Reveal by R.E.M.
White Ladder by David Gray