Wikipedia

Counting Down the Days

This article is about the album. For the namesake single, see Counting Down the Days (song).

Counting Down the Days is the third studio album by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia. It was released by Brightside Recordings on 4 April 2005 in the United Kingdom. Her debut with the label, Imbruglia reteamed with Gary Clark to work on her next project, but also consulted a wider range of producers to collaborate with her, including Eg White, Martin Harrington, Ben Hillier, Ash Howes, Daniel Johns, David Kosten, Stephen Lipson, Paul Mac, and Ian Stanley. The album's lead single, "Shiver" (2005) was a commercial hit, particularly in the UK, and officially became the UK’s most broadcast song of 2005 according to PPL.[2]

Counting Down the Days
Studio album by
Natalie Imbruglia
Released4 April 2005
Studio
GenrePop rock[1]
Length42:40
LabelBrightside
Producer
Natalie Imbruglia chronology
White Lilies Island
(2001) 		Counting Down the Days
(2005) 		Live from London
(2007)
Singles from Counting Down the Days
  1. "Shiver"
    Released: 21 March 2005
  2. "Counting Down the Days"
    Released: 25 July 2005

Musically, unlike White Lilies Island which was predominantly darker and moodier, Counting Down the Days saw Imbruglia's return to radio-friendly pop songs. The album received generally favorable reviews, to which compliment was given for having a handful of genuinely great songs, even though critics were disappointed of its play-it-safe attitude that undid some of the good works and risk taker provided by its predecessor, White Lilies Island.[1][3]

Upon release, Counting Down the Days debuted atop the UK Album Chart for one week, becoming her first and her only number one album in the UK to date. However, despite the new milestone for Imbruglia in the UK market, the album was less successful in her home country, Australia where it only charted within top twenty, the album also didn’t get an official release in North America until 2010,[4][5] particularly due to her departure from RCA Records, and collaboration with a newly-founded record label that promoted the album only in selected regions, primarily focusing promotion on the UK market.

To support the album, Imbruglia went on a small European concert tour from October to November 2005 with 21 shows across Europe, including eight shows in the UK alone.[6]

Counting Down the Days has sold over 204,000 copies in the UK[7] and an estimated 600,000 copies worldwide.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
The Guardian     [8]
Yahoo! Music UK          [3]

Allmusic editor Jon O'Brien found that the album suggested "a confusing and disappointing change in direction. For all the bittersweet melancholy and dark undertones of White Lilies Island suggested an interesting career ahead, yet only on a few occasions does Counting Down the Days veer into this territory. Instead, the majority is made up of fairly inoffensive radio-friendly pop songs [...] Counting Down the Days will undoubtedly be a commercial success but its play-it-safe attitude undoes some of the good work done by its predecessor. A few more risks next time wouldn't go amiss."[1] Betty Clarke, writing for The Guardian, felt that "Revisiting the mid-tempo rhythms of her last album, Imbruglia turns from muse to troubled girl next door, gushing about love and fretting about voices in her head, while acoustic guitars, flutes and strings whip a radio-friendly pop froth around her. Bored with pushing perfection, she's selling an old-fashioned brand of submission, her feisty edge eroded to a disturbing gratefulness. [...] Imbruglia's voice sounds better than ever – hanging on to words as if she's rolling out an expensive carpet."[8]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Starting Today"
  • Harrington
  • Howes
2:54
2."Shiver"
3:42
3."Satisfied"Daniel Johns
3:28
4."Counting Down the Days"
  • Imbruglia
  • Matt Prime
Johns4:09
5."I Won't Be Lost"
  • Imbruglia
  • Harrington
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Howes
3:51
6."Slow Down"
  • Imbruglia
  • White
Eg3:30
7."Sanctuary"
3:07
8."Perfectly"
  • Harrington
  • Howes
3:22
9."On the Run"
  • Imbruglia
  • Harrington
  • Howes
  • DioGuardi
  • Harrington
  • Howes
3:37
10."Come On Home"Dan GlendiningBen Hillier3:55
11."When You're Sleeping"
  • Imbruglia
  • Clark
3:04
12."Honeycomb Child"
Kosten4:12

Notes

  • ^a signifies a co-producer
  • ^b signifies an initial producer

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[9]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Russia (NFPF)[26] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 206,860[7]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, and catalog number
Region Date Label Format(s) Catalog number
United Kingdom 4 April 2005 Brightside Recordings CD B0007YH6AG
Australia 11 April 2005 82876679672
Japan 20 April 2005 Sony BMG Japan BVCP-24064
France 25 April 2005 Brightside Recordings B0007TF19Y
Canada 9 September 2005 Sony Music Canada Inc. B0007TF19Y

References

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  1. ^ a b c d AllMusic review
  2. ^ Sexton, Paul (25 May 2006). "Imbruglia's 'Shiver' Tops PPL 'Most Used' Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Yahoo! Music UK review". Archived from the original on 18 April 2005. Retrieved 5 February 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Counting Down The Days". Amazon. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Counting Down The Days- Natalie Imbruglia". iTunes. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days Tour". Setlist FM. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b Jones, Alan (16 September 2007). "This week's sales analysis". Music Week. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b Clarke, Betty (1 April 2005). "Natalie Imbruglia, Counting Down The Days". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b Counting Down the Days (booklet). Brightside Recordings. 2005.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". Hung Medien.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in German). Hung Medien.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in French). Hung Medien.
  14. ^ "Arianet: The Aria Report". Pandora Archive (p. 27). Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  16. ^ "European Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Natalie Imbruglia". Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  22. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". Hung Medien.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". Hung Medien.
  24. ^ "Natalie Imbruglia | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  25. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 2005". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  26. ^ "Russian album certifications – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down the Days". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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