St. Elsewhere is the debut album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the BillboardDance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.
The album's first single, "Crazy", was the first song to become a UK number-one single based solely on downloads.[1] The album was certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA, for shipping 1,000,000 units.[2] A limited edition deluxe package of St. Elsewhere was released on November 7, 2006. The CD + DVD package includes a 92-page booklet, four music videos, and bonus songs from live performances. It was also released on vinyl.
In an interview with New York, Gnarls Barkley were asked if they intended to make a contemporary psychedelic record with St. Elsewhere. Producer Danger Mouse agreed, wishing to fuse melody with experimentation like late-1960s music he admired.[4] Indeed, Elsewhere sees Cee-lo Green's neo soul style[5] set against Mouse's psychedelic rock[4] / soul[3]-infused music. "Creepy-crawly" also features hip hop,[6] yielding a "big [and] amorphous" take on the genre.[7]
The album received general acclaim from critics: At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 37 reviews.[8] It was rated the best release of 2006 by PopMatters.[16] In 2007, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, with nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year for "Crazy". St. Elsewhere placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 92.[17]
^[c] "St. Elsewhere" incorporates elements of "Geordie", arranged by Barry Clarke, David Costa, Celia Humphris, and Stephen Brown, and performed by Trees.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Referencesedit
^"Crazy song makes musical history". BBC News. April 2, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2006.
^PRESS RELEASE Gnarls Barkley Receives RIAA Platinum Certification; Duo's Debut Honored for Sales Exceeding One Million; "Crazy" Makes History While Scoring Three MTV VMA Nods from Market Wire
^Gill, Andy (April 21, 2006). "Album: Gnarls Barkley". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
^Kun, Joseph (May 6, 2006). "All history lessons should be such fun". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
^Long, Pat (April 13, 2006). "Gnarls Barkley: St Elsewhere". NME. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
^Abebe, Nitsuh (May 7, 2006). "Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
^Relic, Peter (May 9, 2006). "Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
^Fennessey, Sean (June 2006). "Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere". Spin. 22 (6): 80. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
^"New Zealand album certifications – Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('St. Elsewhere')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
^"British album certifications – Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field.Select Platinum in the Certification field.Type St. Elsewhere in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.