Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
BBC(positive)[2]
Dusted Reviews(negative)[3]
Pitchfork Media6.9/10[4]
Play Louder[5]
Slant Magazine[6]
Stylus MagazineB+[7]

Hello Young Lovers is the 20th studio album by American pop and rock duo Sparks, released in 2006. A continuation of the repetitious, orchestral sound of their previous album Lil' Beethoven, though with a much greater emphasis on guitar and drums, it is a concept album which addresses aspects of modern love.

Release

Hello Young Lovers was commercially more popular than any Sparks album since the 1970s, and it reached No. 66 on the UK Albums Chart.[8] It did not chart in the US. The album was released on CD and both white and pink vinyl. The CD was initially released on Gut Records, and then later released on In the Red Records.

Two singles and an EP were released to promote the album. The first, "Perfume", was backed with an alternative version of "(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country" and a remix by Clor. It peaked at No. 80 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 10 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.[8]

"Dick Around" was released as an EP in the US and as a double A-side single with "Waterproof" in the UK. Both versions featured an edited version of "Dick Around" and the US version included live tracks recorded earlier that year in Los Angeles. The UK release of the song fell foul of a ban by the BBC, who took issue with the title citing it as obscene. Sparks issued a statement: "The BBC has officially killed off our new single Dick Around, ostensibly through rather childish objections to the title, an innocent reference to the idle life. That a piece of music can be condemned purely by its title without the 'decision makers' even having the decency to open the CD case is a travesty and an insult to both us as the creators of the music and to the listeners of the BBC."[9] Eventually, in a statement BBC London said that the track is back in rotation.[9] The single charted at No. 139 in the UK.[10]

Re-release

In April 2022, a remastered Hello Young Lovers was issued on LP, CD and digital as part of the five album "21st Century Sparks" collection. The CD and digital releases contain two bonus tracks: An alternative version of "(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country" previously released as a B-side, and a cover of "We Are the Clash" recorded for an Uncut magazine tribute to The Clash in 2003.[11]

It entered the UK Independent Albums Chart at No. 14.[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ron and Russell Mael, except where indicated.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dick Around" 6:35
2."Perfume" 4:59
3."The Very Next Fight" 5:18
4."(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country"Ron and Russell Mael, Francis Scott Key (Additional lyrics)5:56
5."Rock, Rock, Rock" 5:10
6."Metaphor" 4:03
7."Waterproof" 4:17
8."Here Kitty" 4:26
9."There's No Such Thing as Aliens" 2:53
10."As I Sit Down to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral" 7:02
Total length:50:39
BMG reissue bonus tracks (2022)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."We Are the Clash"
3:26
12."(Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country" (Alternative Lyric) 6:34
Total length:60:39

Personnel

Charts

Album

Singles

References

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Hello Young Lovers – Sparks". AllMusic. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  2. ^ Jones, Chris. "Review of Sparks – Hello Young Lovers". BBC. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  3. ^ Mosurock, Doug (February 18, 2006). "Dusted Reviews: Sparks – Hello Young Lovers". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  4. ^ Abebe, Nitsuh (March 14, 2006). "Sparks: Hello Young Lovers: Pitchfork Record Review". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on January 4, 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  5. ^ Moffat, Iain (February 13, 2006). "Review – Hello Young Lovers". Playlouder. Archived from the original on February 20, 2006. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  6. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (March 13, 2006). "Review: Sparks, Hello Young Lovers". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  7. ^ O'Reilly, Fergal (February 14, 2006). "Sparks – Hello Young Lovers – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Sparks | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Sparks single banned on BBC: yes/no on www.side-line.com". Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  10. ^ a b "Chart Log UK: DJ S - The System Of Life". Dipl.-Bibl.(FH) Tobias Zywietz, 1994–2009. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  11. ^ Sparks, Hello Young Lovers official tracklist, retrieved May 29, 2022
  12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sparks – Hello Young Lovers". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Young_Lovers_(Sparks_album)
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