The Show Must Go is the third studio album by Canadian pop rock group Hedley. It was released on November 17, 2009, in Canada. The album was successful, producing three top 20 singles, with the lead track, "Cha-Ching", and eighth track, "Perfect" both hitting the top 10. The album was later released in the US on December 7, 2010.[2]

The Show Must Go
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 17, 2009 (CAN)
Recorded2009
Genre
Length37:37 (standard)
44:27 (bonus tracks)
Label
Producer
Hedley chronology
Famous Last Words
(2007)
The Show Must Go
(2009)
Go with the Show
(2010)
Singles from The Show Must Go
  1. "Cha-Ching"
    Released: August 17, 2009
  2. "Don't Talk to Strangers"
    Released: October 27, 2009
  3. "Perfect"
    Released: February 8, 2010
  4. "Hands Up"
    Released: June 29, 2010
  5. "Sweater Song"
    Released: November 2010

Background

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The group worked with producers David Bendeth, John Feldmann, Dave Genn and Brian Howes.[3][4] Hoggard began writing songs for The Show Must Go as the band was wrapping up their Famous Last Words tour.[3] The group wrote 45 songs over the course of three months before choosing the 11 tracks for the album.[5] Songs from the album were inspired from "the collapse of several relationships — both romantic and platonic."[3] Whereas Hedley and Famous Last Words were more pop punk and alternative rock influenced, this album was inspired by hip-hop music and electro beats.[6] Hoggard stated, "I don't know if the album as a whole has anything to do with me liking Dizzee Rascal or Method Man. There are some songs that might lend to the production elements of urban music, but we still wanted the album to sound as acoustic as possible."[6] In an interview with MuchMusic, Hoggard described The Show Must Go as a more "personal album" and that the band pushed themselves to create an honest record.[7] The album's concept comes from "remembering that your whole life is not a show and you can't just always be performing."[3]

In 2010, the band signed an American record deal with Island Records.[1]

Release

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"Cha-Ching" was released to radio in Canada on August 17, 2009, as the lead single from the album.[8] The song was released internationally the following day.[9] "Don't Talk to Strangers" was released as the second single from the album on October 27, 2009.[10] The album's third single "Perfect" was released on February 8, 2010, through Universal Music Canada.[11] "Hands Up" was released on June 29, 2010, as the fourth single from the album.[12] "Sweater Song" was released as the album's fifth single in December 2010.

The Show Must Go was released in the United States on December 7, 2010 via Island Records.[1] The album contains the bonus tracks "I Do (Wanna Love You)" and "Color Outside The Lines". "Perfect" was released as the album's first single in the US on August 10, 2010.[13]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [14]
MuchMusic     [15]
New Music Reviews(Mixed)[16]
PressPlus1     [17]

The Show Must Go was met with positive reviews from music critics. Alexey Eremenko of AllMusic stated that the album features, "simple, straightforward guitar licks and a vocal delivery that teeters on the brink of larger-than-life emoting." He complimented the album for its catchiness, however criticized the record for its "cheesy hard rock of yesteryear."[14] Sydney of MuchMusic called the album their best effort yet. She described the album's ninth track "Sweater Song" as the standout track, as well as praising "Amazing", calling the track, "a classic Hedley ballad." However, she stated that "Young & Stupid" is a skip.[15] Max Specht of PressPlus1 remarked, "Hedley has made a great album that won’t pigeonhole them, and although the first two singles might try to write them off as a novelty, there is a lot of quality to be found here in songs like 'Sweater Song' and 'Friends'."

Track listing

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Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cha-Ching"Brian HowesHowes3:30
2."Don't Talk to Strangers"Jacob Hoggard, David Rosin, Christian Crippin, Thomas MacDonald, Brian Howes, Jason Van PoederooyenHowes3:33
3."Scream"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin; MacDonald, David Katz, Sam Hollander, HowesJohn Feldmann2:51
4."Hands Up"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, FeldmannFeldmann3:19
5."Amazing"Hoggard, Dave GennDavid Bendeth3:33
6."Shelter"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, GennGenn3:13
7."Young and Stupid"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, FeldmannFeldmann3:10
8."Perfect"Hoggard, Bendeth, GennHowes, Bendeth4:13
9."Sweater Song"HoggardGenn3:21
10."9 Shades of Red"Hoggard, Rosin, MacDonald, Crippin, BendethDavid Bendeth3:13
11."Friends"Hoggard, Rosin, MacDonald, Crippin, GennGenn3:38
Total length:37:37
Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Goodbye" (iTunes Bonus Track)Hoggard, FeldmannFeldmann3:23
13."Lucky" (iTunes Pre-Order)Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, Mike James, Troy Samson, HollanderDavid Bendeth2:54
Total length:44:27
US edition[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Color Outside the Lines"Hoggard, Howes, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, Poederooyen 4:01
2."I Do (Wanna Love You)"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald 3:24
3."Perfect"Hoggard, Bendeth, GennHowes, Bendeth4:11
4."Hands Up"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, FeldmannFeldmann3:19
5."Shelter"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, GennGenn3:13
6."Amazing"Hoggard, GennBendeth3:33
7."Cha-Ching"HowesHowes3:30
8."Don't Talk to Strangers"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, Howes, PoederooyenHowes3:33
9."Scream"Hoggard, Rosin, Crippin, MacDonald, Katz, Hollander, HowesFeldmann2:51
10."Friends"Hoggard, Rosin, MacDonald, Crippin, GennGenn3:38
11."Sweater Song"HoggardGenn3:21

Personnel

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Credits for The Show Must Go adapted from AllMusic.[19]

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for The Show Must Go
Year Organization Award Result Ref(s)
2010 Juno Awards Pop Album of the Year Nominated [20]
2011 Album of the Year Nominated

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23] 2× Platinum 160,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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List of release dates, showing region, release format, label catalog number, and reference
Country Date Format Label Catalog No. Ref.
Canada November 17, 2009 Universal Music Canada B002SXPK9S [24][25]
Uruguay April 6, 2010 CD [citation needed]
Worldwide April 16, 2010 [citation needed]
United States December 7, 2010
  • CD
  • digital download
Island Records B003ZYJS7Y [18][26]
United Kingdom March 11, 2011 CD Phantom Sound & Vision B002SXPK9S [27]

Tours

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The Show Must Go... on the Road Tour

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The Show Must Go... on the Road Tour
Tour by Hedley
Associated albumThe Show Must Go
Start dateMarch 22, 2010
End dateOctober 2, 2010
Legs2
No. of shows39
Hedley concert chronology
  • Famous Last Words Tour
    (2009)
  • The Show Must Go... on the Road Tour
    (2010)
  • Shipwrecked Tour
    (2012)

Hedley announced a tour across Canada in support of the album.[28] Fefe Dobson and Stereos were supporting acts for the entire tour,[29] while Boys Like Girls supported the dates from March 28 to April 10,[30] and Faber Drive supported the other eight dates.[31] A live album called Go With the Show was released in a CD/DVD pack on November 9, 2010.[32] The CD contains tracks from the three final destinations of the tour from the first leg, as well as a documentary and bonus features on the DVD.[33]

A second leg was announced on May 25, 2010.[34] The opening acts touring with the band are San Sebastian, These Kids Wear Crowns, and Lights.

Setlist
  1. "Cha-Ching"
  2. "On My Own"
  3. "Shelter"
  4. "She's So Sorry"
  5. "Perfect"
  6. "Old School"
  7. "Amazing"
  8. "Saturday"
  9. "Gunnin'"
  10. "Don't Talk to Strangers"
  11. "Friends"
  12. "Beautiful"
  13. "321"
  14. "Never Too Late"

Encore:

  1. "For the Nights I Can't Remember"
  2. "Trip"
Tour dates

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Hedley Hoping Third Time's A Charm". Alternative Addiction. October 9, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Top 40 Mainstream - Future Releases". All Access Mediabase. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Hedley: From Idol to Survivor". The Toronto Star. April 4, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Kerry Doole (August 1, 2010). "Howe's He Do it". SOCAN Magazine. Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Trevor Morelli (November 25, 2009). "Hedley Wrote 45 Songs For New Album, Some Of Them Sucked". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ a b Trevor Morelli (March 19, 2010). "Hedley Are OK With Cougars". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "Jacob Hoggard Talks New Music". MuchMusic. October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  8. ^ @Hedleyonline (August 14, 2009). "New single "Cha-Ching" hits radio on Monday!! Request on your local station! xo" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Dallas (August 19, 2009). "Stream The New Hedley Single Here". Melodic. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  10. ^ @Hedleyonline (October 27, 2009). "To clarify only track u get instantly with the pre-order is 'Don't Talk To Strangers' - the bonus track and everything else come Nov. 17" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @Hedleyonline (February 8, 2010). "Don't forget to request 'Perfect' at your local radio station now :) #hedley" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @Hedleyonline (June 29, 2010). "Hey Canadian Hedley fans you should start requesting 'Hands Up' on your local radio station" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Perfect - Single by Hedley". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Alexey Eremenko. "The Show Must Go Review by Alexey Eremenko". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Sydney (December 1, 2009). "Hedley: The Show Must Go Review". MuchMusic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  16. ^ "Hedley - The Show Must Go Review". Newmusicreviews.net. January 22, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Max Specht (November 20, 2009). "Hedley - The Show Must Go". PressPlus1. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "The Show Must Go by Hedley". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  19. ^ "The Show Must Go - Hedley Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Past Nominees and Winners - The Juno Awards". Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "Hedley Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "Canadian Albums: 2010 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Hedley – Show Must Go". Music Canada.
  24. ^ "The Show Must Go by Hedley". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple Inc. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  25. ^ "The Show Must Go: Hedley: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  26. ^ "Hedley - The Show Must Go - Amazon.com Music". Amazon. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  27. ^ "Show Must Go On by Hedley: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  28. ^ "Hedley Presale Madness". MuchMusic. November 18, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  29. ^ Rob Williams (March 30, 2010). "Hedley singer wants to deliver bang for buck on arena tour". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  30. ^ "Concert Review: Hedley at the Bell Centre, April 7, 2010". The Gazette. April 8, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  31. ^ "Hedley Rocks Sudbury Arena". Sudbury.com. Village Media. April 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  32. ^ Betty Nygaard King (May 21, 2015). "Hedley - The Canadian Encyclopedia". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  33. ^ "Go with The Show - Hedley". AllMusic. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Helwig, David (May 25, 2010). "Hedley. Essar Centre. September 22". SooToday.com. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  35. ^ Harper, Kate (November 16, 2009). "Hedley Announce Canadian Tour". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2009-11-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)