Aha Shake Heartbreak

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Aha Shake Heartbreak
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1, 2004
RecordedApril – June 2004
StudioThree Crows (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length35:01
LabelRCA
Producer
Kings of Leon chronology
Youth & Young Manhood
(2003)
Aha Shake Heartbreak
(2004)
Day Old Belgian Blues
(2006)
Singles from Aha Shake Heartbreak
  1. "The Bucket"
    Released: October 25, 2004
  2. "Four Kicks"
    Released: January 10, 2005
  3. "King of the Rodeo"
    Released: April 11, 2005
Alternate cover
North American and Australian editions

Aha Shake Heartbreak is the second studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon. It was first released in Europe on November 1, 2004, then in the United States on February 22, 2005, with alternate cover artwork. It is the only album by Kings of Leon to have a Parental Advisory label, because of profanity in "Taper Jean Girl", "Rememo", "Soft", and "Four Kicks". The U.S. album cover is reminiscent of Queen's A Night at the Opera.

"The Bucket", "Four Kicks" and "King of the Rodeo" were released as singles in the UK.

Recording[edit]

Like its predecessor, Aha Shake Heartbreak was recorded with producer Ethan Johns at his Three Crows Studio in Los Angeles using The Beatles' old Abbey Road mixing desk.

Title and artwork[edit]

The title of the album comes from the third track, "Taper Jean Girl".

There were two different covers for the album: the original UK/Ireland version of the album featured a white orchid on a black background, whereas the later US version featured a different kind of orchid on a white background. The releases of the album with a white orchid on the cover contain the bonus track "Where Nobody Knows". On compact disc, both versions of the artwork include a picture of the band as children hidden underneath the plastic tray that holds the disc.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
The Guardian[8]
NME8/10[9]
Pitchfork4.9/10[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
SpinB[13]
The Village VoiceB+[14]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 74, based on 31 reviews, which indicates it received "generally favorable reviews".[15] Rolling Stone listed it as the 39th best album of its decade,[16] and it was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[17]

The band's popularity spiked in Australia during the weeks of September 22 and 29, 2008, when all four of their studio albums were in the top 50 on the charts. At that point, Aha Shake Heartbreak reached at its highest position yet, number 25, and attained Platinum sales. It was certified 2× Platinum in Australia on January 12, 2009.

The album has sold more than 910,000 copies worldwide.[citation needed]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Kings of Leon (Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill) unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Slow Night, So Long" 3:53
2."King of the Rodeo" 2:25
3."Taper Jean Girl" 3:05
4."Pistol of Fire"Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Angelo Petraglia2:20
5."Milk" 4:00
6."The Bucket" 2:55
7."Soft"Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Angelo Petraglia2:59
8."Razz" 2:14
9."Day Old Blues" 3:33
10."Four Kicks" 2:08
11."Velvet Snow" 2:10
12."Rememo" 3:19
Total length:35:01
European CD edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Where Nobody Knows"2:24
  • "Slow Night, So Long" contains an unlisted hidden track, titled "Too Good to Tango" (1:14), within the track's total run time.

Singles[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Kings of Leon

  • Caleb Followill – vocals, rhythm guitar (credited as "pipes")
  • Nathan Followill – drums (credited as "skins")
  • Jared Followill – bass (credited as "slaps")
  • Matthew Followill – lead guitar (credited as "licks")
  • Ethan Johns – piano ("Slow Night, So Long"), keyboards ("Milk")

Charts and certifications[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Palathingal, George (November 21, 2013). "Kings of Leon had the sex but it was not on fire". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Lifton, Dave (April 3, 2017). "10 Years Ago: Kings of Leon Move Past Southern Rock With 'Because of the Times'". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Browne, David (February 21, 2005). "Aha Shake Heartbreak". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Reviews for Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon". Metacritic. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  5. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "A-Ha Shake Heartbreak – Kings of Leon". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  6. ^ Eells, Josh (March 2005). "Kings of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak". Blender (34): 138. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Browne, David (February 21, 2005). "Aha Shake Heartbreak". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  8. ^ Petridis, Alexis (October 29, 2004). "Kings of Leon, Aha Shake Heartbreak". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  9. ^ Fitzpatrick, Rob (October 30, 2004). "Kings of Leon : Aha Shake Heartbreak". NME. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  10. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (November 30, 2004). "Kings of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  11. ^ "Kings of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak". Q (221): 129. December 2004.
  12. ^ Fricke, David (February 24, 2005). "Aha Shake Heartbreak". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  13. ^ Wood, Mikael (March 2005). "Kings of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak". Spin. 21 (3): 85. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  14. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 17, 2005). "Consumer Guide: Beguilement and Rage". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  15. ^ "Metacritic profile – Aha Shake Heartbreak". Metacritic. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  16. ^ "Introducing Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | Music News". Rolling Stone. 2011-07-19. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  17. ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  23. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 4 November 2004". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  27. ^ "Kings Of Leon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  28. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  29. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2005" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  30. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "2008 Year-End UK Charts" (PDF). Chart Plus. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  32. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  33. ^ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  35. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2007 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  36. ^ "Certifications February 5 2006". radioscope.co.nz. Archived from the original on 1 October 2006. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 19, 2022.