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What a Time to Be Alive (Tom Walker album)

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What a Time to Be Alive is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Tom Walker, released on 1 March 2019 through Relentless Records. It was preceded by the single "Leave a Light On", which reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart,[1] as well as "My Way" and "Angels". It also includes "Walk Alone", released as a single from Rudimental's 2019 album Toast to Our Differences, and the original acoustic version of "Just You and I", which was re-released in a different version for single release in early 2019, also reaching the top 10 in the UK.[1]

What a Time to Be Alive
Studio album by
Tom Walker
Released1 March 2019 (2019-03-01)
Length48:26
LabelRelentless
Producer
Tom Walker chronology
Blessings
(2017) 		What a Time to Be Alive
(2019) 		I Am
(2024)
Singles from What a Time to Be Alive
  1. "Just You and I (acoustic)"
    Released: 7 April 2017
  2. "Blessings"
    Released: 19 May 2017
  3. "Leave a Light On"
    Released: 13 October 2017
  4. "My Way"
    Released: 22 June 2018
  5. "Angels"
    Released: 7 September 2018
  6. "Not Giving In"
    Released: 17 May 2019
  7. "Now You're Gone"
    Released: 31 May 2019
  8. "Better Half of Me"
    Released: 4 October 2019
  9. "Heartbeats"
    Released: 2 November 2019

The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of 37,000.[2]

Background

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Walker originally tweeted in July 2018 that the album would be released on 19 October 2018.[3] On its delay, he said to Idolator that he felt like he had "been sat on this album for a little while". He also spoke about the title, and how it is either interpreted as being "depressing" or "hopeful", but that he named it "because we've come so far, the human race, but also, I think we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and not learning sometimes. It's a thought provoking title, that's why I like it."[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[5]
The Guardian     [6]
The Times     [7]

Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis scored the album two out of five stars and called Walker "algorithmically designed for our times", comparing his sound to that of Ed Sheeran, in that the two share a "predilection for a percussive style of guitar playing, vaguely hip-hop beats and rap-influenced vocal cadences". Petridis also characterised the songwriting as either being "bullish assertions of Walker's own talent in the face of apathy and adversity ('I'll be dead before they change me, my guitar's the only one that ever paid me') and empathetic I'm-your-mate vignettes involving booze, drugs and lean times."[6] Reviewing the album for Clash, Malvika Padin described it as "an assured, controlled debut album" featuring "a mix of slow instrumentals and soaring vocals, that make an impact track after track", summarising it as a "perfect representation of him – cheerful, genuine, heartfelt and talented".[5] In a two-star review, Will Hodgkinson of The Times also compared Walker to Sheeran and Rag'n'Bone Man, saying that "the public appetite for earnest bearded troubadours who look as if they work in a microbrewery shows no sign of abating". Hodgkinson further noted that the album is "perfectly pleasant" but with its team of songwriters writing for mass audience appeal, "almost wilfully dull".[7]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Angels"
Mike Spencer3:29
2."Leave a Light On"
Steve Mac3:05
3."Not Giving In"WalkerSpencer3:48
4."How Can You Sleep at Night?"
Spencer3:36
5."Now You’re Gone" (featuring Zara Larsson)
Mac3:32
6."My Way"
  • Spencer
  • Hight[b]
3:56
7."Blessings"
3:17
8."Cry Out"
Abbiss3:25
9."Dominoes"
  • Walker
  • Thomas AD Fuller
Abbiss4:03
10."Fade Away"WalkerAbbiss4:43
11."Just You and I" (acoustic)WalkerJonathan Quarmby3:18
12."The Show"
Abbiss4:49
13."Walk Alone" (Rudimental featuring Tom Walker)
3:25
Total length:48:26
Tidal and Spotify bonus track[8][9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Just You and I"WalkerMark Ralph2:55

Deluxe Edition

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The deluxe edition of the album was released on 8 November 2019[10] and features the song "Better Half of Me", released on 4 October 2019.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Just You and I"Thomas WalkerMark Ralph2:54
2."Leave a Light On"
Steve Mac3:05
3."Better Half of Me"
  • Blackwood
  • Ralph
3:15
4."Not Giving In"WalkerMike Spencer3:48
5."How Can You Sleep at Night?"
Spencer3:36
6."Angels"
  • Walker
  • James Eliot
  • Emma Davidson-Dillon
Spencer3:29
7."Now You're Gone" (featuring Zara Larsson)
Mac3:32
8."My Way"
3:56
9."Blessings"
Jim Abbiss3:17
10."Cry Out"
Abbiss3:25
11."Dominoes"
  • Walker
  • Thomas AD Fuller
Abbiss4:03
12."Fade Away"WalkerAbbiss4:43
13."Just You and I" (acoustic)WalkerJonathan Quarmby3:18
14."The Show"
Abbiss4:49
15."Walk Alone" (Rudimental featuring Tom Walker)
3:25
16."Heartbeats"
TMS3:12
17."Something to Believe In"
Blackwood3:40
18."Be Myself"
  • Walker
  • Fuller
Abbiss4:01
19."All That Matters" (acoustic)
  • Walker
  • Bevan
  • Deal
 3:14
20."Fly Away with Me"
  • Walker
  • Fortis[a]
3:31
21."Leave a Light On" (Sony Bravia version)
  • Walker
  • McCutcheon
 3:38

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for What a Time to Be Alive
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[30] Gold 25,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[31] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Platinum 300,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tom Walker | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ "Tom Walker's debut album enters at Number 1: "This is next level!"". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ "What A Time To Be Alive... my debut album is out on October 19th!! 🤘 It's already available to pre-order in some countries. To find out when it will be available in your country, sign up to my mailing list here 🙌". 31 July 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Wass, Mike (28 February 2019). "Interview: Tom Walker On 'What A Time To Be Alive' & His Zara Larsson Duet". Idolator. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b Padin, Malvika (28 February 2019). "Tom Walker - What A Time To Be Alive | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (28 February 2019). "Tom Walker: What a Time to Be Alive review – feel the algorithm". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will (1 March 2019). "Tom Walker: What a Time to Be Alive review". The Times. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  8. ^ "What a Time To Be Alive / Tom Walker". Tidal. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. ^ "What a Time to Be Alive". Spotify. March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  10. ^ "What a Time to be Alive (Deluxe Edition) by Tom Walker". 8 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Tom Walker". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Charts.nz – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  25. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  28. ^ Copsey, Rob (1 January 2020). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  29. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Italian album certifications – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  31. ^ "Norwegian album certifications – Tom Walker" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  32. ^ "British album certifications – Tom Walker – What a Time to Be Alive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
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