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Life in a Beautiful Light

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Life in a Beautiful Light
Studio album by
Amy Macdonald
Released11 June 2012 (2012-06-11)
StudioMayfield Studios (United Kingdom)
State of the Ark (Surrey, England)
GenrePop rock, soft rock
Length45:31
LabelMelodramatic, Mercury, Vertigo
ProducerPete Wilkinson
Amy Macdonald chronology
Love Love UK & European Arena Tour LIVE 2010
(2011) 		Life in a Beautiful Light
(2012) 		Under Stars
(2017)
Amy Macdonald studio album chronology
A Curious Thing
(2010) 		Life in a Beautiful Light
(2012) 		Under Stars
(2017)
Singles from Life in a Beautiful Light
  1. "Slow It Down"
    Released: 20 April 2012
  2. "Pride"
    Released: 13 August 2012
  3. "4th of July"
    Released: 22 October 2012

Life in a Beautiful Light is the third album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 11 June 2012.[1] The lead single, "Slow It Down" was released on 20 April 2012. Macdonald's official website confirmed the album for release on 13 April 2012. The track listing was confirmed on Universal Music's store on the same day.[2] Released to favourable reviews, it was a commercial success in Europe, debuting at number one in Austria and Germany, number two in her native Scotland and the United Kingdom, as well as the top five in Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The album was produced by Pete Wilkinson, and released via Melodramatic, Mercury and Vertigo. It spawned a total of three singles – the commercially successful "Slow It Down", and subsequent singles "Pride" and "4th of July".

Background

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Macdonald began to write Life in a Beautiful Light after having a "lovely year off" following touring in support of A Curious Thing. Macdonald had no time to write songs on her second album as she was touring with This Is the Life. However, Macdonald said she felt that the creation of Life in a Beautiful Light was a more natural process.[3] Two songs from Life in a Beautiful Light were begun before Macdonald's break. "In the End" was written with Macdonald questioning herself whether being a musician was a worthwhile occupation.[3]

Macdonald wrote "Human Spirit" inspired by the Chilean miners' rescue.[3] The song "Left That Body Long Ago" described her grandmother's decline into Alzheimer's disease whilst "Across the Nile" is a response to the conflict of the Arab Spring.[4]

Chart performance

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On 14 June 2012 Life in a Beautiful Light entered the Irish Albums Chart at number 5, making it her highest-charting album in Ireland. On 17 June 2012 the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2, making it the second highest-charting album that week, only beaten by Gary Barlow's album Sing. Only 1,000 copies separated the top three albums.[5] The album fared better in Scotland, where it debuted at number one.

It was awarded Platinum status in both Germany and Switzerland, indicating sales in excess of 200,000 and 30,000 copies respectively,[6][7] and in the United Kingdom was awarded Gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), indicating sales in excess of 100,000.[8] Additionally, in Poland, it was also certified Gold, indicating sales of over 10,000 copies.[9]

Singles

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic60/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Daily Express[12]
Hot Press[13]
musicOMH[14]
Sputnikmusic[15]
The Scotsman[16]
The Tech[17]

"Slow It Down" was released as the albums lead single on 20 April 2012. It achieved considerable commercial success across Europe, particularly in the continent, where it reached the top five in Poland,[18] top twenty in Belgium and Scotland,[19][20] and also the top forty in both Germany and Switzerland. It was eventually certified Gold in Germany, indicating sales in excess of 150,000 copies.[21] In the United Kingdom, it missed the official UK Top 40 by five places, debuting and peaking at number forty five on the official UK Singles Charts, before falling to number forty eight in its second week. In its third week on the UK Singles Chart, it stood at number eighty four, before falling out of the UK Top 100 entirely.[22] Moderate success was achieved in Ireland, where it reached number fifty seven on the Irish Singles Chart.[23]

"Pride" was released as the second single from the album on 13 August 2012. In an interview with BBC Breakfast Macdonald said that the song was inspired from signing the national anthem of Scotland at Hampden Park, saying "it is an honor and it is something that she always gets nervous about, but it is such a buzz afterwards that she loves to do it".[24] It reached the top 100 of the Scottish Singles Charts, peaking at number eighty-seven,[25] and thirty-nine on the Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders Charts in Belgium.[26] "4th of July" was released as the third and final single from the album on 22 October 2012.

Critical reception

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The album up to now has gathered mixed reviews, earning a collective score of 5.1 out of 10 at AnyDecentMusic?.[27] The Upcoming described the album as a "strong return from Macdonald, interweaving her distinctive voice with splashing cymbals and burbling electronica, but still intermittently flirting with folky affectations".[28] The album received 60/100 on Metacritic, a review aggregator website, signifying "mixed or average reviews".[10]

Track listings

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All songs written by Amy Macdonald

Standard edition

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."4th of July"3:48
2."Pride"3:22
3."Slow It Down"3:52
4."The Furthest Star"3:29
5."The Game"4:24
6."Across the Nile"3:19
7."The Days of Being Young and Free"4:09
8."Left That Body Long Ago"4:49
9."Life in a Beautiful Light"4:35
10."Human Spirit"2:06
11."The Green and the Blue"3:53
12."In the End / Two Worlds" (hidden track)8:05

Deluxe edition

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."4th of July"3:48
2."Pride"3:22
3."Slow It Down"3:52
4."The Furthest Star"3:29
5."The Game"4:24
6."Across the Nile"3:19
7."The Days of Being Young and Free"4:09
8."Left That Body Long Ago"4:49
9."Life in a Beautiful Light"4:35
10."Human Spirit"2:06
11."The Green and the Blue"3:53
12."In the End"3:52
13."Slow It Down" (acoustic version)3:46
14."The Furthest Star" (acoustic version)3:07
15."The Green and the Blue" (acoustic version)2:50
16."Across the Nile" (acoustic version; iTunes exclusive)3:10
17."4th of July" (acoustic version)3:03
18."Slow It Down" (singalong instrumental version)3:56
19."4th of July" (singalong instrumental version)3:48
20."Pride" (singalong instrumental version)3:24
21."Two Worlds" (hidden track)3:52
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
21."Pride" (acoustic version)3:18
Saturn bonus tracks[29]
No.TitleLength
21."Born to Run" (acoustic version)3:32
22."Life in a Beautiful Light" (acoustic version)3:16
Spotify bonus tracks[30]
No.TitleLength
13."Slow It Down" (Spotify version; acoustic live)3:35
14."Pride" (Spotify version; acoustic live)3:24

Super deluxe box set

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A super deluxe box set was also released that contains:[2]

  • Standard edition of the album
  • Bonus CD: A selection of acoustic versions, and singalong instrumentals
  • DVD-5 acoustic versions live
  • 2 litho artwork numbered prints
  • Sheet music for "Slow It Down"

"Amy Macdonald guitar pic"

Charts and certifications

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[52] Platinum 200,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[53] Gold 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[54] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Life in a Beautiful Light". 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Life in a Beautiful Light Track listing". 13 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Biography — Amy Macdonald Archived 21 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Sincair, David (9 June 2012). "Amy Macdonald: Songs in the key of life – from Glasgow". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  5. ^ Gary Barlow pips Amy MacDonald and Usher to Number 1 in albums chart race. Official Charts Company
  6. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade - hitparade.ch". www.swisscharts.com. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Datenbank: BVMI". www.musikindustrie.de. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Life in a Beautiful Light Album Certification by Amy Macdonald". BPI. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  9. ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum". web.archive.org. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  10. ^ a b Life in a Beautiful Light Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More - Metacritic
  11. ^ Christopher Monger, James. "Life in a Beautiful Light - Amy Macdonald". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  12. ^ Gaga, Simon (8 June 2012). "CD Review - Amy Macdonald, Life In A Beautiful Light". Daily Express. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  13. ^ O. Hare, Colm (29 May 2012). "Life In A Beautiful Light". Hot Press. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  14. ^ John Murphy. "Amy Macdonald - Life In A Beautiful Light". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  15. ^ Davey Boy (12 June 2012). "Amy Macdonald Life In A Beautiful Light". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  16. ^ Fiona Shepherd (11 June 2012). "Album review: Amy MacDonald: Life in a Beautiful Light". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  17. ^ Dere, Kathryn (11 July 2012). "ALBUM REVIEW: Sunny summer soundtrack". The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Poland Singles Charts - Slow it Down". Poland Charts. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 17/6/2012". Official Charts. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Amy Macdonald - Slow It Down - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Datenbank: BVMI". www.musikindustrie.de. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Charts on 17/6/2012". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  23. ^ "IRMA – Irish Recorded Music Association". www.irma.ie. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Amy MacDonald on football and fast cars". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 19/8/2012". Official Charts. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Amy Macdonald - Pride - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  27. ^ "Amy MacDonald - Life in a Beautiful Light". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  28. ^ Album review: Amy Macdonald — Life In A Beautiful Light | The Upcoming
  29. ^ "Saturn - Musik-Download". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  30. ^ Life In A Beautiful Light by Amy Macdonald on Spotify
  31. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  36. ^ "Lescharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  37. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Amy Macdonald". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  40. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart - sales for the period 11.06.2012 - 17.06.2012". OLiS. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  46. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2012". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  47. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  48. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  49. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  50. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  51. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  52. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Amy Macdonald; 'Life in a Beautiful Light')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  53. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2012 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  54. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Life in a Beautiful Light')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  55. ^ "British album certifications – Amy MacDonald – Life in a Beautiful Light". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
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