Stories (Avicii album)

2015 studio album by Avicii

Stories

Studio album by

Avicii

Released| 2 October 2015 (2015-10-02)
Genre|

* EDM
* dance-pop
* house
* progressive house
* tropical house

Length| 54:40
Label|

* PRMD
* Island

Producer|

* Avicii
* Salem Al Fakir
* Alex Ebert
* Carl Falk
* Kristoffer Fogelmark
* Martin Garrix
* Dhani Lennevald
* Albin Nedler
* Vincent Pontare
* Arash Pournouri

Avicii chronology
| Pure Grinding / For a Better Day
(2015)  | Stories
(2015)  | Avīci (01)
(2017)

|
|

Singles from  Stories

1. "Waiting for Love"
Released: May 22, 2015
2. "For a Better Day"
Released: August 28, 2015
3. "Pure Grinding"
Released: August 28, 2015
4. "Broken Arrows"
Released: September 29, 2015

Stories is the second studio album by Swedish electronic music producer Avicii, released on 2 October 2015 by PRMD Music and Island Records.[1] It was produced by Avicii along with Salem Al Fakir, Alex Ebert, Carl Falk, Kristoffer Fogelmark, Martin Garrix, Dhani Lennevald, Ash Pournouri, Albin Nedler, and Vincent Pontare on several tracks. It is the final album to be released during his lifetime, before his death in 2018. This album was followed by his third and final album, Tim, which was released posthumously in June of 2019.

Stories was released to mixed to positive reviews from critics. Four singles were released from the album: "Waiting for Love", "Pure Grinding", "For a Better Day", and "Broken Arrows", along with the promotional singles "Ten More Days" and "Gonna Love Ya". Stories has sold one million copies worldwide as of November 2015,[2] and was the fourth most-streamed album of the year worldwide on Spotify.[3]

## Background

[edit]

In July 2014, Avicii told Rolling Stone that he had worked on 70 songs for his next album and would include collaborations with Jon Bon Jovi, Billie Joe Armstrong, Chris Martin, Wyclef Jean, Serj Tankian and Matisyahu. Describing the album, Avicii said: "It's going to be a lot more song-oriented."[4] On 2 March 2015, Avicii performed live at Australia's Future Music Festival. A lot of songs were leaked onto the internet from Avicii's UMF 2015 set. These songs include "Waiting for Love", "For a Better Day", "City Lights" and "Sunset Jesus", leaked under the name "Attack".[5] A complete track listing of the set can be found on Avicii's SoundCloud page.[6]

On 22 May 2015, Avicii premiered his first single from Stories, "Waiting for Love". The track was co-produced by DJ and producer Martin Garrix. Almost a month later, Avicii communicated through Twitter that he had finished the album after two years of work.[7] On 4 August 2015, it was announced on iHeartMedia Summit that Avicii's next single from Stories was "For a Better Day", featuring singer Alex Ebert.[citation needed] On 28 August, he released his next two singles, the other being "Pure Grinding".[8]

## Singles

[edit]

"Waiting for Love" is a song featuring Simon Aldred of Cherry Ghost. Avicii released it on the 22 May 2015. "For a Better Day" is a song featuring Alex Ebert. Avicii released it on 28 August 2015. "Pure Grinding" is a song featuring Kristoffer Fogelmark and Earl St. Clair. Avicii released it on 28 August 2015. "Broken Arrows" is a song featuring Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band. Avicii first released it on 29 September 2015, three days ahead of the album release as a pre-order single. It became an official single during October 2015.

### Promotional singles

[edit]

"Ten More Days" is a song featuring Zak Abel. Avicii released it on 30 September 2015, two days ahead of album release as a pre-order single. "Gonna Love Ya” is a song featuring Sandro Cavazza. Avicii released it on 1 October 2015, one day ahead of the album release as a pre-order single.[9]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 5.0/10[10]
Metacritic| 64/100[11]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [12]
Billboard| [13]
The Boston Globe| (favourable)[14]
Rolling Stone| [15]
The Music| [16]
The Irish Times| [17]

The album received positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 64, indicating favourable reviews. David Jeffries from AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating that "the pleasing, alive, and diverse Stories is a fine reason to think of Avicii as a producer of attractive music, with EDM, pop, and all other genres on a sliding scale."[12] The Boston Globe's Maura Johnston says that "Stories drags a bit at the end, the low point being a reggae-lite track starring former Fugee Wyclef Jean and the fusion-minded Matisyahu, but when it hits, it hits big."[14] Michaelangelo Matos, from Billboard, gives the album a mixed-positive review, praising "Talk to Myself", "Touch Me" and "City Lights", saying they "are more or less direct Daft Punk homages, with a filtered, boogie-disco feel, playful effects and found-sound cut-ups".[13] Mac McNaughton of The Music said, "Tim Bergling's second feature plays it way too safe, neither truly nauseating nor pleasingly haunting."[16] Jim Carroll of The Irish Times said, "An album which offends greatly by its very inoffensiveness."[17]

## Track listing

[edit]

Stories – CD – digital download – streaming[18][19]No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Waiting for Love"|

* Tim Bergling
* Simon Aldred
* Salem Al Fakir
* Vincent Pontare
* Martijn Garritsen

* Bergling
* Martin Garrix

| 3:50
2.| "Talk to Myself"|

* Bergling
* Sterling Fox
* Matt Hartke
* Alex Drury

* Bergling
* Carl Falk
* Ash Pournouri

| 3:55
3.| "Touch Me"|

* Bergling
* Adriano Buffone
* Gerrard O'Connell
* Celeste Waite
* Ash Pournouri

| Bergling| 3:06
4.| "Ten More Days"|

* Bergling
* Simon Aldred
* Zak Abel

| Bergling| 4:05
5.| "For a Better Day"|

* Bergling
* Alex Ebert

* Bergling
* Ebert

| 3:26
6.| "Broken Arrows"|

* Bergling
* Zac Brown
* Eric Turner
* Rami Yacoub
* Niko Moon

* Bergling
* Carl Falk
* Ash Pournouri

| 3:52
7.| "True Believer"|

* Bergling
* Chris Martin

| Bergling| 4:48
8.| "City Lights"|

* Bergling
* Noonie Bao
* Oskar Jonas Wallin
* Ash Pournouri

* Bergling
* Ash Pournouri

| 6:28
9.| "Pure Grinding"|

* Bergling
* Kristoffer Fogelmark
* Albin Nedler
* Earl Johnson

* Bergling
* Kristoffer Fogelmark
* Albin Nedler

| 2:51
10.| "Sunset Jesus"|

* Bergling
* Sandro Cavazza
* Gavin DeGraw
* Carl Falk
* Savan Kotecha
* Dhani Lennevald
* Mike Posner
* Rami Yacoub

* Bergling
* Dhani Lennevald

| 4:24
11.| "Can't Catch Me"|

* Bergling
* Matthew Miller
* Wyclef Jean
* Mike Einziger

| Bergling| 3:59
12.| "Somewhere in Stockholm"|

* Bergling
* Daniel Adams-Ray
* Henrik Jonback
* Carl Petter Tarland
* Oskar Jonas Wallin

| Bergling| 3:22
13.| "Trouble"|

* Bergling
* Falk
* Wayne Hector
* Yacoub

| Bergling| 2:51
14.| "Gonna Love Ya"|

* Bergling
* Sandro Cavazza
* Dhani Lennevald
* Ash Pournouri
* Marcus Thunberg Wessel

* Bergling
* Ash Pournouri
* Dhani Lennevald

| 3:35
Total length:| 54:40

Stories – UK version bonus track[20]No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

15.| "The Nights"|

* Bergling
* Nicholas Furlong
* Gabriel Benjamin
* Jordan Suecof
* John Feldmann
* Ash Pournouri

* Bergling
* Ash Pournouri

| 2:56
Total length:| 57:29

Stories – Japan and Russia version bonus tracks[21]No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

15.| "The Days"|

* Bergling
* Al Fakir
* Brandon Flowers
* Pontare
* Robbie Williams

* Bergling
* Al Fakir
* Pontare

| 4:38
16.| "The Nights"|

* Bergling
* Furlong
* Benjamin
* Suecof
* Feldmann
* Ash Pournouri

* Bergling
* Ash Pournouri

| 2:56
17.| "Waiting for Love" (Sam Feldt Remix)|

* Bergling
* Simon Aldred
* Salem Al Fakir
* Vincent Pontare

* Sam Feldt
* Bergling
* Martijn Garritsen
* Al Fakir
* Pontare

| 5:10
Total length:| 67:17

Stories – Japan tour edition bonus tracksNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

15.| "The Days"|

* Bergling
* Al Fakir
* Brandon Flowers
* Pontare

* Bergling
* Al Fakir
* Pontare

| 4:38
16.| "The Nights"|

* Bergling
* Furlong
* Benjamin
* Suecof
* Feldmann
* Ash Pournouri

* Bergling
* Ash Pournouri

| 2:57
17.| "Levels" (radio edit)|  |  | 3:22
18.| "I Could Be the One" (vs. Nicky Romero) (Nicktim Radio Edit)|  |  | 3:28
19.| "Silhouettes" (radio edit)|  |  | 3:32
20.| "X You" (radio edit)|  |  | 3:20
21.| "Feeling Good"|  |  | 3:50

## Personnel

[edit]

### Vocals

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

* Simon Aldred (track 1)
* Sterling Fox (track 2)
* Celeste Waite (track 3)
* Zak Abel (track 4)
* Alex Ebert (track 5)
* Zac Brown (track 6)
* Chris Martin (track 7)
* Avicii (track 7)
* Noonie Bao (track 8)
* Jonas Wallin (track 8)
* Kristoffer Fogelmark (track 9)
* Earl St. Clair (tracks 9, 14)
* Sandro Cavazza (track 10)
* Matisyahu (track 11)
* Wyclef Jean (track 11)
* Daniel Adams-Ray (track 12)
* Wayne Hector (track 13)
* Sandro Cavazza (track 14)
* Robbie Williams (track 15)
* Brandon Flowers (track 15)
* Salem Al Fakir (track 15)
* Nicholas Furlong (track 16)

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2015)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[22] | 10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 14
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] | 3
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[27] | 25
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[28] | 9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] | 7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] | 10
French Albums (SNEP)[31] | 19
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] | 8
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[33] | 11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[34] | 11
Italian Albums (FIMI)[35] | 14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[36] | 9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] | 23
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38] | 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] | 3
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[40] | 42
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[41] | 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42] | 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] | 3
UK Albums (OCC)[44] | 9
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[45] | 3
US Billboard 200[46] | 17
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[47] | 1
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[48] | 8
Chart (2018)  | Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[49] | 4
Irish Albums (IRMA)[50] | 10

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2015)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] | 3
Chart (2016)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[52] | 11
Chart (2017)  | Position

|

Japanese Albums (Billboard Japan)[53] | 42
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[54] | 66
Chart (2018)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[55] | 10
Chart (2019)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[56] | 38
Chart (2020)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[57] | 88
Chart (2021)  | Position

|

Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[58] | 89

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Austria (IFPI Austria)[59] | Gold  | 7,500*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[60] | Platinum  | 20,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[61] | Gold  | 30,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[62] | Platinum  | 20,000‡
Singapore (RIAS)[63] | Gold  | 5,000*
Sweden (GLF)[64] | 2× Platinum  | 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[65] | Gold  | 100,000‡

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

## Release history

[edit]

Region  | Date  | Format(s)  | Label

|
|
|

Worldwide  | 2 October 2015  |

* CD
* digital download
* streaming

| PRMD/Island[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Stories - Avicii | Release Info". AllMusic.
2. ^ PRMD Music (2 November 2015) PRMD Music on Twitter. twitter.com
3. ^ "Drake Is The World's Most Streamed Artist on Spotify for 2015". news.spotify.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
4. ^ Edwards, Gavin (31 July 2014). "Avicii Calls in Rock & Roll Collaborators for Follow-Up to 'True'". Rolling Stone. No. 1214. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
5. ^ Middleton, Ryan (19 April 2015) Avicii Releases Ultra Music Festival 2015 Live Set Filled With New 'Stories' Songs. musictimes.com
6. ^ "Avicii - Ultra Music Festival 2015". SoundCloud.
7. ^ "Tim Bergling on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
8. ^ "Avicii Releases Two New Singles 'Pure Grinding' & 'For A Better Day'". edm.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
9. ^ "Team Avicii - Gonna Love Ya will get released tomorrow!". Facebook. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
10. ^ "Stories by Avicii reviews". AnyDecentMusic. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
11. ^ "Reviews for Stories by Avicii". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
12. ^ a b "AllMusic Review by David Jeffries". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
13. ^ a b "Avicii Expands His Musical Reach on 'Stories': Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
14. ^ a b Johnston, Maura (1 October 2015). "Album review: Avicii, 'Stories'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
15. ^ "Superstar Swedish DJ turns kitchen-sink pop producer, with disappointing results". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
16. ^ a b McNaughton, Mac. "Album Review: Avicii - Stories". The Music. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
17. ^ a b "Avicii: Stories - Album Review - The Irish Times". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
18. ^ "Stories by Avicii". iTunes. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
19. ^ "Avicii Releases Two New Singles, Unveils Tracklist For 'Stories'". YourEDM. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
20. ^ "Stories (UK Version)". iTunes. 2 October 2015.
21. ^ "iTunes – ミュージック – Stories by Avicii". iTunes. 2 October 2015.
22. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
23. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Avicii – Stories" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Avicii – Stories" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
25. ^ "Ultratop.be – Avicii – Stories" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
26. ^ "Avicii Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
27. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 41.Týden 2015 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart.
28. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Avicii – Stories" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
30. ^ "Avicii: Stories" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
31. ^ "Lescharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
32. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Avicii – Stories" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
33. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2015. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
34. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 41, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
35. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
36. ^ "Top of the Shops - アルバムの公式リストは、日本で数週間を販売しました" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
37. ^ "Charts.nz – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
38. ^ "VG-lista - Avicii / Stories". vg.no. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19.
39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
40. ^ "2015년 41주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
41. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
42. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
43. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Avicii – Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
44. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
45. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
46. ^ "Avicii Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
47. ^ "Avicii Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
48. ^ "Avicii Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link‍] Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
49. ^ "Avicii: Stories" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
50. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart: 27 April 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
51. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
52. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2016" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
53. ^ "Hot Albums Year End" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
54. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
55. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
56. ^ "Årslista Album, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
57. ^ "Årslista Album, 2020". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
58. ^ "Årslista Album, 2021". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
59. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Avicii – Stories" (in German). IFPI Austria. 10 August 2017.
60. ^ "Danish album certifications – Avicii – Stories". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
61. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 15 November 2021. Type Avicii in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Stories in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
62. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 24 January 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Stories in the search box.
63. ^ "Singapore album certifications – Avicii – Stories". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
64. ^ "Avicii - Stories" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
65. ^ "British album certifications – Avicii – Stories". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 April 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Avicii

* Discography
* Awards and nominations

Studio albums|

* True
* Stories
* Tim

Extended plays|

* I Always DJ Naked
* The Days / Nights EP
* Avīci (01)

Singles|

* "My Feelings for You"
* "Seek Bromance"
* "Street Dancer"
* "Blessed"
* "Fade into Darkness"
* "Collide"
* "Levels"
* "Silhouettes"
* "Superlove"
* "Dancing in My Head"
* "I Could Be the One"
* "X You"
* "We Write the Story"
* "Wake Me Up"
* "You Make Me"
* "Hey Brother"
* "Addicted to You"
* "Lay Me Down"
* "The Days"
* "The Nights"
* "Waiting for Love"
* "For a Better Day"
* "Pure Grinding"
* "Broken Arrows"
* "Taste the Feeling"
* "Feeling Good"
* "Without You"
* "Lonely Together"
* "SOS"
* "Tough Love"
* "Heaven"
* "Forever Yours (Tribute)"

Featured singles|

* "Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)"
* "Divine Sorrow"

Other songs|

* "Sunshine"
* "Hope There's Someone"
* "Gonna Love Ya"
* "So Much Better"

Concert tours|

* House for Hunger
* Stories World Tour

Film|

* Avicii: True Stories
* Avicii – I'm Tim

Related articles|

* Killers & Rockers
* Tim Bergling Foundation
* Avicii Invector
* Avicii Arena

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template