Dream Your Life Away is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy. It was released in Australia on 5 September 2014 via Liberation Music. The album was released on 9 September 2014 in the US via Atlantic Records and worldwide via Warner Music. The album has peaked to number 1 on the Australian Albums Chart. A "Deluxe Edition" was released on 4 September 2015, consisting of two new tracks and five live tracks.[1]

Dream Your Life Away
Studio album by
Released5 September 2014
Recorded2012–2013
Studio
Genre
Length49:00
LabelLiberation Music
Producer
Vance Joy chronology
God Loves You When You're Dancing
(2013)
Dream Your Life Away
(2014)
Nation of Two
(2018)
Singles from Dream Your Life Away
  1. "Mess Is Mine"
    Released: 9 July 2014
  2. "First Time"
    Released: 4 August 2014
  3. "Georgia"
    Released: 9 November 2014

As of January 2018, the album has worldwide sales over 2,000,000.[2]

Background

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During a performance in Boston, Vance Joy explained that the song "My Kind of Man" included advice his uncle once gave him when he was young.[3] But he later learned from his father that the quoted advice was actually from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Vance Joy noted that though the lyrics changed, the message stayed the same: "Find something you love and understand."[3]

Singles

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  • "Mess Is Mine" was released on 9 July 2014 as the album's lead single. The song peaked at number 33 on the Australian Singles Chart.
  • "First Time" was released on 4 August 2014 as the album's second single.
  • "Georgia" was released on 9 November 2014 as the album's third single. It peaked at number 11 on the Australian Singles Chart.
  • "Fire and the Flood" was released in July 2015 as the first single on the deluxe re-issue of the album, and fourth overall. The song peaked at number 6 on the ARIA charts.
  • "Straight into Your Arms" was released in February 2016 as the album's final single.

The album also includes the singles "From Afar" and "Riptide", previously released on Joy's debut EP God Loves You When You're Dancing.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Clash6/10[5]
musicOMH     [6]
PopMatters7/10[7]
Rolling Stone Australia     [8]

Timothy Monger from AllMusic noted that the album is "built around the centerpiece of "Riptide" and that it "offers up a dozen or so additional songs in that familiar mold of romantic, introspective, acoustic folk-pop". He felt that the album "focuses on gently picked lovelorn pleas and somewhat uninspired romantic phrasing" and commented that it "seems a bit too middle of the road to really distinguish him from the crowded pack of similar young bards."[4] Clash writer Jack Scourfield praised the album's "heartfelt honesty" that can "spread the youthful nostalgia adeptly across any generational gaps." He also noted that the album "does become prone to dragging during some of its less well-defined, slower numbers."[5] Jaymz Clements for Rolling Stone Australia gave Dream Your Life Away a positive review, stating that the album effectively "[shows] there's more to Vance Joy than "Riptide"", noting that the album is "confident, self-assured and classically Australian, with an appeal that's universal."[8]

Commercial performance

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On 13 September 2014 the album entered the Australian Albums Chart at number one. It is the eleventh album to reach number one for an Australian act in 2014 and the first time ever that the Liberation label have landed back-to-back number ones after Jimmy Barnes's album 30:30 Hindsight reached number one the previous week.[9] In the United States, the album peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 chart and number two on the Top Alternative Albums chart. The album was eventually certified two-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Vance Joy.

Standard edition
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Winds of Change"Ryan Hadlock2:15
2."Mess Is Mine"Hadlock3:43
3."Wasted Time"Hadlock5:00
4."Riptide"Vance Joy, Edwin White, John Castle3:21
5."Who Am I"Hadlock2:39
6."From Afar"Vance Joy, Edwin White, John Castle4:23
7."We All Die Trying to Get It Right"Hadlock4:07
8."Georgia"Hadlock3:50
9."Red Eye"Hadlock5:03
10."First Time"Hadlock3:44
11."All I Ever Wanted"Hadlock3:36
12."Best That I Can"Edwin White3:30
13."My Kind of Man"Hadlock3:49
Total length:49:00
Special edition
No.TitleLength
14."Fire and the Flood"4:09
15."Straight into Your Arms" (bonus track)3:37
Total length:56:56
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
14."Fire and the Flood"4:09
15."Straight into Your Arms"3:37
16."Wasted Time" (live from Philadelphia)5:07
17."Mess is Mine" (live from Philadelphia)3:37
18."Georgia" (live from Melbourne)4:09
19."Best That I Can" (live from Melbourne)5:11
20."Riptide" (live from Dublin)3:39
Total length:78:29

Personnel

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  • Jono Colliver – bass guitar, background vocals
  • Ryan Hadlock – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer
  • Lauren Jacobson – viola, violin
  • James Keogh – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer bass, ukulele, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Kimo Muraki – saxophone, background vocals
  • Jerry Streeter – background vocals
  • Adam Trachsel – bass guitar, upright bass
  • Edwin White – brass arrangements, cello, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, string arrangements, synthesizer, synthesizer programming, background vocals

Charts

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Decade-end charts

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Decade-end chart performance for Dream Your Life Away
Chart (2010–2019) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 73

Certifications

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Certifications for Dream Your Life Away
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] 2× Platinum 140,000
Canada (Music Canada)[41] 3× Platinum 240,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[42] Platinum 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[44] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history and formats for Dream Your Life Away
Region Release date Format Label Catalog
Australia[45] 5 September 2014 Liberation LMCD0247
New Zealand[46]
Various[47][48] 9 September 2014 7567867185
Australia[49] 24 September 2014 LP Liberation A5451701
Australia[50] 4 September 2015
  • CD
  • digital download (deluxe)
LMCD0314
Australia[51] 14 September 2018 Limited edition LP LRLP0005

References

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  1. ^ "Dream you life away – Deluxe". iTunes AUS. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Here Is The New Vance Joy Song 'We're Going Home'". noise11. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b Hutchings, Beth (12 November 2014). "Pure Australian Charm: Vance Joy". Sound of Boston. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Dream Your Life Away – Vance Joy". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. ^ a b Scourfield, Jack (29 September 2014). "Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Clash. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. ^ Baber, Andy (19 September 2015). "Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". musicOMH. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  7. ^ Allister, Mark (29 January 2015). "Vance Joy: Dream Your Life Away". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b Clements, Jaymz (2 September 2014). "Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Rolling Stone Australia. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. ^ Vance Joy Dream My Life Away Debuts At 1 On ARIA Albums Noise11.com music news Music News | New Music | Noise11.com
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Hung Medien.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – Vance Joy – {{{album}}}" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Vance Joy – {{{album}}}" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  13. ^ "Vance Joy Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Vance Joy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Hung Medien.
  17. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Hung Medien.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Hung Medien.
  21. ^ "Vance Joy | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  22. ^ "Vance Joy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  23. ^ "Vance Joy Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  24. ^ "Vance Joy Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  25. ^ "Vance Joy Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 37. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  28. ^ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  29. ^ "Alternative Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 17 April 2015. (subscription required)
  30. ^ "2014 Year End Charts – Top Billboard Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  31. ^ "2014 Year End Charts – Top Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  33. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  34. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  36. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  37. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  38. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  39. ^ "2019 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  40. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  41. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Music Canada. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  42. ^ "Danish album certifications – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  45. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy". iTunes Store (AU). Apple Inc. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  46. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy". iTunes Store (NZ). Apple Inc. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  47. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy". iTunes Store (US). Apple, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  48. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  49. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy LP". JBHiFi. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  50. ^ "Dream Your Life Away (Deluxe) by Vance Joy". JBHiFi. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  51. ^ "Dream Your Life Away by Vance Joy LP Limited Edition". JBHiFi. Retrieved 14 September 2018.