SELENA GOMEZ

& THE SCENE

When

The Sun Goes Down (2011)

When the Sun Goes Down is the third studio album by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene, released on June 28, 2011, by Hollywood Records. The band worked with several artists on this album, including writers and producers from their debut, Kiss & Tell (2009), and their second album, A Year Without Rain (2010). Selena Gomez along with some of the members of the The Scene contributed to some of the songwriting on the album. The album sonically follows in the step of their predecessor, taking on a dance-pop sound with influences of 1980's electro music and disco. The album relies less on heavy synthesizers and includes some acoustic pop songs like "We Own the Night." Lyrical themes include topics of love, freedom, self-worth, and the joy of living in the moment. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with sales over 76,000 copies, surpassing the first week sales of their first two albums. The album rose to number three in its second week. The album was successful elsewhere, peaking in the top 10 in countries like Belgium, Canada, Italy, Norway, Taiwan and New Zealand.

Composition
Musically, When the Sun Goes Down expands on the electropop and synthpop themes of it's predecessor "A Year Without Rain", with a lighter and sassier feel, according to Tim Sendra of Allmusic Guide. Tracks like "Hit the Lights" have disco influences, as they pair ballad lyrics with uptempo and midtempo dance music. The album also explores organic instrumentation. Both the first single "Who Says" and the fourth track "We Own the Night" featuring Pixie Lott features more acoustic, indie pop sounds, which was originally intended for Kelly Clarkson's fourth album Stronger. They are the only songs on the album devoid of synthesized instrumentation. Gomez's work on the record as the frontwoman has been heralded as sounding better and more mature than other former Disney Channel stars like Vanessa Hudgens, and Miley Cyrus. When the Sun Goes Down features lyrics focusing largely on finding solace and letting go of fear and anxiety, along with topics of love, loss, loneliness, and feminism. The first track, "Love You Like a Love Song", was written by Antonina Armato, Tim James, Adam Schmalholz and was produced by Rock Mafia. Also serving as the album's second single, the song contains deep, whispered vocals and slight elements of dubstep. Gomez described the promotional single "Bang Bang Bang" as fun and cheeky. It is made up of '80s electro synths and sees Gomez praising her new boyfriend while mocking her ex. The

track was also compared to British electropop duo La Roux's 2009 hit Bulletproof. "Who Says" is an acoustic self-empowerment anthem where the singer extends kindness and sympathy to her critics. Serving as the album's first single, it debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty-four and peaked at number twenty-one, standing as the group's highest charting single in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand. "We Own the Night" was written by Toby Gad and British electronic soul singer-songwriter Pixie Lott, who is also featured on backing vocals. The track has a largely acoustic, harmonic sound paired with escapist lyrics in the style of Jimmy Buffett. "Hit the Lights" is an electro dance song about overcoming anxiety and living in the moment. American pop singer Britney Spears composed the album's sixth track titled "Whiplash". It is an electropop/electro glam song about an intense romance, featuring transportation imagery. The song has gained notability for Britney Spears' involvement in the composition, Gomez' faux-English accent in the spoken word verse before the chorus, and for being one of the band's more mature songs. The title track features the use of electric guitars and stuttering synthesizers. Selena Gomez stated that "When The Sun Goes Down" held a special meaning for her and her bass player, Joey Clement, because of their collaborative involvement in the track's composition. Gomez commented "I got to rewrite the bridge of it as well. It felt like we got to do that as a band." The eighth track on the album is "My Dilemma", a Kelly Clarkson-esque pop-rock song about conflicted feelings towards a potential breakup. "That's More Like It", the following track, is penned by Katy Perry and was inspired by American women of the 1950s and their relegation to domesticity. In the song, Gomez demands that her negligent man does the cooking, cleaning, and housework, commanding him "Make me dinner and bring it to me." "Outlaw" is a bleak cautionary tale and revenge ballad lyrically similar to Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" and Lady Gaga's "Monster". The lyrics also make use of Wild West imagery and references to Gomez's home state of Texas, "I'm from the Lone-Star state, and I'm here to bring you in." The album's final song "Middle of Nowhere" is a dance ballad that features electropop beats and synthesizers along with bells and chimes. In the song, Gomez laments being left behind by a manipulative ex lover, for whom she made drastic personal changes. The song's bridge is a deep and heavily-breathed spoken-word recitation of the song's chorus, much in the style of Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson. A Spanish-language version of the lead single "Who Says" titled "Dices" is featured as a bonus track.

Singles
The album's lead single, "Who Says", was co-written and produced by Emanuel Kiriakou, Priscilla Hamilton, and was released on March 14, 2011. The song has been met with generally positive reviews from most music critics, with many praising its theme of self-empowerment and Bill Lamb of About.com even called the band "the most consistent Disney pop hitmaker in recent years." The song proved moderately successful, debuting at number twenty-four and so far peaking at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100and has gone on to sell over a million copies in the United States. "Who Says" also reached number seventeen in Canada and fifteen in New Zealand, becoming the band's highest charting single on those countries. The song also managed to peak inside the top fifty in Germany and Ireland and appeared on the main charts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, Austria and Thailand

On June 17, "Love You Like a Love Song", the album's official second single, was released, debuting at number seventy-two and so far peaking at number thirty-five on the Billboard Hot 100. The song's official music video was released on June 23, 2011.

In September 2011, Gomez announced that she was shooting a video and that it would be for her new single to be released in November, "Hit the Lights." The music video premiered November 16, 2011. 5 teasers were released on VEVO as well as a 5-minute "behind-the-scenes" exclusive. Hit The Lights is used for a commercial on E! For a new show called Scouted.

Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) 1. "Love You Like a Love Song" Antonina Armato, Tim James, Adam Schmalholz 2. "Bang Bang Bang" Toby Gad, Meleni Smith, Priscilla Hamilton 3. "Who Says" Emanuel Kiriakou, Hamilton 4. "We Own the Night" (featuring Gad, Lott
Pixie Lott)

Producer(s) Rock Mafia, Devrim Karaoglu* Gad Kiriakou Gad

Length 3:08 3:15 3:16 3:47 3:14 3:40 3:16 3:10 3:09 3:22 3:27

5. "Hit the Lights" 6. "Whiplash" 7. "When the Sun Goes Down"

8. "My Dilemma" 9. "That's More Like It" 10. "Outlaw" 11. "Middle of Nowhere"

12. "Dices" (Spanish version of "Who

Says")

Leah Haywood, Daniel Dreamlab James, Tony Nilsson Greg Kurstin, Nicole Kurstin Morier, Britney Spears Selena Gomez, Joey Clement, Steve Abingdon Sulikowski, Stefan Abingdon Armato, James, Rock Mafia, Karaoglu* Karaoglu Josh Alexander, Billy Alexander, Steinberg Steinberg, Katy Perry Gomez, Armato, James, Rock Mafia, Karaoglu*, Thomas Armato SturgesSturges* Espen Lind, Amund Bjorklund, Sandy Sandy Vee, Espionage Wilhelm, Carmen Michelle Key Kiriakou, Hamilton; Edgar Cortazar, Mark Kiriakou Portmann

3:16 39:53

Total length:

Certifications
Country Certification Poland Gold Canada Gold