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The Human Demands
Studio album by Amy Macdonald
Released	30 October 2020 (2020-10-30)
Recorded	February 2020 – August 2020
Genre	Pop rock soft rock
Length	38:59
Label	Infectious Music BMG
Producer	Jim Abbiss
Amy Macdonald chronology
Woman of the World (The Best of 2007–2018) (2018) The Human Demands (2020) Don't Tell Me That It's Over (2022)
Amy Macdonald studio album chronology
Under Stars (2017) The Human Demands (2020)
Singles from The Human Demands
"The Hudson" Released: 27 August 2020 "Crazy Shade of Blue" Released: 25 September 2020 "Fire" Released: 4 December 2020 "Statues" Released: 19 February 2021 "Bridges (promotional)" Released: 14 May 2021

The Human Demands is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and was released on 30 October 2020. The album includes the singles "The Hudson", "Crazy Shade of Blue", "Fire" and "Statues". That same day, Macdonald's official website and official Instagram profile confirmed the album for release.

Background

In an interview with Wonderland, Macdonald said, "It's an album about life and the ups and downs that come with it. It's never easy for anyone and I don't think we give ourselves enough credit sometimes. We're just expected to constantly be going 100mph all the time and that can be demanding for anyone. I wanted the album title to reflect the reality of life for the majority of people. Myself, my producer Jim and all the wonderful musicians were just excited to be making music again. We felt genuinely lucky to be in the position that we could have a bit of normality back in our lives." After the release of the album, Macdonald said on her Instagram account, "I hope this album can be a comfort in these turbulent times. I am extremely proud of it. It feels like a special record coming out at an important time. Thank you so much for all your support over the past 15 years. I wouldn't be anything without you."

Lyrical composition

Macdonald claimed that when it came to writing "The Hudson", she "had so many ideas and so many things to say that it happened really easily. I was sat at my dining room table with my friend Matt and he had played me a musical idea and the lyrics came to me without even thinking about it. It doesn’t always happen that easily but it’s a great feeling when it does". She has said that during writing processes, she spends a considerable amount of time engaging in daydreaming, saying "I also spend a lot of time daydreaming, I think it’s a fundamental part of my writing process. I always reminisce and think about how different my life might have been had I made different decisions, this is something we all do and I find it so interesting because we’ll never ever know the answers. We spend so much time thinking about what could have been and this felt like the perfect idea for a song". Aside from the inspiration from her dads stories of New York during the 1970s, Macdonald claimed that "The Hudson" was also written about "my absolute love of New York City. It will always be an inspiring place".

Macdonald wrote "Fire" as the first song following her marriage to footballer Richard Foster in Las Vegas. Macdonald said of the song "I was co-writing with a friend Matt Jones, and we had the song finished in half an hour. I was so happy at the time, just married, that I came up with something that isn’t typical of me at all. I said to my husband: this is the only song you’ll ever get out of me, so enjoy it". The song has been described by Gabby Smith in House of Solo Magazine as displaying a "softer side" to Macdonald and her songwriting, claiming "melted by marriage, the track is a heartfelt homage to her husband and remains one of the most romantic pieces ever written by the acoustic guitar-playing indie rocker. Displaying her impressive vocals and impeccable talents, staccato guitar riffs elevate the love song for a pleasant pop-rock feel". During a release party stream on her official YouTube channel, Macdonald said of the song "Fire is about those special relationships we have in our lives. The people who make us tick and we can fully be ourselves when we're around them. What would life be without them?".

Regarding the inspiration and writing process for "Statues", the song is a homage to the house and street in which Macdonald lived and grew up living within in her home city Glasgow in Scotland. The composition of the song has been compared to "a Springsteen-esque skill for depicting snapshots of ordinary life with a poetic slant". Whilst interviewed about the song, Macdonald said "I look back and think of the times I spent in that house with my family and our dog Jackson and I smile,” she says. “My parents moved out of that house a few years ago and it was sad for us all, but especially them. But we’ll always have those memories. I’ve had so many people say that they love this song because of the imagery it creates. I think it’s because we all have those memories of the places we grew up in".

Promotion

Singles

"The Hudson" was released as the lead single from the album on 27 August 2020. The song peaked at number 12 on the Scottish Singles Chart. "The Hudson" saw Macdonald return to the Top 100 of the singles charts in her native Scotland since the release of her single "Slow It Down" in 2012. It peaked at number twelve on the official Scottish Singles Charts which was her highest position on the Scottish charts since "Slow It Down" reached number sixteen in 2012. In the United Kingdom, it failed to chart within the official UK Top 100 Singles Charts, however, it did reach number fifty five on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.

"Crazy Shade of Blue" was released as the second single off the album on 25 September 2020. It has been described as "infused with a serenity that contrasts the energy of ‘The Hudson’, it finds Amy exploring another universal human experience". The composition of "Crazy Shade of Blue" is said to be "the dark undercurrent of new-found love. It’s about having the bravery to share the insecurities and vulnerabilities that are needed to allow the relationship to flourish".

The title track, "The Human Demands", was released as a promotional single on 27 October 2020. "Fire" was released as the third single off the album on 4 December 2020. "Statues" was released as the fourth single from the album on 19 February 2021, and was selected to represent Scotland at the Free European Song Contest 2021, finishing in fourth place with 77 points.

Tour

On 7 September 2020, Macdonald announced her UK and Europe tour on her social media profiles. The tour had to be rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

• Eddd Hartwell – Engineer
• Ruadhri Cushnab – Engineer
• Barry Barnicott – Engineer
• Alex Di Camillo – Engineer
• Dick Beetham – Engineer
• Giovanni Giagu – Engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

1. Harper, Bethan (28 October 2020). "INTERVIEW: AMY MACDONALD SATISFIES 'THE HUMAN DEMANDS' WITH FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM". USA Today.
2. Macdonald, Amy. "The Human Demands announcement". Amy Macdonald's Instagram. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
3. "Scottish Singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald on the Human Demands". Wonderland. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
4. "𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 on Instagram: "'The Human Demands' is out! ❤️ I'm so pleased to finally share it with you all. It's been a very difficult year for all of us, we're not all…"". Instagram. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
5. ^ Bhutani, Pankhuri (3 October 2020). "Amy Macdonald On Her New Track". Medium. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
6. "Amy Macdonald Unveils New Powerful Single 'Fire'". Out Now Magazine | Music News - Charts, Festivals & Clubs. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
7. Smith, Gaby (4 December 2020). "Amy Macdonald: Fire in her Heart". House of Solo Magazine. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
8. "Amy Macdonald - Fire (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
9. Braithwaite, Andrew (25 February 2021). "Amy Macdonald's Latest Single 'Statues' - Watch". Music Talkers. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
10. "Official Singles Downloads". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
11. "Amy Macdonald Reveals New Single 'Crazy Shade of Blue' From Forthcoming Album". Out Now Magazine | Music News - Charts, Festivals & Clubs. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
12. Granger, Anthony (12 May 2021). "Free European Song Contest 2021 Participants Revealed". Eurovoix World. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
13. "𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 on Instagram: "⚡️LIVE NEWS!⚡️ Very excited to announce that I will be heading back out on the road, playing actual live concerts across the UK and Europe in…"". Instagram. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
14. ^ "Credits / The Human Demands / Amy MacDonald – TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
15. Macdoland, Amy. "Amy Macdonald - The Human Demands - TM Store". Amy Macdonald Official Online Store : Merch, Music, Downloads & Clothings. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
16. "Austriancharts.at – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
17. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
18. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
21. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
23. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
24. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.

• 2020 albums
• Amy Macdonald albums