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Write About Love
Studio album by Belle and Sebastian
Released	11 October 2010 (2010-10-11)
Recorded	Early/Mid 2010
Studio	The Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Indie pop
Length	43:15
Label	Rough Trade
Producer	Tony Hoffer
Belle and Sebastian chronology
The BBC Sessions (2008) Write About Love (2010) The Third Eye Centre (2013)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.1/10
Metacritic	75/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	B
Chicago Tribune
The Guardian
Mojo
NME	6/10
Pitchfork	8.2/10
Q
Rolling Stone
Spin	7/10

Belle and Sebastian Write about Love (known informally as Write about Love) is the eighth studio album by indie pop group Belle and Sebastian, released on 11 October 2010. It was the second collaboration between the band and Tony Hoffer, who had produced their previous album, The Life Pursuit (2006).

History

The album was first referenced by the group in early 2010, when they mentioned in the Q&A section of their official website that they had recently visited Los Angeles, California, to record. In a follow-up question, Stuart Murdoch confirmed that producer Tony Hoffer had returned to produce. The album's title was officially announced by Murdoch in a posting on the band's website on 11 August 2010, and he revealed the album cover and release dates, as well as a clip of a planned Belle and Sebastian television show, on 16 August.

Two tracks from the album were played by the band during their 2010 tour: "I Didn't See It Coming", a duet featuring Sarah Martin and Stuart Murdoch on vocals, and "I'm Not Living in the Real World", which features Stevie Jackson on lead vocals. On 16 August 2010, another track was announced, titled "I Want the World to Stop". Norah Jones is featured on the track "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John", which was also included on Jones' compilation album ...Featuring Norah Jones, released one month after Write About Love.

On 3 September 2010, the names of five new songs set to feature on the album were shown during the credits of the promotional Belle and Sebastian TV programme: "Blue Eyes of a Millionaire", "Suicide Girl", and "I Can See Your Future" (all credited to the group), as well as "The Telephone Song" and "If I Can't Help Myself" (both credited to guitarist Stevie Jackson). Of these songs, only "I Can See Your Future" ended up on the album, though "Blue Eyes of a Millionaire" and "Suicide Girl" were included as bonus tracks on some editions.

The title track was announced as the lead single from the album, and was also released as a free download from the band's website for a limited-time. The single was released in the US iTunes Store on 7 September 2010, with a worldwide release on 25 September. "I Want the World to Stop" topped Allaccess.com's "Impacting Songs" US radio chart on 5 October 2010.

Commercial performance

Its first week of release, the album entered the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number 8, the band's highest placement on the chart (tied with The Life Pursuit and A Bit of Previous). Additionally, the album topped the UK Independent Albums chart, and "I Didn't See It Coming" entered the UK Independent Singles chart at number 38. The album reached number 21 in Ireland, the band's highest placement in that country until their next album. In the United States, Write About Love peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, the band's highest placement on the chart, while it entered the Italian albums chart at number 65, nine spots lower than The Life Pursuit, which had reached number 56.

In 2011, the album was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, indicating sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe. As of 2014, it has sold 68,199 copies in United States.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Belle & Sebastian

Personnel

• Norah Jones – vocals (5)
• Carey Mulligan – vocals (6)
• Mick Cooke – arranger
• Sarah Martin – arranger (10)
• Tony Hoffer – producer, mixing, programming
• Todd Burke – engineer
• Cameron Lister – assistant engineer
• Frank Arkwright – mastering
• Stuart Murdoch – vocals, liner notes, photography
• Marisa Privitera – assistant
• Seth Mitchell – guest guitar
• Eric Gorfain – violin, conductor (4, 6, 10)
• Daphne Chen – violin (4, 6, 10)
• Melissa Reiner – violin (4, 6, 10)
• Amy Wickman – violin (4, 6, 10)
• Wes Precourt – violin (4, 6, 10)
• Lauren Chipman – viola (4, 6, 10)
• Richard Dodd – cello (4, 6, 10)
• Matt Cooker – cello (4, 6, 10)
• John Krovoza – cello (4, 6, 10)
• Noah Gladstone – trombone (4, 10)
• Bruce Otto – bass trombone (4, 10)
• Stephanie Stetson – French horn (10)
• Danielle Ondarza – French horn (10)
• Stephanie O'Keefe – French horn (10)

Charts

References

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2. "Write About Love by Belle And Sebastian reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
3. "Reviews for Belle and Sebastian Write About Love by Belle and Sebastian". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Write About Love – Belle and Sebastian". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
5. Phipps, Keith (12 October 2010). "Belle And Sebastian: Write About Love". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
6. Kot, Greg (11 October 2010). "Album review: Belle and Sebastian, 'Write About Love'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 15 October 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
7. Costa, Maddy (7 October 2010). "Belle and Sebastian: Write About Love – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
8. "Belle and Sebastian: Belle and Sebastian Write About Love". Mojo (204): 108. November 2010.
9. Dosanjh, Ash (8 October 2010). "Album review: Belle & Sebastian – Write About Love (Rough Trade)". NME. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
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11. "Belle and Sebastian: Belle and Sebastian Write About Love". Q (292): 114. November 2010.
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16. ^ Murdoch, Stuart (16 August 2010), Belle and Sebastian Write About Love, Belle and Sebastian, archived from the original on 18 August 2010, retrieved 16 August 2010
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33. "Belle and Sebastian: Write About Love" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
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37. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
38. "Norwegiancharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
39. "Swedishcharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
40. "Swisscharts.com – Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
41. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
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43. "Belle and Sebastian Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
44. "Belle and Sebastian Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2021.

External links

• Belle & Sebastian's official website

• 2010 albums
• Belle and Sebastian albums
• Rough Trade Records albums
• Albums produced by Tony Hoffer