Swan Songs is the debut studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. It was released through Octone Records and Polydor Records on September 2, 2008. "Everywhere I Go" was the first single to be released, it was a web single and was available for download only on iTunes. The band released four music videos for four songs on the album, "No. 5", "Undead", "Young", and "Everywhere I Go." When purchased through Amazon.com and at some other retailers, the album includes a bonus track and an option to unlock music videos. Swan Songs is the only studio album to feature vocalist Deuce, excluding the half-studio album Desperate Measures.
Overview
Swan Songs was supposed to be released on the band's original label, MySpace Records in 2007, however it was postponed by the record label when they requested to have some of the songs removed and others censored. The band declined and switched labels to Octone which wouldn't require them to censor their songs. The album peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and sold 21,000 copies on its debut week. Swan Songs was released by Polydor Records on May 18, 2009 in the United Kingdom with two bonus tracks. After 64 weeks, the album fell off of the BillboardTop 200, but returned four weeks later at No. 154. Swan Songs ended up spending 82 weeks in total on the Billboard 200. In 2009, it was certified gold by the RIAA. On January 18, 2013, it reached the Platinum sales mark. The song "Undead" is featured in the video gamesUFC Undisputed 2009 and Madden NFL 09. The song "Young" is featured as downloadable content for Rock Band 2. According to an e-mail sent out to fans from the official websiteApril 4, 2011, the album has been re-released on iTunes as a Collector's Edition. This features all the tracks available on the original Swan Songs plus Swan Songs B-Sides EP, Swan Songs Rarities EP, and the Black Dahlia Remixes EP.
Critical reception
Swan Songs received mostly mixed reviews. Dave Donnelly of Allmusic gave the album a 2 out of 5 stars, saying that the lyrics were uninteresting and that the album was "given over to ironic frat-boy party rap".
Track listing
All tracks are written and performed by Hollywood Undead, with specific writers detailed for each track.
Personnel
Credits for Swan Songs adapted from Allmusic. Hollywood Undead
