Every huge artist has their "New Jersey" - a huge event album that ultimately feels a bit hollow & signals a career decline

*rouses from sleep*

The reason Willenium wasn't mentioned is that it was a relative flop compared to the previous album. Big Willie Style sold 9 million copies in the US, had a #1 and two top 20 singles beyond the preceding movie tie-in. Willenium sold 2 million, and had no top 20 singles after the preceding movie tie-in. It was a clear misfire long before the release of the follow-up.

*goes back to sleep*

surely a defining feature of a NJ is that after initial recognition its NJ status is ultimately disputed and rejected

hmmmm so it's more of a Fairweather Johnson? looking at the actual performance of the actual album singles I buy that... pretty dismal.

To qualify as a New Jersey, the album has to sell as much or even more than its predecessors yet everyone knows the gig is up.

a bomb is not a New Jersey.

da croupier & alfred otm

willennium was not a bomb imho (4x platinum!) - but agreed that it is way way too diminished as a followup to count as a NJ.

I think you guys are being way too rigid. 4 million is not a bomb and New Jersey itself has sold 10 million less than SWW

Number 1:

Willennium was NOT an event album remotely on par w/New Jersey

The album was the follow-up to the band's third album, Slippery When Wet, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in its second week of release after making its debut at No. 8. It remained at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks.[3] It produced five Billboard Hot 100 top ten hits, the most top ten hits to date for any hard rock/glam metal album, including "Bad Medicine" and "I'll Be There for You", which both reached No. 1. The album was certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album also debuted at No. 1 in the UK and was the band's first UK No. 1 album.

Number 2:
Will Smith was not even capable of HAVING A NEW JERSEY in 1999. He's coming off Bad Boys, Indepedence Day, Men in Black and Enemy of the State, already a bankable Hollywood blockbuster action star and heading into his bid for critical acclaim Bagger Vance/Ali stage....

by this point he's not even primarily thought of as a music star, the fate of Willenium good or bad isn't where his career is going anyway

I'm pretty sure we discussed a long time ago that despite the thread title no album is ever going to match exactly the data points of the album "New Jersey" by the band Bon Jovi, and we can look for similarities in other blockbuster follow-up albums.

p.s. some of those movies you mention came out before Big Willie Style

we did discuss that and this is still not a New Jersey

*stomps angrily out of bedroom*

How the fuck did the sales magically turn from 2 million in the US to 4 million for willenium in the last 8 hours? Wikipedia has it at double platinum. Riaa.com has it double platinum.

Slippery When Wet and New Jersey both sold over 5 million copies before the release of the next album. New Jersey had MORE top ten hits than Slippery When Wet. "New Jersey" status doesn't just go to the last album by an artist you can remember.

I swear to fucking god, it blows my mind there are records nerds who want to play this game but a) don't want to look beyond personal anecdotal experience and b) can't fucking count to ten.

*storms out of room, slamming door*

*opens door a crack*

Sorry UMS, didn't see you'd already reaffirmed how notable New Jersey's stats are

*closes it quietly*

I might argue that Big Willie Style was the New Jersey to Will Smith's Fresh Prince career if I was feeling ornery

*talks politely from other side of door*

The problem there is the previous Fresh Prince album was Code Red. "Boom boom shake the room" has not endured in culture better than "Miami," let alone "gettin jiggy with it"

I swear to fucking god, it blows my mind there are records nerds who want to play this game but a) don't want to look beyond personal anecdotal experience and b) can't fucking count to ten.

I couldn't find the Wikipedia "Feels a bit hollow" rating for this album, please assist

Ok, you said "career" but the early millenials still love those BWS singles is the point.

PK I know you miss me but you don't have to miss my point

"Boom boom shake the room" has not endured in culture better than "Miami," let alone "gettin jiggy with it"

I'd say it has endured in culture as well as either of those tracks.

Wikipedia has it at double platinum. Riaa.com has it double platinum.

sales to suppressive persons weren't calculated iirc

How the fuck did the sales magically turn from 2 million in the US to 4 million for willenium in the last 8 hours? Wikipedia has it at double platinum. Riaa.com has it double platinum.

clearly we all bought a couple hundred thousand copies of willennium just to troll you

when we troll into the wild wild west

Lol, i just can't believe my luck at having this be atop the page when I couldn't sleep and decided to check ilx for the first time in months last night.

In the future, I'll just appear if I think the claim has merit. otherwise people can assume I didn't see it or my response is a gif of Kent brockman saying "do your research, Shutton" (if not a gif of David Caruso in session 9).

I guess it's 2017 so we all looped a willennium full album youtube link 1,000,000 times each

Pretty sure that if this thread has proven anything, it's that not every huge artist has a New Jersey. Also, New Jersey is awesome.

― My Body's Made of Crushed Little Evening Stars (Sund4r), Tuesday, 9 May 2017 09:40 (five months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Shania Twain's Up! was mentioned a couple times upthread without any comment. Now it finally has a follow-up. But it might be in a class by itself: a diamond selling album with no real big singles.

Supposed Former Willfatuation Junkie

Boom! Shake The Room is one of the best Fresh & Jazzy singles btw (and all are better than any Will solo)

they needed to cover Scritti's "Boom! There She Was."

the ACTUAL New Jersey of will smith's career is Hitch

No way they play Hitch at jury duty here

and In Good Company.

if new jersey was a movie would it not be a movie that occasionally gets played at jury duty?

time to breathe new life into this thread

every huge actor has their "Hitch"

occasionally- no. but they haven't changed the DVD since 2005

it's the only movie they play

how long has this trial been going on

flappy bird, my man, I think you were actually convicted of this crime

the answer is obviously "hancock," last of the string of major hits that followed on hitch's heels, but how many would now guess it was the fourth-biggest hit of 2008?

COLLATERAL BEAUTY

I knew someone would say hancock as if bon jovi didn't sell millions of albums after NJ

people went to see hancock sure, but the will smith train had passed. the willennium was over. he was playing against type in an action comedy, his wheelhouse - they came out of curiosity, novelty. but his career as Will Smith, Peaking Action Comedy Star and Occasional Oscar Bait Guy My Parents Liked was over by then. hancock was the death knell. hitch was the new jersey.

and before you bring up I am legend, no one actually saw that. they bought the tickets and then they went out for dinner and forgot about the ticket, that's why it made a lot of money.

I Am Legend made zombie movie cash, everyone wanted to see those undead ghouls or rage filled maniacs chasing people around. it was a guaranteed 500+ million worldwide for awhile there. but those movies were also like Avatar, they left no real cultural footprint.

the answer is obviously "hancock," last of the string of major hits that followed on hitch's heels, but how many would now guess it was the fourth-biggest hit of 2008?

what the fuck was going on in 2008

Hancock was kind of awesome

adjusted for inflation, the top-grossing will smith films, in descending order, are ID4, MIB, suicide squad, i am legend, MIB2, hancock, hitch, shark tale (yeeeeesh), pursuit of happyness, and enemy of the state.

about 50% of the reason I enjoyed Suicide Squad is because Will Smith played Deadshot almost exactly like he played Hancock

Louis CK's latest standup video for Netflix.

I've kind of been wondering if there is also a 'Full Moon, Dirty Hearts' phase after listening to the new National album.