Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits
Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by British-Irish boy band the Wanted, released on 12 November 2021 by Island Records. It marks their first release in eight years, following the band going on hiatus after the release of their third studio album Word of Mouth (2013). The album was supported by its lead single "Rule the World".
| Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits | ||||
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 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 12 November 2021 | |||
| Length | 51:51 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| The Wanted chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits | ||||
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The standard edition of the album contains 15 tracks, including their UK number ones "All Time Low" and "Glad You Came", all the group's singles (with the exception of "Glow in the Dark"), "Could This Be Love", an album track from Word of Mouth and the group's most streamed non-single, and two new tracks. The deluxe edition contains five newly recorded acoustic versions of songs off the album, including a cover of "Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta, while the extended deluxe contains a cover of "Stay Another Day" by East 17, and an alternative edit and the Shane Codd remix of "Rule the World".[1][2]
To promote the album, the group performed on Good Morning America and toured the UK in March 2022, with English singer and television presenter Hrvy serving as the opening act.[3] Most Wanted was the group's final album to feature Tom Parker, who died in 2022.
Background and release
The Wanted released their third studio album Word of Mouth (2013). The album received mixed reviews from music critics, and performed moderately on charts, peaking at 9 on the UK Albums Chart and 17 on the US Billboard 200. The album was supported by their Word of Mouth World Tour, their debut concert tour in 2014. Before the tour began, the band announced on their website that they'll be taking a break following the tour.[4]
On 8 September 2021, after seven years of their hiatus, The Wanted reunited after releasing a new "Wanted Wednesday" episode, and later announced the album.[5][6] They originally planned to reunite to celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2020, however, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and band member Tom Parker's brain tumor diagnosis in August 2020.
Promotion
Singles
On 7 October 2021, The band announced the album's lead single "Rule the World" would be released on 13 October 2021 at 8AM BST, with a music video was released on the same day.[7][8] Following its release, the song charted at 24 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.
Promotional singles
An acoustic cover of "Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta was released as the first promotional single off the album. "Colours" was released on 10 November 2021 as the second promotional single off the album, with a lyric video released on the same day. A cover of "Stay Another Day" by East 17 was released as the third promotional single off the album.
Tour
Following the group's reunion announcement, the group announced they would tour the United Kingdom in March 2022 in support of the album, with tickets going up for sale on 17 September 2021.[9] It was their first concert in seven years, following the Word of Mouth World Tour in 2014.
Other promotion
The group performed at group member Tom Parker's Inside My Head concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 20 September 2021,[10] and also announced that they would perform some album live shows during the month on November.[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rule the World" (previously unreleased) |
| Jack & Coke | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Colours" (previously unreleased) |
| Paul Whalley | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Glad You Came" (from Battleground, 2011) | Mac | 3:18 | |
| 4. | "All Time Low" (from The Wanted, 2010) | Mac | 3:25 | |
| 5. | "Chasing the Sun" (from Ice Age: Continental Drift, 2012 and Word of Mouth, 2013) |
| Smith | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Heart Vacancy" (from The Wanted) |
| 3:44 | |
| 7. | "Gold Forever" (from Battleground) |
| Mac | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Lose My Mind" (from The Wanted) |
| 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Lightning" (from Battleground) |
| Mac | 3:26 |
| 10. | "We Own the Night" (from Word of Mouth) |
| 3:25 | |
| 11. | "I Found You" (from Word of Mouth) | Mac | 4:00 | |
| 12. | "Walks Like Rihanna" (from Word of Mouth) |
| 3:22 | |
| 13. | "Warzone" (from Battleground) |
| Sommerdahl | 3:09 |
| 14. | "Show Me Love (America)" (from Word of Mouth) |
| Fraser T Smith | 3:27 |
| 15. | "Could This Be Love" (from Word of Mouth) |
| Wilkinson | 3:08 |
| Total length: | 51:51 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Rule the World" (acoustic) |
| Jonas Jalhay | 3:00 |
| 17. | "Glad You Came" (acoustic) |
| Jalhay | 3:00 |
| 18. | "We Own the Night" (acoustic) |
| Jalhay | 2:54 |
| 19. | "Could This Be Love" (acoustic) |
| Jalhay | 3:18 |
| 20. | "Remember" (acoustic) |
| Jalhay | 2:39 |
| Total length: | 66:42 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21. | "Stay Another Day" (previously unreleased) |
|
| 4:00 |
| 22. | "Rule the World" (alternative edit) |
|
| 3:03 |
| 23. | "Rule the World" (Shane Codd remix) |
| Jack & Coke | 2:37 |
| Total length: | 76:22 | |||
Notes
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums (OCC)[14] | 37 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- "Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits – The Wanted". Instagram. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- "Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits (Extended Deluxe) - The Wanted". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- "We're very excited to announce that @hrvy will be joining us as our special guest for our March 2022 UK Tour!! These shows are going to be HUGE and we cannot wait to see you all there. Get your tickets NOW!!". Instagram. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- "The Wanted Taking a Break Following Tour". Billboard. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- "#WantedWednesday". 8 September 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021 – via Instagram.
- "Here we go!! We are MEGA excited to announce that we are BACK and will be releasing our Greatest Hits Album on November 12th!! We'll also be performing LIVE at the @royalalberthall as part of @tomparkerofficial 'Inside My Head' concert. It's been far too long... Let's do this! 🌍 💪". 8 September 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021 – via Instagram.
- "Our very first single back is called .... RULE THE WORLD 🪂 it will be released at 8am BST next Wednesday 13th October! You can pre-save it now on @spotify, pre-order / pre-add via our Most Wanted album and ALSO pre-order the CD version on our store!!!! 🤪 Can't wait for you to hear! @sivaofficial @maxgeorge @nathansykes @birdspotting @tomparkerofficial". Instagram. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- "Our brand new single #RuleTheWorld is OUT TOMORROW at 8am UK time! 🪂 Get it at the link in our bio! @maxgeorge @nathansykes @birdspotting @tomparkerofficial @sivaofficial". 12 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021 – via Instagram.
- "The Wanted on Instagram".
- "The Wanted on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- "The Wanted on Instagram - Announcement".
- "Most Wanted: The Greatest Hits Vinyl". Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- "Most Wanted Band Member Cassettes". Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- "British album certifications – Wanted – Most Wanted - The Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 May 2023.