So Real (album)

So Real is the debut studio album by American pop singer Mandy Moore. The album was released on December 7, 1999, in the United States by Epic Records.[1] The album was released at a critical turning point in pop music - known as the teen pop revival - which saw other teen artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson release their debut albums that same year to commercial and critical success. Conceptually, the album addresses themes such as teenage love, romance and heartbreak, all of which were common subjects in teen pop music at the time. So Real became a moderate hit in the United States, reaching a peak of 31 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as well as being certified Platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of over 1 million.

So Real
Studio album by
Mandy Moore
ReleasedDecember 7, 1999 (1999-12-07)
Recorded1999
Genre
Length44:30
Label
Producer
Mandy Moore chronology
So Real
(1999)		 I Wanna Be with You
(2000)
Singles from So Real
  1. "Candy"
    Released: August 17, 1999
  2. "Walk Me Home"
    Released: December 4, 1999

The album spawned a top 50 hit with "Candy" and went gold within three months in the RIAA.[2]

Singles

"Candy" was released as Moore' debut single on August 17, 1999.[3] The song received generally favorable critical reviews from critics, mostly praising its composition. It performed moderately well on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking just outside the top 40 at #41. It entered the chart on #88 and reached its peak in its eighth week on the chart.[4] It received more success abroad, peaking at #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia. The music video, which was directed by Chris Robinson, had a cameo by the girl group PYT. [5]

"Walk Me Home" was released on December 6, 1999 as the second single in the US; the song failed to chart when it was first released. In October 2000, the song was re-released to promote I Wanna Be with You and peaked at #38 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart.[6][7]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[9]

Reviews among music critics were generally mixed. Said William Ruhlmann of AllMusic, "fifteen-year-old Mandy Moore's debut album sounded like it was inspired almost entirely by listening to recent hit albums by 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears," citing stylistic similarities between album tracks "So Real" and "Let Me Be the One" to the Backstreet Boys' "Backstreet's Back", and saying that Moore's "occasional growls" were similar to Spears' "...Baby One More Time". Ruhlmann stated that Moore could "carry a tune", but "with no particular distinction", saying that aside from her singing, the music was "mediocre".[10]

Commercial performance

Initially, the album debuted at number 71 on the Billboard 200, significantly lower than expected by Epic Records. The first single from the album was not a major hit, as it peaked just outside the top 40 at #41 on the Hot 100. The album reached No. 31, being the highest, and sold 950,000 in United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of over 1 million.[11][12]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."So Real"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherThe Wasabees3:51
2."Candy"Tony Battaglia, Dave Katz, Jive Jones, Denise RichJIVE, Charlie, The Wasabees3:56
3."What You Want"Tony Battaglia, Shaun Fisher, Skip MaslandThe Wasabees3:42
4."Walk Me Home"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherTony Moran4:23
5."Lock Me in Your Heart"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherThe Wasabees3:31
6."Telephone (Interlude)"  0:15
7."Quit Breaking My Heart"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherThe Wasabees3:53
8."Let Me Be the One" (Five Star cover)Ian FosterThe Wasabees3:50
9."Not Too Young"Tony Battaglia, Obie MorantThe Wasabees3:52
10."Love Shot"Carl Sturken, Evan RogersSturken, Rogers4:24
11."I Like It"Howie Dorough, Mike Lorello, Tony Moran, Denise RichTony Moran4:26
12."Love You for Always"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherThe Wasabees3:22
13."Quit Breaking My Heart (Reprise)"Tony Battaglia, Shaun FisherThe Wasabees1:01
Total length:44:27

Personnel

Credits for So Real adapted from Allmusic.[13]

  • Mandy Moore – primary artist
  • Tony Battaglia – composer
  • Dakari – guest artist
  • Shaun Fisher – composer
  • Jive – guest artist
  • Billy Lawrence – guest artist
  • T. Moran – composer
  • David Rice – composer
  • Mark Stevens – composer

Charts
Chart (1999-2000) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[14] 31
U.S. Top Album Sales[15] 31

Year-end charts
Chart (2000) Peak
position
U.S Billboard 200[16] 116

Certifications
Country Providers Certification Sales
U.S. RIAA Platinum[17] 950,000[18]

References
  1. "So Real: Music". Amazon. 1999. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  2. RIAA certification searchable database - "Mandy Moore" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Recording Industry Association of America
  3. "'He's Just Not That Into You' Cast: Then & Now". Fox News. February 6, 2009.
  4. "Mandy Moore - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  5. "Mandy Moore Celebrates National Candy Day With Epic Throwback GIF". E! Online. 2017-11-04.
  6. "Billboard". Books.google.com. 21 October 2000. p. 25.
  7. Mandy Moore – Walk Me Home (CD). Epic. October 2000. BSK 16170. Taken from the Epic/550 release I Wanna Be With You
  8. William Ruhlmann (1999-12-07). "So Real - Mandy Moore | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  9. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (2000-01-07). "So Real Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
  10. "Mandy Moore - Biography". Billboard. 1984-04-10. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  11. "Ask Billboard: The Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park, Mandy Moore". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  12. Andrew Leahey (1984-04-10). "Mandy Moore | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  13. "So Real - Mandy Moore | Credits". AllMusic. 1999-12-07. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
  14. "Mandy Moore - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-05.
  15. "Mandy Moore - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26.
  16. "Mandy Moore - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26.
  17. "RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  18. Trust, Gary (2009-06-05). "Ask Billboard: The Black Eyed Peas, Linkin Park, Mandy Moore". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
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