Everything to know about Sam Smith's debut album 'In The Lonely hour'
It was released in 2014
Last updated 1 hour ago
It's been more than a decade since the release of Sam Smith's debut album 'In the Lonely Hour' in May 2014, and two years since the singer celebrated that milestone with a new edition of the album, featuring some famous faces.
To celebrate the iconic record which catapulted Sam Smith to stardom and bagged a Guinness World Record for spending 69 weeks in the Top 10 (wow), we take a deep dive into the original album's biggest singles, and the meaning behind the title...
When was it released?
'In The Lonely Hour' was first released on 26th May 2014. It went to Number 1 in countries across the world, including here in the UK.
What's the tracklist?
The album features 10 tracks, including the Number 1 hits 'Stay With Me' and 'Money On My Mind'. The track list is as follows:
- 'Money On My Mind'
- 'Good Thing'
- 'Stay With Me'
- 'Leave Your Lover'
- 'I'm Not The Only One'
- 'I've Told You Now'
- 'Like I Can'
- 'Life Support'
- 'Not In That Way'
- 'Lay Me Down'
What is the meaning behind the title?
Sam has previously described ‘In The Lonely Hour’ as a tribute to unrequited love — wanting it to be a relatable ‘heartbreak’ album for anyone and everyone. The singer has also reportedly revealed it was inspired by a person they loved…but who didn’t love them back.
Deluxe edition
Sam also released a series of deluxe editions of 'In The Lonely Hour', most notably 2015's 'Drowning Shadows Edition' which featured a number of songs re-recorded with a well-known guest.
Mary J Blige collaborated with Sam on a new version of Number 1 single 'Stay With Me', A$AP Rocky featured on 'I’m Not The Only One' and John Legend sings on the new 'Lay Me Down'.
The original deluxe edition, released in 2014 also features huge Number 1 single 'La La La' by Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith.
10th anniversary edition
In August 2024, Sam then released a special 10th anniversary edition of the album, also re-releasing their massive hit 'I'm Not The Only One', this time as a duet with Alicia Keys.
Back in June that year, Sam took to Instagram to share the exciting news of the album's re-release, sharing the new artwork, which showed the 'Writing's On The Wall' singer re-creating the pose featured on the original album.
Then, on the release date of the 10th anniversary edition, Sam shared a black and white video, accompanied by their song, 'Stay With Me', which showed behind the scenes of the photoshoot.
On its release, fans left excited messages such as: 'Oh,I love this celebration of In the lonely hour so much. Brings back all these special memories back which we ve been through. Connect with this songs til the end of my life. ❤️The new version with Alicia is so beautiful 🙏', (sic) with another writing: 'Still so in love with this album, your voice and well.... You in total haha 😍!!!'.
What are the album's biggest singles?
Sam released four singles from the original 'In The Lonely Hour'; 'Stay With Me', 'Money On My Mind', 'I'm Not The Only One' and 'Like I Can'. The first two went to Number 1 in the UK, while 'I'm Not The Only One' went to a respectable Number 3.
Album artwork
Unsurprisingly, the album artwork has a clear theme of heartbreak — with Sam sat down looking forlorn. They recreated the artwork 10 years later for his anniversary edition — with Sam a decade older and sporting some new hand tattoos.
Did Sam tour ‘In The Lonely Hour’?
Yes! Sam took the ‘In The Lonely Hour Tour’ across the UK, wider Europe, America, Canada and Asia. The tour ran from 2014-2015 and featured various festival appearances, including Lollaloopza.
Did it win any awards?
The album was nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album — and it WON the latter!
At the MOBOs it won Best Album. It also picked up a nomination at the 2015 BRITs for British Album of the Year AND bagged a Guinness World Record for Most Consecutive Weeks in the UK Top 10 Album Charts — lasting a whopping 69 weeks there.
Now check out Sam Smith's collaborations
'Latch' with Disclosure
Starting in 2012, Sam featured on Disclosure's hit 'Latch'. 'Latch' was the lead single from Disclosure's debut album 'Settle' and reached Number 11 in the UK.
'La La La' with Naughty Boy
One of Sam's earliest hits was 'La La La' with Naughty Boy, released in 2013. It went to Number 1 in the UK and has been certified 3x Platinum here. The song was featured on the deluxe edition of Sam's 2014 album 'In the Lonely Hour'.
'Lay Me Down' with John Legend
Sam re-released their song 'Lay Me Down' with John Legend for charity in 2015. The song became a Number 1 hit, being certified Platinum in the UK, and the pair performed it live on Comic Relief – Face the Funny.
'Promises' with Calvin Harris
In 2018, Calvin Harris and Sam teamed up for 'Promises', from Sam's third album 'Love Goes'. The song came about after Sam contacted Calvin on Instagram, with Sam saying that they "had an amazing day together writing the song". It went to Number 1 in the UK and has been certified 3x Platinum.
'Dancing With A Stranger' with Normani
'Dancing With A Stranger' was a hit in 2019 for Sam along with former Fifth Harmony singer Normani. The song was certified 3× Platinum in the UK and reached Number 3.
'I'm Ready' with Demi Lovato
Sam Smith was joined by Demi Lovato on their 2020 hit 'I'm Ready'. The song was co-written by both artists along with a team of songwriters and reached Number 20 in the UK.
'Love Goes' with Labrinth
Labrinth joined Sam on a song called 'Love Goes', which was featured on Sam's 2020 album of the same name.
'Unholy' with Kim Petras
Sam Smith and Kim Petras had huge success in October 2022 with their song 'Unholy'. The song was a Number 1 success in both the UK and USA, where they became the first publicly non-binary and transgender soloists respectively to get a #Hot100 Number 1. They also won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards!
'Who We Love' with Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran joined Sam for a track on their fourth album 'Gloria' in 2023, working together on the song which was co-written by both artists.
'Gimme' with Koffee and Jessie Reyez
Sam Smith released 'Gimme' in 2023 with Koffee and Jessie Reyez, with the track featuring on the album 'Gloria'.
'Vulgar' with Madonna
Sam Smith and Madonna teamed up for a collab called 'Vulgar', releasing the song in 2023.
WARNING: Explicit language!
'Desire' with Calvin Harris
Following the success of their track 'Promises', Calvin and Sam teamed up once again and released 'Desire' in July 2023. It peaked at Number 6 in the UK charts and has also been certified Platinum.
'In The City' with Charli XCX
Sam Smith and Charli XCX released 'In The City' in October 2023. The song was written by the pair, and Sam said: "Charli is a force and getting creative with her is so much fun. This track is about freedom and those unforgettable nights of abandon. I loved every minute we spent together making it."
'I'm Not The Only One' with Alicia Keys
In 2024, Sam Smith and Alicia Keys teamed up to release a new version of Sam's 2014 hit 'I'm Not The Only One'. The track was originally included on the singer's debut album.
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