Number 1's (Destiny's Child album)

''#1's'' is the first greatest hits album by American girl group Destiny's Child. It was released on October 21, 2005, by Columbia Records, Music World Entertainment and Sony Urban Music.

Following a two-year hiatus during which each member released solo albums to varying levels of success, Destiny's Child reunited during the summer of 2004 to record their fifth and final studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'', which was released that November to widespread commercial success. To further promote the album, the group embarked on the world tour Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It in April 2005. During its Barcelona show on June 11, Kelly Rowland announced the group's disbandment for after the tour's conclusion. However, before formally disbanding, they decided to release ''#1's'', featuring their highest-charting singles alongside three new tracks.

Upon its release, ''#1's'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the included material as the highlights of the group's career. However, its title was dismissed by media outlets as most of the tracks had not reached the summit of a major record chart; ''Billboard'' later acknowledged the title as solely a marketing strategy. A commercial success, the compilation debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 113,000 units, becoming the group's second number-one album. Briefly after its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also peaked at number one in Japan.

''#1's'' produced two singles. " Stand Up for Love" was termed "2005 World Children's Day Anthem" but was a critical and commercial failure, charting solely in South Korea nine years after its release. "Check on It"–Beyoncé's collaboration with Slim Thug–peaked atop the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's third solo number-one single, and within the top ten in 13 additional countries. Following the conclusion of promotional activities for ''#1's'' and the release of the video album '' Live in Atlanta'', Destiny's Child formally disbanded in March 2006.

Background

Following the conclusion of promotional activities for their third studio album ''Survivor'' (2001), Destiny's Child embarked on a two-year hiatus, which allowed each member to release solo albums. As each member achieved success with individual projects, speculations arose over the group's disbandment. However, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams reunited during the summer of 2004 to work on their fifth studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled''. The album was released in November 2004, peaking at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and being certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its singles " Lose My Breath" and "Soldier" both peaked at number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and achieved global commercial success.

To further promote ''Destiny Fulfilled'', Destiny's Child embarked on the world tour Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It in April 2005. During the concert at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain on June 11, Rowland announced that the tour would be the group's final, revealing their formal disbandment. It was announced that after the North American leg, the group would part ways, with each member continuing their music career as a solo artist. During an interview, they explained that their disbandment had been planned while recording ''Destiny Fulfilled'' as they discussed their individual aspirations and realized that remaining a group would prevent them from pursuing those interests.

Music and lyrics

''#1's'' is predominantly an R&B and pop record. Sputnikmusic's John Hanson further described it as "filled" with bubblegum R&B pop, while also noting a presence of neo soul. In addition to highest-charting singles from Destiny's Child's eponymous debut studio album (1998), '' The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999), ''Survivor'' (2001) and ''Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004), the album included three new tracks–" Stand Up for Love", Beyoncé's "Check on It" featuring Slim Thug, and "Feel the Same Way I Do". The adult contemporary-styled ballad "Stand Up for Love" was inspired by poverty-stricken children and families receiving funds from charitable organizations. Lyrically, the song encourages unity.

On "Check on It", Slim Thug raps his lines backed by a bassline while Beyoncé's vocals, further described as "R&B pipes" by Bret McCabe from the ''Baltimore City Paper'', received comparisons to Donna Summer. Quick hooks are sung by Beyoncé against a dance beat. The song lyrically takes place at a nightclub, with the female protagonist letting the male patrons know they are welcome to look at her body while she is dancing. "Feel the Same Way I Do" was described as a similar to soul songs by American girl group The Supremes, instrumentally complete with "exotic" strings. Jess Harvell from ''Pitchfork'' felt its sound was suitable for Mariah Carey's '' The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). Its lyrical theme revolves around a woman who develops romantic feelings for a man with whom she has had a solely-sexual relationship.

Marketing

On August 1, 2005, Kelly Rowland announced the release of Destiny's Child's first greatest hits album later that year during an interview with ''Billboard'', adding: "We're definitely going to record another song for our greatest hits album for our fans. We're still thinking about it because we want it to mean something."
In September, ''Destiny's Child's #1's'' was revealed as the album's title, along with a release date of October 25; the title was subsequently shortened to ''#1's''. Following the announcement, ''Billboard'' questioned the criteria by which the inclusion of the songs would be determined, as the group had only four US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-ones–"Bills, Bills, Bills", "Say My Name", " Independent Women Part I" and "Bootylicious"–with " No, No, No" being a Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one. " Lose My Breath", "Soldier" featuring T.I and Lil Wayne, and "Jumpin', Jumpin'" additionally topped other component ''Billboard'' charts; the former two peaked atop the Dance Club Songs while the latter peaked atop the Mainstream Top 40. Furthermore, "Survivor" reached the summit in Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as on the US Dance Singles Sales and Rhythmic charts. However, Keith Caulfield of ''Billboard'' later acknowledged its title as a marketing strategy, as the album's liner notes did not offer information on its tracks' chart positions. Following the release of ''#1's'', its second single "Check on It" peaked atop the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming the album's fifth actual number-one.

The cover artwork for ''#1's'' was designed by Fusako Chubachi. It features images of each member, photographed by Robert Erdmann, positioned abreast. Beyoncé's image was used for international CD single pressings of "Check on It", while Williams' was used for the digital single of her cover of Al Green's " Let's Stay Together". Alongside its standard edition, the album's DualDisc edition was also announced, including a bonus DVD with seven music videos and a trailer for the live album '' Live in Atlanta'' (2006). In some countries, such as France and Japan, a traditional CD+DVD set was released in lieu of DualDisc. Exclusively at Walmart, the album was packaged with another bonus DVD, titled ''Fan Pack II'', which contained live performances, solo music videos and extra footage. To promote ''#1's'', Destiny's Child performed its lead single " Stand Up for Love" alongside "Survivor" on November 15, 2005 on the television show ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' as their final televised performance as a group. The group performed "Stand Up for Love" again the same day at the Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles to celebrate World Children's Day, as the song was touted as the "2005 World Children's Day Anthem", with Destiny's Child as global ambassadors for the program.

Singles

" Stand Up for Love" was released as the lead single from ''#1's'' on September 27, 2005. Termed as 2005 World Children's Day Anthem, it was used for a global fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities and several other local organizations for children. The song was widely panned by music critics, primarily for its "saccharine" production and lyrical content. A commercial failure, it became Destiny's Child's first single not to enter any of the ''Billboard'' charts, and would not chart anywhere until 2014, when it debuted at number 37 on the Gaon Digital Chart in South Korea. The single was the group's final prior to their 2006 disbandment. Its accompanying music video was directed by Matthew Rolston and features the members performing the song in different settings, including against a background displaying videos of children.

Beyoncé's solo track "Check on It" was released as the second and final single from ''#1's'' on December 13, 2005, to critical acclaim. Originally recorded for the accompanying soundtrack to the 2006 film ''The Pink Panther'', in which Beyoncé starred, its soundtrack inclusion was ultimately cancelled. A commercial success, the song became Beyoncé's third solo US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single. The digital single was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 2022.
Internationally, the song reached number one in New Zealand, and the top ten Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Its Hype Williams-directed accompanying music video features ''The Pink Panther''-themed imagery, with Beyoncé performing the song in various pink outfits. At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won Best R&B Video.

Critical reception

''#1's'' received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. Andy Kellman from AllMusic wrote that the album was formatted the same way as other music scores and anthologies packed for the holiday shopping season. He further commented that its title should have been different and concluded by saying "the disc reaffirms that Destiny's Child released some of the biggest R&B singles of the late '90s and early 2000s." Sal Cinquemani of ''Slant Magazine'' also criticized the title, as only four of its tracks reached the summit of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. However, he praised Destiny's Child's "impressive output, which includes some of the most recognizable R&B hits of the past bling/celly/status-obsessed five years". BBC Online's writer James Blake called the album "more than decent" and added that the group's success in the music industry was a notable reason for a greatest hits release. However, he argued that it was too soon to include songs from their final studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'', as it was released only 11 months before ''#1's''. Jess Harvell from ''Pitchfork'' felt that it was a "smart" move not to arrange the tracks in a chronological order and felt it "has the odd knock-on effect of suggesting that their legacy may be based on a smaller body of work than imagined". Harvell finished the review by writing: "you can take ''#1's'' as pure product and not feel wrong for doing so".

Despite classifying its title as "misleading" and criticizing the new material, ''Houston Chronicle''s editor Michael D. Clark described ''#1's'' as "dolled up as beautiful and immaculate as" the group members and said it included the group's best singles. John A. Hanson of Sputnikmusic felt that a greatest hits album was released "at the perfect time" as many of its tracks had been released long before and "they've lost the overplayedness, but its soon enough that they still have some sort of relevance". He concluded by writing " thits you with recognizable hit after recognizable hit, and they are all pretty much as perfect as contemporary R&B-pop gets". Describing the album as a "masterclass in what happens when a great band comes together", Yahoo! Music's Hattie Collins wrote: "Despite the low-points, this is a Destiny's Child must have collection of classics from one of R&B's most significant talents". A more mixed review came from Fiona Mckinlay from ''musicOMH'', who felt the album included many "skippable" songs and noted that the material from '' The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999) and ''Survivor'' (2001) were the collection's best. She further claimed the progress in the group's sound was evident on ''#1's'', but offered the opinion: "As far as greatest hits albums go, Destiny's Child show themselves to be pretty ace, but still not quite the incredible force in R&B". Aidin Vaziri of ''San Francisco Chronicle'' criticized the ''Destiny Fulfilled'' tracks and "Stand Up for Love", and concluded by writing: "surveying Destiny's Child's entire career on this set... it's obvious their hearts slipped away around the same time Beyoncé's solo album sold its first million".

Accolades

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Commercial performance

In the United States, ''#1's'' debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 chart dated November 12, 2005, with first-week sales of 113,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan; it became the group's second number-one album following ''Survivor'' (2001). It also debuted atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, becoming their third number-one album on the chart. In its second week, the compilation descended to number five on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 85,000 copies and registering a 25% sales decrease. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 30, 2005. In Canada, the compilation was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC) on November 16.

In the United Kingdom, ''#1's'' debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart and atop the UK R&B Albums Chart on November 5, 2005. Following the release of Beyoncé's fourth solo studio album '' 4'' (2011), ''#1's'' registered a 111–54 leap on the UK Albums Chart dated July 9, 2011. In the wake of the release of Beyoncé's eponymous fifth studio album (2013), it re-entered the top ten of the UK R&B Albums Chart on February 1, 2014. The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in July 2021. In Ireland, the compilation debuted at number ten on October 27, 2005, peaking at number eight the following week. Across mainland Europe, it peaked within the top ten in Belgium and Switzerland.

In Australia, ''#1's'' debuted at number 13 on the ARIA Top 100 Albums on November 6, 2005, peaking at number ten the following week. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in December. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number five, peaking at number three in its second week. By the end of the year, Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) had certified it platinum. In Japan, the compilation debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 154,859 copies in its first week. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in December. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), ''#1's'' was the 20th best-selling album of 2005 in the world.

Track listing

Notes
* signifies a producer and vocal producer
* signifies a vocal producer
* signifies an additional vocal producer
* signifies a co-producer

Sample credits
* "Bootylicious" contains elements from " Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks.
* "Girl" contains sampled elements from the composition "Ocean of Thoughts and Dreams" by the Dramatics.
* "No, No, No Part 2" contains elements from "Strange Games and Things" by Barry White.
* "Nasty Girl" contains replayed elements from " Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora and uncredited interpolations from " Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''#1's''.

* Charles Alexander – mixing (track 6)
* Jovonn Alexander – production (track 6)
* Rich Balmer – engineering assistance (track 3)
* Steve Baughman – mixing assistance (track 12)
* Karren Berz – live strings (track 3)
* Angela Beyincé – songwriting (tracks 5 and 13)
* Courtney Blooding – production coordination (track 1)
* Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs – engineering (tracks 10 and 12), instrumentation (tracks 10 and 12), Midi & Sound (tracks 10 and 12), production (tracks 10 and 12), songwriting (tracks 10 and 12), vocal production (tracks 10 and 12)
* Mary Brown – songwriting (track 14)
* Kandi Burruss – songwriting (tracks 10 and 12), vocal production (track 10)
* Michael Calderon – engineering (track 12)
* Orlando Calzada – engineering (track 3)
* Jim Caruana – engineering (tracks 4, 5, 7, 13, 15 and 16)
* Shawn Carter – songwriting (track 7)
* Jules Chaikin – orchestra contracting (track 1)
* Fusako Chubachi – art direction, design
* Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (track 1)
* Paulinho da Costa – percussion (track 1)
* Tom Coyne – mastering (all tracks)
* LaShawn Daniels – engineering (track 8), songwriting (tracks 7, 8 and 16), vocal production (track 8)
* Don Davis – songwriting (track 13)
* Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (tracks 10 and 12)
* Andre DeBaurg – engineering (track 6)
* Anthony Dent – engineering (track 3), production (track 3), songwriting (track 3)
* Neil Devor – digital engineering (track 1)
* David Donaldson – engineering (track 6)
* Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit – production (track 13), songwriting (track 13)
* Jerry Duplessis – production (track 14)
* Nathan East – bass (track 1)
* Chad Elliot – mixing (track 6), production (track 6), songwriting (track 6)
* Robert Erdmann – photography
* Mark Feist – production (track 9)
* Fabrizio Ferri – photography
* Amy Foster-Gillies – lyrical songwriting (track 1)
* David Foster – arrangement (track 1), keyboards (track 1), musical songwriting (track 1), production (track 1), string arrangement (track 1)
* Farrah Franklin – backing vocals (track 2)
* Rob Fusari – production (track 11), songwriting (tracks 11 and 14)
* Calvin Gaines – songwriting (track 14)
* Sean Garrett – production (track 4), songwriting (tracks 4, 5, 7 and 13), vocal production (track 7)
* Humberto Gatica – engineering (track 1), mixing (track 1), production (track 1)
* Barry Gibb – songwriting (track 9)
* Robin Gibb – songwriting (track 9)
* Brad Gildem – engineering (track 8)
* Rawle Gittens – additional engineering (track 14)
* Troy Gonzalez – additional engineering (track 2)
* Erwin Gorostiza – art direction
* Che Greene – production (track 14)
* Andy Gwynn – mixing assistance (track 3)
* Rich Harrison – production (track 4), songwriting (track 4)
* Vincent Herbert – songwriting (track 14)
* James Hoover – engineering (track 14)
* Jean Marie Hurout – mixing (track 8)
* Wyclef Jean – production (track 14), vocals (track 14)
* Storm Jefferson – engineering assistance (track 14), mixing assistance (track 14)
* Nathan Jenkins – engineering (track 5)
* Fred Jerkins III – songwriting (tracks 7, 8 and 16)
* Rodney Jerkins – instrumentation (tracks 7, 8 and 15), production (tracks 7, 8, 15 and 16), songwriting (tracks 7, 8, 15 and 16)
* Beyoncé Knowles – backing vocals (all tracks), executive production, lead vocals (all tracks), production (tracks 1–7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 16), vocal arrangement (track 9), vocal production (tracks 1, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 15 and 16), songwriting (tracks 2–8, 10–13, 15 and 16)
* Mathew Knowles – executive production, production (track 9), songwriting (track 3)
* Mike Kopcha – mixing assistance (track 10)
* Jason Larien – engineering assistance (track 1)
* Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis – instrumentation (track 15), production (tracks 15 and 16), songwriting (tracks 15 and 16)
* Lil Wayne – songwriting (track 4), vocals (track 4)
* LeToya Luckett – backing vocals (tracks 6, 8, 10 and 12), songwriting (tracks 8, 10 and 12)
* Fabian Marasciullo – additional vocal engineering (track 4)
* Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 3, 7, 11 and 15)
* Errol "Poppi" McCalla, Jr. – additional programming (track 9)
* Falonte Moore – production (track 11), songwriting (track 11)
* Rufus Moore – songwriting (track 6)
* Ramon Morales – additional engineering (track 2), engineering (track 10)
* Vernon Mungoat – engineering (track 12)
* Huy Nguyen – A&R
* Stevie Nicks – songwriting (track 11)
* Flip Osman – mixing assistance (tracks 3 and 11)
* Dean Parks – guitar (track 1)
* Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado – mixing (tracks 5, 9 and 13)
* Poke & Tone – production (track 2), songwriting (track 2)
* Claudine Pontier – engineering assistance (track 12)
* Redd – keyboards (track 3)
* Geoffrey Rice – engineering assistance (track 5)
* Warren Riker – engineering (track 14), mixing (track 14)
* Byron Rittenhouse – vocals (track 6)
* Alejandro Rodriguez – digital engineering (track 1)
* Cory Rooney – production (track 2), songwriting (track 2)
* LaTavia Roberson – backing vocals (tracks 6, 8, 10 and 12), songwriting (tracks 8 and 10)
* Eddie Robinson – songwriting (track 13)
* Kelly Rowland – backing vocals (tracks 1–4 and 6–16), executive production, lead vocals (tracks 1–4, 7, 9–13, 15 and 16), songwriting (tracks 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16)
* Bill Ross – string arrangement (track 1)
* Matt Serrecchio – engineering assistance (track 5)
* Dexter Simmons – mixing (tracks 4, 5 and 16)
* Slim Thug – songwriting (track 5), vocals (track 5)
* Spicer – photography
* Brian Springer – engineering (track 9)
* Manelich Sotolongo – engineering (track 2)
* Tim Stewart – guitar (track 15)
* Swizz Beatz – production (track 5), songwriting (track 5)
* Tom Tapley – additional vocal engineering (track 4)
* T.I. – songwriting (track 4), vocals (track 4)
* Rich Travali – mixing (track 2)
* Jochem van der Saag – organ (track 1), programming (track 1), sound design (track 1)
* Jeff Villanueva – engineering (tracks 7, 15 and 16)
* Rommel Nino Villanueva – additional Pro Tools editing (track 4)
* Robert Waller – songwriting (track 15)
* Michelle Williams – backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 16), executive production, lead vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 16), songwriting (tracks 4, 7, 13, 15 and 16)
* Dan Workman – additional engineering (track 9), engineering (tracks 10, 11)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* Destiny's Child discography
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2005
* List of ''Billboard'' number-one R&B/hip-hop albums of 2005
* List of Oricon number-one albums of 2005
* List of UK R&B Albums Chart number ones of 2005

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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''#1's''
at Tidal

{{DEFAULTSORT:Number 1s (Destiny's Child Album)
2005 greatest hits albums
Destiny's Child albums
Destiny's Child video albums
Albums produced by David Foster
Albums produced by Humberto Gatica
Albums produced by Swizz Beatz
Albums produced by 9th Wonder
Albums produced by Rodney Jerkins
Albums produced by Wyclef Jean
Albums produced by Rich Harrison
2005 video albums
Compilation albums of number-one songs