Maps of Music

Bionic (2010)

Where the lyrics of Bionic take you, and where it was really made.

The working title was Light & Darkness and the album was first set for September 2009, but it came out in June 2010 under the name Bionic.

Key places

Kung Fu Garden, Burbank (2010)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Kung Fu Garden in Burbank is listed among the studios where Bionic was recorded. The point is placed at the city center of Burbank. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Red Lips Room, Beverly Hills (2010)

Recording site The Red Lips Room (Beverly Hills) — The Red Lips Room in Beverly Hills is listed among the studios used for Bionic. The point is placed at the city center of Beverly Hills. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Larrabee, Los Angeles (2010)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — Larrabee in Los Angeles is listed among the studios where Bionic was recorded. The point marks the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Record Plant, Los Angeles (2010)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — Record Plant in Los Angeles is listed among the studios where Bionic was recorded. The point marks the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Dreamland, Hurley (2010)

Recording site Dreamland (Hurley) — Dreamland in Hurley is listed among the recording locations for Bionic. The point marks the place itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mr. Dan's, London (2010)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — Mr. Dan's in London is listed among the studios used for Bionic. The point is placed at the city center of London. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mad Decent Mausoleum, Philadelphia (2010)

Recording site Mad Decent Mausoleum — Mad Decent Mausoleum in Philadelphia is listed among the studios where Bionic was recorded. The point marks the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Bionic: sixth studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera
• Released June 4, 2010 by RCA Records
• Described as electropop, futurepop and R&B
• First half electronic with synthesizers and electronic beats; second half balladic
• Main themes: sex and feminism
• Standard edition 18 tracks; deluxe edition 23
• Four singles: "Not Myself Tonight", "Woohoo", "You Lost Me", "I Hate Boys"

Background

• Follows the fifth studio album Back to Basics (2006)
• Pregnancy with son Max shaped the new material
• In February 2008 Aguilera said she would start recording at her Beverly Hills residence
• Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits (2008) released during the early sessions, with two new songs derived from electronic music
• Album first titled Light & Darkness, set for September 2009
• Renamed Bionic in February 2010

Recording

• Aguilera contacted collaborators herself, without relying on label A&R
• Sia and Samuel Dixon worked with Aguilera on a number of tracks; studio sessions in January 2009
• Ladytron produced songs with Aguilera; "Birds of Prey" and "Little Dreamer" appear on the deluxe edition
• Polow da Don produced two of the four singles
• Claude Kelly co-wrote "Not Myself Tonight" and "Woohoo"

Cover

• Cover artwork designed by D*Face, unveiled March 25, 2010
• Shows half of Aguilera's face and half of a robot

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 18, 1980, in Ocean Breeze, New York; American singer, songwriter, and actress.
• Appeared on The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1994); recorded "Reflection" for Mulan (1998) and signed with RCA Records.
• Debut album Christina Aguilera (1999) topped the US Billboard 200 and produced three Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Stripped (2002) and Back to Basics (2006) reinvented her image; Back to Basics was her second US number-one album.
• Known for a four-octave range, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register; ranked among the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone.
• Sold over 100 million records worldwide; five Grammy Awards.
• Acted in Burlesque (2010), The Emoji Movie (2017), and Zoe (2018).
• Coached The Voice (2011–2016); named a Disney Legend in 2019.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: mixed or average reviews, weighted average 56 out of 100 from 21 critic scores
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine: robot-diva hybrids are often interesting even when they stumble
• Billboard: described it as the "best mainstream pop album of the year thus far" upon release
• Slant Magazine's Eric Henderson: found its hedonistic themes to feel synthetic and compulsory
• The Guardian's Alexis Petridis: an occasionally brilliant and brave, occasionally teeth-gritting and stupid album
• Entertainment Weekly: named it the fifth worst album of 2010 in a year-end list

Reappraisal

• MTV News's Sam Lansky, June 2012: the record was, at times, precociously brilliant
• Pitchfork's Claire Lobenfield, June 2018: perhaps too forward-thinking for its time
• Billboard's Glenn Rowley, ten years after release: had become something of a cult favorite LP
• Gay Times's Daniel Megarry: called it a cult record among the LGBTQ+ community
• Paper, 2024: ever-controversial, misunderstood upon release but has become a cult favorite

Records

• US Billboard 200 debut at number three with first-week sales of 110,000 copies
• UK Albums Chart number one with 24,000 copies sold
• Number one in Greece and Taiwan
• Number two in Switzerland
• Top five in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and the United States
• Gold certifications from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Greece and the United States
• RIAA Gold in the United States, with 500,000 album-equivalent units as of June 2018

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was first titled Light & Darkness and was set for release in September 2009 before the title changed.
• The cover artwork was designed by D*Face; InStyle's Ruth Doherty compared Aguilera's look on the cover to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator films.
• "Kimono Girl", a song Ladytron worked on, did not make the final cut, though fans had highly anticipated it.
• "Little Dreamer" was released on streaming platforms in June 2020 to celebrate the album's tenth anniversary.
• In China, the album excludes "Woohoo", "Morning Dessert (Intro)" and "Sex for Breakfast".
• The planned Bionic Tour of twenty North American shows was canceled, with the heavy promotion of the album and the film Burlesque cited.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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