Maps of Music

V (2014)

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

The neon 'V' on the cover stands in front of a reservoir in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, not in Los Angeles, where the album was recorded.

Key places

Where V was recorded (2014)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — The band recorded V at Conway Studios in downtown Los Angeles over a year-long period from 2013 through mid 2014. Guitarist Jesse Carmichael returned to the band during these sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• V: fifth studio album by the American rock band Maroon 5
• Released August 29, 2014 through 222 and Interscope Records
• First Maroon 5 album released through Interscope after A&M Octone Records transferred the band
• Keyboardist Jesse Carmichael returned after missing the recording and promotion of Overexposed
• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200

Background

• Preceded by Overexposed, released in 2012, the band's fourth studio album
• Recorded at Conway Studios in downtown Los Angeles, from 2013 to mid 2014
• Carmichael returned after a two-year hiatus during the Overexposed period
• Features 'My Heart Is Open' with Gwen Stefani, co-written with Australian singer Sia
• Guitarist James Valentine said the band had known Sia for a long time

Recording

• Recording took a year-long period from 2013 to mid 2014
• Carmichael rejoined the band for these sessions

Cover

• Created by South Korean photographer Lee Jung
• A 1.3m neon crosstube in the shape of the Roman numeral five, the album title
• Red neon placed in front of a reservoir in Gyeonggi Province, with mountains behind
• Maroon 5 logo appears out of focus on the mountainside, like the Hollywood Sign
• Alternate cover by Indonesian graphic designer Bayo Gale, who won the band's contest

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed as Kara's Flowers in Los Angeles, California, in 1994 while members attended Brentwood School.
• Released the independent album ...We Like Digging? in late 1994 and signed to Reprise Records, releasing The Fourth World (1997), which sold around 5,000 copies before the band was dropped.
• Re-emerged in 2001 as Maroon 5 after signing to Octone Records and adding guitarist James Valentine.
• Debut album Songs About Jane (2002) peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005.

Members

• Current lineup: Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, James Valentine, Matt Flynn, PJ Morton, Sam Farrar.
• Ryan Dusick left in 2006 and was replaced by Flynn.
• Mickey Madden left in 2020 after a domestic violence arrest; the case was dropped without charges and Farrar replaced him.

Career

• It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007) debuted atop the US Billboard 200; "Makes Me Wonder" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
• "Moves Like Jagger" (2011) reached US number one; "One More Night" topped the Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks in 2012.
• Maroon 5 has sold more than 135 million records and won three Grammy Awards and three American Music Awards.
• Headlined the Super Bowl LIII halftime show in 2019 and ran a Las Vegas residency from 2023 to 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Overall the album received generally mixed reviews upon its release
• Metacritic: weighted average score of 55/100 from 12 reviews, indicating mixed or average reviews
• Rolling Stone: Jon Dolan gave four stars, calling the songs precision-tuned and lustrously polished
• USA Today: Brian Mansfield gave two and a half stars out of four, calling it easy to digest
• Billboard: Brad Wete gave 86 out of 100, arguing the foundation had not been removed
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave three and a half stars out of five, praising the band for embracing its tuneful adult contemporary pop
• Entertainment Weekly: Kyle Anderson gave a C, saying Levine's songwriting did not live up to his ability to work a crowd
• The Guardian: Tim Jonze gave two out of five stars
• The Observer: Theo Leanse gave two stars, calling it a gaudy chunk of over-produced electro-pop-rock
• Idolator: Kathy Iandoli gave four out of five stars
• The A.V. Club: Evan Rytlewski gave a C+
• New York Daily News: Jim Farber criticized the hooks
• PopMatters: Annie Galvin gave 5 out of 10

Reappraisal

• Critics were split between praise for polish and criticism of over-produced pop

Records

• United States: debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, first week sales of 164,000 copies
• Second US number-one album for the band, and the first since 2007
• As of August 2015, sold over one million copies in the US
• Canada: debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with 15,000 copies in its first week
• Remained at number one in its second week with 7,700 copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band's alternate album cover art contest was won by Indonesian graphic designer Bayo Gale.
• The artwork was unveiled through five puzzle piece clues posted daily on the band's Facebook page.
• The promotional single It Was Always You peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart and number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
• The Maroon 5 logo on the cover appears out of focus, as a sign on the side of the mountain.
• The album was promoted with a performance at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank on August 26, 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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