Speak for Yourself

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Speak for Yourself is the second studio album by English singer Imogen Heap. It was released on 18 July 2005 in the United States. The album was written, produced, arranged, and funded by Heap, without the backing of a record label, and features guest appearances from Jeff Beck, who provides a guitar solo on "Goodnight and Go", and Heap's ex-boyfriend, Richie Mills, who argues with her on "The Moment I Said It". Heap began working on Speak for Yourself following her collaborative effort with Guy Sigsworth as Frou Frou.

Speak for Yourself was re-released on 24 December 2012 by Sony Music, with additional deluxe and instrumental editions.

Background and development

Heap recorded Speak for Yourself between her 26th and 27th birthdays, from December 2003 to December 2004. While recording the album, Heap kept a graph on which she had the keys of songs on the X axis and the tempos of songs on the Y axis so as to prevent herself from repeating song structures. The album was primarily recorded in her flat in Bermondsey, London.[1] "I Am in Love with You" was written by Heap at age 19 while she was on tour with Rufus Wainwright, while "Clear the Area" was the first song on the album to be fully written.[2] The song "Daylight Robbery" was written for an advertising agency.[3]

The album's cover was created by Heap's boyfriend at the time, who had been editing a photo of her taken by a friend in Los Angeles, while the title was the first thing she thought of after seeing it.[2] Speak for Yourself was released in the United States in 2005, and released in the UK through Imogen Heap's label, Megaphonic Records, in a digipak created specifically by Heap,[4] before being licensed to White Rabbit Recordings in 2006 for the UK and international markets. It is licensed to RCA and Sony Legacy in the US, where the first run of 10,000 copies were copy protected and encased in the digipak. As of August 2009, it has sold 431,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan.[5] The album has also achieved Gold status in Canada.[6] The album has sold 39,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[7] Songs "Hide and Seek", "Speeding Cars" and "Goodnight and Go" have sold 647,000, 223,000 and 159,000 copies in the United States, respectfully.[7]

Speak for Yourself was re-released digitally in deluxe, standard, and instrumental editions on 24 December 2012 by Sony Music.[8]

Critical reception

Template:Music ratings Speak for Yourself received generally positive reviews from music critics. A reviewer from About.com gave the album a perfect score, describing it as "a roller coaster ride of beauty and head pounding intensity."[9] Conversely, David Raposa of Pitchfork opined that "the results of this musical terraforming are at once both gorgeous and bland."[10]

Accolades

NPR's Ned Wharton named Speak for Yourself one of the best albums of 2005.[11] Also for NPR, American radio presenter Nic Harcourt named "Have You Got It in You?" one of the best songs of 2005.[12]

Commercial performance

As of 2014, the album had sold 500,000 copies in the United States, earning 2 gold certifications in the United States and Canada, easily becoming her most sold album.[13]

The album debuted at 145 on the Billboard 200 chart, and spent a total of 9 weeks on the chart.[14] This album also peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Top Dance Albums and spent a total of 131 weeks on the chart.[15] She would later on top this chart with her upcoming albums, Ellipse and Sparks.

Imogen also earned her first ever Hot 100 entry with the single Headlock nearly 20 years after release due to renewed interest and a huge resurgence. Headlock peaked at number 82 and spent 12 weeks on the chart.[16]

Despite being nearly 20 years old and released before digital streaming, Speak For Yourself still performs well. As of May 2025, the album earns 2 million streams every day. Headlock is her highest charting song on digital apps, earning over 200 million streams during its time on streaming charts.[17]

Track listing

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Charts

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Certifications

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Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[20]

  • Imogen Heap – vocals, production, mixing, engineering, programming
  • Richie Mills – background vocals (1, 12), drums (3Template:En dash4, 7, 11)
  • Mich Gerber – bass (1, 3)
  • Jeff Beck – guitar (2)

Release history

Region Date Version
United States 18 July 2005 Standard version
Canada 17 April 2006
Mexico
United Kingdom
Japan 21 March 2007
Various 24 December 2012 Deluxe version

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  13. ↑ https://bestsellingalbums.org/album/19823
  14. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/imogen-heap/chart-history/tlp/
  15. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/imogen-heap/chart-history/tlp/
  16. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/imogen-heap/chart-history/tlp/
  17. ↑ https://kworb.net/spotify/artist/6Xb4ezwoAQC4516kI89nWz_songs.html
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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