Insomniac (Enrique Iglesias album)

Insomniac is the eighth studio album, and fourth English-language album, released by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. The album is the first English release of Iglesias in 4 years since that of his 2003 7 deemed a commercial failure. Insomniac has an edgier, darker, more urban and contemporary sound compared to its predecessor, as it contains Iglesias's first collaboration with a rapper, Lil Wayne on the song Push as well as a cover of indie rock band Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry". It was released worldwide on 11 June 2007 and in the USA on 12 June 2007.[1]

Insomniac
Studio album by Enrique Iglesias
Released	11 June 2007
Recorded	2006–2007
Length	58:01
Label	Interscope
Producer	Arnthor Birgisson Sean Garrett Enrique Iglesias (also exec.) Jimmy Iovine (exec.) Brian Kidd Martin Kierszenbaum (exec.) Kristian Lundin Mark Taylor Steve Morales Carlos Paucar John Shanks Stargate Brodie Stewart Scott Thomas Rami Yacoub
Enrique Iglesias chronology
7 (2003) Insomniac (2007) Enrique Iglesias: 95/08 Éxitos (2008)
Singles from Insomniac
"Do You Know? / Dímelo" Released: 15 May 2007 "Somebody's Me / Alguien Soy Yo" Released: 8 August 2007 "Tired of Being Sorry" Released: 14 September 2007 "Push" Released: 14 February 2008

Background and composition

"Sometimes I take a pill to sleep, or two or six. But I guess that is the way it goes - when you put three years into making an album, you also become a bit of an insomniac. I have always been more of a night person. I never lay vocals onto any song before eight or nine at night. I always work at night. I go to the studio at six or seven in the evening and leave again at six in the morning. So in a way the album was done by night."

—Enrique Iglesias told to The Insider about recording the album.[2]

The album is his first for four years since 7. "Insomniac" is not just the title of the album, it is also a fact of Iglesias' life, who says he often takes sleeping pills to get a good night's rest.[2] Iglesias recorded most of the album in the evening and early hours of the morning. He wrote more than 50 songs before settling on 12 that he felt were strong enough to put on the album.[2]

Insomniac is said to be Iglesias' most diverse to date. It features a song titled "Miss You", which he has dedicated to his girlfriend, former tennis star Anna Kournikova, as well as a track, "Push", which he performs with rapper Lil' Wayne—a big departure from his usual material.[2] The first single, "Do You Know", has become known as the "ping pong song" because of its stand-out beat. There is also a cover of indie pop band Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry".[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
BBC Music	positive[4]
Entertainment.ie	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	C[6]
Houston Chronicle	[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]

Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave to the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "'Insomniac' is pushed to a younger audience. But Enrique is too much of a crossover guy to spend the entire album doing the nasty. Sometimes, he pushes too hard in either direction, but sometimes Iglesias strikes the right balance between crossover pop and stylish retro-new wave production. What works on this slick, snazzy makeover is what always works for him: the ballads and the middle-of-the-road pop tunes. They may not be hip, but they're part of the family tradition, and when he sticks to them, he's as good as ever."[3] Lauren Murphy from Entertainment.ie criticized the songs, writing: "Every track here is either a sombre, mumbled, slow-moving number that sounds dated and cumbersome, cheesy radio-friendly dirges that have been done a million times before and better or are just so amateur-sounding that they're embarrassing."[5] Jonathan Bernstein from Entertainment Weekly wrote "Insomniac sees Iglesias possessed by the vengeful spirit of Toad the Wet Sprocket ("Stay Here Tonight"), outshone by Lil Wayne on the plodding club banger Push, and, yes, upstaged by a sampled Ping-Pong ball on Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)."[6]

Jerome Blakeney from BBC Music gave to the album a positive review, stating that "He remains the king of latin-tinged heart-tugging and at least half of this album keeps him firmly on top."[4] Joey Guerra from Houston Chronicle also gave to the album a positive review, writing: "Insomniac's secret weapons, however, are its ballads, which cast Iglesias as – of course – a sensitive, soulful Spanish lover."[7] Scott Shelter wrote for Slant Magazine that "The ballads are disappointing because the rest of Insomniac isn't half bad, and if all of the ballads were like the acoustic 'Don't You Forget About Me", Insomniac would've been worthwhile effort; instead, it's a case study in ironic album titles."[8]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 45,000 copies sold.[9] However, the previous album, 2003's 7, began at number 31, but with 77,000 copies.[9] It entered the UK charts at number 3 and went on to be certified Gold. The album went Platinum (or multiplatinum) in countries such as Ireland, Russia and Poland.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Insomniac.

Insomniac — North American standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Ring My Bells"	Enrique Iglesias Kristian Lundin Savan Kotecha	Lundin	3:55
2.	"Push" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Iglesias Steve Morales Adonis Lil Wayne	Morales Carlos Paucar^[a] Iglesias^[a]	3:52
3.	"Do You Know?"	Sean Garrett Brian Kidd Iglesias	Garrett Kidd Paucar^[a] Iglesias^[a]	3:38
4.	"Somebody's Me"	Iglesias John Shanks Kara DioGuardi	Shanks	3:58
5.	"On Top of You"	Johnta Austin Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Tor Erik Hermansen Iglesias Hallgeir Rustan	StarGate	3:39
6.	"Tired of Being Sorry"	Scott Thomas	Thomas Paucar^[a] Iglesias^[a]	4:01
7.	"Miss You"	Iglesias Rami Yacoub Arnthor Birgisson	Rami Arnthor	3:21
8.	"Wish I Was Your Lover"	Iglesias Yacoub Birgisson	Rami Arnthor	3:25
9.	"Little Girl"	Iglesias Paul Barry Mark Taylor	Taylor	3:46
10.	"Stay Here Tonight"	Iglesias Shanks DioGuardi	Shanks	4:13
11.	"Sweet Isabel"	Brodie Stewart	Stewart Paucar^[a] Iglesias^[a]	3:13
12.	"Don't You Forget About Me"	Iglesias Barry Taylor	Taylor	3:11
13.	"Dímelo" (Spanish version of "Do You Know?")	Garrett Kidd Iglesias Luis Gómez-Escolar	Paucar Iglesias	3:38
14.	"Alguien Soy Yo" (Spanish version of "Somebody's Me")	Iglesias Shanks DioGuardi Gómez-Escolar	Paucar Iglesias	3:59
15.	"Amigo Vulnerable" (Spanish version of "Tired of Being Sorry")	Thomas Gómez-Escolar	Paucar Iglesias	4:01
Total length:				55:50

Insomniac — International version (bonus track)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Hero" (Thunderpuss edit)	Iglesias Barry Taylor	Taylor Chris Cox^[b] Barry Harris^[b]	3:20

Insomniac — European Special Edition (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Hero" (Thunderpuss edit)	Iglesias Barry Taylor	Taylor Cox^[b] Harris^[b]	3:20
17.	"Not in Love" (Armand van Helden club mix)	Iglesias Barry Taylor Fernando Garibay	Taylor van Helden^[b] Iglesias^[c] Garibay^[c]	9:13

Insomniac — Russian re-issue version (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Hero" (Thunderpuss edit)	Iglesias Barry Taylor	Taylor Cox^[b] Harris^[b]	3:20
17.	"Can You Hear Me"	Iglesias Morales Frankie Storm	Morales Raymond Sarom Diaz^[d]	3:44

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a vocal producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies a remixer
• ^{^[c]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[d]} signifies an additional producer

Charts

Weekly

Chart (2007)	Peak position
Australian Albums Top 50[10]	44
Austrian Albums Top 75[10]	14
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart[10]	38
Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart[10]	47
Danish Albums Top 40[11]	5
Dutch Top 100 Albums Charts[11]	6
Finnish Albums Top 40[10]	16
French Albums Top 150[10]	36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12]	14
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[13]	31
Irish Albums (IRMA)[14]	16
Italian Top 100 Albums Chart[15]	43
Mexican Top 100 Albums Chart[16]	4
Mexican International Top 20 Albums[17]	1
Polish ZPAV/OLiS Albums Chart	13
Spanish Top 100 Albums Chart[10]	8
Swedish Top 60 Albums Charts[11]	24
Swiss Albums Top 100[11]	8
UK Top 200 Albums Chart[11]	3
US Billboard Top 200 Albums[11]	17

Year-end

Chart (2007)	Rank
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]	26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	57

Chart (2008)	Rank
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20]	100
French Albums (SNEP)[21]	179

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA)[22]	Platinum	15,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[23]	Gold	35,000^^
Poland (ZPAV)[24]	Gold	10,000^*
Russia (NFPF)[25]	4× Platinum	80,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	Gold	100,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Version
United Kingdom	11 June 2007	Original
United States	12 June 2007
Japan	16 June 2007
France	July 8, 2008	Nouvelle Edition
Europe		Reissue
United Kingdom	11 July 2008

References

1. "Amazon.com: Insomniac: Enrique Iglesias: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
2. Moran, Jonathon (11 June 2007). "Enrique Iglesias talks insomnia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (12 June 2007). "Insomniac - Enrique Iglesias | Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
4. Blakeney, Jerome (15 June 2007). "BBC - Music - Review of Enrique Iglesias - Insomniac". BBC Music. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
5. Murphy, Lauren (3 July 2007). "Enrique Iglesias - Insmniac. Review by Lauren Murphy | Entertainment.ie - Ireland | Music, CD Review". entertainment.ie. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
6. Bernstein, Jonathan (15 June 2007). "Insomniac Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
7. Guerra, Joey (12 June 2007). "Enrique Iglesias ups the swoon factor - Houston Chronicle". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
8. Shelter, Scott (26 June 2007). "Enrique Iglesias: Insomniac". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
9. Caulfield, Keith (20 June 2007). "Toby Keith's the 'Big Dog' of the Charts". Billboard Biz. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
10. Enrique Iglesias - Insomniac - Music Charts
11. Enrique Iglesias - Insomniac - Music Charts
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Enrique Iglesias – Insomniac" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
13. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2007. 35. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
14. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Enrique Iglesias". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
15. Enrique Iglesias - Insomniac Top Chart Positions in Spain
16. Mexican Top 100 Albums Chart - June 20th 2007 Archived 4 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
17. International Albums Chart - June 20th 2007 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
18. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
19. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2007 Alben". Swiss Chart Portals (in German). Retrieved 29 January 2021.
20. "Jaaroverzichten 2008 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
21. "Tops de l'année Top Albums 2008". SNEP (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2021.
22. "The Irish Charts - 2007 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association.
23. "Dutch album certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Insomniac" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 5 November 2019. Enter Insomniac in the "Artiest of titel" box.
24. "Polish album certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Insomniac" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
25. "Russian album certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Insomniac" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved 3 September 2015.
26. "British album certifications – Enrique Iglesias – Insomniac". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 September 2015. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Insomniac in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.