We Started Nothing

We Started Nothing
Studio album by The Ting Tings
Publication (s)	May 16, 2008
Label (s)	Sony Music , Columbia Records
Format (s)	CD, download, record
Genre (s)	Indie pop , new wave
Title (number)	10
running time	37:47
occupation	Vocals, guitar, bass, timpani: Katie White Drums, backing vocals, piano: Jules DeMartino
production	Jules DeMartino
Studio (s)	Sunset Sound Factory
chronology - We Started Nothing Art (2010)

We Started Nothing ( German: We brought nothing into existence ) is the debut album of British indie band The Ting Tings . It was released on May 16, 2008.

The album was particularly successful in the home of the Ting Tings, where it reached number 1 on the album charts and was certified platinum for sales of 600,000 copies.

Background information

Songwriting

“She played a D chord I showed her pretty badly. She swung the guitar around, shouted, and dropped it. That was that moment. We found our energy through a lousy chord ... We made a loop out of it and could get started. "

- Jules DeMartino

reception

Cathrin Hauswald from Laut.de was enthusiastic about the debut album of the Ting Tings and praised the work for the convincing style of the band:

“It is an aggressiveness cast in pop shoes that makes White and De Martino's messing about so irresistible. Loud, powerful, nodding, immodest, cheeky, excessive. And in equal parts unreservedly cordial.

Katie screams out her insides, while Jules invites you to the collective step-tip-shake-shake-step-step. Canned music looks different, and damn it goes off. You can say "Catchy as hell!" you don't have to scream. Better to keep dancing. "

- Cathrin Hauswald, Laut.de

Sound

The sound of the album is characterized by strong electronic influences, including the use of synthesizers. Furthermore, the songs are accompanied by typical rock instruments such as guitar and drums; but the timpani and the piano are also found in the repertoire of the Ting Tings.

Track list

1. Great DJ (3:23)
2. That's Not My Name (5:11)
3. Fruit Machine (2:54)
4. Traffic Light (2:59)
5. Shut Up & Let Me Go (3:52)
6. Keep Your Head (3:23)
7. Be The One (2:58)
8. We Walk (4:05)
9. Impacilla Carpisung (3:51)
10. We Started Nothing (6:22)

Chart placements

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

We Started Nothing   DE 59 06/13/2008 (1 week)   AT 57 06/20/2008 (4 weeks)   CH 28 06/01/2008 (14 weeks)   UK 1 05/31/2008 (66 weeks)   US 78 06/21/2008 (53 weeks)

The album went straight to the top of the UK album charts in its first week, where it stayed for a week before dropping to # 4. After the album dropped to number 20, it was able to climb back to number 4. In February 2009, almost a year after its release, the album climbed back into the top 10. In total, “We Started Nothing” was in the charts for 66 weeks.

In Germany, however, the album could only reach number 59 in the album charts.

Singles

Chart placements

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, , Placements, weeks, awards, comments)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
2008	Great DJ	-	-	-	UK33 (8 weeks) UK	-
	That's not my name	DE42 (19 weeks) DE	AT39 (34 weeks) AT	CH56 (17 weeks) CH	UK1 (31 weeks) UK	US39 (26 weeks) US
	Shut Up & Let Me Go	DE43 (9 weeks) DE	AT52 (3 weeks) AT	CH48 (11 weeks) CH	UK6 (23 weeks) UK	US55 (11 weeks) US
	Be the one	-	-	-	UK28 (3 weeks) UK	-
2009	We walk	-	-	-	-	US58 (1 week) US

Great DJ

"Great DJ"
Released	February 8, 2008
genre	Indie pop
Playing time	3:43
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Katie White, Jules DeMartino
Producers	Jules DeMartino

The song Great DJ ( German: Great DJ ) was released as the first single on the album on February 8, 2008. Great DJ was originally launched as a double A-side with That's Not My Name , but had little success. Only an independent release brought the piece to 33rd place in the UK single charts.

Great DJ samples the chords and drum beat of the rock song Baby Hold On by Eddie Money . To Great DJ are two music videos . The first version shows White and DeMartino dancing to the song against an alternating turquoise and red background. The second video is a recording of the live concert of the Ting Tings at the Adidas Paint Gig .

Original publication:

#	title	Playing time
1.	That's not my name	3:43
2.	Great DJ	3:23

New release:

#	title	Playing time
1.	Great DJ	3:43
2.	Great DJ ( Calvin Harris Remix)	6:37
3.	Great DJ (7th Heaven Radio Edit)	3:31

That's not my name

"That's Not My Name"
Released	May 9, 2008
genre	Indie pop
Playing time	5:11 (album version)
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Katie White, Jules DeMartino
Producers	Jules DeMartino

Originally, together with Great DJ released, appeared as the second single from We Started Nothing of indie pop song That's Not My Name ( German: That's Not My Name ) on May 9, 2008. The song is about the teething problems of the Ting Tings in the music business , and that no one could remember her name.

That's Not My Name became the Ting Tings' first and so far only number one single. There are three music videos for the single. The published in Germany shows White and DeMartino playing the song in a large hall with green lights.

The song was also used in the 2009 British TV drama Skins .

#	title	Playing time
1.	That's not my name	3:43
2.	That's Not My Name (Music Video)	3:47

Shut Up & Let Me Go

"Shut Up & Let Me Go"
Released	August 8, 2008
genre	Indie rock
Playing time	2:54
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Katie White, Jules DeMartino
Producers	Jules DeMartino

The third single, Shut Up & Let Me Go ( German: Shut up and let me go ), was released on August 8, 2008. The song was best known for its use in advertising for the Apple iPod . The rather happy and rocking song is about a broken relationship.

The video was filmed by the directing team AlexandLiane and shows the Ting Tings during Kung-Fu. You can also see them in different poses, in which one of them always puts the thumbs and forefingers of their hands together, creating a kind of triangle in between, which is used to fade into the next scene. The music video was nominated for the MTV Video Music Award in the Video Of The Year category.

Be the one

"Be The One"
Released	October 13, 2008
genre	Indie pop
Playing time	2:58
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Katie White, Jules DeMartino
Producers	Jules DeMartino

The fourth single from the album Be The One ( German: Be the one ) was originally published on 6 October 2008, but a week was postponed to 13 October.

In terms of sound and vocals, Be The One is very similar to the style of the German band Wir Sind Helden . The music video shows White waking up in a hospital and sneaking outside. She walks down an alley with DeMartino, later the two drive off in a car. Canvases can always be seen behind the two to set the scene in motion.

#	title	Playing time
1.	Be the one	2:58
2.	Be The One (Bimbo Jones Club Mix)	7:23

We walk

"We Walk"
Released	February 23, 2009
genre	Piano pop
Playing time	3:31
Label	Columbia
Songwriter	Katie White, Jules DeMartino
Producers	Jules DeMartino

The last single on the album was the piano ballad We Walk ( German: Wir Laufen ). It was released on February 23, 2009. Fruit Machine was supposed to be the last single, but it wasn't released.

The video premiered on February 6, 2009 and shows White and DeMartino walking in a park with several clones around them, standing still in the air and on the ground.

#	title	Playing time
1.	We walk	3:31
2.	We Walk (instrumental version)	4:04

Web links

• Official website
• Album cover: We Started Nothing

Individual evidence

1. ↑ bpi (English)
2. ↑ The Ting Tings Biography ( Memento from April 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ http://www.laut.de/The-Ting-Tings/We-Started-Nothing-%28Album%29
4. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US