One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
Studio album by
The Darkness
Released28 November 2005
Recorded2005
GenreHard rock, glam rock
Length35:04
LabelAtlantic
ProducerRoy Thomas Baker
The Darkness chronology
Permission to Land
(2003) 		One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
(2005) 		Hot Cakes
(2012)
Singles from One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
  1. "One Way Ticket"
    Released: 14 November 2005
  2. "Hazel Eyes"
    Released: 28 November 2005
  3. "Is It Just Me?"
    Released: 13 February 2006
  4. "Girlfriend"
    Released: 22 May 2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press[1]
Entertainment WeeklyD+[3]
The Guardian[4]
The Observer[5]
Pitchfork6.5/10[6]
PopMatters[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
SpinA−[9]
Tiny Mix Tapes0/5[10]

One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back is the second studio album by the British rock band The Darkness. It was released on 28 November 2005 through Atlantic Records, reaching number 11 on the UK Album Chart and eventually attaining platinum status in the UK. Three singles were released from the album. The lead single, "One Way Ticket", reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, as did the second single "Is It Just Me?"

Background

The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, best known for his work with Queen, a major influence on The Darkness. Bassist Frankie Poullain left the band during the early stages of production on the album, with most bass parts on the album played by Dan Hawkins. Poullain has said that "Hazel Eyes" is his favourite track on the record, citing, "I defy anyone after a couple of beverages to listen to "Hazel Eyes" standing up and NOT get the Michael Flatleys." Poullain was already familiar with six of the ten songs on the album, playing "Hazel Eyes", "Dinner Lady Arms", "Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time" and "English Country Garden" on tour with the band before his departure. He also co-wrote four of the tracks featured on the album. The working title for the album was The Painstaking.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Justin Hawkins and Dan Hawkins except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Way Ticket"J. Hawkins, D. Hawkins, Frankie Poullain4:26
2."Knockers"J. Hawkins, D. Hawkins, Poullain2:43
3."Is It Just Me?"J. Hawkins, D. Hawkins, Poullain3:05
4."Dinner Lady Arms" 3:16
5."Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time"J. Hawkins, D. Hawkins, Poullain3:34
6."Hazel Eyes" 3:25
7."Bald"J. Hawkins, D. Hawkins, Ed Graham5:31
8."Girlfriend" 2:33
9."English Country Garden" 3:06
10."Blind Man" 3:25

Other tracks

Reception

Reviews for the album were mixed. Q magazine proclaimed it the 22nd best album of 2005. However Planet Sound remarked how it was the "world's most expensive penis joke", regarding the costly delay of the album, and hyper-masculine themes throughout. In an interview with The Sun, Dan said that it cost £1 million to make.

Personnel

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart performance for One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
Chart (2005–2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 25
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 44
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 83
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] 43
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 85
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 31
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 132
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 32
Irish Albums (IRMA)[19] 20
Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] 27
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] 29
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[22] 76
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 48
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 11
US Billboard 200[26] 58

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  2. ^ Phares, Heather. One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back: The Darkness at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. ^ Endelman, Michael (2 December 2005). "One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  4. ^ Petridis, Alexis (25 November 2005). "The Darkness, One Way Ticket to Hell ... and Back". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  5. ^ Boden, Sarah (15 October 2005). "The Darkness, One Way Ticket to Hell ... and Back". The Observer. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  6. ^ Mitchum, Rob (28 November 2005). "The Darkness: One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  7. ^ Marchese, David (14 December 2005). "The Darkness: One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  8. ^ Fricke, David (28 November 2005). "The Darkness: One Way Ticket To Hell... and Back". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  9. ^ Dec 2005. Spin. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  10. ^ "The Darkness Music Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 18 March 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Albums". Jam!. Archived from the original on 12 December 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2023.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Darkness". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Ireland Top 100 Albums: December 1, 2005". Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  20. ^ "Italiancharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  22. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  26. ^ "The Darkness Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  28. ^ "British album certifications – The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

External links

The Darkness
Authority control databases
Categories