Editing Sleeping with Ghosts

{{use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Sleeping with Ghosts
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]]
| cover      = Sleeping with ghosts.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 24 March 2003
| recorded   = Late 2002 – early 2003
| venue      =
| studio     = [[Townhouse Studios|The Town House]] and [[Sarm West Studios|Sarm West]] in [[London]], England
| genre      = {{flatlist|
* [[Alternative rock]]
* [[electronic rock]]
* [[post-punk revival]]
}}
| length     = 46:32
| label      = {{flatlist|
* [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
* [[Hut Records|Hut]]
}}
| producer   = [[Jim Abbiss]]
| prev_title = [[Black Market Music (album)|Black Market Music]]
| prev_year  = 2000
| next_title = [[Covers (Placebo album)|Covers]]
| next_year  = 2003
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Sleeping with Ghosts
 | type        = Studio
 | single1     = [[The Bitter End (song)|The Bitter End]]
 | single1date = 10 March 2003
 | single2     = [[This Picture (song)|This Picture]]
 | single2date = 16 June 2003
 | single3     = [[Special Needs (Placebo song)|Special Needs]]
 | single3date = 15 September 2003
 | single4     = [[English Summer Rain]]
 | single4date = 24 February 2004
}}
}}

'''''Sleeping with Ghosts''''' is the fourth studio album by British [[alternative rock]] band [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]]. It was recorded from late 2002 to early 2003 and released on 1 April 2003 by record labels [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] and [[Hut Records|Hut]].

''Sleeping with Ghosts'' reached number 11 in the [[UK Albums Chart]], and received a generally favourable reaction from music critics.

== Content ==

Frontman [[Brian Molko]], who is known to be a fan of the band [[Sonic Youth]],<ref>{{cite journal|date=August 1997 |title=The Boy Can't Help It |journal=[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]] |url=http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/archive/guitaris.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508233148/http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/archive/guitaris.htm |archivedate=8 May 2007 |accessdate=3 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> references lyrics from their album ''[[Sister (Sonic Youth album)|Sister]]'' on "Plasticine" ("Beauty lies inside the eye of another youthful dream" directly references "Beauty lies in the eyes of another's dream" from Sonic Youth's "Beauty Lies in the Eye").

The album has several songs based on a theme of relationships, such as relationships that end badly ("[[The Bitter End (song)|The Bitter End]]"), power struggles in relationships ("[[Special Needs (song)|Special Needs]]") or the idea that some are meant to be eternal [[soulmate]]s (the title track). Brian Molko told ''[[Kerrang!]]'' magazine: "I'm looking back to what's happened in my past emotional decade, trying to understand it. Trying to exorcise the ghosts and the demons of relationships past. It's the old cliché of it being therapeutic but it does work for me in that way."<ref>{{cite journal |date=March 2003 |title=Natural Born Chillers |journal=[[Kerrang!]] |url=http://www.placeborussia.ru/press/press-2002-2003/kerrangmar03 |accessdate=3 April 2012 |archive-date=2 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202153248/http://www.placeborussia.ru/press/press-2002-2003/kerrangmar03 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another interview has Molko explaining:

<blockquote>The album title's about carrying the ghosts of your relationships with you, to the point where sometimes a smell or a situation or an item of clothing they bought brings a person back. For me it's about the relationship that you have with your memories. They inhabit your dreams sometimes. There can be a lot in the future that's gonna remind you of the ghost of relationships past. So I see the album as a collection of short stories about a handful of relationships. Most of them mine. In a way writing the songs helps me to get a lot of the nasty feelings off my chest and put them in a box, and therefore have a bit more of an objective discourse with those emotions because you've done something positive with them, you've rid yourself of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rage/guest/2003/placebo03.htm |title=Placebo – Guest Program ''Rage'' |date=9 August 2003 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=3 July 2013}}</ref></blockquote>

== Release ==

''Sleeping with Ghosts'' was released on 1 April 2003. The CD came with the [[Copy Control]] protection system in some regions. It reached number 11 in the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="UK chart">{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/placebo/ |title=Placebo <nowiki>| Artist |</nowiki> Official Charts |website=[[Official Charts Company]] |accessdate=4 July 2013}}</ref>

A Special Edition version of the album was released on 22 September 2003 worldwide, featuring a diverse selection of cover versions that the band had recorded in previous years. This was re-released as a download-only album in 2007 under the name ''[[Covers (Placebo album)|Covers]]''. This is their last album released under [[Hut Recordings|Hut]].

== Reception ==
{{music ratings
| MC = 64/100<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/sleeping-with-ghosts/critic-reviews |title=Critic Reviews for ''Sleeping with Ghosts'' – Metacritic |website=[[Metacritic]] |accessdate=11 January 2015}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="MacKenzie">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/sleeping-with-ghosts-r631419 |title=''Sleeping with Ghosts'' – Placebo <nowiki>| Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |</nowiki> AllMusic |last=MacKenzie |first=Wilson |website=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=3 July 2013}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| rev2score = favourable<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/sleeping-with-ghosts,12032/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012155435/http://www.avclub.com/articles/sleeping-with-ghosts,12032/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 October 2012 |title=''Sleeping with Ghosts'' <nowiki>| Music | MusicalWork Review |</nowiki> ''The A.V. Club''  |last=Murray |first=Noel |date=15 April 2003 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |accessdate=3 July 2013}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev3score = {{rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Cohen, Jason |title=Placebo ''Sleeping with Ghosts'' |journal=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |date=May 2003 |page=123 |url=http://www.blender.com/reviews/review_767.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040417185447/http://www.blender.com/reviews/review_767.html |archive-date=17 April 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Filter (magazine)|Filter]]''
| rev4score = 85%<ref>{{cite journal |title=[''Sleeping with Ghosts'' review] |journal=[[Filter (magazine)|Filter]] |issue=5 |page=123}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
| rev5score = {{rating|2|5}}<ref name="Mojo">{{cite journal |date=April 2003 |title=[''Sleeping with Ghosts'' review] |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |page=110}}</ref>
| rev6 = [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]
| rev6score = 6.4/10<ref name="Idov">{{cite web|url=http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/p/placebo/sleeping-with-ghosts.shtml |title=Placebo: ''Sleeping with Ghosts'' |last=Idov |first=Michael |date=20 April 2003 |website=[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050924065948/http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/p/placebo/sleeping-with-ghosts.shtml |archivedate=24 September 2005 |accessdate=3 July 2013 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
| rev7 = [[PopMatters]]
| rev7score = mixed<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/placebo-sleeping |title=Placebo: ''Sleeping with Ghosts'' <nowiki>|</nowiki> PopMatters |last=Antrobus |first=David |date=14 May 2003 |website=[[PopMatters]] |accessdate=3 July 2013}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Q">{{cite journal |date=April 2003 |title=[''Sleeping with Ghosts'' review] |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |page=111}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="Metacritic"/>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = 4/10<ref>{{cite journal |date=May 2003 |title=[''Sleeping with Ghosts'' review] |journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |page=90}}</ref>
}}

''Sleeping with Ghosts'' received "Generally favorable reviews" from critics, and holds an approval rating of 64 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]].<ref name="Metacritic"/>

Michael Idov of [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]] wrote "No peaks, no gorges, just a steady oscillation between adequate and inspired. ''Sleeping with Ghosts'' is a remarkably level collection of guitar pop, simultaneously less glammy and less pungent than Placebo's earlier stuff."<ref name="Idov"/> ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' wrote "There's some terrific and accessible stuff here [...] but the result is still an album that retreads old Placebo themes."<ref name="Mojo"/> [[Q (magazine)|''Q'' magazine]] called it "spikily brilliant".<ref name="Q"/>

== Track listing ==
All tracks written and performed by Placebo {{track listing
| title1 = Bulletproof Cupid
| length1 = 2:22
| title2 = [[English Summer Rain]]
| length2 = 4:01
| title3 = [[This Picture (song)|This Picture]]
| length3 = 3:34
| title4 = [[Sleeping with Ghosts (song)|Sleeping with Ghosts]]
| length4 = 4:38
| title5 = [[The Bitter End (song)|The Bitter End]]
| length5 = 3:10
| title6 = Something Rotten
| length6 = 5:28
| title7 = Plasticine
| length7 = 3:26
| title8 = [[Special Needs (Placebo song)|Special Needs]]
| length8 = 5:15
| title9 = I'll Be Yours
| length9 = 3:32
| title10 = Second Sight
| length10 = 2:49
| title11 = Protect Me from What I Want
| length11 = 3:15
| title12 = Centrefolds
| length12 = 5:02
| total_length = 46:32
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Japanese edition bonus tracks
| title13 = Evalia
| length13 = 4:20
| title14 = Drink You Pretty
| length14 = 3:55
}}
{{track listing
| headline = European bonus tracks
| title13 = Slackerbitch
| length13 = 3:24
| title14 = Eyesight to the Blind
| length14 = 2:58
| title15 = Miss Moneypenny
| length15 = 2:50
| title16 = Then the Clouds Will Open for Me
| length16 = 4:19
| title17 = Waiting for the Son of Man
| length17 = 4:10
| title18 = Leeloo
| length18 = 4:19
| title19 = ION
| length19 = 4:08
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Special Edition bonus track
| title13 = [[Protège-Moi]]
| length13 = 3:13
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Special Edition bonus disc: ''Covers''
| title1 = [[Running Up That Hill#Placebo version|Running Up That Hill]]
| note1 = originally by [[Kate Bush]]
| writer1 = Kate Bush
| length1 = 4:57
| title2 = [[Where Is My Mind?]]
| note2 = originally by [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]]
| writer2 = [[Black Francis]]
| length2 = 3:44
| title3 = [[Bigmouth Strikes Again]]
| note3 = originally by [[The Smiths]]
| writer3 = [[Johnny Marr]], [[Morrissey]]
| length3 = 3:54
| title4 = [[Johnny and Mary]]
| note4 = originally by [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]]
| writer4 = Robert Palmer
| length4 = 3:25
| title5 = [[20th Century Boy]]
| note5 = originally by [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]]
| writer5 = [[Marc Bolan]]
| length5 = 3:40
| title6 = The Ballad of Melody Nelson
| note6 = originally by [[Serge Gainsbourg]]
| writer6 = [[Serge Gainsbourg]]
| length6 = 3:58
| title7 = Holocaust
| note7 = originally by [[Big Star]]
| writer7 = [[Alex Chilton]]
| length7 = 4:27
| title8 = [[I Feel You]]
| note8 = originally by [[Depeche Mode]]
| writer8 = [[Martin Gore]]
| length8 = 6:26
| title9 = [[Daddy Cool (Boney M. song)|Daddy Cool]]
| note9 = originally by [[Boney M.]]
| writer9 = Frank Farian, George Reyam
| length9 = 3:21
| title10 = Jackie
| note10 = originally by [[Sinéad O'Connor]]
| writer10 = Sinéad O'Connor
| length10 = 2:48
}}

== Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

=== Weekly charts ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2003)
!Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|11|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Austria|6|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|4|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|1|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Denmark|28|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|19|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Finland|14|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|France|1|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|2|id=4438|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
|Greek Albums ([[IFPI Greece|IFPI]])<ref name="greece" />
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
{{album chart|Ireland2|14|artist=Placebo|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Italy|6|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|37|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|12|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Poland|10|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|id=139|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Portugal|4|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|13|date=20030331|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|14|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|3|artist=Placebo|album=Sleeping With Ghosts|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|11|date=20030331|accessdate=22 October 2020}}
|}
{{col-2}}

=== Year-end charts ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart (2003)
!Position
|-
|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=a&id=2003|title=Jahreshitparade Alben 2003|website=austriancharts.at|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|41
|-
|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2003&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten 2003|publisher=Ultratop|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|35
|-
|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2003&cat=a|title=Rapports Annuels 2003|publisher=Ultratop|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-lannee/top-albums-annee/?annee=2003|title=Top de l'année Top Albums 2003|publisher=SNEP|language=fr|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|13
|-
|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2003|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|language=German|work=[[GfK Entertainment]]|publisher=offiziellecharts.de|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|32
|-
|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/2003|title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2003|website=hitparade.ch|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|30
|-
|UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{cite web|title=2003 UK Albums Chart|url=http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2003.pdf|publisher=ChartsPlus|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|179
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Chart (2004)
!Position
|-
|French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-lannee/top-albums-annee/?annee=2004|title=Top de l'année Top Albums 2004|publisher=SNEP|language=fr|accessdate=22 October 2020}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|17
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications and sales==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=album|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping With Ghosts|award=Gold|relyear=2003|certyear=2003|accessdate=3 June 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=album|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping With Ghosts|award=Gold|accessdate=28 July 2014|relyear=2003|certyear=2003}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Germany|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Platinum|certyear=2007|relyear=2003}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=France|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghost|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=2004|relyear=2003}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Greece|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Gold|id=20040218152127|certyear=2004|relyear=2003|refname="greece"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|title=Sleeping With Ghosts|artist=Placebo|type=album|award=Silver|relyear=2002|certyear=2003|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afp.org.pt/top.php?qano=2003&top=topalbuns&sem=15 |title=Top Oficial da Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa – Top 30 Artistas – Semana 15 de 2003|publisher=[[Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa]]|language=pt|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318161559/http://www.afp.org.pt/top.php?qano=2003&top=topalbuns&sem=15 |archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref>}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Switzerland|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Gold|certyear=2003|relyear=2003}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Gold|certyear=2003|relyear=2003|id=5974-426-2|refname=BPI}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Silver|certyear=2022|relyear=2003|id=5974-426-2|note=reissue|accessdate=6 February 2022|refname=BPI1}}
{{certification Table Entry|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|type=album|artist=Placebo|relyear=2003|region=United States|nocert=true|salesamount=61,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_RUEAAAAMBAJ&q=Without+You+I%27m+Nothing+%28Placebo+album%29+worldwide&pg=PA53 |title=Placebo gets rockier|magazine=Billboard|first=Emmauel|last=Legrand|date=15 April 2006 |accessdate=18 May 2018}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Europe|artist=Placebo|title=Sleeping with Ghosts|award=Platinum|certyear=2004|relyear=2003}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

== Personnel ==

; Placebo

* [[Brian Molko]] – vocals, guitar, keyboards, saxophone on "Something Rotten", drums on "English Summer Rain"
* [[Steve Hewitt]] – drums, percussion
* [[Stefan Olsdal]] – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocals

; Additional personnel

* Simon Breed – [[harmonica]] on "Protect Me from What I Want"

; Technical personnel

* [[Jim Abbiss]] – [[record producer|production]]
* Jean Baptiste Mondino – sleeve [[Art director|art direction]] and photography
* Jim Barny – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]] at Mayfair Studios, recording at Townhouse Studios and Sarm West Studios
* Andy Davies – [[Audio engineering|engineering]] assistance at Sarm West Studios
* Bill Lloyd – additional recording, engineering
* Sean Magee – [[audio mastering|mastering]] at [[Abbey Road Studios]]
* Fergus Peterkin – engineering assistance at Mayfair Studios
* Danny Porter – engineering assistance at Townhouse Studios
* See Studio – sleeve design and art direction
* Tom Stanley – engineering assistance at Townhouse Studios

== References ==

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==

* {{Discogs master|76234}}

{{Placebo}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2003 albums]]
[[Category:Placebo (band) albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Jim Abbiss]]
[[Category:Hut Records albums]]
[[Category:Virgin Records albums]]