Greatest Hits (Lenny Kravitz album)

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on October 24, 2000.

Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by Lenny Kravitz
Released	October 24, 2000
Recorded	1988–2000
Length	62:25 (main edition) 68:43 (limited tour edition)
Label	Virgin
Producer	Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz chronology
5 (1998) Greatest Hits (2000) Lenny (2001)
Singles from Greatest Hits
"Again" Released: September 14, 2000

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[3]
laut.de	[4]
Robert Christgau	[5]

Background

The album features an unreleased track for promotion called "Again" which became a hit, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, following a very successful string of hits from the album 5. "Again" propelled the compilation to commercial success greater than any of his studio efforts.

Kravitz reported in an interview for VivaMusic.com[6] that the selection of the songs were led by his record company, Virgin Records, which only chose the songs that were successful on the charts. The tracks were sequenced by Kravitz's engineer, Henry Hirsch.

The album reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.[7][8]

This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions.

Promotion

"Again" was released as the promotional single for this compilation, along with a music video. The single reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Kravitz's highest-charting song since "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over".[9]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented "Lenny Kravitz's greatest gift is that he's a master synthesist, pulling together different sounds and styles from eras past to create a sound that isn't necessarily blazingly original, but fresh due to his craft and sheer mastery of the studio. Since he was an unabashed classicist, his records often suffered the brunt of nasty criticism, but they were often very good, particularly early in his career before he indulged in the mannerisms of guitar-blasting stadium rock... After all, it doesn't just have all the main songs, it also illustrates that he indeed is a master synthesist."[1]

Track listing

Original edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Are You Gonna Go My Way"	Lenny Kravitz Craig Ross	Are You Gonna Go My Way	3:30
2.	"Fly Away"	Kravitz	5	3:41
3.	"Rock and Roll Is Dead"	Kravitz	Circus	3:22
4.	"Again"	Kravitz	Previously unreleased	3:49
5.	"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over"	Kravitz	Mama Said	3:55
6.	"Can't Get You Off My Mind"	Kravitz	Circus	4:33
7.	"Mr. Cab Driver"	Kravitz	Let Love Rule	3:49
8.	"American Woman"	Burton Cummings Michael James Kale Garry Peterson Randy Bachman	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me / 5 (Re-release)	4:21
9.	"Stand by My Woman"	Kravitz Henry Hirsch Stephen Mark Pasch Anthony Krizan	Mama Said	4:16
10.	"Always on the Run"	Kravitz Saul Hudson	Mama Said	3:57
11.	"Heaven Help"	Gerry DeVeaux Terry Britten	Are You Gonna Go My Way	3:10
12.	"I Belong to You"	Kravitz	5	4:17
13.	"Believe"	Kravitz Hirsch	Are You Gonna Go My Way	4:50
14.	"Let Love Rule"	Kravitz	Let Love Rule	5:42
15.	"Black Velveteen"	Kravitz	5	4:48

Japanese edition

The Japan release has the song "Is There Any Love in Your Heart" appended as track 12. The tracks otherwise remained the same.

Greatest Hits: Limited Tour Edition

On November 8, 2005, the album was re-released due to Kravitz's 2005 tour, including the songs "Dig In" and "Where Are We Runnin'?", from his then-latest albums, Lenny and Baptism respectively.

CD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"Are You Gonna Go My Way"	Kravitz Ross	Are You Gonna Go My Way	3:30
2.	"Fly Away"	Kravitz	5	3:41
3.	"Rock and Roll Is Dead"	Kravitz	Circus	3:22
4.	"Again"	Kravitz	Previously unreleased	3:45
5.	"Dig In"	Kravitz	Lenny	3:43
6.	"It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over"	Kravitz	Mama Said	3:55
7.	"Can't Get You Off My Mind"	Kravitz	Circus	4:33
8.	"Mr. Cab Driver"	Kravitz	Let Love Rule	3:49
9.	"American Woman"	Burton Cummings Michael James Kale Garry Peterson Randy Bachman	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me / 5 (Re-release)	4:21
10.	"Where Are We Runnin'?"	Kravitz	Baptism	2:40
11.	"Stand By My Woman"	Kravitz Hirsch Stephen Mark Pasch Anthony Krizan	Mama Said	4:16
12.	"Always on the Run"	Kravitz Hudson	Mama Said	3:57
13.	"Heaven Help"	DeVeaux Britten	Are You Gonna Go My Way	3:10
14.	"Is There Any Love in Your Heart?"	Kravitz Ross	Are You Gonna Go My Way	3:40
15.	"I Belong to You"	Kravitz	5	4:17
16.	"Believe"	Kravitz Hirsch	Are You Gonna Go My Way	4:50
17.	"Let Love Rule"	Kravitz	Let Love Rule	5:42
18.	"Black Velveteen"	Kravitz	5	4:48

DVD

#	Title	Original album	Director	Time
1.	"Always on the Run"	Mama Said	Jesse Dylan	3:30
2.	"Are You Gonna Go My Way"	Are You Gonna Go My Way	Mark Romanek	3:41
3.	"Fly Away"	5	Paul Hunter	3:22
4.	"American Woman"	Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (Original Soundtrack) / 5 (Re-release)	Paul Hunter	3:45
5.	"Dig In"	Lenny	Samuel Bayer	3:55
6.	"Where Are We Runnin'?"	Baptism	Philip Andelman Lenny Kravitz	4:33

Personnel

• Lenny Kravitz – vocals and lead guitar
• Craig Ross – rhythm guitar
• Cindy Blackman – drums
• Tony Breit – bass guitar

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2000–2018) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 14 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 11 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] 2 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[15] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 4 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 1 French Albums (SNEP)[18] 89 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 2 Irish Albums (IRMA)[20] 7 Italian Albums (FIMI)[21] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[22] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[23] 6 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[24] 34 Scottish Albums (OCC)[25] 11 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 38 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 5 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 2 UK Albums (OCC)[8] 12 US Billboard 200[7] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2000) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 20 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 60 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 84 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] 33 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[33] 57 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[35] 72 Chart (2001) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 54 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 59 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[38] 27 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[39] 57 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40] 46 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 32 US Billboard 200[42] 18 Chart (2002) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[43] 72 US Billboard 200[44] 194

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[45]	2× Platinum	120,000^^
Australia (ARIA)[46]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[47]	Platinum	50,000^*
Belgium (BEA)[48]	3× Platinum	150,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)[49]	4× Platinum	400,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[50]	Gold	25,000^^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[51]	Gold	20,587[51]
France (SNEP)[52]	Platinum	300,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[53]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[54]	Platinum	50,000
Japan (RIAJ)[55]	Platinum	200,000^^
Mexico (AMPROFON)[56]	Gold	75,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[57]	Platinum	80,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58]	3× Platinum	45,000^^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[59]	Platinum	50,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)[60]	Platinum	100,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[62]	Platinum	80,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63]	Platinum	50,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[64]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[65]	3× Platinum	3,900,000[66]
Uruguay (CUD)[67]	Platinum	6,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[68]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^*
Worldwide (IFPI)	N/A	10,000,000[69]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r503138
2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
3. Browne, David (2000-12-01). "Greatest Hits Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
4. Cordas, Alexander. "Nach fünf Alben jetzt die erste Retrospektive" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
5. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lenny Kravitz". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
6. "Lenny Kravitz Grammy Awards!". Lenny-Kravitz.com. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
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8. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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12. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
13. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
14. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
17. "Lenny Kravitz: Greatest Hits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
18. "Lescharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
20. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lenny Kravitz". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
21. "Italiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
22. "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
24. "Portuguesecharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
26. "Spanishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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32. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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34. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". hitparade.ch. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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38. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2001". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
39. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
40. "Årslista Album – År 2001" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
41. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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44. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
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48. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2008". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
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54. "Italian album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 May 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Greatest Hits" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
55. "Japanese album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Greatest Hits" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 7, 2020. Select 2000年11月 on the drop-down menu
56. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 21 December 2018. Type Lenny Kravits in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Greatest Hits in the box under TÍTULO
57. "Dutch album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Greatest Hits in the "Artiest of titel" box.
58. "New Zealand album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits". Recorded Music NZ.
59. "Norwegian album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
60. "Polish album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
61. "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select Albums under "Chart", enter 2008 in the field "Year". Select 43 in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
62. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
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64. "British album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Greatest Hits in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
65. "American album certifications – Lenny Kravits – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
66. Whitmore, Margo (22 May 2004). "Kravitz Dips Into Ideals For 'Baptism'". Billboard. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
67. "Premios – 2001" (in Spanish). Cámara Uruguaya del Disco.
68. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
69. Spitz, Marc (19 August 2011). "Q&A: Lenny Kravitz". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 5 May 2018.