# Bridget Jones's Diary: Music from the Motion Picture

Bridget Jones's Diary: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary, directed by Sharon Maguire. It was released on 16 April 2001 by Mercury Records. The album features two hit songs that were released as singles, "Out of Reach" by Gabrielle and "It's Raining Men" by Geri Halliwell. Bridget Jones's Diary was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Following the success of the compilation, a second soundtrack was released, titled Bridget Jones's Diary 2: More Music from the Motion Picture and Other V.G. Songs.

## Promotion

"Out of Reach" by English singer Gabrielle was released as the soundtrack's lead single on 9 April 2001. It peaked at number one in Portugal, number two in New Zealand, and number four on the UK Singles Chart, also reaching the top ten in several other countries. The tenth-most-successful single of 2001 in New Zealand, it had sold 645,000 copies by Marxh 2021, according to the Official Charts Company (OCC).
"It's Raining Men," a cover of the 1982 The Weather Girls song by former Spice Girls member Geri Halliwell, was released on 30 April 2001. Halliwell's version received positive reviews by music critics and experienced international success. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there for two weeks. It became Halliwell's fourth consecutive number-one single in the UK, selling 155,000 units in its first week. Overall the single went on to sell 440,000 copies in Britain alone, becoming the 13th best seller of 2001. In France, it was certified Diamond by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP).

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
AllMusic editor Brad Kohlenstein noted that the "soundtrack assembles a cavalry of strong female artists." He found that "despite several edgy performers, the collection has an easy listening feel. It lacks the feel-good hits common to successful soundtracks and may have been well served to trade in some of the sentiment for a little more fun. However, each selection feels right for the film. The album is nostalgic while still in vogue, full of both kitsch and ardor, just like any romantic comedy should be." Rainer Henze from laut.de rated the album three out of five stars and called it "music for Sunday afternoons and black-and-white flick. Subtly unobtrusive for the most part. An okay soundtrack to a nice movie to an excellent book, then." In a retrospective review, The Daily Tribune wrote: "The Bridget Jones's Diary OST is packed with nostalgic gems like Gabrielle's "Out of Reach" and Geri Halliwell's "It’s Raining Men." Listening to it instantly transports us back to the early 2000s, and we're not complaining."

## Chart performance

A major success, Bridget Jones's Diary reached number one of the albums charts in Australia, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Spain. It also topped the UK Compilation Chart and peaked within the top ten on the majortity of all others charts it appeared on. On 6 July 2001, it was certified triple Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

## Certifications

Certifications for Bridget Jones's Diary: Music from the Motion Picture :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 140,000$^^$ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 50,000$^*$ |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | Gold | 25,000$^^$ |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Gold | 40,000$^^$ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Gold | 7,500$^^$ |
| Poland (ZPAV) | Gold | 50,000$^*$ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Gold | 40,000$^^$ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | Gold | 20,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 3× Platinum | 900,000$^^$ |
| Summaries |||
| Europe (IFPI) | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000$^*$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Sequel album
### Charts

Weekly chart performance for Bridget Jones's Diary 2: More Music from the Motion Picture and Other V.G. Songs :
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 67 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 97 |