Some People Have Real Problems (sometimes stylised as Some People Have REAL Problems[5][6]) is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including "Day Too Soon", "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" and "Soon We'll Be Found". In live performances of the latter song, Sia used sign language to accompany her singing. The album displays a more upbeat pop-style than Sia's previous downbeat albums, whilst show-casing Sia's vocals on a number of big ballads. Non-single track, "Buttons", received attention due to its video in which Sia's face is distorted by pegs, string, net, condoms and many other things.[7] The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart which became Sia's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in her career.
| Some People Have Real Problems | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 January 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
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| Length | 59:15 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Jimmy Hogarth | |||
| Sia chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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| Singles from Some People Have Real Problems | ||||
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Background
editSia, talking about the inspiration for the album's name, said: "During recording people would come in and complain about traffic, and I'd say, 'Some people have real problems.' Like, they're waiting for a lung or they don't have a mum," she says. "I thought it would be a funny name for an album. And then I thought if I were to get rich and successful I would remember to not turn into an asshole. But I am one, so it didn't work."[8]
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 64/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Art Nouveau Magazine | Positive[11] |
| Billboard | Positive[12] |
| The Boston Globe | Positive[13] |
| The Boston Phoenix |  [14] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-)[15] |
| The Guardian | [16] |
| Pitchfork Media | 4.8/10[17] |
| Robert Christgau |  [18] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| Slant Magazine | [19] |
Some People Have Real Problems received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 20 reviews.[9] Reviewers such as Rolling Stone and The Guardian (both of whom awarded the album 2 out of 5 stars) and Robert Christgau (who gave it a "dud" score) were highly critical. Other reviewers, however, such as Allmusic and Slant (both of whom awarded the album 4.5 out of 5 stars) and Entertainment Weekly (who gave the album an "A−") were highly positive towards the album.
Track listing
editAll tracks produced by Jimmy Hogarth.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Black Sandals" | 4:14 | |
| 2. | "Lentil" |
| 4:27 |
| 3. | "Day Too Soon" |
| 4:24 |
| 4. | "You Have Been Loved" | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" |
| 2:40 |
| 6. | "Academia" |
| 3:16 |
| 7. | "I Go to Sleep" | Ray Davies | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Playground" |
| 3:29 |
| 9. | "Death by Chocolate" |
| 5:03 |
| 10. | "Soon We'll Be Found" |
| 4:21 |
| 11. | "Electric Bird" |
| 4:26 |
| 12. | "Beautiful Calm Driving" |
| 5:02 |
| 13. | "Lullaby" (including hidden track "Buttons") |
| 9:55 |
| Total length: | 59:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Buttons" | 3:20 |
| 15. | "Cares at the Door" | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 66:24 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Blame It On the Radio" | 2:32 |
| 15. | "Bring It To Me" | 3:33 |
| 16. | "Buttons" | 3:20 |
"Notes"
edit"Buttons" is a hidden track after "Lullaby" on the international edition of the album, but it is a normal track on the Australian edition, in which it was the first single. "Buttons" was written by Freescha and Sia.
“Blame It On the Radio” and “Bring It to Me” were b-sides for “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine” and “Soon We’ll Be Found”.
Personnel
edit- Sia Furler – vocals
- Beck – backing vocals (tracks 6 and 9)[20]
- Dan Carey – guitar (track 6)
- Tony Cousins – mastering
- Larry Goldings – keyboards (tracks 1–4, 7, 10, 12 and 13)
- Jimmy Hogarth – guitar (tracks 1, 4, 6, 11 and 13), keyboards (track 1), percussion (track 6)
- Jim Hunt – brass (tracks 5 and 11)
- Greg Kurstin – keyboards (track 9)
- Pantera Marvelous (Sia's pet dog) – backing vocals (track 9)
- Giovanni Ribisi – backing vocals (track 9)[21]
- Jason Lee – backing vocals (track 9)
- Martin Slattery – clarinet and flute (track 6), percussion (track 3)
- Emery Dobyns — recording engineer
- Eric Spring — recording engineer
- Eddie Stevens – keyboards (tracks 2, 3, 5–11 and 13)
- Joey Waronker – drums (tracks 2–11 and 13), percussion (tracks 5, 7 and 8)
- Felix Bloxsom – drums (tracks 1 and 12), percussion (track 1)
- Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
- Khoa Truong – guitar tracking and arranging
- Samuel Dixon – bass guitar on all tracks
Sales and chart performance
editFollowing its release, the album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling about 20,000 copies in its first week.[22] The album was also chosen as iTunes' Top Pop Album of 2008.
The album was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association in 2011.[23]
Albumedit
Certificationsedit
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SingleseditThe first single "Day Too Soon" was released on 12 November 2007 in the UK and was followed by "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" on 21 April 2008 and later followed by "Soon We'll Be Found", which was released on 13 October 2008. "Buttons" was released as the fourth and final single in November 2008.
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Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 8 January 2008 | Monkey Puzzle / Hear Music | HMCD–30629 |
| United Kingdom | 14 January 2008 | Monkey Puzzle | MPRCDC1 |
References
edit- ^ Alex Macpherson (4 January 2008). "Sia, Some People Have Real Problems". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Day Too Soon". iTunes Store (US). 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015.
- ^ "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine". 7digital (BE). Archived from the original on 10 January 2015.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Buttons (Remixes)". iTunes Store (US). 25 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015.
- ^ Raper, Dan (1 January 2008). "Sia: Some People Have REAL Problems". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (7 January 2008). "Some People Have REAL Problems". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
- ^ "Sia interview - Features - Music". Time Out Sydney. Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ^ "Sia Talks Missed Winehouse Collaboration, Working With Beck". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Some People Have Real Problems". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Some People Have Real Problems – Sia". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Reneau, Cale (2008). "Some People Have Real Problems: Album Review". Art Nouveau Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 August 2009.
- ^ Wood, Mikael. "Some People Have Real Problems". Billboard. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008.
- ^ Laban, Linda (15 January 2008). "She's not feeling sorry for herself". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010.
- ^ Micallef, Ken (28 January 2008). "CD Reviews". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Savage, Lesley (4 January 2008). "Review: Some People Have Real Problems". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ Macpherson, Alex (4 January 2008). "Sia, Some People Have Real Problems | Pop". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2008.
- ^ Colville, Liz (27 February 2008). "Sia: Some People Have Real Problems". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Cinquemani, Sal (13 January 2008). "Music Review: Sia: Some People Have Real Problems". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009.
- ^ "**> some people have REAL problems <**". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
- ^ "**> Some People Have Real Problems <**". Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
- ^ Hasty, Katie. "Keys Holds Off Radiohead, 'Juno' At No. 1". Billboard.com. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Sia – Some People Have Real Problems". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Sia – Some People Have Real Problems" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Sia – Some People Have Real Problems" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Sia – Some People Have Real Problems". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Chart Log UK". Zobbel Archive. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Sia Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Sia Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "The Official UK Singles Charts". OCC. 21 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 July 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.