The Burdens of Being Upright is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham, released on March 19, 1996, by Island Records.[2][3]
| The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1995 | |||
| Studio | Fort Apache Studios, Cambridge, MA | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Tracy Bonham chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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Content
editThe Burdens of Being Upright was recorded in the summer of 1995 at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[4] Referencing this album, in 2015 Bonham said,
That whole album was my experiment with getting a guitar. I was rebelling. It was just raw. I was like, ‘Just get out and do it; get behind a microphone and just scream.’ Twenty years ago I had more doubts; I thought, ‘I can’t just stand there and do that’ — which is when I knew I had to do it.[5]
The album cover (a reference to German photographer August Sander's work "The Bricklayer") was photographed by George DuBose, who was the in-house photographer at the hip hop label Cold Chillin' Records.
Commercial performance
editThe Burdens of Being Upright debuted at number 136 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 27, 1996,[6] and later reached its peak position of number 54 on the chart on June 15, 1996.[7] It remained on the chart for 25 weeks.[8] On November 12, 1996, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying the shipment of 500,000 copies of the album.[9]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[12] |
| Kerrang! | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock | [14] |
| NME | 7/10[15] |
| Seventeen | [16] |
Rolling Stone noted that the album "tells a coherent, largely autobiographical story about a girl getting even with the obnoxious people who piss her off and underestimate her... With music ranging from laid-back Liz Phair-style storytelling to hard-edge alternative arena rock, she blasts ex-boyfriends ('Navy Bean', 'The One'), ridicules rock stars ('Kisses') and makes a pre-emptive strike at critics who might be tempted to label her ('One Hit Wonder')."[17]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Tracy Bonham
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mother Mother" | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Navy Bean" | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Tell It to the Sky" | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Kisses" | 2:20 |
| 5. | "Brain Crack" | 1:05 |
| 6. | "The One" | 3:26 |
| 7. | "One Hit Wonder" | 3:01 |
| 8. | "Sharks Can't Sleep" | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Bulldog" | 2:07 |
| 10. | "Every Breath" | 2:33 |
| 11. | "30 Seconds" | 3:14 |
| 12. | "The Real" | 3:16 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]
- Tracy Bonham – guitar, violin, vocals
- Ed Ackerson – guitar
- Fred Eltringham – drums
- Josh Freese – drums
- Drew Parsons – bass guitar
- Eric Paul – drums
- Sean Slade – organ, production, engineer
- Paul Q. Kolderie – production, engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[19] | 31 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 26 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] | 27 |
| New Zealand Album (RMNZ)[19] | 46 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] | 48 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] | 9 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 54 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[21] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
editGrammy Award Nominations
| Year | Nominee | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Mother Mother" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance |
| 1996 | The Burdens of Being Upright | Best Alternative Album |
References
edit- ^ "Tracy Bonham: Mother Mother" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1136. March 8, 1996. p. 78. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Dawn, Randee (April 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly (32). CMJ Network, Inc.: 28. ISSN 1074-6978.
- ^ Borzillo, Carrie (May 11, 1996). "Island's Bonham Hits". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 19. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 1, 74. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Fritz, J. (March 2, 1996). "Tracy Bonham – The Burdens of Being Upright – Interview | Lollipop Magazine". Lollipop. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ Laban, Linda (August 27, 2015). "Tracy Bonham: From 'Mother, Mother' to Exploring Motherhood on 'Wax and Gold'". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Anon. (April 27, 1996). "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 97. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ a b Anon. (June 15, 1996). "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 92. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (July 11, 2010). "Foot in the City and Cowboy Boot In the Country". The New York Times: AR19 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ AllMusic Review
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE Inc. p. 658. ISBN 0-333-74134-X.
- ^ Flaherty, Mike (March 15, 1996). "The Burdens of Being Upright". EW.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Elliott, Paul (June 8, 1996). "Albums". Kerrang!. No. 600. EMAP. p. 45.
- ^ Knopper, Steve (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 141 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Morgan, Emma (June 7, 1996). "NME.COM - TRACY BONHAM - The Burdens Of Being Upright - 6/7/1996". NME. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Anon. (April 1996). "Music Reviews". Seventeen: 128 – via WayBack Machine.
- ^ Lieb, Kristin (March 21, 1996). "Tracy Bonham enjoys her winning streak: Simply the best". Rolling Stone. No. 730. p. 28.
- ^ The Burdens of Being Upright (booklet). Tracy Bonham. Island. 1996. 314-524 187-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d e "norwegiancharts.com - Tracy Bonham - The Burdens Of Being Upright". norwegiancharts.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Anon. (April 27, 1996). "Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 18.
- ^ "American album certifications – Tracy Bonham – The Burdens of Being Upright". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
External links
edit- The Burdens of Being Upright at MusicBrainz (list of releases)