The Burdens of Being Upright is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham, released on March 19, 1996 by Island Records.[9][10]
The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 19, 1996 | |||
Recorded | Summer 1995 | |||
Studio | Fort Apache Studios, Cambridge, MA | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:28 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | ||||
Tracy Bonham chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[4] |
Kerrang! | [5] |
MusicHound Rock | [6] |
NME | 7/10[7] |
Seventeen | [8] |
Content edit
The Burdens of Being Upright was recorded in the summer of 1995 at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[11] 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.[12]
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 edit
The Burdens of Being Upright debuted at number 136 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 27, 1996,[13] and later reached its peak position of number 54 on the chart on June 15, 1996.[14] It remained on the chart for 25 weeks.[15] 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.[16]
Track listing edit
All 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 edit
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]
- 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)[18] | 31 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] | 26 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] | 27 |
New Zealand Album (RMNZ)[18] | 46 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] | 48 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] | 9 |
US Billboard 200[14] | 54 |
Certifications edit
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[20] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Awards edit
Grammy 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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)