The Burdens of Being Upright
1996 studio album by Tracy Bonham
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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]
Cambridge, MA
| The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1995 | |||
| Studios | Fort Apache Studios, Cambridge, MA | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Tracy Bonham chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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Content
The 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
The 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
| 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
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
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]
- Tracy Bonham – guitar, violin, vocals
- Ed Ackerson – additional guitar (tracks 2, 3, 6, 8)
- Drew Parsons – bass
- Josh Freese – drums (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8-10)
- Fred Eltringham – drums (tracks 3, 12)
- Eric Paul – drums (tracks 7, 11)
- Sean Slade – organ (tracks 7, 9, 10); production, engineer
- Paul Q. Kolderie – production, engineer
Charts
| 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
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[22] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Awards
Grammy Award Nominations
| Year | Nominee | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Mother Mother" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance |
| 1997 | The Burdens of Being Upright | Best Alternative Album |