The Burdens of Being Upright
The Burdens of Being Upright is the first album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on March 19, 1996 by Island Records, with distribution by Polygram and it was her major label debut. 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.
| The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge | |||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Island/PolyGram | |||
| Producer | Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade | |||
| Tracy Bonham chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Burdens of Being Upright | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Content
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.[2]
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.[3]
- 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
Weekly charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Heatseekers | 9 |
| 1996 | The Billboard 200 | 54 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Mother Mother" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 18 |
| 1996 | "Mother Mother" | Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1996 | "The One" | Modern Rock Tracks | 23 |
Awards
Grammy Award Nominations
| Year | Nominee | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Mother Mother" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance |
| 1996 | The Burdens of Being Upright | Best Alternative Album |
References
- AllMusic Review
- Laban, Linda (August 27, 2015). "Tracy Bonham: From 'Mother, Mother' to Exploring Motherhood on 'Wax and Gold'". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- 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)
External links
- The Burdens of Being Upright at MusicBrainz (list of releases)