Surfacing (album)
Encyclopedia
Surfacing is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan
. Released on July 15, 1997, it was produced by McLachlan's frequent collaborator, Pierre Marchand
. McLachlan set about writing Surfacing in 1996, after two and a half years touring for her previous album, 1994's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
. Mentally exhausted, she found it difficult to concentrate on her new album and took six months off in Vancouver. After that she completed the ten songs for the album and went to Marchand's Quebec studio to record.
Surfacing was released in July 1997, coinciding with the start of McLachlan's Lilith Fair
tour, and was followed by its first single, "Building a Mystery
" on August 19. This was followed by "Sweet Surrender
" in March 1998, "Adia
" in May and "Angel
" in November. "I Love You" was released in 2000. The album charted at No. 1 on the Canadian RPM
100 Albums chart
and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200
. Critical reviews were mixed; some of the more positive reviews praised the songwriting, while the album's detractors criticized it as banal and slow. The album won four Juno Awards and two Grammy Awards.
, McLachlan spent two and a half years touring. This long period on the road finished in January 1996; she was due to begin work on her fourth album in April of that year, but was mentally exhausted. She later said "When I got off the road, I thought Fumbling was my swan song, [and] I'd never make another record ever again. I couldn't imagine writing another song in my life. I had a huge psychological block for a long time." She spent time working in the studio in Quebec but struggled to produce anything for her new album. At her manager's suggestion, she returned home to Vancouver
and took six months off. She said that after this break—and some time spent in therapy—she began to feel more in control of her creativity and started writing material for the album.
One of the first songs written for the album was "Angel
". McLachlan said that writing the song was easy, "a real joyous occasion." It was inspired by articles that she read in Rolling Stone about musicians who turned to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music industry and subsequently overdosed. She said that she identified with the feelings that might lead someone to use heroin: "I've been in that place where you're so fucked up and you're so lost that you don't know who you are anymore, and you're miserable—and here's this escape route. I've never done heroin, but I've done plenty of other things to escape." She said that the song is about "trying not to take responsibility for other people's shit and trying to love yourself at the same time." Another song that she found easy to write was "Building a Mystery
", co-written with her regular collaborator, Canadian musician and producer Pierre Marchand
. Marchand heard her playing a guitar riff and suggested adding some lyrics that he had already written. They came up with the rest of the lyrics together, according to McLachlan, "pretty darn quickly." When the album was finished, McLachlan commented, "I was so happy when I could let it go. I didn't give it another thought when it was done."
recorder and a Neumann 149
microphone. McLachlan played piano, acoustic guitar and electric guitar and Marchand played keyboards, bass and a drum machine as well as providing background vocals. The other musicians on the album were Jim Creeggan
on upright bass, Yves Desrosiers on guitar, musical saw
, lap steel guitar and slide bass, Brian Minato on bass and electric guitar, Michel Pepin on electric guitar and Ashwin Sood
(whom McLachlan married in 1997) on percussion and drums.
The album was released July 15, 1997, on Nettwerk
and Arista Records
, reaching No. 1 on the Canadian RPM
100 Albums chart
and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200
. The release of the album coincided with the inaugural tour of McLachlan's Lilith Fair
in mid-1997. The first single from the album was "Building a Mystery
", released on August 19; it reached No. 1 on the Canadian singles chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100
. "Sweet Surrender
" was released March 10, 1998, and reached No. 2 on the Canadian chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100. The third single released from the album was "Adia
" on May 4. It peaked at No. 3 on both the Canadian singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. "Angel
" followed on November 24, reaching No. 9 in Canada, and No. 4 on the Hot 100. "I Love You" charted at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs in April 2000.
, Sia Michel
called the album "lushly atmospheric" but also ambivalent. She said that while the album paints a "vivid emotional landscape", it is at odds with McLachlan's statement that the album was about "'facing ugly things' about herself"; not revealing anything particularly dark. Michel also noted certain old-fashioned ideas in the album, particularly in "Sweet Surrender
", that contrast with the work of contemporaries such as Ani Difranco
and PJ Harvey
. She cited "Witness" as the highlight and said of the album, "[p]erhaps she hasn't found what she's looking for, but at least she's trying."
Music critic Robert Christgau
gave the album a negative review, with a C- rating. He said that although he had stayed away from McLchlan's music in the past, "between her Lilith Fair counterpalooza and 'Building a Mystery' bonanza, [he] had to dive in, and got less than [he'd] bargained for." He criticized McLachlan's "monumental banality" and summed the album up as "renormalized pop at its most unnecessary." A reviewer for Rolling Stone
criticized the album's slow tempo, commenting that "if you want a piece of her nirvana, you have to go along at her protracted, glacial pace." They said that McLachlan is too "rigid in her introspection" and that they would like to hear her "work up a good head of steam".
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
gave the album three stars out of five and compared it unfavorably to McLachlan's previous album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
. He said that some of the songs were good, and praised "Building a Mystery" in particular, but said that the album offered nothing new. He also noted that the timing of the release, coinciding with the launch of Lilith Fair
and the publicity that McLachlan received from that, helped sales of the album. Jom, a staff reviewer for Sputnikmusic
, gave the album a positive review, calling it "one of [McLachlan's] best albums" and praising her "tremendous growth as a songwriter and a musician". In interviews, American hip hop artist Darryl McDaniels
of Run-D.M.C.
has said that hearing "Angel" on the radio, and subsequently listening to more of McLachlan's music, helped him though a period of depression
.
, McLachlan won four awards: Best Female Vocalist
, Songwriter of the Year
(with Pierre Marchand, for "Building a Mystery"), Best Album
(for Surfacing) and Single of the Year
(for "Building a Mystery"). The following year
, she did not win any awards, but was nominated for Single of the Year (for "Adia") and Best Video (for "Sweet Surrender").
At the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, McLachlan was nominated for three awards; she won the awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(for "Building a Mystery") and Best Pop Instrumental Performance
(for "Last Dance"). In 1999, she received one more nomination for the album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Adia"); she lost to Celine Dion
.
Singles
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
. Released on July 15, 1997, it was produced by McLachlan's frequent collaborator, Pierre Marchand
Pierre Marchand
Pierre Marchand is a Canadian songwriter, musician and record producer.Pierre Marchand is known for his ongoing collaboration with Sarah McLachlan, having produced all of her albums since Solace...
. McLachlan set about writing Surfacing in 1996, after two and a half years touring for her previous album, 1994's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
-Charts:-Release history:-Personnel:*Sarah McLachlan: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano*Bill Dillon: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Guitorgan, Bass, Piano...
. Mentally exhausted, she found it difficult to concentrate on her new album and took six months off in Vancouver. After that she completed the ten songs for the album and went to Marchand's Quebec studio to record.
Surfacing was released in July 1997, coinciding with the start of McLachlan's Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
tour, and was followed by its first single, "Building a Mystery
Building a Mystery
"Building a Mystery" is a song by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1997. At a live performance, Sarah explains the song as being "basically about the fact that we all.....
" on August 19. This was followed by "Sweet Surrender
Sweet Surrender (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Sweet Surrender" is a song written and co-produced by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1998.The song was released as the album second single with a video directed by Floria Sigismondi...
" in March 1998, "Adia
Adia
"Adia" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. It was co-written by McLachlan and her longtime producer, Pierre Marchand. The song allegedly reflected the apology to her best friend for becoming involved with, and later marrying, her friend's ex-boyfriend...
" in May and "Angel
Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...
" in November. "I Love You" was released in 2000. The album charted at No. 1 on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
100 Albums chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Critical reviews were mixed; some of the more positive reviews praised the songwriting, while the album's detractors criticized it as banal and slow. The album won four Juno Awards and two Grammy Awards.
Background
Following the 1993 release of her third album, Fumbling Towards EcstasyFumbling Towards Ecstasy
-Charts:-Release history:-Personnel:*Sarah McLachlan: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano*Bill Dillon: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Guitorgan, Bass, Piano...
, McLachlan spent two and a half years touring. This long period on the road finished in January 1996; she was due to begin work on her fourth album in April of that year, but was mentally exhausted. She later said "When I got off the road, I thought Fumbling was my swan song, [and] I'd never make another record ever again. I couldn't imagine writing another song in my life. I had a huge psychological block for a long time." She spent time working in the studio in Quebec but struggled to produce anything for her new album. At her manager's suggestion, she returned home to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and took six months off. She said that after this break—and some time spent in therapy—she began to feel more in control of her creativity and started writing material for the album.
One of the first songs written for the album was "Angel
Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...
". McLachlan said that writing the song was easy, "a real joyous occasion." It was inspired by articles that she read in Rolling Stone about musicians who turned to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music industry and subsequently overdosed. She said that she identified with the feelings that might lead someone to use heroin: "I've been in that place where you're so fucked up and you're so lost that you don't know who you are anymore, and you're miserable—and here's this escape route. I've never done heroin, but I've done plenty of other things to escape." She said that the song is about "trying not to take responsibility for other people's shit and trying to love yourself at the same time." Another song that she found easy to write was "Building a Mystery
Building a Mystery
"Building a Mystery" is a song by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1997. At a live performance, Sarah explains the song as being "basically about the fact that we all.....
", co-written with her regular collaborator, Canadian musician and producer Pierre Marchand
Pierre Marchand
Pierre Marchand is a Canadian songwriter, musician and record producer.Pierre Marchand is known for his ongoing collaboration with Sarah McLachlan, having produced all of her albums since Solace...
. Marchand heard her playing a guitar riff and suggested adding some lyrics that he had already written. They came up with the rest of the lyrics together, according to McLachlan, "pretty darn quickly." When the album was finished, McLachlan commented, "I was so happy when I could let it go. I didn't give it another thought when it was done."
Recording and release
Like most of McLachlan's albums, Surfacing was recorded at Marchand's Wild Sky Studios in Morin-Heights, Quebec. Marchand, who produced, engineered and mixed the album, recorded it on an Otari RADARRADAR (audio recorder)
RADAR is a product line of professional digital multitrack recorders capable of recording and playing back twenty-four tracks of audio.-History:...
recorder and a Neumann 149
Georg Neumann
Georg Neumann GmbH , founded in 1928 and based in Berlin, Germany, is a prominent manufacturer of professional recording microphones. Their best-known products are condenser microphones for broadcast, live and music production purposes...
microphone. McLachlan played piano, acoustic guitar and electric guitar and Marchand played keyboards, bass and a drum machine as well as providing background vocals. The other musicians on the album were Jim Creeggan
Jim Creeggan
James Raymond Creeggan, better known as Jim Creeggan , is the bassist for Canadian band Barenaked Ladies...
on upright bass, Yves Desrosiers on guitar, musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, lap steel guitar and slide bass, Brian Minato on bass and electric guitar, Michel Pepin on electric guitar and Ashwin Sood
Ashwin Sood
Ashwin Sood is a Canadian musician. Sood plays drums, percussion, keyboards, and sings.Sood was Sarah McLachlan's drummer, and was also married to McLachlan, although they are now separated....
(whom McLachlan married in 1997) on percussion and drums.
The album was released July 15, 1997, on Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
and Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, reaching No. 1 on the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
100 Albums chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The release of the album coincided with the inaugural tour of McLachlan's Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
in mid-1997. The first single from the album was "Building a Mystery
Building a Mystery
"Building a Mystery" is a song by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1997. At a live performance, Sarah explains the song as being "basically about the fact that we all.....
", released on August 19; it reached No. 1 on the Canadian singles chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "Sweet Surrender
Sweet Surrender (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Sweet Surrender" is a song written and co-produced by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1998.The song was released as the album second single with a video directed by Floria Sigismondi...
" was released March 10, 1998, and reached No. 2 on the Canadian chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100. The third single released from the album was "Adia
Adia
"Adia" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. It was co-written by McLachlan and her longtime producer, Pierre Marchand. The song allegedly reflected the apology to her best friend for becoming involved with, and later marrying, her friend's ex-boyfriend...
" on May 4. It peaked at No. 3 on both the Canadian singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. "Angel
Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...
" followed on November 24, reaching No. 9 in Canada, and No. 4 on the Hot 100. "I Love You" charted at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs in April 2000.
Critical
Writing for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Sia Michel
Sia Michel
Sia Michel is the deputy editor of Arts & Leisure at The New York Times. She was previously the pop music editor for the Times....
called the album "lushly atmospheric" but also ambivalent. She said that while the album paints a "vivid emotional landscape", it is at odds with McLachlan's statement that the album was about "'facing ugly things' about herself"; not revealing anything particularly dark. Michel also noted certain old-fashioned ideas in the album, particularly in "Sweet Surrender
Sweet Surrender (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Sweet Surrender" is a song written and co-produced by Sarah McLachlan, from her multi-platinum album Surfacing, first released in 1998.The song was released as the album second single with a video directed by Floria Sigismondi...
", that contrast with the work of contemporaries such as Ani Difranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
and PJ Harvey
PJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
. She cited "Witness" as the highlight and said of the album, "[p]erhaps she hasn't found what she's looking for, but at least she's trying."
Music critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a negative review, with a C- rating. He said that although he had stayed away from McLchlan's music in the past, "between her Lilith Fair counterpalooza and 'Building a Mystery' bonanza, [he] had to dive in, and got less than [he'd] bargained for." He criticized McLachlan's "monumental banality" and summed the album up as "renormalized pop at its most unnecessary." A reviewer for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
criticized the album's slow tempo, commenting that "if you want a piece of her nirvana, you have to go along at her protracted, glacial pace." They said that McLachlan is too "rigid in her introspection" and that they would like to hear her "work up a good head of steam".
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
gave the album three stars out of five and compared it unfavorably to McLachlan's previous album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
-Charts:-Release history:-Personnel:*Sarah McLachlan: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Piano*Bill Dillon: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Guitorgan, Bass, Piano...
. He said that some of the songs were good, and praised "Building a Mystery" in particular, but said that the album offered nothing new. He also noted that the timing of the release, coinciding with the launch of Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
and the publicity that McLachlan received from that, helped sales of the album. Jom, a staff reviewer for Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
, gave the album a positive review, calling it "one of [McLachlan's] best albums" and praising her "tremendous growth as a songwriter and a musician". In interviews, American hip hop artist Darryl McDaniels
Darryl McDaniels
-Video game appearances:*The Warriors - Scopes*Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - Himself- External links :* * * * * http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12...
of Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
has said that hearing "Angel" on the radio, and subsequently listening to more of McLachlan's music, helped him though a period of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
.
Awards
At the Juno Awards of 1998Juno Awards of 1998
The Juno Awards of 1998 were presented in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The primary ceremonies at GM Place before an audience of 10 000 on 22 March 1998....
, McLachlan won four awards: Best Female Vocalist
Juno Award for Artist of the Year
The Juno Award for Artist of the Year has been awarded since 2002 as recognition each year for the best artist/musician in Canada. The category was originally divided by sex...
, Songwriter of the Year
Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year
The Juno Award for "Songwriter of the Year" has been awarded since 1971, as recognition each year for the best songwriter in Canada. It was also known as the Juno Award for "Composer of the Year" from 1975 to 1990.-Best Songwriter :...
(with Pierre Marchand, for "Building a Mystery"), Best Album
Juno Award for Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1975, as recognition each year for the best album in Canada. It was also known as Best Album , and Best Selling Album .-Best Album :...
(for Surfacing) and Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
(for "Building a Mystery"). The following year
Juno Awards of 1999
The Juno Awards of 1999 honouring Canadian music industry achievements were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The primary ceremonies at Copps Coliseum on 7 March 1999 were broadcast by CBC Television and hosted by Mike Bullard....
, she did not win any awards, but was nominated for Single of the Year (for "Adia") and Best Video (for "Sweet Surrender").
At the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, McLachlan was nominated for three awards; she won the awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
(for "Building a Mystery") and Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011.*In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental*From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance...
(for "Last Dance"). In 1999, she received one more nomination for the album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Adia"); she lost to Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
.
Track listing
- Early editions sold in the U.S. and Canada included a two-song bonus disc containing an alternate mix of "Sweet Surrender" and a rendition of "The Prayer of St. Francis". Both of these tracks appeared on the Japanese edition of the album as well.
- "Full of Grace" previously appeared on the collection Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff.
- "I Love You" would later be covered by Ellen GreeneEllen GreeneEllen Greene is an American singer and actress. Greene has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actor and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many films – notably Little Shop of Horrors...
of Little Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of Horrors may refer to:* The Little Shop of Horrors, a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman* Little Shop of Horrors , a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film...
fame for her album In His Eyes.
Personnel
- Jim CreegganJim CreegganJames Raymond Creeggan, better known as Jim Creeggan , is the bassist for Canadian band Barenaked Ladies...
— upright bass - Yves Desrosiers — electric guitars, lapsteel, slide bass, saw
- Pierre MarchandPierre MarchandPierre Marchand is a Canadian songwriter, musician and record producer.Pierre Marchand is known for his ongoing collaboration with Sarah McLachlan, having produced all of her albums since Solace...
— bass, drum machine, background vocals, keyboards - Sarah McLachlan — vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano
- Brian Minato — bass, electric guitar
- Michel Pepin — electric guitars
- Ashwin SoodAshwin SoodAshwin Sood is a Canadian musician. Sood plays drums, percussion, keyboards, and sings.Sood was Sarah McLachlan's drummer, and was also married to McLachlan, although they are now separated....
— drums, percussion, piano, background vocals
Charts
Album| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
37 |
| Canadian RPM 100 Albums RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
1 |
| Dutch Mega Album Top 100 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
52 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
13 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
47 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart peak positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
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| 1997 | "Building a Mystery" | 1 | 97 | — | 13 | |
| 1998 | "Sweet Surrender" | 2 | — | – | 28 | |
| "Adia" | 3 | 55 | 18 | 3 | ||
| "Angel" | 9 | — | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2000 | "I Love You" | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||