I Enjoy Being a Girl (album) explained
I Enjoy Being a Girl is an album by the American musician Phranc, released in 1989.[1] [2] She supported the album with a North American tour.[3]
Production
The album was produced by Victor DeLorenzo.[4] "I Enjoy Being a Girl" is a cover of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein composition from Flower Drum Song.[5] [6] "M-A-R-T-I-N-A" is about Martina Navratilova. "Bloodbath" criticizes Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.[7] "Myriam and Esther" is dedicated to Phranc's grandmothers.[8] "Rodeo Parakeet" is about Phranc's bird that enjoys riding on dogs.[9] "Toy Time" is a tribute to Toys "R" Us.[10]
The album cover art was in part inspired by a photo of Alice Faye.[11] Orson Bean wrote the liner notes.[12]
Critical reception
The Calgary Herald determined that the "heavy-handed protest anthems are the album's weaker entries."[13] The Globe and Mail deemed the album "a delightful piece of work: funny, committed, romantic and charming."[14]
The Washington Post wrote that Phranc "has a warm but not particularly lovely voice, and her strumming is basic at best, but she's a folk singer in the true sense of the word—she seizes her inspiration of the moment and makes music about it."[15] The Houston Chronicle praised the "earnest, endearing quality not unlike Jonathan Richman."
AllMusic wrote that "'Myriam and Esther', a traditional folk ballad with a distinctly female perspective, is the type of earnest song that only Phranc seems able to pull off in post-modern times."
Track listing
All tracks composed by Phranc; except where indicated
- "Folksinger" – 2:05
- "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers) – 3:16
- "Double Decker Bed" – 2:02
- "Bloodbath" – 2:54
- "Individuality" – 2:31
- "Rodeo Parakeet" – 3:01
- "Take Off Your Swastika" – 3:30
- "Toy Time" – 2:34
- "M-A-R-T-I-N-A" – 2:36
- "Myriam and Esther" – 3:41
- "Ballad of Lucy + Ted" – 4:19
- "Moonlight Becomes You" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:27
Personnel
- Phranc – producer, vocals, guitar
- Victor DeLorenzo – producer
- Connie Grauer– backing vocals, arranger, keyboards
- Jimmy Eanelli – bass guitar, 12-string guitar
- Brian Ritchie – mandolin
- Kim Zick – percussion, drums
- Scott Leonard – engineer
Release details
align=center | Country | align=center | Date | align=center | Label | align=center | Format | align=center | Catalog |
| 1989 | Island | CD | 422–842 579-2 |
| | | LP | 422–842 579-1 |
| | | Cassette | 422-842-579-4 |
| 1990 | PolyGram | CD | 842579 | |
Notes and References
- News: Heim . Chris . Feminist-folkie Phranc... . Chicago Tribune . 2 June 1989 . Friday . 50.
- News: Potter . Mitch . A Phranc, fearless addition to neofolk set . Toronto Star . 23 June 1989 . E8.
- News: Hoekstra . Dave . Dave's Dawn Patrol . Chicago Sun-Times . December 1, 1989 . Weekend Plus . 7.
- News: Hochman . Steve . Phrancly Speaking . Los Angeles Times . 26 Feb 1989 . Calendar . 69.
- News: Cromelin . Richard . Folk Singer Enjoys Being Phranc at Last . Los Angeles Times . 22 July 1989 . Calendar . 1.
- News: Erskine . Evelyn . Phranc talk with your average punk folksinger . Ottawa Citizen . 15 Nov 1989 . H2.
- News: Heaton . Michael . Women for everyone's taste . The Plain Dealer . July 28, 1989.
- News: Ploetz . Elmer . If in music, as in physics, there's an equal and opposite reaction... . The Buffalo News . August 11, 1989 . Gusto . 41.
- News: DeVault . Russ . Phranc-ly, She's a Unique Folk Singer . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . September 21, 1989 . D3.
- News: Phrancly, My Dear . Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph . May 8, 1992 . Scene . 1.
- News: Morrison . Sheila . Phranc's motley musical blend . The Province . 28 Jan 1990 . Entertainment . 87.
- News: Stout . Gene . Gender-Bending Phranc Mixes Hip Humor with Folk Tradition . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . January 26, 1990 . What's Happening . 7.
- News: Mayes . Alison . Phranc: I Enjoy Being a Girl . Calgary Herald . 3 Aug 1989 . F5.
- News: Dafoe . Chris . I Enjoy Being a Girl Phranc . The Globe and Mail . 3 Aug 1989 . C6.
- News: Brown . Joe . Feminine Folk, Rockin' Proud . The Washington Post . 11 Aug 1989 . N23.