Lovesongs for Underdogs explained

Lovesongs for Underdogs
Type:	studio
Artist:	Tanya Donelly
Cover:	Tanya Donelly - Lovesongs for Underdogs.jpg
Border:	yes
Studio:	Fort Apache (Cambridge, Massachusetts) Long View Farm (North Brookfield, Massachusetts)
Genre:	Alternative rock
Length:	45:04
Label:	4AD Sire
Producer:	Tanya Donelly Wally Gagel Gary Smith
Next Title:	Beautysleep
Next Year:	2002

Lovesongs for Underdogs is the solo debut album by American musician Tanya Donelly, who had formerly recorded with Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. It was released on September 8, 1997 and issued by 4AD and Sire Records.

Release

Lovesongs for Underdogs was released by Donelly's European label 4AD on September 8, 1997,^[1] while Sire Records issued the album in the United States the following day.^[2] It peaked at number 36 on the UK Albums Chart upon its release.

Two singles were released from Lovesongs for Underdogs: "Pretty Deep" on August 18, 1997,^[3] and "The Bright Light" on November 24, 1997.^[4] Both singles were issued in CD format in two parts,^{[3] [4]} each including two newly-released B-sides. "Pretty Deep" featured "Spaghetti", "Morna", "These Days", and "Influenza",^[5] while "The Bright Light" featured "Bury My Heart", "How Can You Sleep", "Life on Sirius", and "Moon Over Boston".^[6] "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light" peaked at numbers 55 and 64 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.^[7] A music video for each single was produced and aired on VH1 and MTV2. Both videos differed highly in creative and artistic direction from previous Belly videos and exclusively featured Donelly solo, in movie-like settings.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tanya Donelly, except where noted.

1. "Pretty Deep" – 4:22
2. "The Bright Light" – 3:21
3. "Landspeed Song" – 3:34
4. "Mysteries of the Unexplained" – 4:52
5. "Lantern" – 3:10
6. "Acrobat" (Donelly, Dean Fisher) – 3:30
7. "Breathe Around You" – 2:56
8. "Bum" – 3:09
9. "Clipped" – 4:01
10. "Goat Girl" – 2:16
11. "Manna" – 5:26
12. "Swoon" – 4:27

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[8]

Musicians

• Tanya Donelly – vocals, guitar, keyboards, string arrangements
• Brian Clague – viola, violin
• Brother Cleve – string arrangement transcription
• Dean Fisher – bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards, accordion, percussion
• Wally Gagel – bass, keyboards, drum machine, percussion, string arrangements
• Rich Gilbert – guitar, baritone guitar, tiple, keyboards, accordion, saw
• Walter Halvorsen – cello
• Stacy Jones – drums
• David Lovering – drums
• Hilken Mancini – backing vocals
• David Narcizo – drums
• Chris Toppin – backing vocals
• Jonathan Williams – electric guitar

Production

• Tanya Donelly – production
• Matthew Ellard – engineering
• Wally Gagel – production, engineering, mixing
• Jesse Henderson – engineering (assistant)
• Suzanne Kapa – engineering (assistant)
• Dave Kirkpatrick – engineering (assistant)
• Paul Q. Kolderie – mixing
• Brian Lee – mastering
• Dan McLoughlin – engineering
• Carl Plaster – drum technician
• Sean Slade – mixing
• Gary Smith – production
• Kelly Wohlford – engineering (assistant)

Design

• Chris Bigg – design
• Andrew Catlin – photography

Notes and References

1. Underdog Donelly strikes out . . 14 . 35 . August 30, 1997 . June 27, 2024 . Sexton . Paul . 11.
2. Reprise Looks to Donelly's Past in Touting Solo Debut . . 109 . 33 . August 16, 1997 . June 27, 2024 . Morris . Chris . 11, 89.
3. New Releases: Singles . . August 16, 1997 . June 27, 2024 . 35.
4. New Releases: Singles . . November 22, 1997 . June 27, 2024 . 37.
5. Web site: Tanya Donelly: 'Pretty Deep' . . June 27, 2024.
6. Web site: Tanya Donelly: 'The Bright Light' . . June 27, 2024.
7. Web site: Tanya Donelly . . June 27, 2024.
8. Lovesongs for Underdogs . . . 1997 . CAD 7008 CD . liner notes.
9. Independent Albums . . September 27, 1997 . June 27, 2024 . 24.