The Burdens of Being Upright explained

The Burdens of Being Upright
Type:studio
Artist:Tracy Bonham
Cover:Tracy Bonham - The Burdens of Being Upright.jpg
Recorded:Summer 1995
Studio:Fort Apache Studios,
Cambridge, MA
Genre:Alternative rock
Label:Island
Prev Title:Liverpool Sessions EP
Prev Year:1995
Next Title:Down Here
Next Year:2000

The Burdens of Being Upright is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham, released on March 19, 1996, by Island Records.[1] [2]

Content

The Burdens of Being Upright was recorded in the summer of 1995 at Fort Apache Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3] Referencing this album, in 2015 Bonham said, 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,[4] and later reached its peak position of number 54 on the chart on June 15, 1996. It remained on the chart for 25 weeks.[5] 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.[6]

Critical reception

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')."[7]

Personnel

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

Charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
scope=rowAustralian Albums (ARIA Charts)[9] 31
scope=rowDutch Albums (Album Top 100)26
scope=rowNorwegian Albums (VG-lista)27
scope=rowNew Zealand Album (RMNZ)46
scope=rowSwedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)48
scope=rowUS Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[10] 9
scope=rowUS Billboard 200[11] 54

Awards

Grammy Award Nominations

YearNomineeCategory
1996"Mother Mother"Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
1996The Burdens of Being UprightBest Alternative Album

Notes and References

  1. Dawn . Randee . April 1996 . Reviews . . CMJ Network, Inc. . 32 . 28 . 1074-6978.
  2. Borzillo . Carrie . May 11, 1996 . Island's Bonham Hits . . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 108 . 19 . 1, 74 . 0006-2510.
  3. Web site: Fritz . J. . 1996-03-02 . Tracy Bonham – The Burdens of Being Upright – Interview Lollipop Magazine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230218173307/https://lollipopmagazine.com/1996/03/tracy-bonham-the-burdens-of-being-upright-interview/ . February 18, 2023 . 2023-02-19 . Lollipop . en-US.
  4. Anon. . April 27, 1996 . The Billboard 200 . . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 108 . 17 . 97 . 0006-2510.
  5. Chinen . Nate . July 11, 2010 . Foot in the City and Cowboy Boot In the Country . . AR19 . ProQuest.
  6. Web site: Gold & Platinum . 2023-02-19 . RIAA . en-US.
  7. Lieb . Kristin . Tracy Bonham enjoys her winning streak: Simply the best . Rolling Stone . Mar 21, 1996 . 730 . 28.
  8. The Burdens of Being Upright. Tracy Bonham. Island. 1996. booklet. 314-524 187-2.
  9. Web site: norwegiancharts.com - Tracy Bonham - The Burdens Of Being Upright . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230218131808/https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Tracy+Bonham&titel=The+Burdens+Of+Being+Upright&cat=a . February 18, 2023 . 2023-02-18 . norwegiancharts.com.
  10. Anon. . April 27, 1996 . Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart . . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 108 . 17 . 18.
  11. Anon. . June 15, 1996 . The Billboard 200 . . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . 108 . 24 . 92 . 0006-2510.