Your Little Secret Explained

Your Little Secret
Type:Album
Artist:Melissa Etheridge
Cover:Melissa Etheridge - Your Little Secret.jpg
Released:November 14, 1995
Studio:A&M Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre:Blues rock[1]
Length:52:54
Label:Island
Producer:Melissa Etheridge, Hugh Padgham
Prev Title:Yes I Am
Prev Year:1993
Next Title:Breakdown
Next Year:1999

Your Little Secret is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1995. It was her most successful album on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number six. The album also contained three singles, "Your Little Secret", "I Want to Come Over", and "Nowhere to Go". "I Want to Come Over" went on to reach  22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Nowhere to Go" peaked at No. 40. As of 2010, the album has sold 1,348,000 copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[2]

Reception

Billboard praised the record, calling it a "superbly well-crafted album. Armed with her sharpest material to date, the tightest band with which she's ever recorded, and an in-your-face sound, Etheridgerocks even more passionately than on her previous smash, Yes I Am...Under pressure to follow up a multiplatinum, milestone album, Etheridge has delivered the goods and then some. A new plateau for an artist who has set the pace for female rockers of her generation." [3]

In their review, Cashbox noted that "on this, her fifth album, Etheridge continues to demonstrate the consistency that has made her a superstar. The disc kicks in with the grinding rocker/title track, then settles into a groove of anthem-like rockers, such as “I Really Like You,” “This War Is Over” and the record’s best track, the engaging “An Unusual Kiss.” Her ballad skills are underrated, but as “Nowhere To Go” and the opening half of “Shriner’s Park” prove, she is just as talented in that medium. The bottom line is Etheridge is agreat singer with good songs, making every album a project worth embracing."[4]

Allmusic were more mixed in their review, stating that "Etheridge's challenge would be to grow as a writer, now that incessant touring and a string of good-but-not-great albums finally had brought her to the platinum threshold. Your Little Secret left the question about such growth open."[5]

Track listing

All songs by Melissa Etheridge, except where noted

  1. "Your Little Secret" – 4:19
  2. "I Really Like You" – 4:09
  3. "Nowhere to Go" – 5:53
  4. "An Unusual Kiss" – 5:21
  5. "I Want to Come Over" – 5:25
  6. "All the Way to Heaven" – 4:54
  7. "I Could Have Been You" (Etheridge, John Shanks) – 5:56
  8. "Shriner's Park" – 5:23
  9. "Change" – 4:37
  10. "This War Is Over" – 6:57

Limited edition 2CD set includes 4 track live CD

  1. "Come to My Window" – 4:01
  2. "No Souvenirs" – 5:00
  3. "Ain't It Heavy" – 4:20
  4. "Yes I Am" – 4:23

Personnel

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
Canadian Album Chart[6] 10
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[7] 46

Year-end charts

SinglesBillboard (North America)

YearSingleChartPosition
1995"I Want to Come Over"Adult Top 409
1995"Your Little Secret"Adult Top 4040
1995"Your Little Secret"Mainstream Rock Tracks4
1995"Your Little Secret"Modern Rock Tracks32
1995"Your Little Secret"Top 40 Mainstream29
1996"I Want to Come Over"Adult Contemporary17
1996"I Want to Come Over"Mainstream Rock Tracks22
1996"I Want to Come Over"The Billboard Hot 10022
1996"I Want to Come Over"Top 40 Adult Recurrents1
1996"I Want to Come Over"Top 40 Mainstream15
1996"Nowhere to Go"Adult Contemporary24
1996"Nowhere to Go"Adult Top 409
1996"Nowhere to Go"The Billboard Hot 10040
1996"Nowhere to Go"Top 40 Mainstream25
1997"Nowhere to Go"Top 40 Adult Recurrents9

Notes and References

  1. Your Little Secret . https://web.archive.org/web/20090425195459/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299577,00.html . Willman . Chris . . November 17, 1995 . April 25, 2009 . January 1, 2022 . dead.
  2. Web site: Ask Billboard: Records About Records. Billboard. Gary. Trust. August 5, 2010. February 17, 2020.
  3. Reviews and Previews. Billboard Music Week. 2 December 1995 . 81. July 18, 2024.
  4. Music Reviews. Cash Box. 2 December 1995 . 13 . July 18, 2024.
  5. https://www.allmusic.com/album/your-little-secret-mw0000645807
  6. Web site: December 4, 1995. Image : RPM Weekly . April 6, 2024 . Bac-lac.gc.ca.
  7. European Top 100 Albums. Eurotipsheet. 12. 49. 9 December 1995. 13. 29800226. World Radio History.
  8. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996. Billboard. September 17, 2021.