100% Fun

100% Fun
Studio album by Matthew Sweet
Released	Vinyl: February 28, 1995 CD, Cassette: March 14, 1995 [1]
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	41:06
Label	Zoo Entertainment
Producer	Brendan O'Brien
Matthew Sweet chronology
Son of Altered Beast (1994) 100% Fun (1995) Blue Sky on Mars (1997)
Singles from 100% Fun
"We're the Same" Released: 1995 "Sick of Myself" Released: 1995

100% Fun is the fifth album by alternative rock musician Matthew Sweet. It was released on Zoo Entertainment in 1995. ^[2]

Release

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B+ [4]
The Guardian	[5]
NME	6/10 [6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Select	4/5 [9]
Spin	8/10 [10]
The Village Voice	B+ [11]

The album was met with moderate commercial success and favorable reviews. The single "Sick of Myself" reached #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and appeared on the top 100 pop song charts of the day. Critic David Browne of Entertainment Weekly , who included 100% Fun on his year's-best list, wrote in his review that it "makes you feel as if a good pop hook can solve any crisis." ^[4] The title of the album was derived from Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide note. ^[12]

Reissue

In 2018, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced that it would be releasing Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of 100% Fun, Altered Beast , and Girlfriend . The three albums will also be released on CD/SACD. Intervention also announced a first time on vinyl reissue of Son of Altered Beast . ^[13]

In popular culture

The song "Sick of Myself" was covered by Bowling for Soup on their album Bowling for Soup Goes to the Movies . In 2005, indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie also performed a cover of the song for NPR's World Cafe . ^[14]

"Everything Changes" was featured in the 1995 film The Babysitters Club . It came on during a tense moment in the film, when 13-year-old Stacy has to come to grips with her diabetes, as well as get over the 18-year-old she has a crush on. The song plays dramatically after she has lied to her crush about being 18.

"Sick of Myself" appeared on an episode of Hindsight , as well as an episode of 'Your Friends & Neighbors'.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Sweet ^[15]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sick of Myself"	3:38
2.	"Not When I Need It"	3:27
3.	"We're the Same"	3:03
4.	"Giving It Back"	3:28
5.	"Everything Changes"	3:49
6.	"Lost My Mind"	4:43
7.	"Come to Love"	2:26
8.	"Walk Out"	3:24
9.	"I Almost Forgot"	2:54
10.	"Super Baby"	3:15
11.	"Get Older"	2:46
12.	"Smog Moon"	4:13

Japanese CD Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Sense of Adventure"	4:36
14.	"Slowly"	3:34

Personnel

• Matthew Sweet – vocals, electric rhythm guitar (1–8, 10–12), electric bass, acoustic piano (2, 9, 11), electric lead guitar (3, 11), acoustic guitar (3, 8, 9), electric 12-string rhythm guitar (3), theremin (6), electric piano (9), mini synthesizer (11), RMI electric piano (11), electric harpsichord (11)
• Brendan O'Brien – electric rhythm guitar, (1, 10) electric lead guitar (2), acoustic piano (4, 5, 12), electric piano (5), Mellotron (6, 10), clavinet (7), harpsichord (8), acoustic guitar (8), slide guitar (8)
• Richard Lloyd – electric lead guitar (1, 4–6, 8), electric rhythm guitar (11)
• Robert Quine – electric lead guitar (2, 6, 10) electric rhythm guitar (3, 7, 9)
• Greg Leisz – lap steel guitar (2, 12), pedal steel guitar (5, 9), mandolin (8)
• Ric Menck – drums (1, 3, 6, 9, 12)
• Stuart Johnson – drums (2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)

Production

• Scott Byron – A&R
• Bud Scoppa – A&R
• Brendan O'Brien – producer, mixing
• Nick Didia – engineer
• Caram Costanzo – second engineer
• Lee Hammond – art direction
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
• Matthew Sweet – cover photography
• Jeff Bender – photography
• Russell Carter Artist Management Ltd. – management

Charts

Chart performance for 100% Fun

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [16]	75
Canada Albums (RPM) [17]	41
US Billboard 200 [18]	65

References

1. Maples, Tina (January 29, 1995). "Cranking up the old machine. A couple of blasts from the past highlight the new releases". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 8. Following the lead of Pearl Jam and others, Sweet's album will be released on vinyl first (Feb. 28), with CDs and cassettes to follow March 14.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "100% Fun – Matthew Sweet". AllMusic . Retrieved May 3, 2011.
3. Kot, Greg (March 9, 1995). "Bitter Sweet". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved May 15, 2017.
4. Browne, David (April 14, 1995). "100% Fun". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 13, 2020.
5. Smith, Andrew (March 31, 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100% Fun (Zoo/BMG)". The Guardian .
6. Robinson, John (March 25, 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100% Fun". NME . p. 41.
7. Cooper, Mark (April 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100% Fun". Q . No. 103.
8. Jurek, Thom (April 6, 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100% Fun". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
9. Collis, Clark (May 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100%". Select . No. 59. p. 101.
10. Salamon, Jeff (April 1995). "Matthew Sweet: 100% Fun". Spin . Vol. 11, no. 1. pp. 196–197. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
11. Christgau, Robert (April 9, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved May 15, 2017.
12. "Ep #9: Matthew Sweet - Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith". October 21, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2025– via YouTube.
13. "Matthew Sweet 1991-1995 180G LP Series Subscription (PRE-ORDER) – Intervention Records". Interventionrecords.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
14. "Death Cab for Cutie Stay Clever on 'Plans'". NPR.org.
15. "100% Fun Information". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
16. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 273.
17. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 61, No. 9 Apr 03, 1995". RPM . Retrieved April 13, 2024.
18. "Matthew Sweet Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2022.