Beautiful (Ivy song)

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"Beautiful"
Ivy "Beautiful".jpg
Promotional single by Ivy
from the album Realistic
Released1995 (1995)
Recorded1994
Studio Zabriskie Point, New York City
Length2:32
Label Seed
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Beautiful" is a song by American band Ivy from their debut studio album Realistic (1995). A remixed version of the song was issued as a promotional single and distributed as a CD single in 1995 by Seed Records. It features an acoustic version of the trio's single "Don't Believe a Word" as a bonus track.

Contents

The track was written by Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, while production was handled by them in addition to Kurt Ralske. Critically, "Beautiful" was regarded as one of the best tracks on Realistic.

Background and composition

In 1994, Ivy formed in New York City following a meeting between Andy Chase and French-native Dominique Durand. After acquiring musician Adam Schlesinger, they recorded several songs which would later appear on their first extended play (EP), Lately (1994). They also recorded the track "Get Enough", which became their debut single and also appeared on their first album. [1] "Beautiful" is taken from Realistic , the trio's debut album which was released through Seed Records in 1995. [2] The track was written and produced by Schlesinger and Chase, while production was handled by them in addition to Kurt Ralske. It was recorded in 1994 during sessions for Realistic held at Zabriskie Point recording studios in New York City. [3]

The official remixed version of "Beautiful" was released as a promotional single by Seed Records sometime in 1995. Previously an unreleased version of the song, the remix was distributed on CD singles along with an acoustic version of the album's second single, "Don't Believe a Word". [4] At the time of its release, the "Beautiful" single was distributed during outings for Ivy's national tour to promote Realistic. During the concerts, they toured with several musicians, including Lloyd Cole and Edwyn Collins. [5]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review of Ivy's back catalog, a staff member at the Ectophiles' Guide recommended the song to its readers as one of the best on Realistic, and listed album tracks "Decay" and "Shallow" as two others. [6]

Track listing

Promotional CD single [4]
No.TitleLength
1."Beautiful (Remix)"2:27
2."Don't Believe a Word" (acoustic version)2:56

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<i>Lately</i> (EP) 1994 EP by Ivy

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Ivy discography

American band Ivy has released six studio albums, one extended play (EP), fifteen singles, one promotional single, and eight music videos. After signing to Seed Records, Ivy released their debut EP, Lately, in May 1994. Their debut studio album Realistic was released in February 1995 and produced the singles "Get Enough" and "Don't Believe a Word", along with "Beautiful", which was issued as a promotional single. In 1995, a music video for "I Hate December", a song from Lately, was filmed and released. The song was then distributed as a single in January 1996. Ivy eventually left Seed and signed to Atlantic Records to record their second album Apartment Life, released in October 1997. To promote the album, "The Best Thing", "I've Got a Feeling", "This Is the Day", and "You Don't Know Anything" were made available as singles. Their third album Long Distance was released in Japan in 2000, and the next year in the United States. Three singles were promoted, including "Edge of the Ocean" which peaked at number 160 on the UK Singles Chart, marking their only appearance on that chart.

References

  1. Bogdanov, Woodstra & Erlewine 2002 , p. 566
  2. Abebe, Nitsuh. "Ivy – Realistic". AllMusic . Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  3. Realistic (liner notes). Ivy. Seed. 1995. 14253-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. 1 2 "Beautiful" (liner notes / CD single). Ivy. Seed. 1995. PRCD 6474.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. "The Band Ivy: Discog". The Band Ivy. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  6. Ectophiles' Guide staff. "Artists commented on by beckwith: Ivy". Ectophiles' Guide. Retrieved June 9, 2018.

Works cited