Belinda | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 19, 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
Studio | Guerilla Studios (North London, England) | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 37:08 | |||
Label | I.R.S. | |||
Producer | Michael Lloyd | |||
Belinda Carlisle chronology | ||||
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Singles from Belinda | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | C [2] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed) [3] |
Q | |
People | (favourable) [4] |
Belinda is the debut studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on May 19, 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Carlisle began work on the album in 1985 following the breakup of the Go-Go's, for whom she was the lead singer. The album was supported by four singles, with lead single "Mad About You" peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.
Some of the songs on Belinda were written by Carlisle's former bandmates in the Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Paula Jean Brown [5] while the rest of the tracks were written by other songwriters such as the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. Carlisle has a single co-writing credit on one track ("Gotta Get to You").
"Band of Gold" was a hit song for Freda Payne in 1970, which Carlisle covered for this album. Although Payne herself does not appear on the album version of the track, John Luongo overdubbed and remixed the track for a single release, which included prominent backing vocals by Payne. The 7-inch single was only issued in Canada (where it hit No. 91 on the charts), but Payne's vocals were also heard on the dance mixes of Carlisle's version of the song, which were issued on a 12-inch single in the US. The various "Band of Gold" remixes would later appear as bonus tracks on the 2003 re-release of the album.
"I Need a Disguise" was written by the team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who co-wrote the song with Susanna Hoffs, as it was originally intended for use by the Bangles. [6] [ better source needed ] Kelly and Steinberg also co-wrote another song for Carlisle called "Dancing in the City", which she would eventually record and would later appear on the soundtrack for the 1987 movie Burglar . "Stuff and Nonsense" is a cover of Tim Finn's song originally performed by his band Split Enz on their 1979 album Frenzy . The song "Shot in the Dark" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Out of Bounds (1986).
The album was successful in North America, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and at number 24 on the Canadian Albums chart. It was moderately successful in Australia, where it peaked at number 42 and charted for 12 weeks. Belinda was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada, selling over one million copies worldwide.
Upon release, Belinda was met with mixed reviews from critics. Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone wrote, "The problem with Belinda is that all the ingredients are there, but the end result just doesn't feel right." [3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented retrospectively that "The pop on Belinda may not be as infectious as the Go-Go's' finest singles, yet it fit in well with the slick formats of mid-'80s radio and managed to be more memorable than many of the mainstream hits of the time, as the ingratiating hit "Mad About You" proves." [7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mad About You" |
| 3:36 |
2. | "I Need a Disguise" | 3:55 | |
3. | "Since You've Gone" |
| 3:12 |
4. | "I Feel the Magic" |
| 3:20 |
5. | "I Never Wanted a Rich Man" | Caffey | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Band of Gold" |
| 3:42 |
2. | "Gotta Get to You" |
| 4:06 |
3. | "From the Heart" |
| 3:12 |
4. | "Shot in the Dark" |
| 3:23 |
5. | "Stuff and Nonsense" | Tim Finn | 4:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Mad About You" (extended version) |
| 5:26 |
12. | "Band of Gold" (extended version) (featuring Freda Payne) |
| 6:42 |
13. | "Band of Gold" (dub mix) (featuring Freda Payne) |
| 7:43 |
14. | "Band of Gold" (single mix) (featuring Freda Payne) |
| 3:41 |
Musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [16] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Bangles are an American all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest commercial successes include "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), which became a worldwide phenomenon, "Manic Monday" (1986), a song written by Prince, and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s "Hazy Shade of Winter" (1987), which was featured in the film Less Than Zero. Their ballad "Eternal Flame" (1989) became a big hit, topping the charts in several countries and is one of their signature songs. Other hits included "In Your Room" (1988) and "If She Knew What She Wants" (1986).
The Go-Go's were an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time.
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, All Over the Place, (1984) was acclaimed by critics but sold poorly. Their second album, Different Light, (1986) was also warmly received by critics and was certified double-platinum in 1987 and triple-platinum in 1994. It contained the US number two single "Manic Monday" written by Prince and the number one single "Walk Like an Egyptian". The group's third album, Everything (1988), included the US top ten charting "In Your Room" and number one "Eternal Flame", both written by Hoffs with Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Hoffs was lead vocalist on five of the seven Columbia singles by the Bangles, which contributed to a public perception that she was a lead singer, even though all four members took lead vocals across their output. Following tensions including resentment at Hoffs's perceived leadership and the stress of touring, the band split in 1989. It reformed in 1999 and released the albums Doll Revolution (2003) and Sweetheart of the Sun (2011).
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"Manic Monday" is a song by the American pop rock band the Bangles, which was the first single released from their second studio album, Different Light (1986). The song was written by American musician Prince, under the pseudonym "Christopher". Originally it was intended for the group Apollonia 6 in 1984. Lyrically, it describes a woman who is waking up to go to work on Monday, wishing it was still Sunday so that she could continue relaxing.
"Eternal Flame" is a song by American pop rock group the Bangles for their third studio album, Everything (1988). Released on January 23, 1989, the power ballad was written by group member Susanna Hoffs with the established hit songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Upon its 1989 single release, "Eternal Flame" became a number-one hit in nine countries, including Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since its release, it has been covered by many musical artists, including Australian boy band Human Nature, who reached the Australian top 10 with their version, and British girl group Atomic Kitten, who topped four national charts with their rendition.
"Walk Like an Egyptian" is a song by the American band the Bangles. It was released in September 1986 as the third single from the band's second studio album, Different Light (1986). It was the band's first number-one single, being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was ranked Billboard's number-one song of 1987.
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When You're a Boy is the debut solo album by Susanna Hoffs. It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed", includes the track "Unconditional Love", and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album's title comes from the lyrics to the latter.
Anthology: Through the Years is a double compilation album featuring the best of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It contains a new song, "Surrender," written by Petty in 1976 and recorded during sessions for the band's first album but left off the record, recorded again in 1979 but left off "Damn The Torpedoes," and finally recorded again in 2000 for this release. "Surrender" is also the last studio recording of Howie Epstein before his death in 2003. The 1976 version of the song was included on the 2018 box set An American Treasure.
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A Woman & a Man is the sixth studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle, released in the United Kingdom on September 23, 1996, by Chrysalis Records. The album contains songs written by Rick Nowels, Maria Vidal, Ellen Shipley, Charlotte Caffey, Neil Finn and Roxette co-founder Per Gessle who also produced one of the tracks.
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