Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

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Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.jpg
Studio album by
Released22 October 1993
Recorded1993
Studio Le Studio (Morin Heights, Quebec)
Genre
Length57:50
Label
Producer Pierre Marchand
Sarah McLachlan chronology
Solace
(1991)
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
(1993)
The Freedom Sessions
(1994)
Singles from Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
  1. "Possession"
    Released: 10 September 1993
  2. "Hold On"
    Released: 8 May 1994
  3. "Good Enough"
    Released: 12 September 1994

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 22 October 1993 in Canada, 15 February 1994 in the United States, 24 May 1994 in Japan, and 14 August 1994 in Australia. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal; McLachlan wrote most of the album while living in a small house near Marchand's studio.

Contents

The album was an immediate hit in Canada, where McLachlan was already an established star. It was slower to become her breakthrough album internationally, however; in some countries, most notably the US, it stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years. As of November 2003, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the US. [1]

Some editions contain an album version of McLachlan's 1995 single used for The Brothers McMullen soundtrack, "I Will Remember You". The track's lyrics do not appear in the booklet, nor does the track's crediting information.

On August 5, 2008, a three-disc 15th anniversary edition of the album was released. The set includes the original remastered album, The Freedom Sessions EP and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

In December 2023, McLachlan announced she would perform on a 30 city tour in 2024 for the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, playing the entire album in shows along with other songs. [2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Entertainment Weekly A [5]
Hot Press 10/12 [6]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [8]
PopMatters 8/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]

Chicago Tribune critic Dan Kening praised Fumbling Towards Ecstasy as "a terrific album from a gifted 26-year-old Canadian who is mature beyond her years", highlighting McLachlan's "hauntingly beautiful voice" and the songs' "gorgeous arrangements". [4] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly 's David Bock opined that McLachlan's songs "probe the deeper, darker aspects of the human condition with an honesty, patience, and wisdom way beyond her 26 years." [5] Comparing the record to its predecessor Solace (1991), Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone wrote that despite its "less buoyant hooks and more muted arrangements", "there are moments of quiet radiance on Ecstasy, and even the more elusive songs reveal a passionate dignity." [10]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Andrew Leahey called Fumbling Towards Ecstasy "a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of Pierre Marchand ... with some of McLachlan's strongest songwriting to date", adding that "McLachlan's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record". [3] Richard Skanse, writing in the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide , said that McLachlan "truly came into her own as an artist" on the album, finding her lyrics "sharper, her trademark earnestness now carrying a formidable edge." [11] In 2000, it was voted number 200 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums , [13] and in 2022, Pitchfork listed it as the 119th-best album of the 1990s. [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sarah McLachlan, except "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" co-written with Pierre Marchand.

No.TitleLength
1."Possession"4:39
2."Wait"4:09
3."Plenty"4:05
4."Good Enough"5:03
5."Mary"3:55
6."Elsewhere"4:44
7."Circle"3:43
8."Ice"3:54
9."Hold On"4:09
10."Ice Cream"2:44
11."Fear"3:59
12."Fumbling Towards Ecstasy"
"Ice" / "Possession" (hidden track)
9:49
Total length:54:57

Notes:

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [24] 5× Platinum500,000^
United States (RIAA) [25] 3× Platinum3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalogue
Canada22 October 1993 Nettwerk CD W2-30081
United States15 February 1994 Arista Records CD07822-18725-2
Japan24 May 1994 BMG Japan CDBVCA-638
Australia14 August 1994 Arista Records CD07822-18725-2

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