Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

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Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.jpg
Studio album by
Sarah McLachlan
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
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly A [4]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [5]
PopMatters 8/10 [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]

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. [10]

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.

In 2000 it was voted number 200 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums . [11] In 2022, Pitchfork ranked it number 119 on its list of the "150 Best Albums of the 1990s". [12]

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. [13]

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) [23] 5× Platinum500,000^
United States (RIAA) [24] 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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References

  1. ↑ Leahey, Andrew. "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Kening, Dan (14 April 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Arista)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   0-85712-595-8.
  4. ↑ Bock, David (18 February 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Entertainment Weekly .
  5. ↑ Nelson, Brad (5 November 2017). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Pitchfork . Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. ↑ Gilstrap, Andrew (10 August 2008). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". PopMatters . Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Elysa (16 June 1994). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Skanse, Richard (2004). "Sarah McLachlan". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  530–31. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (28 October 2003). "Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ask Billboard – FUMBLING TOWARDS SALES". Billboard . Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  11. ↑ All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. 2000. p. 100. ISBN   0-7535-0493-6.
  12. ↑ Tolentino, Jia (28 September 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  13. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan celebrates 30 years of 'Fumbling' with new tour: 'I still pinch myself'". USA TODAY. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2304". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 27 November 1993. p. 90. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "Sarah McLachlan Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1993". RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  19. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994". RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "1997: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. 27 December 1997. p. 70. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "1998: The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. 26 December 1998. p. 82. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Sarah McLachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Music Canada . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "American album certifications – Sarah Mc Lachlan – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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