Growing Up in Public (Lou Reed album)

Growing Up in Public
Studio album by Lou Reed
Released	April 1980
Recorded	January 1980
Studio	AIR Studios (Salem, Montserrat)
Genre	Rock
Length	36:39
Label	Arista
Producer	Lou Reed Michael Fonfara
Lou Reed chronology
The Bells (1979) Growing Up in Public (1980) Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980 (1980)
Lou Reed studio album chronology
The Bells (1979) Growing Up in Public (1980) The Blue Mask (1982)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Robert Christgau	B [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10 [7]
Select	[8]

Growing Up in Public is the tenth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in April 1980 by Arista Records. ^[9]

Growing Up in Public peaked at No. 158 on the Billboard 200 . ^[10] One single was released from the album, "The Power of Positive Drinking", which failed to chart.

Production

Michael Fonfara and Reed produced the album. ^[11] It was written and recorded over a period of six weeks in sessions that took place at George Martin's AIR Studios in Montserrat.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone called the album "a polished package of bombastic rock & roll — indeed, probably Reed's best commercial shot since his 1974 Top Ten anomaly, Sally Can't Dance ." ^[11] Trouser Press wrote that Reed uses "driving rock and delicate melodicism to back thoughtful lyrics and impassioned singing." ^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lou Reed and Michael Fonfara

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"How Do You Speak to an Angel"	4:08
2.	"My Old Man"	3:15
3.	"Keep Away"	3:31
4.	"Growing Up in Public"	3:00
5.	"Standing on Ceremony"	3:32

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"So Alone"	4:05
7.	"Love Is Here to Stay"	3:10
8.	"The Power of Positive Drinking"	2:13
9.	"Smiles"	2:44
10.	"Think It Over"	3:25
11.	"Teach the Gifted Children"	3:20
Total length:		36:39

Personnel

Adapted from the Growing Up in Public liner notes. ^[13]

Musicians

• Lou Reed  – vocals; guitar
• Michael Fonfara  – keyboards; guitar
• Chuck Hammer  – guitar; guitar synthesizer
• Michael Suchorsky – drums
• Ellard "Moose" Boles – bass guitar; backing vocals
• Stuart Heinrich – guitar; backing vocals

Production and artwork

• Lou Reed – producer
• Michael Fonfara – producer
• Corky Stasiak – engineer
• Tony George – assistant engineer
• Howard Fritzson – design
• Mick Rock  – photography

Chart performance

Chart	Peak Position
US Billboard 200	158

See also

• List of albums released in 1980
• Lou Reed's discography

References

1. Deming, Mark. Growing Up in Public at AllMusic
2. Kot, Greg (January 12, 1992). "Lou Reed's Recordings: 25 Years Of Path-breaking Music". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 29, 2013.
3. "Robert Christgau: CG: Lou Reed". www.robertchristgau.com.
4. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. Muze. p. 825.
5. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 931.
6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 582.
7. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 326.
8. Andrew Collis (November 1992). "Album Reviews: Lou Reed — Growing Up in Public". Select . EMAP. p. 95. ISSN   0959-8367. Archived from the original on November 5, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
9. "Lou Reed | Biography & History". AllMusic .
10. "Lou Reed". Billboard .
11. Gilmore, Mikal (July 10, 1980). "Growing Up In Public". Rolling Stone .
12. "Lou Reed". Trouser Press . Retrieved 3 January 2021.
13. Growing Up in Public (CD booklet). Lou Reed. Arista Records. 1980.

External links

• Growing Up in Public at Discogs (list of releases)