Halcyon Days (Bruce Hornsby album)

Last updated
Halcyon Days
HornsbyHdays.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 17, 2004
Genre Rock
Jazz
Label Columbia
Producer Wayne Pooley, Bruce Hornsby
Bruce Hornsby chronology
Big Swing Face
(2002)
Halcyon Days
(2004)
Intersections (1985-2005)
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Halcyon Days is the eighth studio album by American singer and pianist Bruce Hornsby. The album, recorded with his touring band the Noisemakers, was released in 2004. It was Hornsby's first release with Columbia Records. One song, "What The Hell Happened", has been described as a rare example of the use of bitonality in a pop piece. [2]

Contents

The album marked a return to a more acoustic, piano-driven sound that reviewers described as "pure Hornsby". [3] Guests included Sting, Elton John and Eric Clapton. The tracks "Gonna Be Some Changes Made," "Candy Mountain Run," "Dreamland," and "Circus On The Moon" became concert staples, each showcasing the diversity of Hornsby's improvisations and the Noisemakers' live sound. Notably, Halcyon Days also includes a suite of solo piano songs"What The Hell Happened," "Hooray For Tom," and "Heir Gordon"which all have a "Randy Newman pastiche." [4] Although the album was markedly less-risk-taking than Big Swing Face , it would be well-received as a "winning balance of [Hornsby's] tuneful and adventurous sides." [3]

"Gonna Be Some Changes Made" was used in several Lowe's commercials from 2006.

Track listing

All songs written by Bruce Hornsby.

  1. "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" - 5:18
  2. "Candy Mountain Run" (with Eric Clapton) - 5:15
  3. "Dreamland" (duet with Elton John) - 5:05
  4. "Circus on the Moon" - 6:32
  5. "Halcyon Days" (duet with Sting) - 5:57
  6. "What the Hell Happened" - 4:22
  7. "Hooray for Tom" - 3:56
  8. "Heir Gordon" - 4:24
  9. "Mirror on the Wall" - 5:41
  10. "Song F" - 4:13
  11. "Lost in the Snow" - 5:08

Musicians

Orchestra (on "Dreamland", "Hooray for Tom" and "Lost in the Snow")

Production

Charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [5] 92
US Billboard 200 [6] 86

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References

  1. "Bruce Hornsby: Halcyon Days". Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved 2007-05-04., RollingStone.com.
  2. Diton, Robert (September 23, 2011). "Bruce Hornsby to bring the noise to Englewood", Examiner.com.
  3. 1 2 Wild, David (2004-09-02). "Bruce Hornsby: Halcyon Days". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  4. Miller, Skyler. "Halcyon Days: Overview". All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Hornsby – Halcyon Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  6. "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.