Human Being (album)

Last updated

Human Being
Efacd250fca00c8461886010.L.jpg
Studio album by
Released16 November 1998
Recorded1997–1998
Studio
Genre
Length51:35
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Trevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal
(1994)
Human Being
(1998)
Togetherland
(Unreleased)
Singles from Human Being
  1. "Human Beings"
    Released: 2 November 1998
  2. "Lost My Faith"
    Released: 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Human Being is the third studio album by British singer Seal, released in 1998. The title track was written about late rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. [1] Human Being received mixed reviews ranging from being panned for its overtly dark and moody feel, [3] to being described in terms such as "pop perfection". [1] The album featured Seal naked on the cover. The album failed to sell in the same way as his 1994 multi-platinum album Seal , but is a fan favourite.

Contents

A remix of "Lost My Faith" was featured over the closing credits of the 1999 film Entrapment , and the song's single release was accompanied by a music video in which Seal is integrated into scenes from the film alongside Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.[ citation needed ]

The cover art for the album was shot by French fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino. [5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Human Beings"Seal4:47
2."State of Grace"
  • Seal
  • Chris Bruce
5:00
3."Latest Craze"4:28
4."Just Like You Said"
  • Seal
  • Bruce
4:17
5."Princess"Seal1:58
6."Lost My Faith"
  • Seal
  • Reggie Hamilton
4:38
7."Excerpt From"Seal3:04
8."When a Man Is Wrong"Seal4:21
9."Colour"Seal5:22
10."Still Love Remains"Seal5:54
11."No Easy Way"Seal4:48
12."Human Beings (Reprise)"Seal3:28
Total length:52:05

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1998)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] 82
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [7] 21
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [8] 18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] 25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [10] 24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [11] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [12] 18
UK Albums (OCC) [13] 44
US Billboard 200 [14] 22

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [15] Gold7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI) [16] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [17] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Prato, Greg (17 November 1998). "Human Being - Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  2. ↑ David Browne (16 November 1998). "Human Being Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 Evelyn McDonnell (17 November 1998). "Seal: Human Being : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  4. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  723. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ↑ "SEAL on Instagram: "'Human Beings' (My Favourite of My Album Covers) #jeanbaptistemondino #albumcover"". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2019– via Instagram.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 246.
  7. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Human Being" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7053". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Human Being" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Charts.nz – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  16. ↑ "British album certifications – Seal – Human Being". British Phonographic Industry.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recording Industry Association of America.