Let Your Dim Light Shine

Last updated
Let Your Dim Light Shine
Let your Dim Light Shine.jpg
Studio album by
Soul Asylum
ReleasedJune 6, 1995
Recorded1994–1995
Studio Smart Studios
(Madison, Wisconsin)
Genre Alternative rock
Length49:59
Label Columbia
Producer
Soul Asylum chronology
Grave Dancers Union
(1992)		Let Your Dim Light Shine
(1995)		 Candy from a Stranger
(1998)
Singles from Let Your Dim Light Shine
  1. "Misery"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Just Like Anyone"
    Released: 1995
  3. "Promises Broken"
    Released: 1996

Let Your Dim Light Shine is the seventh studio album by American rock band Soul Asylum, released June 6, 1995, on Columbia Records. Critically, it suffered in comparison to its predecessor, Grave Dancers Union , the band's breakout release. It includes the hit "Misery", which was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Syndicated Inc." on his album Bad Hair Day .

Contents

It was the first Soul Asylum album with drummer Sterling Campbell, who had previously played drums on half of the tracks on Grave Dancers Union .

The album's title comes from a lyric of the song "Promises Broken".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide B+ [3]
Entertainment Weekly B [4]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Spin 7/10 [8]

AllMusic gave a mostly critical summary of Let Your Dim Light Shine, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine commenting that the music "isn't quite as impressive" compared to previous efforts, and moreover that this element is easily overlooked because of the "self-importance" of the lyrics. [1]

Track listing

All songs written by David Pirner unless noted otherwise.

  1. "Misery" – 4:24
  2. "Shut Down" – 2:51
  3. "To My Own Devices" – 2:59
  4. "Hopes Up" – 3:45
  5. "Promises Broken" (Dan Murphy, Marc Perlman) – 3:14
  6. "Bittersweetheart" – 3:34
  7. "String of Pearls" – 4:56
  8. "Crawl" (Stephen Jordan, Pirner) – 4:00
  9. "Caged Rat" – 3:03
  10. "Eyes of a Child" – 3:35
  11. "Just Like Anyone" – 2:47
  12. "Tell Me When" (Pirner, David Samuels) – 3:42
  13. "Nothing to Write Home About" – 3:14
  14. "I Did My Best" – 3:46

For the Japanese release of Let Your Dim Light Shine, an additional track was added to the album. It was a cover of the Descendents song "Hope". Note that "Bittersweetheart" fades out at 3:17, but the guitar feedback remains, therefore "Bittersweetheart" quickly segues into "String of Pearls". The running time of both songs equals about 8 minutes and 30 seconds long.

Personnel

Soul Asylum

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Singles

Chart performance for singles from Let Your Dim Light Shine
YearSingleChartPosition
1995"Misery"US Billboard Hot 10020
US Mainstream Rock Tracks2
US Modern Rock Tracks1
"Just Like Anyone"US Mainstream Rock Tracks11
US Modern Rock Tracks19
1996"Promises Broken"US Billboard Hot 10063
US Mainstream Rock Tracks29
US Adult Contemporary29

Certifications

Certifications for Let Your Dim Light Shine
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [23] 2× Platinum200,000^
United States (RIAA) [24] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Let Your Dim Light Shine Review". AllMusic . Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg (June 8, 1995). "Pirner's Folly". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "Soul Asylum: Let Your Dim Light Shine". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan Publishing. ISBN   9780312245603.
  4. ↑ Browne, David (June 9, 1995). "Let Your Dim Light Shine". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Hochman, Steve (June 4, 1995). "Album Review: Soul Asylum Is Searching With Its 'Dim Light'". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Let Your Dim Light Shine Review". Q . July 1995. p. 124.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Elysa (February 2, 1998). "Soul Asylum: Let Your Dim Light Shine". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ Arnold, Gina (July 1995). "Soul Asylum: Let Your Dim Light Shine". Spin . SPIN Media LLC. p. 71.
  9. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8540". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Soul Asylum: Let Your Dim Light Shine" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Charts.nz – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Soul Asylum Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Music Canada . Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  24. ↑ "American album certifications – Soul Asylum – Let Your Dim Light Shine". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 11, 2021.
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