Surfacing | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 15 July 1997 | |||
Recorded | July 1996–1997 | |||
Studio | Wild Sky Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:14 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Pierre Marchand | |||
Sarah McLachlan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Surfacing | ||||
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Surfacing is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 15 July 1997. It was produced by McLachlan's frequent collaborator, Pierre Marchand, and its release coincided with the start of McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. The album reached the top position on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums chart, number two on the US Billboard 200 and became her first album to reach the top 50 outside of North America, achieving that in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. It was certified as Diamond in sales in Canada [1] and as 8× Platinum in sales in the US. Critical reviews were mixed; some of the more positive reviews praised the songwriting, while the album's detractors criticized it as banal and slow.
The album spawned three top-three hits on the Canadian Singles Chart, including "Building a Mystery", which spent eight weeks at number one, "Sweet Surrender", which reached number two, and "Adia" which ascended to number three. The fourth single "Angel" peaked at number nine, but did reach number three on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart, something the other three singles also achieved. Two of the songs, "Adia" and "Angel" were US Billboard Hot 100 top-five hits (the latter also peaking at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart) while "Building a Mystery" was a top-15 hit and "Sweet Surrender" was a top-30 hit. "Adia" and "Angel" became her first songs to reach the top 40 in some countries outside of North America.
The album won four Juno Awards including for Album of the Year. "Building a Mystery" was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, while the instrumental-only song "Last Dance" won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Following the 1993 release of her third album and U.S. breakthrough, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy , McLachlan spent two and a half years touring. [2] This long period on the road finished in January 1996; over this time, the album slowly became a hit record. Work on the follow-up was scheduled to begin in April of that year, but McLachlan found herself mentally exhausted at the time, later claiming that she had personally wanted Fumbling Towards Ecstasy to be her final record. She spent time working in the studio in Quebec but struggled to produce anything for her new album. At her manager's suggestion, she returned home to Vancouver and took six months off. [2] She said that after this break—and some time spent in therapy—she began to feel more in control of her creativity and started writing material for the album. [2]
One of the first songs written for the album was the hit single "Angel". McLachlan said that writing the song was easy, and "a real joyous occasion." [2] It was inspired by articles that she read in Rolling Stone about musicians who turned to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music industry and subsequently overdosed. [2] [3] She said that she identified with the feelings that might lead someone to use heroin: "I've been in that place where you're so fucked up and you're so lost that you don't know who you are anymore, and you're miserable—and here's this escape route. I've never done heroin, but I've done plenty of other things to escape." [2] She said that the song is about "trying not to take responsibility for other people's shit and trying to love yourself at the same time." [3] Another song that she found easy to write was "Building a Mystery", co-written with her regular collaborator, Canadian musician and producer Pierre Marchand. Marchand heard her playing a guitar riff and suggested adding some lyrics that he had already written. They came up with the rest of the lyrics together, according to McLachlan, "pretty darn quickly." [2] When the album was finished, McLachlan commented, "I was so happy when I could let it go. I didn't give it another thought when it was done." [4]
Like most of McLachlan's albums, Surfacing was recorded at Marchand's Wild Sky Studios in Morin-Heights, Quebec. [5] Marchand, who produced, engineered, and mixed the album, recorded it on an Otari RADAR recorder and a Neumann 149 microphone. [5] McLachlan played piano, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar and Marchand played keyboards, bass, and a drum machine as well as providing background vocals. The other musicians on the album were Jim Creeggan on upright bass, Yves Desrosiers on guitar, musical saw, lap steel guitar and slide bass, Brian Minato on bass and electric guitar, Michel Pepin on electric guitar, and Ashwin Sood (whom McLachlan married in 1997) on percussion and drums. [6]
The album was released on 15 July 1997, on Nettwerk and Arista Records, debuting at No. 1 on the Canadian RPM 100 Albums chart, its lone week on top of the chart. [7] It peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. [8] It also reached the top 15 in New Zealand, the top 40 in Australia, and the top 50 in the UK and the Netherlands, her first album to chart in all of those countries. The release of the album coincided with the inaugural tour of McLachlan's Lilith Fair in mid-1997. [9]
The first single from the album was "Building a Mystery", released on 9 June 1997; [10] it spent eight weeks at number one on the Canadian singles chart, placing as the number one single of the year; it also topped the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart. It rose to number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Sweet Surrender" was released in late 1997 and reached number two on the Canadian Singles and Adult Contemporary Charts and number 28 on the US Hot 100. The third single released from the album was "Adia", released on 2 March 1998. [11] It peaked at number three on both the Canadian Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100, also reaching the top 20 in the UK, her first top-20 hit outside of North America. It also topped the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart while peaking at number five on the US Adult Contemporary Chart, her first single to achieve that. "Angel", released on 28 September 1998, [12] served as the album's final single, reaching number nine in Canada, number four on the Hot 100, [13] [14] the top 10 in Norway (her first top 10 hit outside of North America), the top 20 in Switzerland and Austria, and the top 40 in the UK, the Netherlands and New Zealand (her first hit in all these countries except for the UK). "Angel" was especially successful on the US Adult Contemporary Chart spending 12 weeks at number one, finishing 1999 as the number one Adult Contemporary song of the year, while also ascending to number three on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart. "I Love You" rose to number 23 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs in April 2000. [15]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [16] |
Chicago Tribune | [17] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [18] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [19] |
Los Angeles Times | [20] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [21] |
The Village Voice | C− [22] |
Writing for The New York Times , Sia Michel called the album "lushly atmospheric" but also ambivalent. She said that while the album paints a "vivid emotional landscape", it is at odds with McLachlan's statement that the album was about "'facing ugly things' about herself"; not revealing anything particularly dark. Michel also noted certain old-fashioned ideas in the album, particularly in "Sweet Surrender", that contrast with the work of contemporaries such as Ani DiFranco and PJ Harvey. She cited "Witness" as the highlight and said of the album, "[p]erhaps she hasn't found what she's looking for, but at least she's trying." [9] Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times said it "showcases her considerable strengths—a shimmering soprano voice and a knack for intelligent, emotionally forthright lyrics but also suffers from a lack of compelling craftsmanship and textural daring." [20]
Music critic Robert Christgau wrote that although he had stayed away from McLachlan's music in the past, "between her Lilith Fair counterpalooza and 'Building a Mystery' bonanza, [he] had to dive in, and got less than [he'd] bargained for." He criticized McLachlan's "monumental banality" and summed the album up as "renormalized pop at its most unnecessary." [22] A reviewer for Rolling Stone criticized the album's slow tempo, commenting that "if you want a piece of her nirvana, you have to go along at her protracted, glacial pace." They said that McLachlan is too "rigid in her introspection" and that they would like to hear her "work up a good head of steam". [23]
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine compared it unfavorably to McLachlan's previous album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy . He said that some of the songs were good, and praised "Building a Mystery" in particular, but said that the album offered nothing new. He also noted that the timing of the release, coinciding with the launch of Lilith Fair and the publicity that McLachlan received from that, helped sales of the album. [16] Jom, a staff reviewer for Sputnikmusic, gave the album a positive review, calling it "one of [McLachlan's] best albums" and praising her "tremendous growth as a songwriter and a musician". [24] In interviews, American hip hop artist Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. has said that hearing "Angel" on the radio, and subsequently listening to more of McLachlan's music, helped him though a period of depression. [25]
The album was mentioned in the Starr Report, the late 1990s account of Independent Counsel Ken Starr's investigation of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. [26] [27] [28] After a visit to the White House in November 1997, Lewinsky wrote that she "noticed you (President Clinton) had the new Sarah McLachlan CD" and that "whenever I listen to song No. 5 (Do What You Have to Do), I think of you." [27] [29] McLachlan's representatives had no comment on the matter. [26]
At the Juno Awards of 1998, McLachlan won four awards: Best Female Vocalist, Songwriter of the Year (with Pierre Marchand, for "Building a Mystery"), Best Album (for Surfacing) and Single of the Year (for "Building a Mystery"). [30] The following year, she did not win any awards, but was nominated for Single of the Year (for "Adia") and Best Video (for "Sweet Surrender").
At the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, McLachlan was nominated for three awards; she won the awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Building a Mystery") and Best Pop Instrumental Performance (for "Last Dance"). [31] In 1999, she received one more nomination for the album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Adia"); she lost to Celine Dion.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Building a Mystery" | 4:07 | |
2. | "I Love You" | McLachlan | 4:44 |
3. | "Sweet Surrender" | McLachlan | 4:00 |
4. | "Adia" |
| 4:05 |
5. | "Do What You Have to Do" |
| 3:47 |
6. | "Witness" |
| 4:47 |
7. | "Angel" | McLachlan | 4:30 |
8. | "Black & White" | McLachlan | 5:02 |
9. | "Full of Grace" | McLachlan | 3:41 |
10. | "Last Dance" | McLachlan | 2:33 |
Total length: | 41:14 |
Notes:
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [46] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada) [47] | Diamond | 1,078,000 [1] |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [48] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [49] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [50] | 8× Platinum | 8,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 16,000,000 [51] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Sarah Ann McLachlan is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing (1997), for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards. In addition to her personal artistic efforts, she founded the Lilith Fair tour, which showcased female musicians.
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.
Mirrorball is a 1999 live album by Sarah McLachlan, compiled from performances during the Surfacing tour in 1997–98. Most of the 14 songs are from McLachlan's two most recent albums at the time, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing. It was a commercial success, entering top 3 on both Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums Chart.
Afterglow is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Released on 4 November 2003, on Nettwerk in Canada and 4 November 2003, on Arista Records in the United States, it was her first album of new material in six years, after the success of Surfacing and the Lilith Fair festival. Longtime collaborator Pierre Marchand produced the album. McLachlan wrote eight of the 10 songs herself and co-wrote the other two with Marchand.
The Freedom Sessions is an album by Sarah McLachlan which was released on 6 December 1994 on Nettwerk in Canada and on 28 March 1995 on Arista Records in the United States. The album contains previously unreleased alternative versions and remixes of seven songs that had appeared on McLachlan's 1993 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, as well as a cover version of "Ol' '55" by Tom Waits. Many of the tracks were recorded during the same sessions as Fumbling. In subsequent live performances, some of these songs were reworked to match the style in which they were played on this album.
Solace is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 29 June 1991, on Nettwerk in Canada and 28 January 1992, on Arista Records in the United States. It was the album that first made her a star in Canada, spawning the hit singles "The Path of Thorns (Terms)" and "Into the Fire" and being certified double platinum for sales of 200,000 copies in Canada. This was also the first of many Sarah McLachlan albums produced by Pierre Marchand.
Rarities, B-Sides & Other Stuff is a 1996 album by Sarah McLachlan.
Afterglow Live is a 2004 live CD and DVD package by Sarah McLachlan.
"Building a Mystery" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan from her fourth studio album, Surfacing (1997). At a live performance, Sarah explains the song as being "basically about the fact that we all... have insecurities to hide, and we often do that by putting on a facade." She also goes on to say that "unfortunately, if we just be who we are, that's usually the more attractive and beautiful thing".
Live Acoustic (Nettwerk) is an EP by Sarah McLachlan. It was released on 31 May 2004 in Canada only. Four of the tracks were recorded live at a "Live from the Lounge" event with Ryan Seacrest for radio station Star 98.7 on 7 October 2003. These tracks were produced by Skip Kelly and remastered by Dave Kutch. The recording of "Adia" was done at the debut of iTunes for the PC on 21 October 2003. The EP was previously only available on iTunes. The tracks "Angel", "Building a Mystery", and "Adia" are from her previous album Surfacing (1997). "Fallen" and "Answer" are from Afterglow (2003).
"I Will Remember You" is a song written by Sarah McLachlan, Séamus Egan and Dave Merenda. The original inspiration came from Seamus Egan's instrumental song, "Weep Not for the Memories", which appeared on his album A Week in January (1990). McLachlan and Merenda added lyrics and modified the melody for her version. The song first appeared on the soundtrack for the movie The Brothers McMullen in 1995 and was released the same year, when it peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in Canada. It was also featured on McLachlan's 1996 remix album, Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff. The Rarities version of the song has three verses, the first of which is omitted during live performances, as heard on her 1999 album Mirrorball.
"Angel" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. The song first appeared on McLachlan's fourth studio album, Surfacing, in 1997 and was released as the album's fourth and final single in September 1998. The lyrics are about the death of musician Jonathan Melvoin (1961–1996) from a heroin overdose, as McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers. It is sometimes mistitled as "In the Arms of an Angel". or "Arms of the Angel".
“Possession” is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, and was the first single from her album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. It was written and composed by McLachlan herself and was produced by Pierre Marchand. It was released in Canada on 10 September 1993 by Nettwerk Records. The song appears twice on the album, as the first track and as a hidden track at the end, which is a solo piano version. “Possession” is written from the viewpoint of a man obsessed with a woman, and was inspired by consistent fan letters to McLachlan some time before the writing of the song. The most famous ones are from a computer programmer from Ottawa, Ontario named Uwe Vandrei, who sued McLachlan for using his words without crediting him. However, Vandrei died by suicide before the case could ever be taken to court.
Wintersong is the sixth album and first Christmas album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released in October 2006. It was produced by longtime collaborator Pierre Marchand and includes contributions from Jim Creeggan of Barenaked Ladies. The album also includes a collaboration with Jazz musician Diana Krall. In 2007, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In 2015, all songs from Wintersong plus five more tracks were released as The Classic Christmas Album.
"Adia" is a song by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan from her fourth studio album, Surfacing (1997). It was co-written by McLachlan and her longtime producer, Pierre Marchand. McLachlan has said about the song, "...more than anything, it's about my problems in dealing with feeling responsible for everyone else". "Adia" was released as the third North American single from Surfacing on 2 March 1998; in Europe, it served as McLachlan's debut single, receiving a UK release in September 1998.
"Sweet Surrender" is a song by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan. It was released in 1997 as the second single from her fourth studio album, Surfacing (1997). The song peaked at number two in Canada and number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2001, a maxi-single with remixes by DJ Tiësto was released peaking at number six on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, three years after its original release.
This is the discography of Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and pianist, Sarah McLachlan. Her debut album, Touch was released in 1988 and included first singles: "Vox", "Steaming" and "Ben's Song". The album charted in Canada and the United States and was certified platinum in Canada and gold in the US. The next album, Solace was issued in 1991. It peaked at number 20 in Canada and was certified double platinum there. Solace also charted in the US, where it was certified gold. It featured three singles: "The Path of Thorns (Terms)", "Into the Fire" and "Drawn to the Rhythm". The third studio album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (1993) became McLachlan's mainstream breakthrough album in Canada and the United States. It peaked at number five in Canada and number 50 on the US Billboard 200, and was certified 5× platinum in Canada and 3× platinum in the US. "Possession" and "Good Enough" became McLachlan's first singles to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Good Enough" also became her first top 10 hit in Canada, reaching number nine. At the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Laws of Illusion is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. It was released on 11 June 2010 on Arista Records in the United States and 15 June 2010 on Nettwerk in Canada. Recording for the album took place in Montreal and Vancouver and production was handled by Pierre Marchand, with whom McLachlan has frequently collaborated in the past.
Shine On is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 6 May 2014 by Verve Records. It was recorded in Vancouver and produced by longtime collaborator Pierre Marchand. According to McLachlan, the album was inspired by her father's passing and her own appreciation of life.
In Canada, Nettwerk serviced Canadian radio with "Building A Mystery" June 9.
She's a multi-platinum recording artist, founder of the wildly successful Lilith Fair, but now Sarah McLachlan has received the ultimate honor – she's mentioned in the newly released Kenneth Starr report.
Buried in the report is a deleted computer file written by Monica S. Lewinsky about the Canadian singer and Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan. ''When I was hiding out in your office for a half-hour, I noticed you had the new Sarah McLachlan CD,'' she wrote. ''I have it, too, and it's wonderful. Whenever I listen to song No. 5, I think of you.''
Sarah McLachlan: ''Do What You Have To Do,'' a mournful track on her 1997 ''Surfacing,'' was cited by Lewinsky as a song that made her think of Clinton.