Welcome to the Cruel World

Last updated
Welcome to the Cruel World
Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 8, 1994
RecordedThe Convent
Genre
Length50:25
Label Virgin
Producer Ben Harper, Jean-Pierre Plunier
Ben Harper chronology
Welcome to the Cruel World
(1994)
Fight for Your Mind
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Village Voice Scissors icon black.svg [8]

Welcome to the Cruel World is Ben Harper's debut album from Virgin Records. Released in 1994, the album established Harper as a popular folk musician in the California area. After this release, Harper went on to add a permanent backing band, the Innocent Criminals, although they remained unnamed until the Burn to Shine album. The song "I'll Rise" is based on a 1978 Maya Angelou poem "And Still I Rise".

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Harper except as noted.

  1. "The Three of Us" – 2:35
  2. "Whipping Boy" (Chris Darrow) – 5:31
  3. "Breakin' Down" (Harper, music: Jean-Pierre Plunier) – 4:00
  4. "Don't Take That Attitude to Your Grave" – 4:25
  5. "Waiting on an Angel" – 3:53
  6. "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now" – 2:29
  7. "Forever" – 3:23
  8. "Like a King" – 4:18
  9. "Pleasure and Pain" – 3:44
  10. "Walk Away" – 3:49
  11. "How Many Miles Must We March" – 3:07
  12. "Welcome to the Cruel World" – 5:36
  13. "I'll Rise" (lyrics: Maya Angelou; music: Harper) – 3:35

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Welcome to the Cruel World
Chart (1998)Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart [9] 94
French Albums Chart [10] 11

Certifications

} }

Certifications for Welcome to the Cruel World
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [11] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [12] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [13] Platinum300,000*
United States (RIAA) [14] Gold500,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Escape</i> (Journey album) 1981 studio album by Journey

Escape is the seventh studio album by American rock band Journey, released on July 17, 1981 by Columbia Records. It topped the American Billboard 200 chart and features four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles – "Don't Stop Believin'", "Who's Crying Now", "Still They Ride" and "Open Arms" – plus rock radio staple "Stone in Love". In July 2021, it was certified diamond by the RIAA, making it the band's most successful studio album and second most successful album overall behind Greatest Hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Harper</span> American musician (born 1969)

Benjamin Charles Harper is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances, and activism. He has released twelve studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records, and has toured internationally.

<i>Fight for Your Mind</i> 1995 studio album by Ben Harper

Fight for Your Mind is the second album by Ben Harper. Released on August 1, 1995, it was his last solo album before adding the Innocent Criminals to his line-up. Reviews were generally very positive, praising Harper's fusion of multiple genres, from folk, folk rock, and politically charged reggae.

<i>The Will to Live</i> 1997 studio album by Ben Harper

The Will to Live is a 1997 album by Ben Harper which showed his continuing folk-centric focus, while at the same time expanding on his rock talents. This was his third album, his second with the Innocent Criminals (uncredited), and was packaged with a special bonus CD in certain countries.

<i>Live from Mars</i> 2001 live album by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals

Live from Mars is a two disc live concert(s) release from Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, which takes tracks from unnamed venues throughout his 2000 tour and places them on either an electric or acoustic disc. It was released in the year 2001.

<i>Burn to Shine</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

Burn to Shine is an album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, released in 1999 on Virgin Records America. Harper's fourth album, it shows him working within many different genres, including blues, rock, soul, and folk. The songs "Steal My Kisses" and "Suzie Blue" became successful on college radio. Like most other Harper albums, different versions were released in different regions within varying bonus material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divinyls</span> Australian rock band

Divinyls were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school uniform and fishnet stockings, and she often used an illuminated neon tube as a prop for displaying aggression towards both band members and the audience. Originally a five-piece, the band underwent numerous line-up changes, with Amphlett and McEntee remaining as core members, before its dissolution in 1996.

<i>Im Alive</i> (Jackson Browne album) 1993 studio album by Jackson Browne

I'm Alive is the tenth album by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1993. The title track, "I'm Alive", reached No. 18 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Other singles released from the album were "Everywhere I Go" and "Sky Blue and Black".

<i>Brushfire Fairytales</i> 2001 studio album by Jack Johnson

Brushfire Fairytales is the debut album by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. It was released in 2001 through Enjoy Records, a label that was later renamed Everloving Recordings.

<i>Dream Police</i> 1979 studio album by Cheap Trick

Dream Police is the fourth studio album by American rock band Cheap Trick. It was released in 1979, and was their third release in a row produced by Tom Werman. It is the band's most commercially successful studio album, going to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and being certified platinum within a few months of its release.

<i>Both Sides of the Gun</i> 2006 studio album by Ben Harper

Both Sides of the Gun is the seventh album by Ben Harper, released in 2006. Split into two discs, the title suggests the two sides of Harper's musical nature. The first disc ("White") is made of mostly acoustic and string-driven songs hinted at on the last track of Harper's previous album Diamonds On the Inside. The second disc ("Black") is made up of the more rock and upbeat material and touching on genres such as hard rock, funk and gospel.

<i>Pleasure & Pain</i> (112 album) 2005 studio album by 112

Pleasure & Pain is the fifth studio album BY American R&B group 112. It was released by Def Soul on March 29, 2005 in the United States. Named after the song "Pleasure & Pain" on 112's 1996 eponymous debut album, 112, the album did not fare as well as their first three albums, but the album did manage to spawn one hit single in 2005; the single "U Already Know" peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the second single "What If" reached #74. It was the first 112 album to get a Parental Advisory sticker. The single, "U Already Know", has two official remixes, the official Murder Remix featuring Ja Rule & Harry O and the official Roc-A-Fella Remix featuring Foxy Brown.

<i>Only Sisters Can Do That</i> 1993 studio album by the Pointer Sisters

Only Sisters Can Do That is the fifteenth studio album by The Pointer Sisters, released in 1993 on the SBK label.

<i>The Mama Tour</i> 1985 film

Genesis Live: The Mama Tour is a concert film by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released for home video in October 1985 by Virgin Music Video. It contains highlights from the group's five concerts at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in February 1984 at the end of their Mama Tour, supporting their 1983 album Genesis. It was directed by Jim Yukich.

<i>Maestro</i> (Taj Mahal album) 2008 studio album by Taj Mahal

Maestro is an album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. It was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

<i>The Queen Album</i> 1988 studio album by Elaine Paige

The Queen Album is a solo cover album of the band Queen by Elaine Paige. It was released in 1988 and peaked at No. 51 in the UK in November 1988. This is the only album from Paige to be released on Siren Records and distributed by Virgin Records. The album was re-issued with different artwork on CD in 1990 on Virgin VIP by Virgin Records.

<i>Man on the Rocks</i> 2014 studio album by Mike Oldfield

Man on the Rocks is the twenty-fifth studio album by British musician Mike Oldfield, released on 3 March 2014 on the Virgin EMI label. The album is Oldfield's second full album of exclusively songs with no long or instrumental pieces, the first being 1989's Earth Moving.

<i>Live in Hamburg</i> (Saga album) 2016 live album by Saga

Live in Hamburg is a live album by Saga, which was released by earMUSIC on 2 September 2016. It was recorded live in Hamburg on 28 April 2015. While the original plan was to split up the concert and release the recordings as bonus tracks to the 12 albums in 12 months reissues, the series was not continued beyond Pleasure & the Pain and the concert was released in its entirety instead. The original album is strictly limited to 5000 copies worldwide, however, in 2018, earMUSIC reissued the album in a regular jewel case.

How Cruel is a 12-inch one-sided EP by British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading, which was released in November 1979 on A&M. The title track had previously appeared on Armatrading's live album Steppin' Out, which was not released in the US. The EP was released in the US and elsewhere, but not in the UK. It peaked at #19 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards in 1981. The single from this EP was "Rosie"/"How Cruel" (1979/1980), which reached #49 in the UK and #52 in Australia. "Rosie" was included on Armatrading's first compilation album, 1983's Track Record, as well as her 2004 live album Live: All the Way from America. All four tracks from this EP were placed at the start of the second CD of Armatrading's 2003 compilation album Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975–1983).

<i>The Slide Area</i> 1982 studio album by Ry Cooder

The Slide Area is the tenth studio album by Ry Cooder. It was released in 1982 and peaked at No. 105 on the Billboard 200.

References

  1. Goble, Ryan Randall. "Welcome to the Cruel World – Ben Harper". AllMusic . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. Kot, Greg (February 24, 1994). "Ben Harper: Welcome to the Cruel World (Virgin)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  3. Denselow, Robin (September 23, 1994). "Ben Harper: Welcome to the Cruel World (Virgin)". The Guardian .
  4. Hochman, Steve (March 13, 1994). "Ben Harper 'Welcome to the Cruel World' Virgin". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. "Ben Harper: Welcome to the Cruel World". Q . No. 97. October 1994. p. 116.
  6. Randall, Mac (2004). "Ben Harper". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  363–64. ISBN   9780743201698.
  7. Gundersen, Edna (April 20, 1994). "Triple Play". USA Today .
  8. Christgau, Robert (February 21, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  9. "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  10. "Classements - Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  12. "Canadian album certifications – Ben Harper – Welcome to the Cruel World". Music Canada . Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  13. "French album certifications – Ben Harper – Welcome to the Cruel World" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  14. "American album certifications – Ben Harper – Welcome to the Cruel World". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 14, 2020.