The Burdens of Being Upright

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The Burdens of Being Upright
Tracy Bonham - The Burdens of Being Upright.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 19, 1996
GenreAlternative rock, post-grunge
Length35:28
LabelIsland/PolyGram
ProducerPaul Q. Kolderie,
Sean Slade
Tracy Bonham chronology
Liverpool Sessions EP
(1995)
The Burdens of Being Upright
(1996)
Down Here
(2000)
Singles from The Burdens of Being Upright
  1. "Mother Mother"
    Released: 1996
  2. "The One"
    Released: 1996
  3. "Sharks Can't Sleep"
    Released: 1996
  4. "Navy Bean"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3/5 stars[1]

The Burdens of Being Upright is the first album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham. It was released on March 19, 1996 by Island Records, with distribution by Polygram and it was her major label debut. The album cover (a reference to German photographer August Sander's work "The Bricklayer") was photographed by George DuBose, who was the in-house photographer at the hip hop label Cold Chillin' Records.

Content[]

Referencing this album, in 2015 Bonham said,

That whole album was my experiment with getting a guitar. I was rebelling. It was just raw. I was like, ‘Just get out and do it; get behind a microphone and just scream.’ Twenty years ago I had more doubts; I thought, ‘I can’t just stand there and do that’ — which is when I knew I had to do it.[2]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Tracy Bonham.

No.TitleLength
1."Mother Mother"3:00
2."Navy Bean"2:49
3."Tell It to the Sky"4:05
4."Kisses"2:20
5."Brain Crack"1:05
6."The One"3:26
7."One Hit Wonder"3:01
8."Sharks Can't Sleep"4:33
9."Bulldog"2:07
10."Every Breath"2:33
11."30 Seconds"3:14
12."The Real"3:16

Personnel[]

  • Tracy Bonham – guitar, violin, vocals
  • Ed Ackerson – guitar
  • Fred Eltringham – drums
  • Josh Freese – drums
  • Drew Parsons – bass guitar
  • Eric Paul – drums
  • Sean Slade – organ
  • Paul Q. Kolderie – production, engineer
  • Sean Slade – production, engineer

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Year Chart Position
1996 Heatseekers 9
1996 The Billboard 200 54

Singles[]

Year Single Chart Position
1996 "Mother Mother" Mainstream Rock Tracks 18
1996 "Mother Mother" Modern Rock Tracks 1
1996 "The One" Modern Rock Tracks 23

Awards[]

Grammy Award Nominations

Year Nominee Category
1996 "Mother Mother" Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
1996 The Burdens of Being Upright Best Alternative Album

References[]

  1. ^ AllMusic Review
  2. ^ Laban, Linda (August 27, 2015). "Tracy Bonham: From 'Mother, Mother' to Exploring Motherhood on 'Wax and Gold'". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

External links[]

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