Become What You Are
Become What You Are is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Juliana Hatfield Three, released on August 3, 1993, by Mammoth Records. The album includes the hit singles "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle".
Become What You Are | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 3, 1993 | |||
Studio | Holywood Sound in Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, power pop[1] | |||
Length | 40:22 | |||
Label | Mammoth | |||
Producer | Scott Litt | |||
The Juliana Hatfield Three chronology | ||||
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Juliana Hatfield chronology | ||||
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Singles from Become What You Are | ||||
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Recording and release
The band's singer and guitarist, Juliana Hatfield, recorded Become What You Are with drummer Todd Philips, formerly of Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta, and bassist Dean Fisher, who she met during high school in Duxbury, Massachusetts.[2] Unlike her previous album Hey Babe, which deals with personal topics, Hatfield decided to write songs about other things and make them more universal.[3] The title of the album was inspired by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whom Hatfield admired.[2]
The album was recorded at Hollywood Sound, mixed at Oceanway Studios and mastered at Precision Mastering in Los Angeles.[4] It was released on August 3, 1993, by Mammoth Records.[1] The song "Spin the Bottle" is featured on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites.[5] As of February 2010, Become What You Are had sold 267,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan.[6]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Chicago Tribune | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[8] |
NME | 7/10[9] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [10] |
Q | [11] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
Select | 4/5[13] |
Become What You Are received generally favorable reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Hatfield's honest vocals on "Supermodel," "My Sister," and "Spin the Bottle", stating that "her talents are strong enough to carry the album over the weak spots."[1] The album was ranked No. 9 in NME's Albums of the Year list for 1993.[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Supermodel" | 2:52 | |
2. | "My Sister" | 3:22 | |
3. | "This Is the Sound" | 3:01 | |
4. | "For the Birds" | 4:14 | |
5. | "Mabel" | 4:09 | |
6. | "A Dame with a Rod" | 2:55 | |
7. | "Addicted" | 3:16 | |
8. | "Feelin' Massachusetts" | 4:11 | |
9. | "Spin the Bottle" | 2:23 | |
10. | "President Garfield" | 4:38 | |
11. | "Little Pieces" | 3:05 | |
12. | "I Got No Idols" | Dean Fisher, Hatfield, Todd Philips | 2:16 |
Total length: | 40:22 |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[4]
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Charts
Album
Chart (1993) | Peak |
---|---|
Top Heatseekers | 1[15] |
Billboard 200 | 119[15] |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Peak |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | "My Sister" | Modern Rock Tracks | 1[15] |
1993 | "My Sister" | UK Singles Chart | 71[16] |
1994 | "Spin the Bottle" | Mainstream Top 40 | 39[15] |
1994 | "Spin the Bottle" | UK Singles Chart | 83[16] |
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Become What You Are – Juliana Hatfield Three / Juliana Hatfield". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- Sheffield, Rob (March 1994). "Mystery Date". Spin. 9 (12): 32–35, 82. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- Scanlon, Ann (January 1994). "Interview with Juliana Hatfield". Vox.
- Become What You Are (CD booklet). The Juliana Hatfield Three. Mammoth. 1993. 7 92278-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Juliana Hatfield: The reluctant heartthrob". Lakeland Ledger: 3C. 1994-04-13. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
- Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (2010-01-09). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 6–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- Kot, Greg (1993-08-26). "Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are (Mammoth/Atlantic)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- Frost, Deborah (1993-08-06). "Become What You Are". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- Harris, John (1993-09-11). "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". NME: 39.
- Moon, Tom (1993-07-25). "Matthew Sweet: Altered Beast (Zoo) / The Juliana Hatfield Three: Become What You Are (Mammoth)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". Q (84): 80. September 1993.
- Mirkin, Steve (1993-10-28). "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- Collis, Clark (September 1993). "Juliana Hatfield: Become What You Are". Select (39): 89.
- "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- "Become What You Are – Juliana Hatfield Three / Juliana Hatfield (Awards)". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2012-08-28. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
- "UK Official Charts: Juliana Hatfield". Official Charts Company. 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.