When You're a Boy is the debut solo album by Susanna Hoffs.[2] It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed", includes the track "Unconditional Love" (co-written by Cyndi Lauper), and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging", the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album's title comes from the lyrics to the latter.[3]
| When You're a Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 29, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio | A&M Studios, Capitol Studios and Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California)
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:07 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Kahne | |||
| Susanna Hoffs chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 83 on the US albums chart.[4]
Three singles were released from the album: "My Side of the Bed", "Unconditional Love", and "Only Love". The first two featured the non-LP B-side "Circus Girl".
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| New Musical Express | 3/10[7] |
| Q | [2] |
| Record Mirror |   [8] |
| Sounds | [9] |
Jimmy Nicol of Q gave the album four out of five stars and wrote, "An album which expands the Bangles' brief into undreamed of territories. She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist ... After all, how many other American pop stars embarking on a solo career would name their album after a late '70s English art-rock 45?"[2]
AllMusic's review was negative, giving it one and a half out of five stars, and remarking, "Although the album was released in 1991, it sounds like bad mid-'80s music. Hoffs and the Bangles had a few catchy pop ditties; however, there are none to be found here."[10]
Track listing
edit| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Side of the Bed" | Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg | 3:29 |
| 2. | "No Kind of Love" | Hoffs, David Kahne, Scott Cutler, Ross Rice | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Wishing On Telstar" | Robin Lane, Jimmy Cipolla | 4:11 |
| 4. | "That's Why Girls Cry" | Kahne, Juliana Hatfield, Hoffs | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Unconditional Love" | Cyndi Lauper, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Something New" | John Hanes, Cary Sheldon, Hoffs, Kahne | 3:52 |
| 7. | "So Much for Love" | J. Hanes, Pearl E. Gates, Peter Dunne, Hilary Hanes | 3:33 |
| 8. | "This Time" | Steve Summers | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Only Love" | Hoffs, Diane Warren | 4:25 |
| 10. | "It's Lonely Out Here" | Hoffs, Kelly, Steinberg | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Made of Stone" | Jennfer Condos, Hoffs, Kahne | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Boys Keep Swinging" | David Bowie, Brian Eno | 4:59 |
Personnel
edit- Susanna Hoffs – vocals, backing vocals, additional guitars
- David Kahne – keyboards, programming
- Rusty Anderson – guitars
- Randy Jackson – bass
- John Entwistle – additional bass (12)
- Zachary Alford – drums
- Gary Ferguson – drums
- Carlos Vega – drums
- Lisa Brenneis – backing vocals
- Juliana Hatfield – backing vocals
- Tom Kelly – backing vocals
- Robin Lane – backing vocals
- Donovan Leitch – backing vocals
- Eric Lowen – backing vocals
- Dan Navarro – backing vocals
- Michelle Rohl – backing vocals
- Maria Vidal – backing vocals
Production
edit- David Kahne – producer, arrangements, engineer, mixing (5, 6)
- Steve Churchyard – engineer
- Clark Germain – engineer
- David Leonard – engineer, mixing (1-3, 5, 7-12)
- Joel Stoner – engineer, mixing (5)
- Keith Cohen – mixing (4)
- Ray Blair – assistant engineer
- Greg Goldman – assistant engineer
- Ed Goodreau – assistant engineer
- Mike Kloster – assistant engineer
- Sylvia Massy – assistant engineer
- Charlie Paakkari – assistant engineer
- Mike Piersante – assistant engineer
- Lori Fumar – assistant mix engineer
- Wally Traugott – mastering at Capitol Studios
- Randee St. Nicholas – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 67 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[12] | 8 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 51 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 29 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 56 |
| US Billboard 200[4] | 83 |
| US Cash Box Top 200 Albums[16] | 74 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[17] | 43 |
References
edit- ^ a b Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Bangles". Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. p. 29. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ a b c Nicol, Jimmy (5 March 1991). "When You're A Boy review". Q Magazine. 55: 71.
- ^ Stitzel, Kelly (February 1, 2011). "Popdose Flashback '91: Susanna Hoffs, "When You're a Boy"". Popdose. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- ^ a b "Susanna Hoffs Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Hochmann, Steve (January 27, 1991). "Susanna Hoffs: When You're a Boy". p. C.62.
- ^ Mulvey, John (30 March 1991). "Long Play". New Musical Express. p. 36.
- ^ Duerden, Nick (6 April 1991). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 17.
- ^ Traitor, Ralph (30 March 1991). "Review: Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy (Columbia)" (PDF). Sounds. Peterborough: United Newspapers. p. 41. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Griggs, Tim. "When You're a Boy AllMusic Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved Dec 23, 2018.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 130.
- ^ "Sisältää hitin" [Contains a hit] (PDF). musiikkiarkisto.fi (in Finnish). p. 103.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Susanna Hoffs – When You're a Boy". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LIV, no. 30. 9 March 1991. p. 24 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1479". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
