Welcome to the Cruel World

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Welcome to the Cruel World
Studio album by
Ben Harper
ReleasedFebruary 8, 1994
RecordedThe Convent
Genre
Length50:25
LabelVirgin
ProducerBen Harper, Jean-Pierre Plunier
Ben Harper chronology
Welcome to the Cruel World
(1994) 		Fight for Your Mind
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
The Guardian[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Q[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
USA Today[7]
The Village Voice(choice cut)[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".

Track listing[edit]

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[edit]

Musicians

  • Ben Harper – vocals, acoustic guitar, Weissenborn guitar, dobro
  • Richard Cook – Uilleann pipes on "Pleasure and Pain"
  • Rock Deadrick – percussion, drums, backing vocals
  • Tom Freund
  • Suzie Katayama – cello on "Pleasure and Pain"
  • John McKnight – bass guitar, accordion on "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now"
  • Tommy D. Daugherty – drum programming
  • Gail Deadrick – piano on "I'll Rise"
  • Clabe Hangan, Clarence Butler, John Taylor, Kenneth McDaniel, Clyde Allen, Jelanie Jones, Kevin Williams – backing vocals

Production

  • Producers: Ben Harper, J.P. Plunier
  • Associate producer: Jeff Gottlieb, Mikal Reid
  • Engineer: Mikal Reid
  • Assistant engineer: Bradley Cook
  • Mixing: Mikal Reid
  • Mastering: Eddy Schreyer
  • Advisor: Ben Elder
  • Art direction: Tom Dolan, J.P. Plunier
  • Research: Ben Elder
  • Photography: Jeff Gottlieb

Charts[edit]

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

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Welcome to the Cruel World
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[13] Platinum 300,000*
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000‡

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

References[edit]

  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.
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