Tigerlily

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For other uses, see Tiger lily (disambiguation).
Tigerlily
Studio album by
Natalie Merchant
ReleasedJune 20, 1995
RecordedDecember 1994–March 1995
Studio
GenreAlternative rock
Length52:06
LabelElektra
ProducerNatalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant chronology
Tigerlily
(1995) 		Ophelia
(1998)
Singles from Tigerlily
  1. "Carnival"
    Released: July 1995
  2. "Wonder"
    Released: 1995
  3. "Jealousy"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Mojo(favorable)[4]
Musician Magazine(favorable)[5]
Q[citation needed]
Robert Christgau(neither)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

Tigerlily is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, released on June 20, 1995, following her departure from the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs.

Tigerlily peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart and was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2001.[8] It contained three singles that charted in the Billboard Hot 100: "Carnival" (No. 10), "Wonder" (No. 20), and "Jealousy" (No. 23).

Re-releases[edit]

Tigerlily was re-released in 1996 as a 2-CD set, with the second CD containing a remix of the song "Jealousy" and live performances from her tour.

In 2015, to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary, Merchant rerecorded the songs from the album and released them as Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings.[9]

Background[edit]

The song "River" is a tribute to River Phoenix.[10][11]

Aileen Wuornos had requested that Merchant's song "Carnival" be played at her funeral, and the song later appeared in the credits of the 2003 documentary Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer. Merchant later commented:

"When director Nick Broomfield sent a working edit of the film, I was so disturbed by the subject matter that I couldn't even watch it. Aileen Wuornos led a tortured, torturing life that is beyond my worst nightmares. It wasn't until I was told that Aileen spent many hours listening to my album Tigerlily while on death row and requested "Carnival" be played at her funeral that I gave permission for the use of the song. It's very odd to think of the places my music can go once it leaves my hands. If it gave her some solace, I have to be grateful."[12]

Reception[edit]

Reviews of Tigerlily were mostly positive. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ rating, observing that, "with its unadorned, keyboard-based arrangements, Tigerlily is more sparely produced than anything Merchant did with 10,000 Maniacs, yet the starkness works in her favor. ... The hooks on this album are subtler, and ultimately Merchant sounds both more natural and affecting." While Browne expressed a desire for Merchant to "lighten up," he also praised her "uncompromising vision."[2]

In the Los Angeles Times 1995 Holiday Gift Guide, Jean Rosenbluth awarded the album three stars out of four, stating, "A rejuvenated Merchant sounds considerably more mature and womanly than the 10,000 Maniacs gave her room to be. Positive progress for a talent that is still in bloom."[13]

Al Weisel of Rolling Stone gave the album one and a half stars out of five, calling the album "bloodless and limp," and claiming Merchant's voice had "nearly deteriorated into self-parody." Weisel added, "With its surfeit of blindly self-obsessed lyrics and lulling lite-rock arrangements, the bulk of Tigerlily provides a perfect soundtrack for the Prozac nation."[14]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album four and a half stars out of five, concluding that "the added emphasis on rhythmic texture works, creating an intimate but not exclusive atmosphere that holds throughout the record, even when her occasionally sophomoric, sentimental poetry threatens to sink the album in the weight of its own preciousness."[15]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Natalie Merchant, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."San Andreas Fault"3:57
2."Wonder"4:26
3."Beloved Wife"5:03
4."River"5:32
5."Carnival"5:59
6."I May Know the Word"8:07
7."The Letter"2:12
8."Cowboy Romance"4:39
9."Jealousy"2:41
10."Where I Go"3:59
11."Seven Years"5:31
1996 bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jealousy" (remix edit) 2:44
2."Sympathy for the Devil" (live)
5:17
3."Baby I Love You/Son of a Preacher Man (Medley)" (live)
5:54
4."Take a Look" (live)Allen Toussaint3:45
5."The Work Song" (live)
3:52

Personnel[edit]

Additional musicians

  • John Holbrook – electric guitar (1, 9), organ (3, 9)
  • Adrián López Guevarra – percussion (5, 10)
  • Matt Henderson – electric guitar (1), bass guitar (1)
  • Jay Ungar – violin (8)
  • Michelle Kinney – cello (11)
  • Katell Keineg – backing vocals (5)
  • Eric Schenkman – electric guitar (9)
  • Randy Grant – percussion (1)

Technical

  • John Holbrook – engineer, mixing
  • Natalie Merchant – package design
  • Frank Olinsky – package design
  • Dan Borris – portraits of Natalie
  • José Picayo – band photographs
  • Todd Vos – assistant engineer
  • Paul Antonell – assistant engineer
  • Suzanne Dyer – assistant engineer
  • Andrew Page – assistant engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 100,000[26]
United States (RIAA)[28] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Tigerlily at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b David Browne (June 23, 1995). "Tigerlily". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "Holiday Gift Guide : Calendar's little helpers offer suggestions in pop, jazz, holiday, family and classical music, plus videos, computer games and books. (Good news: They're easy to wrap.) : POP MUSIC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  4. ^ Mojo, 7/95, p. 110
  5. ^ Musician Magazine, 9/95, p. 93
  6. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Natalie Merchant". Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  7. ^ "Natalie Merchant". Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum, Natalie Merchant".
  9. ^ "Nonesuch to Release Natalie Merchant's "Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings" with Companion Documentary on DVD November 6". Nonesuch Records Official Website. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "Natalie Merchant". Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  11. ^ Tigerlily at AllMusic
  12. ^ "News: Aileen Wuornos Documentary". NatalieMerchant.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  13. ^ "Holiday Gift Guide : Calendar's little helpers offer suggestions in pop, jazz, holiday, family and classical music, plus videos, computer games and books. (Good news: They're easy to wrap.) : POP MUSIC". Los Angeles Times. November 26, 1995. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  14. ^ "Natalie Merchant". Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  15. ^ Tigerlily at AllMusic
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Natalie Merchant – Tigerlily". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – Natalie Merchant – Tigerlily". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "Natalie Merchant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1996". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  23. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Natalie Merchant – Ophelia". Music Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  26. ^ Jones, Alan (January 29, 2016). "Official Charts Analysis: Bowie album chart domination continues". Music Week. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Natalie Merchant – Ophelia". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
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