Happy Town (album)

Happy Town is the third album by the American singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, released in 1997.[7][8] The album contains the singles "Bitter" and "When My Ship Comes In" as well as "Half a Heart" and the satirical social commentary "Soldiers of Christ", where Sobule sings from the point of view of a Christian Conservative to illustrate the existence of homophobia in religion. The album sold 24,000 copies in the US within the first year of its release.[9]

Happy Town
Studio album by
Jill Sobule
ReleasedMarch 18, 1997
GenreExperimental pop[1]
Length46:23
LabelAtlantic[2]
ProducerRobin Eaton,
Brad Jones[3]
Jill Sobule chronology
Jill Sobule
(1995)		 Happy Town
(1997)		 Pink Pearl
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Deseret News[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[3]
Rolling Stone[6]

"Bitter" peaked at No. 74 on the Australian ARIA singles chart in June 1997.[10] The album peaked at No. 83 on the Australian ARIA albums chart during the same month.[10] Sobule was dropped by Atlantic after the release of Happy Town.[11]

The album cover illustration, which initially featured a Prozac pill, was changed to show a pair of test tubes when Wal-Mart refused to carry the album in its stores. The company asserted that the original image promoted drug abuse.[12]

Critical reception

The Spokesman-Review called the album "a bold step forward for a creatively expansive artist."[2] Trouser Press called it "a record to respect rather than appreciate," writing that "many of the songs are fine, and she’s one of contemporary pop’s better observational songwriters, but the tone is unremittingly hostile."[13] The Deseret News deemed it "fun, liberal, spunky and sarcastic."[1] The Baltimore Sun wrote that "the title tune's shift from cheesy, low-key organ to bright, power-pop guitar make it easy to understand the difference between the dull old world and life in that new, prozac-ed 'Happy Town'."[14]

Track listing
  1. "Bitter" (Richard Barone, Sobule) – 3:30
  2. "Happy Town" (Goldenberg, Sobule) – 3:46
  3. "Barren Egg" (Eaton, Sobule) – 3:37
  4. "Half a Heart" (DeMain, Sobule) – 3:47
  5. "When My Ship Comes In" (Eaton, Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter, Sobule, William Stevenson) – 3:50
  6. "Clever" (Eaton, Sobule) – 3:18
  7. "I'm So Happy" (Eaton, Sobule) – 2:43
  8. "Little Guy" (Sobule) – 3:24
  9. "Underachiever" (Sobule) – 3:42
  10. "Love Is Never Equal" (Eaton, Sobule) – 3:15
  11. "Soldiers of Christ" (Eaton, Sobule) – 3:20
  12. "Attic" (Sobule) – 2:10
  13. "Sold My Soul" (Eaton, Sobule) – 3:35
  14. "Super 8" (Galdston, Sobule) – 2:26

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Producers: Robin Eaton, Mark Goldenberg, Brad Jones
  • Engineers: Brad Jones, Dominick Maita, Elijah Shaw
  • Mixing: Roger Moutenot
  • Mixing assistants: Rich Cohan, Sandy Jenkins, Chris Stone
  • Programming: Mark Goldenberg
  • Photography: Annette Aurell
  • Arranger: Phil Galdston
  • Production Coordination: Barbara Moutenot
  • Cover design: Brad Talbott
  • Illustrations: Brad Talbott
  • Background vocals: Bob, Jim, Mary Ellen and Matthew Sobule

Charts
Chart performance for Happy Town
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 83

References
  1. "Jackson, Miramax, Sobule hit targets with albums". Deseret News. July 12, 1997.
  2. "Jill Sobule Takes Bold Step With 'Happy Town' | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com.
  3. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1045.
  4. AllMusic review
  5. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 587.
  6. "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007.
  7. "Jill Sobule | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. Buckley, Peter (January 17, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  9. Topcik, Joel (September 25, 2004). "Always Up and Coming, a Singer Arrives (Published 2004)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 259.
  11. "Jill Sobule Returns With Playful, Eclectic Pink Pearl". MTV News.
  12. Sobule, Jill (August 25, 2010). "I'm in the Newseum as an example of dumb censorship. And a song where I play drums!". Jill's Journal. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  13. "Jill Sobule". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  14. Considine, J. D. (April 17, 1997). "The Chemical BrothersDig Your Own Hole (Astralwerks..." baltimoresun.com.
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