Belinda (Belinda Carlisle album)

Belinda is the debut studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on May 19, 1986 by I.R.S. Records. Carlisle began work on the album in 1985 following the breakup of the Go-Go's, for whom she was the lead singer. The album was supported by four singles, with lead single "Mad About You" peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada.

Belinda
Studio album by
Belinda Carlisle
ReleasedMay 19, 1986
Recorded1985–1986
StudioGuerilla Studios (North London, England)
GenrePop rock
Length37:08
LabelI.R.S.
ProducerMichael Lloyd
Belinda Carlisle chronology
Belinda
(1986)		 Heaven on Earth
(1987)
Singles from Belinda
  1. "Mad About You"
    Released: 1986
  2. "I Feel the Magic"
    Released: 1986
  3. "Band of Gold"
    Released: 1986
  4. "Shot In the Dark"
    Released: 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC[2]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[3]
Q
People(favourable)[4]

Composition

Some of the songs on Belinda were written by Carlisle's former bandmates in the Go-Go's Charlotte Caffey and Paula Jean Brown[5] while the rest of the tracks were written by other songwriters such as the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. Carlisle has a single co-writing credit on one track ("Gotta Get to You").

"Band of Gold" was a hit song for Freda Payne in 1970, which Carlisle covered for this album. Although Payne herself does not appear on the album version of the track, John Luongo overdubbed and remixed the track for a single release, which included prominent backing vocals by Payne. The 7-inch single was only issued in Canada (where it hit No. 91 on the charts), but Payne's vocals were also heard on the dance mixes of Carlisle's version of the song, which were issued on a 12-inch single in the US. The various "Band of Gold" remixes would later appear as bonus tracks on the 2003 re-release of the album.

"I Need a Disguise" was written by the team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who co-wrote the song with Susanna Hoffs, as it was originally intended for use by the Bangles.[6] Kelly and Steinberg also co-wrote another song for Carlisle called "Dancing in the City", which she would eventually record and would later appear on the soundtrack for the 1987 movie Burglar. "Stuff and Nonsense" is a cover of Tim Finn's song originally performed by his band Split Enz on their 1979 album Frenzy. The song "Shot in the Dark" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Out of Bounds (1986).

Reception

Commercial

The album was successful in North America, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and at number 24 on the Canadian Albums chart. It was moderately successful in Australia, where it peaked at number 42 and charted for 12 weeks. Belinda was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada, selling over one million copies worldwide.

Critical

Upon release, Belinda was met with mixed reviews from critics. Mark Coleman of Rolling Stone wrote, "The problem with Belinda is that all the ingredients are there, but the end result just doesn't feel right."[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented retrospectively that "The pop on Belinda may not be as infectious as the Go-Go's' finest singles, yet it fit in well with the slick formats of mid-'80s radio and managed to be more memorable than many of the mainstream hits of the time, as the ingratiating hit "Mad About You" proves."[7]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mad About You"
  • Paula Jean Brown
  • James Whelan
  • Mitchel Young Evans
3:36
2."I Need a Disguise"
3:55
3."Since You've Gone"
3:12
4."I Feel the Magic"
  • Caffey
  • Segal
3:20
5."I Never Wanted a Rich Man"Caffey4:12
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Band of Gold"
3:42
2."Gotta Get to You"
  • Caffey
  • Belinda Carlisle
  • Brown
  • Whelan
4:06
3."From the Heart"
  • Charlotte Caffey
  • Tom Caffey
3:12
4."Shot in the Dark"
  • Brown
  • Whelan
3:23
5."Stuff and Nonsense"Tim Finn4:30
2003 CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Mad About You" (extended version)
  • Brown
  • Whelan
  • Evans
5:26
12."Band of Gold" (extended version) (featuring Freda Payne)
  • Wayne
  • Dunbar
6:42
13."Band of Gold" (dub mix) (featuring Freda Payne)
  • Wayne
  • Dunbar
7:43
14."Band of Gold" (single mix) (featuring Freda Payne)
  • Wayne
  • Dunbar
3:41

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

  • Michael Lloyd – producer, arranger
  • Carmine Rubino – engineer
  • Nathan Lam – associate producer
  • Dan Nebenzal – assistant engineer
  • William Orbit – remixer, engineer
  • Tania Hayward – assistant engineer
  • Belinda Carlisle – art direction
  • Carl Grasso – art direction
  • Matthew Rolston – cover photo
  • Bradford Bramson – sleeve photos
  • John D'Andrea – string arrangements (3, 6, 10)
  • Don Griffin – musical instruments (3, 6, 10)
  • Sid Sharp – string direction (3, 6, 10)
  • Robert Feist – additional vocal production
  • Ellen Shipley – additional vocal production

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Belinda
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Belinda - Belinda Carisle". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1987). "CG: Artist 2641". Robert Christgau. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  3. Coleman, Mark (July 3, 1986). "Belinda Carlisle: Belinda : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 27, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  4. "Picks and Pans Review: Belinda". people.com. People. June 23, 1986.
  5. The Go-Go's (documentary film) by Alison Ellwood on Sky Arts 20 March 2021 at 9pm
  6. "Back to the 80s: Interview with songwriter Billy Steinberg". 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Belinda Carlisle - Belinda Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 55. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0727". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  10. "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  11. "Top 100 Albums of '86". RPM. Vol. 45, no. 14. December 27, 1986. p. 9. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  12. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  13. "Canadian album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Belinda". Music Canada. January 30, 1987.
  14. "American album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Belinda". Recording Industry Association of America. November 24, 1986.
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