Mister Heartbreak

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Mister Heartbreak
Mister Heartbreak cover
Studio album by Laurie Anderson
Released February 14, 1984
Recorded July 1983–December 1983
Genre Avant-garde/Experimental/Pop
Length 39:42
Label Warner Bros.
Producer(s) Laurie Anderson, Bill Laswell, Roma Baran and Peter Gabriel
Professional reviews
Laurie Anderson chronology
Big Science
(1982)
Mister Heartbreak
(1984)
United States Live
(1984)


Mister Heartbreak is the second album by avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson, released in 1984. Considered more musical than its predecessor, Big Science, the album's lead track, "Sharkey's Day" formed the basis of a popular music video. Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs read the lyrics of the closing track, "Sharkey's Night", while Peter Gabriel provided backing vocals on "Excellent Birds", an alternate version of which also appeared on his album, So. Haunting "Gravity's Angel" borrows imagery from Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (see this page for lyrics).

Most of the songs on this album were later performed in Anderson's 1986 concert film, Home of the Brave.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Laurie Anderson except as indicated.

  1. "Sharkey's Day" – 7:41
  2. "Langue d'Amour" – 6:12
  3. "Gravity's Angel" – 6:02
  4. "Kokoku" – 7:03
  5. "Excellent Birds" (Anderson, Peter Gabriel) – 3:12
  6. "Blue Lagoon" – 7:03
  7. "Sharkey's Night" – 2:29

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Additional personnel

  • November (Michelle Cobbs, Dollette McDonald, Brenda Nelson) – backing vocals on 1
  • Daniel Ponce – iya on 1, ikonkolo on 1, shekere on 1, double bell on 1
  • Peter Gabriel – backing vocals on 2 3, vocals on 5, synclavier on 5, Linn drum on 5
  • David Van Tieghem – plywood bowls on 3, drums on 3, steel drum on 6, gato on 6, bamboo on 6
  • Song Wan Park – kayagum on 4
  • Connie Harvey – Japanese chorus on 4
  • Phoebe Snow – backing vocals on 4
  • Atsuko Yuma – backing vocals on 4
  • Janet Wright – Japanese chorus on 4
  • Nile Rodgers – guitar on 5
  • Bill Blaber – soprano on 6
  • William S. Burroughs – vocals on 7

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1984 The Billboard 200 60