Dulcinea (album)

Dulcinea is an album by Toad the Wet Sprocket released in 1994. It is their fourth studio album with Columbia Records and the follow-up to their popular album fear, which was released in 1991. Two songs from Dulcinea reached Top 40 designation on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts: "Fall Down" and "Something's Always Wrong". Dulcinea was RIAA Certified Gold on 1994-09-01 and Platinum on 1995-07-31.^[1]

The album's name is a reference to the love interest in Miguel de Cervantes' classic Spanish novel, Don Quixote. At least two songs on the album allude to themes found in the novel. "Crowing" is a song about a man who does not know how to keep a hold of his lover. "Windmills" is a metaphorical song about how people spend much of their lives chasing absurd or impossible pursuits (the allusion being to a specific scene in Don Quixote where the title character uselessly attacks a windmill).

Dulcinea also delves into some spiritual themes. "Fly from Heaven" is sung from the perspective of James, who is portrayed as Jesus' literal brother and upset about the manipulation of His word. "Begin" and "Reincarnation Song" each explore questions about death and the afterlife.

From a musical perspective, Dulcinea is a return by Toad to the basics of a four-person band. The band leaves behind the overdubbed and orchestral aspects of Fear for a cleaner acoustic sound (possibly with the exception of "Fall Down").