| Lives in the Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Jackson Browne | ||||
| Released | February 18, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | Late Summer-Late Fall, 1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 38:53 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Jackson Browne | |||
| Jackson Browne chronology | ||||
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Lives in the Balance is the eighth album by American singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). It reached number 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. The title track as well as "For America" and "In the Shape of a Heart" were released as singles. The album was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stone's list of the best 100 albums of the 1980s.
Contents |
Lives in the Balance was the first album by Browne where overtly political and socially critical songs dominated, although it also included one of his best remembered songs about relationships, the tragic "In the Shape of a Heart", inspired by his relationship with his first wife. The radio play garnered by "For America" and "In the Shape of a Heart", and the use of "Lives in the Balance" in the show Miami Vice, gained him many new fans who later went back and discovered Browne's earlier works.
The album was certified as a Gold record in 1986 by the RIAA.[1]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | (B) [3] |
| Rolling Stone Record Guide | (2 stars) [4] |
Critical press focused on the political direction of Lives in the Balance. Music critic William Rulhmann wrote "...if Browne sounded more involved in his music than he had in some time, the specificity of its approach inevitably limited its appeal and its long-term significance."[2] Critic Robert Christgau also commented in a similar vein: "The difference is that Browne shouldn't be doing this... he's a pop star who's stretching his audience and endangering his market share merely by making such a statement in 1986. And he's thought hard getting here—not only does his way with words render these lyrics somewhat deeper than Holly Near's, but his moralistic put-downs have that edge of righteous anger nobody's yet found the formula for."[3] Rolling Stone wrote "The title track is a cutting slice of social observation, but the remainder of the album is muddled. For the first time, Browne seems unsure of himself."[4]
All songs by Jackson Browne unless otherwise noted
Production notes:
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Billboard 200 | 23 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "For America" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1986 | "For America" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 30 |
| 1986 | "In the Shape of a Heart" | Adult Contemporary | 10 |
| 1986 | "In the Shape of a Heart" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 15 |
| 1986 | "In the Shape of a Heart" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 70 |
| 1986 | "Lives in the Balance" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 33 |
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