Middle of Nowhere (Hanson album)

Middle of Nowhere is the third album by American pop rock group Hanson, and the first to be released on a major label, which was Polygram Records and Mercury Records. Released in 1997, it features slicker studio production compared to their previous indie efforts Boomerang and MMMBop. "Yearbook", one of the album's more dramatic songs, had never been performed live until the recording of Middle of Nowhere Acoustic on May 5, 2007.

The album was received extremely well by critics. Most reviewers praised Hanson as a welcome alternative to the critically panned post-grunge bands that were dominating the radiowaves at the time. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said of the trio: "... lack of guile is Hanson's most endearing quality."^[1]

Middle of Nowhere yielded 5 hits: "MMMBop", "Where's the Love", "I Will Come to You", "Weird", and "Thinking of You".

Worldwide sales

Total sales worldwide are 10 million copies. The album sold just under 4 million in the US (4 times platinum) and sold 600,000 copies in UK (2 times platinum).

Track listing

All songs written by Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson and Zachary Hanson; additional writers are noted below.

1. "Thinking of You" – 3:13
2. "MMMBop" – 4:28
3. "Weird" – 4:02 (Desmond Child)
4. "Speechless" – 4:20 (Stephen Lironi)
5. "Where's the Love" – 4:13 (Mark Hudson, Sander Salover)
6. "Yearbook" – 5:29 (Ellen Shipley)
7. "Look at You" – 4:28 (Stephen Lironi)
8. "Lucy" – 3:35 (Mark Hudson)
9. "I Will Come to You" – 4:11 (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil)
10. "A Minute Without You" – 3:55 (Mark Hudson)
11. "Madeline" – 4:13 (Cliff Magness)
12. "With You in Your Dreams" – 3:56
13. "Man from Milwaukee" [CD-only bonus track] – 3:38

Note: "Man from Milwaukee" is actually track #21, as there are eight tracks of silence after "With You in Your Dreams". In Japan the song is track 14 because it has a live version of "MMMBop" as song 13. "Man from Milwaukee" was omitted from all cassettes and vinyl pressings of Middle of Nowhere.

Personnel

Hanson

• Zachary Hanson – drums, vocals
• Taylor Hanson – keyboards, piano, vocals
• Isaac Hanson – guitar, vocals

Session musicians

• Stephen Lironi – bass, guitar, percussion, programming, producer, keyboards
• Peter Kent – violin
• Michael Fischer – percussion
• Carole Mukogawa – viola
• John Wittenberg – violin
• Michito Sanchez – percussion
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Steve Richards – cello
• Ged Lynch – drums, percussion
• Nick Vincent – drums
• Endre Granat – violin
• Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
• David Campbell – conductor, string arrangements
• Abraham Laboriel – bass
• Neil Stubenhaus – bass
• B.J. Cole – pedal steel
• Sandy Stein – keyboards
• Stevie Wonder – harmonica
• Murray Adler – violin

Other

• Roger Love – vocal director
• Margery Greenspan – art direction
• Steven Greenberg – executive producer
• Barry Mann – vocal director
• Marina Chavez – photography
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• The Dust Brothers – programming, producer
• Mark Hudson – vocal director

Charts

This table indicates the highest position the album reached on each country's album charts.

End of decade charts

References