Welcome to the Cruel World

Welcome to the Cruel World
Studio album by Ben Harper
Released February 8, 1994
Recorded at The Convent
Genre Blues, folk, alternative rock
Length 50:25
Label Virgin
Producer Ben Harper, J.P. Plunier
Ben Harper chronology

Welcome to the Cruel World
(1994)		 Fight for Your Mind
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Robert Christgau link
Dirty Linen Favorable link
Philadelphia Tribune Favorable link
Q link
Rhapsody Favorable link
Rolling Stone link
Yahoo! Music Favorable link
RateYourMusic.com 3.53 / 5

Welcome to the Cruel World is Ben Harper's debut album from Virgin Records. Released in 1994, the album established Harper as a popular folk musician in the California area. After this release, Harper went on to add a permanent backing band, the Innocent Criminals, although they remained unnamed until the Burn to Shine album.

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Harper except as noted.

  1. "The Three of Us" – 2:35
  2. "Whipping Boy" (Chris Darrow) – 5:31
  3. "Breakin' Down" (Harper, Jean Pierre Plunier) – 4:00
  4. "Don't Take That Attitude to Your Grave" – 4:25
  5. "Waiting on an Angel" – 3:53
  6. "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now" – 2:29
  7. "Forever" – 3:23
  8. "Like a King" – 4:18
  9. "Pleasure and Pain" – 3:44
  10. "Walk Away" – 3:49
  11. "How Many Miles Must We March" – 3:07
  12. "Welcome to the Cruel World" – 5:36
  13. "I'll Rise" (Maya Angelou, Harper) – 3:35

Personnel

Music credits
Production credits

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[1] 94
French Albums Chart[2] 11

References

  1. ↑ "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Classements - Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2012.