Are You Gonna Go My Way
Are You Gonna Go My Way | ||||
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Studio album by Lenny Kravitz | ||||
Released | March 9, 1993 | |||
Recorded |
1992–1993 at Waterfront Recording Studios | |||
Genre | Funk rock, hard rock, psychedelic soul, R&B, Reggae | |||
Length | 46:14 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Lenny Kravitz | |||
Lenny Kravitz chronology | ||||
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Singles from Are You Gonna Go My Way | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[2] |
Robert Christgau | [3] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
Are You Gonna Go My Way is the third studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on March 9, 1993 by Virgin Records America. It was recorded at Waterfront Studios, Hoboken, New Jersey by Henry Hirsch. It became Kravitz's first Top 20 album on the United States Billboard 200, and his first number one album in both Australia and the United Kingdom, achieving massive worldwide success that helped to establish his popularity as a performer. The album was certified Platinum twice in the United States, for shipments of over 2.2 million copies, making it his third most successful album there, totalling over 4 million copies in worldwide sales.
Album information
The album had a good reception by fans and music critics and it is still considered as one of Kravitz's best works.[5]
Musically, it contained songs inspired by classic rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Curtis Mayfield, Sly and Robbie, and Prince.[6]
Additional guitars were contributed by Craig Ross.[7]
The album cover features Kravitz facing a woman, whose back is turned to the viewer. This has been rumored to be Vanessa Paradis, with whom Kravitz was involved with romantically and professionally at the time.
Track listing
Original edition
- "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (Kravitz, Craig Ross) – 3:31
- "Believe" (Kravitz, Henry Hirsch) – 4:50
- "Come on and Love Me" (Kravitz) – 3:52
- "Heaven Help" (Gerry DeVeaux, Terry Britten) – 3:10
- "Just Be a Woman" (Kravitz) – 3:50
- "Is There Any Love in Your Heart" (Kravitz, Ross) – 3:39
- "Black Girl" (Kravitz) – 3:42
- "My Love" (Kravitz, Ross) – 3:50
- "Sugar" (Kravitz) – 4:00
- "Sister" (Kravitz) – 7:02
- "Eleutheria" (Kravitz) – 4:48
Vinyl edition bonus CD track listing
- "Ascension" (Kravitz, Hirsch) – 3:45
- "Brother" (Kravitz) – 4:16
- "Heaven Help" (acoustic) (DeVeaux, Britten) – 3:56
- "Someone Like You" (Kravitz, Ross, Hirch) – 4:14
- "All My Life" (Kravitz) – 6:24
- "Sister" (live) (Kravitz) – 7:15
- "For the First Time" (Kravitz) – 3:38
- "Believe" (acoustic) (Kravitz, Hirsch) – 4:07
Singles
The lead single of the album. The song peaked at number one on the Australian singles chart, and also peaked at number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart, becoming his first number one single in both countries, while it peaked at number 2 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The song was also a worldwide hit, peaking at number 4 in both the United Kingdom and France. The song is not only considered to be one of Kravitz's greatest hits as an artist, but also as one of the biggest anthems of the 1990s. Appears in the video games Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (in a GT Remix) and Guitar Hero World Tour.
- "Believe"
The second single from the album. It is a rock ballad, that speaks of faith and freedom. The song was another major success from the album, peaking at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 15 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, number 10 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, number 30 in the UK, and number 8 in Australia.
The third single from the album. An R&B/soul song, that originally peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 but later peaked at number 80, being charted as a double A-side single along with "Spinning Around Over You". The double A-side format also peaked at number 92 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while in the United Kingdom, it became Kravitz's second Top 20 single from the album, reaching number 20.
- "Is There Any Love in Your Heart"
The song was released as the final single from the original album. It peaked at number 19 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, 52 in the UK, and 32 in Australia.
- "Spinning Around Over You"
The song charted as a double A-side single along with "Heaven Help", peaking at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the Hot Mainstream Rock tracks chart. The single was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film Reality Bites and was featured on the album as a bonus track, thus being the final single from the album.
Music videos
- "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
- "Believe"
- "Heaven Help"
- "Is There Any Love in Your Heart"
Personnel
- Lenny Kravitz – vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, Mellotron, bass, drums, chimes
- Craig Ross – acoustic & electric guitars
- Henry Hirsch – piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer, bass
- Tony Breit – bass
- Dave Domanich – drums on track 4, "Heaven Help"
- Michael Hunter – French horn, flugelhorn
- Robert Lawrence – violins
- Liuh-Wen Ting – viola
- Michael "Ibo" Cooper – keyboards on track 11, "Eleutheria"
Chart performance
Are You Gonna Go My Way has been very successful not only in the United States, but also worldwide, particularly in the major markets of Europe and South America. It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Album Chart and the Australian Albums Chart. As of March 2008, the album has sold 2.2 million units in the U.S.
The title track has been considered one of Kravitz's signature songs and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. It was also voted in at number 28 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 1993, an Australian music poll run by the radio station Triple J.
Charts
Year | Chart | Position |
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1993 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 1 |
German Albums Chart[8] | 7 | |
UK Album Chart | 1 | |
Billboard 200 | 12 |
Certifications
Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
---|---|
Germany | Gold[9] |
Awards
Grammy Awards of 1994
- Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Are You Gonna Go My Way") (Nominated)
- Best Rock Song ("Are You Gonna Go My Way") (Nominated)
MTV Video Music Awards 1993
- Best Male Video ("Are You Gonna Go My Way") (Won)
- Best Art Direction ("Are You Gonna Go My Way") (Nominated)
Album credits
- Engineered and mixed by Henry Hirsch
- Assistant Engineer - Greg Di Gesu
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound Studios
- Art Direction by Len Peltier
- Design by Jean Krikorian and Len Peltier
- Cover photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino
References
- ↑ "Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz". Allmusic.
- ↑ Browne, David (March 19, 1993). "Are You Gonna Go My Way Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lenny Kravitz". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ↑ Poulson-Bryant, Scott (April 29, 1993). "Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
- ↑ Rock On The Net: Lenny Kravitz
- ↑ Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz (buy online, get all lyrics, infos, chords, guitar tabs, audio, mp3)
- ↑ The Official Web Site of Guitarist Craig Ross
- ↑ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Are You Gonna Go My Way')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
Sources
Preceded by Diva by Annie Lennox |
UK number-one album March 13–26, 1993 |
Succeeded by Their Greatest Hits by Hot Chocolate |
Preceded by Unplugged by Eric Clapton |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album April 18 – May 15, 1993 |
Succeeded by Breathless by Kenny G |
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