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Some People's Lives

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Some People's Lives
Studio album by
Bette Midler
ReleasedSeptember 4, 1990
Length43:56
LabelAtlantic
ProducerArif Mardin
Bette Midler chronology
Beaches
(1988) 		Some People's Lives
(1990) 		For the Boys
(1991)
Singles from Some People's Lives
  1. "From a Distance"
  2. "Night and Day"
  3. "The Gift of Love"
  4. "Moonlight Dancing"

Some People's Lives is the seventh studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 4, 1990, in the United States. It contains one of her biggest hits, "From a Distance," which won songwriter Julie Gold a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991.

Some People's Lives became the biggest commercial success of Midler's musical career, peaking at number 6 in the US and number 5 in the UK. It was later awarded double platinum by the RIAA for sales of over two million copies in the US alone.

Background

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Following a series of successful Hollywood movies made throughout the 1980s, among them Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune, Oliver and Company and Big Business, Midler returned to the music scene with a proper studio album in 1990, her first since 1983's rock and new wave-influenced No Frills. Some People's Lives, however, had more in common with the preceding soundtrack Beaches in that it featured both interpretations of jazz standards like "Miss Otis Regrets", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" and "He Was Too Good to Me" as well as more chart-oriented pop and adult contemporary material with contrasting synth-driven arrangements courtesy of producer Arif Mardin, his son Joe and Robbie Buchanan. The up-tempo track "Moonlight Dancing" (first recorded by pop/R&B group The Pointer Sisters) was written by noted hitmaker Diane Warren and "The Gift of Love" by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg and Susanna Hoffs. Steinberg and Kelly were the songwriting team behind Madonna's "Like a Virgin", Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and The Bangles' "Eternal Flame".

Promotion

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"Moonlight Dancing" (also released as an extended dance remix which sampled the 1973 recording "Do You Want to Dance"), "Night and Day" and "The Gift of Love" were all issued as singles, but the biggest hit that the album produced was Midler's interpretation of Julie Gold's anthem of universal brotherhood "From a Distance" featuring The Radio Choir of New Hope Church. The single reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and number 6 in the UK and was later certified platinum in the US, making it Midler's second million-seller within the space of two years (following "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the Beaches soundtrack). The song has since been recorded by a large number of other artists, and Midler herself included an alternate version with partly re-written lyrics on her 2006 album Cool Yule.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldC[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[4]
Entertainment WeeklyD[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

AllMusic editor Bryan Buss called the album "one of the singer's strongest collections." He felt that aside from "poor production" on "From a Distance," Some People's Lives was "a smooth collection of standards [...] This is Midler at her best – playful, yearning, brassy, regretful – and that is mostly because producer Arif Mardin surrounds his star with respectful production that matches her talent while accenting her strengths."[1] Los Angeles Times critic Dennis Hunt criticized the album for its "overload of whiny, dirge-like ballads [...] Fortunately, there's nothing on the album quite as unabashedly sentimental as "Wind Beneath My Wings," but many of the songs have those same sappy overtones."[6]

Commercial performance

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Some People's Lives became the biggest commercial success of Midler's musical career. It reached its highest peak in the United Kingdom, where it entered the top five and reached gold status in July 1991.[8] In the United States, it peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard 200, becoming her highest-charting album since Bette Midler (1973).[9] Exceeding shipments of more than 2 million copies, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 1991.[10] Elsewhere, the album entered the top ten in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, while reaching number 15 on the German Albums Chart and number 27 on the Austrian Albums Chart.[11]

Some People's Lives was classified as the 36th best-selling album of 1991 in Australia.[12] In Canada, the set became the 60th most-selling album in 1990,[13] while in 1991 it scored at number 36 on the End-of-Year chart.[14] Billboard ranked it 16th on its 1991 year-end chart.[15]

Track listing

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Some People's Lives track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranger(s)Length
1."One More Round"
2:03
2."Some People's Lives"
Shaiman3:29
3."Miss Otis Regrets"Cole PorterShaiman2:51
4."Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most"
Shaiman5:30
5."Night and Day"
5:30
6."The Girl Is On to You"Jude JohnstoneShaiman4:10
7."From a Distance"Julie Gold
  • Mardin
  • Steve Skinner
4:37
8."Moonlight Dancing"Diane WarrenMardin4:39
9."He Was Too Good to Me"/"Since You Stayed Here"
  • Mardin
  • Shaiman
4:12
10."All of a Sudden"
  • Nathalie Archangel
  • Scott Wilk
Mardin4:33
11."The Gift of Love"
  • Mardin
  • Robbie Buchanan
4:02

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Bette Midler – all vocals (1-6, 8, 9), lead vocals (7, 10)
  • Joe Mardin – keyboards (1, 5, 8, 10), programming (1, 5, 8, 10), arrangements (1, 8, 10), keyboard solo (5), conductor (8), backing vocals (10)
  • Marc Shaiman – arrangements (1-4, 6), acoustic piano (2, 9), conductor (2, 3, 4, 6), vocal arrangements (7, 8), basic rhythm arrangements (9)
  • Bernie Layton – acoustic piano (3)
  • Robbie Buchanan – keyboards (6, 7, 11), programming (6, 11), additional programming (8)
  • Michael Boddicker – additional synthesizers (6), additional programming (11)
  • Guy Roche – additional programming (8)
  • Gene Bertoncini – guitars (3)
  • Michael Landau – guitars (6, 7)
  • Dean Parks – guitars (6, 11)
  • John McCurry – guitars (10)
  • Andrew Gold – guitar solo (11)
  • Ron Carter – bass (3)
  • Neil Stubenhaus – bass (6, 7, 11)
  • Jay Leonhart – bass (9)
  • Grady Tate – drums (3)
  • Carlos Vega – drums (6, 7, 11)
  • Steve Kroon – percussion (1)
  • Gary Coleman – percussion (6)
  • Phil Bodner – clarinet solo (3)
  • Nino Tempo – tenor saxophone (4)
  • Andy Snitzer – soprano sax solo (6)
  • Arif Mardin – arrangements (1, 5, 7, 11), orchestral arrangements and conductor (9)
  • Billie Hughes – arrangements (5)
  • Steve Skinner – arrangements (7)
  • Sid Page – concertmaster (2)
  • Bruce Dukov – concertmaster (4)
  • Gene Orloff – concertmaster (9)
  • Charlotte Crossley – backing vocals (7)
  • Cissy Houston – backing vocals (7)
  • Jo Ann Harris – backing vocals (7)
  • David Lasley – backing vocals (7)
  • Myrna Smith – backing vocals (7)
  • Gene Van Buren – backing vocals (7)
  • John West – backing vocals (7)
  • The Radio Choir of New Hope Church – backing vocals (7)
  • Ula Hedwig – backing vocals (10)
  • George Merrill – backing vocals (10)
  • Tom Kelly – backing vocals (11), vocal arrangements (11)
  • Maria Vidal – backing vocals (11)

Production

  • Arif Mardin – producer
  • Marc Shaiman – associate producer
  • Jack Joseph Puig – recording, mixing
  • Joe Mardin – additional recording (1), additional mixing (1)
  • Eddie Garcia – additional recording (1), additional mixing (1)
  • Michael O'Reilly – additional recording (1), additional mixing (1)
  • Nick Sansano – additional recording (1), additional mixing (1)
  • Ken Felton – assistant engineer
  • Rob Harvey – assistant engineer
  • Ed Korengo – assistant engineer
  • Bob Loftus – assistant engineer
  • Gabriel Moffat – assistant engineer
  • James Nichols – assistant engineer
  • Clif Norrell – assistant engineer
  • Anthony Saunders – assistant engineer
  • Jamie Staub – assistant engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • Marsha Burns – production coordination
  • Lisa Maldonado – additional coordination
  • Vicky Germaise – additional coordination
  • Frank DeCaro – orchestra contractor
  • Gene Orloff – orchestra contractor
  • Greg Gorman – photography
  • Bob Defrin – art direction, design

Studios

  • Recorded at Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, California); Studio 55 and Studio Ultimo (Los Angeles, California); Electric Lady Studios, Battery Studios, BMG Studios and Greene St. Recording (New York City, New York).
  • Mixed at Studio 55 and Electric Lady Studios.
  • Mastered at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California).

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Some People's Lives
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[25] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[26] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[10] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b AllMusic Review
  2. ^ Mayes, Alison (October 11, 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ DeKnock, Jan (November 8, 1990). "Home Entertainment: Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 9.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Bette Midler". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Sandow, Greg (October 5, 1990). "Some People's Lives". Entertainment Weekly.
  6. ^ a b Hunt, Dennis (October 7, 1990). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Coleman, Marc; Brackett, Nathan (2004). "Bette Midler". In Brackett, Nathan; Christian, Hoard (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 540. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ a b "Bette Midler | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Bette Midler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "American album certifications – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". Recording Industry Association of America.
  11. ^ a b "Offiziellecharts.de – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "Australia - Albums - End-of-Year 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association. ARIA. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "Canada - Albums - End-of-Year 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "Canada - Albums - End-of-Year 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1416". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 31. August 3, 1991. p. 19. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  20. ^ "Bette Midler ベット・ミドラー - Japan - Albums - Some People's Lives サム・ピープルズ・ライヴズ". Oricon (in Japanese). オリコン. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  21. ^ "Charts.nz – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  22. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  24. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". Music Canada.
  26. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". Recorded Music NZ.[dead link‍]
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Bette Midler – Some People's Lives". British Phonographic Industry.
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