When You're a Boy
When You're a Boy is the debut solo album by Susanna Hoffs. It begins with the Billboard Top 40 single "My Side of the Bed," includes the track "Unconditional Love" (co-written by Cyndi Lauper), and ends with a cover of "Boys Keep Swinging," the 1979 song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno. The album's title comes from the lyrics to the latter.[2]
| When You're a Boy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 29, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 45:07 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Kahne | |||
| Susanna Hoffs chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
The album peaked at No. 83 on the US album charts.[3]
Three singles were released from the album: "My Side of the Bed", "Unconditional Love", and "Only Love." The first two featured the non-LP B-side "Circus Girl".
Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Side of the Bed" | Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg | 3:29 |
| 2. | "No Kind of Love" | Hoffs, David Kahne, Scott Cutler, Ross Rice | 3:05 |
| 3. | "Wishing On Telstar" | Robin Lane, Jimmy Cipolla | 4:11 |
| 4. | "That's Why Girls Cry" | David Kahne, Juliana Hatfield, Hoffs | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Unconditional Love" | Cyndi Lauper, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Something New" | John Hanes, Cary Sheldon, Hoffs, David Kahne | 3:52 |
| 7. | "So Much for Love" | John Hanes, Pearl E. Gates, Peter Dunne, Hilary Hanes | 3:33 |
| 8. | "This Time" | Steve Summers | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Only Love" | Hoffs, Diane Warren | 4:25 |
| 10. | "It's Lonely Out Here" | Hoffs, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Made of Stone" | Jennfer Condos, Hoffs, David Kahne | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Boys Keep Swinging" | David Bowie, Brian Eno | 4:59 |
Personnel
- Susanna Hoffs - vocals, guitar
- David Kahne - keyboards, arranger, mixing, producer, engineer, programming
- Rusty Anderson - guitar
- John Entwistle - bass guitar
- Randy Jackson - bass guitar
- Benmont Tench - keyboards
- Jim Keltner - drums
- Zachary Alford - drums
- Gary Ferguson - drums
- Carlos Vega - drums
- Donovan - backing vocals
- Juliana Hatfield - backing vocals
- Tom Kelly - backing vocals
- Robin Lane - backing vocals
- Donovan Leitch - backing vocals
- Eric Lowen - backing vocals
- Dan Navarro - backing vocals
- Maria Vidal - backing vocals
- Steve Churchyard - engineer
- Clark Germain - engineer
- David Leonard - engineer, mixing
- Joel Stoner - engineer, mixing
- Ray Blair - assistant engineer
- Greg Goldman - assistant engineer
- Ed Goodreau - assistant engineer
- Mike Kloster - assistant engineer
- Sylvia Massy - assistant engineer
- Charles Paakkari - assistant engineer
- Mike Piersante - assistant engineer
- Keith "KC" Cohen - mixing
- Lori Fumar - mixing assistant
- Wally Traugott - mastering
- Randee Saint Nicholas - photography
Reception
Jimmy Nicol of Q gave the album four out of five stars and wrote, "An album which expands the Bangles' brief into undreamed of territories. She reveals herself to be a highly inventive composer, lyricist – and even humourist ... After all, how many other American pop stars embarking on a solo career would name their album after a late '70s English art-rock 45?"[4]
AllMusic's review was negative, giving it one and a half out of five stars, remarking that "Although the album was released in 1991, it sounds like bad mid-'80s music. Hoffs and the Bangles had a few catchy pop ditties; however, there are none to be found here." [5]
Chart performance
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 83 [3] |
| 1991 | UK Album Chart | 56 |
References
- AllMusic review
- Stitzel, Kelly (February 1, 2011). "Popdose Flashback '91: Susanna Hoffs, "When You're a Boy"". Popdose. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- Billboard.com Susanna Hoffs album chart. Accessed: November 24, 2006
- Q, April 1991
- Griggs, Tim. "When You're a Boy AllMusic Review". AllMusic.com. Retrieved Dec 23, 2018.