Breaking Silence is an album by the singer-songwriter Janis Ian, released in 1993, on Morgan Creek Records in the US and Europe and on Columbia in Canada and the Netherlands.[1]
| Breaking Silence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1993 | |||
| Label | Morgan Creek Records/Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Janis Ian chronology | ||||
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History
Although Ian was outed as a lesbian in 1976, by the Village Voice,[2] her sexuality was largely ignored until the release of Breaking Silence, when Ian herself brought it to the forefront because of her concern with suicide rates among gay and lesbian teenagers.[3]
Decades previous, Ian met Pat Snyder and, after significant financial and health setbacks, they purchased a house together by 1991. They took on a second mortgage to fund the album, as major record labels were no longer interested in Ian's work. "I thought I was only going to get one more chance to record, so I wanted to make it count," Ian said.[1] It was her first album in 12 years.[3]
The album contains controversial songs such as "His Hands" (about spousal abuse) and "Tattoo" (about the Holocaust). The title track, "Breaking Silence", is about incest.[1] It also includes Ian's version of "Some People's Lives", previously recorded as the title track of Bette Midler's 1990 album. The album was nominated for a Grammy, making it Ian's seventh nomination.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Janis Ian, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Roads to the River" | Janis Ian/Jon Vezner | 3:05 |
| 2. | "Ride Me Like a Wave" | 3:40 | |
| 3. | "Tattoo" | 4:20 | |
| 4. | "Guess You Had To Be There" | Janis Ian/Buddy Mondlock | 4:07 |
| 5. | "What About The Love" | Janis Ian/Kye Fleming | 4:58 |
| 6. | "His Hands" | 5:17 | |
| 7. | "Walking On Sacred Ground" | Janis Ian/Jess Leary | 3:26 |
| 8. | "This Train Still Runs" | Janis Ian/Jess Leary | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Through The Years" | 3:40 | |
| 10. | "This House" | 5:05 | |
| 11. | "Some People's Lives" | Janis Ian/Kye Fleming | 3:52 |
| 12. | "Breaking Silence" | 3:09 | |
| Total length: | 48:42 | ||
Personnel
- Janis Ian — acoustic and electric guitar, piano, vocals
- Jeff Balding — Producer, Lead Engineer, Mix Engineer
- Jim Brock — Drums, Percussion
- Jim Hoke — Harmonica
- Chad Watson — Bass
- Dann Huff — electric guitar
- Doug Sax — Mastering
- Jess Leary — Co-writer
- Kye (Rhonda) Fleming — Co-writer
- Jon Vezner — Co-writer
- Lisa Powers — Photography
- Jerry Joyner — Design
- Virginia Team — Art Direction
- Steve Bishir — Assisting Engineer
- Patrick Kelly — Assisting Engineer, Overdubs
- Greg Parker — Assisting Engineer
- John David Parker — Assisting Engineer
- Christopher Rich — Assisting Engineer
- Toby Seay — Assisting Engineer
- Carry Summers — Assisting Engineer, Overdubs
References
- ^ a b c d Ian, Janis. "Breaking Silence". Janis Ian. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ Kinser, Jeremy (23 August 2012). "Coming Out in Print". Advocate.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Owen Keehnen: Interviews". Queerculturalcenter.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-05-28.
External links
- "Janis Ian - Breaking Silence at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2013-09-15. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- "Breaking Silence - Janis Ian | Credits". AllMusic. 1993-06-08. Retrieved 2017-03-03.