50 Song Memoir is the eleventh studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released on March 10, 2017. 50 Song Memoir is an autobiographical concept album that chronicles the first 50 years of lyricist Stephin Merritt's life, with one song for each year that he has lived.[1]
| 50 Song Memoir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Length | 150:51 | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Stephin Merritt Thomas Bartlett Charles Newman | |||
| The Magnetic Fields chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording
editThe album was produced by Merritt with additional production by Thomas Bartlett and Charles Newman.[2] Merritt sings on all fifty tracks.
Tour
editThe fully staged live shows in support of 50 Song Memoir were directed by José Zayas[3] with an expanded Magnetic Fields lineup that included three additional musicians for the tour for a total of seven musicians, each playing a different instrument. On the tour the band played the entirety of 50 Song Memoir in two halves across two nights at each venue.[4]
Release
edit50 Song Memoir is available in five-L.P. and five-C.D. editions that include an interview by Daniel Handler and facsimile handwritten lyrics by Stephin Merritt, and as a bound book.[citation needed]
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10[5] |
| Metacritic | 86/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The A.V. Club | A−[8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| The Independent | [10] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| The Observer | [12] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Uncut | 9/10[15] |
| Vice | A−[16] |
Upon release, the album received near universal acclaim, with the average critical score being an 86 out of 100 according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[6]
Accolades
edit| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Independent | The 20 Most Underrated Albums Ever | 2024 | 7
|
|
| Uncut | Albums of the Year | 2017 | 67
|
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Stephin Merritt
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'66 Wonder Where I'm From" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "'67 Come Back as a Cockroach" | 2:34 |
| 3. | "'68 A Cat Called Dionysus" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "'69 Judy Garland" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "'70 They're Killing Children Over There" | 2:36 |
| 6. | "'71 I Think I'll Make Another World" | 2:57 |
| 7. | "'72 Eye Contact" | 2:55 |
| 8. | "'73 It Could Have Been Paradise" | 3:07 |
| 9. | "'74 No" | 2:57 |
| 10. | "'75 My Mama Ain't" | 3:01 |
| Total length: | 28:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'76 Hustle 76" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "'77 Life Ain't All Bad" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "'78 The Blizzard of ’78" | 3:15 |
| 4. | "'79 Rock'n'Roll Will Ruin Your Life" | 2:58 |
| 5. | "'80 London by Jetpack" | 2:58 |
| 6. | "'81 How to Play the Synthesizer" | 3:06 |
| 7. | "'82 Happy Beeping" | 3:10 |
| 8. | "'83 Foxx and I" | 2:43 |
| 9. | "'84 Danceteria!" | 3:09 |
| 10. | "'85 Why I Am Not a Teenager" | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 31:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'86 How I Failed Ethics" | 2:58 |
| 2. | "'87 At the Pyramid" | 3:10 |
| 3. | "'88 Ethan Frome" | 2:24 |
| 4. | "'89 The 1989 Musical Marching Zoo" | 3:06 |
| 5. | "'90 Dreaming in Tetris" | 3:21 |
| 6. | "'91 The Day I Finally..." | 2:20 |
| 7. | "'92 Weird Diseases" | 3:10 |
| 8. | "'93 Me and Fred and Dave and Ted" | 3:08 |
| 9. | "'94 Haven't Got a Penny" | 2:53 |
| 10. | "'95 A Serious Mistake" | 3:13 |
| Total length: | 29:43 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'96 I'm Sad!" | 2:12 |
| 2. | "'97 Eurodisco Trio" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "'98 Lovers' Lies" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "'99 Fathers in the Clouds" | 2:52 |
| 5. | "'00 Ghosts of the Marathon Dancers" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "'01 Have You Seen It in the Snow?" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "'02 Be True to Your Bar" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "'03 The Ex and I" | 2:59 |
| 9. | "'04 Cold-Blooded Man" | 3:06 |
| 10. | "'05 Never Again" | 3:19 |
| Total length: | 30:19 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'06 "Quotes"" | 2:17 |
| 2. | "'07 In the Snow White Cottages" | 2:52 |
| 3. | "'08 Surfin'" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "'09 Till You Come Back to Me" | 2:29 |
| 5. | "'10 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" | 3:03 |
| 6. | "'11 Stupid Tears" | 2:45 |
| 7. | "'12 You Can Never Go Back to New York" | 3:12 |
| 8. | "'13 Big Enough for Both of Us" | 3:04 |
| 9. | "'14 I Wish I Had Pictures" | 3:07 |
| 10. | "'15 Somebody's Fetish" | 3:45 |
| Total length: | 29:21 | |
Personnel
editThe Magnetic Fields
- Stephin Merritt – lead vocals, Roland vocoder, ukulele, resonator ukulele, bass ukulele, 8-string ukulele, classical guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, electric bass, acoustic bass, mandola, autoharp, marxolin, bass banjo, charango, cavaquinho, harp, hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery, electric sitar, Prophet-5, ARP String Ensemble, Moog Voyager, Casio VL-Tone, piano, keyboards, Wurlitzer electric piano, Rhodes Piano Bass, organ, pianet, celeste, toy piano, prepared piano, Omnichord, audio pattern generator, kazoo, melodica, xylophone, glockenspiel, bass drum, log drum, slit drum, ocean drum, cymbal, tubes, rainstick, wind chimes, chimes, maracas, conga, bongos, triangle, tambourine, washboard, steel drum, shakers, finger cymbals, guiro, djembe, cajon, woodblock, bells, sleighbells, fingersnaps, thunder sheet, cabasas, cowbells, tongs, bottle, abacus, drum machines, tapes, feedback
- Claudia Gonson – background vocals, piano
- Sam Davol – cello, musical saw
- John Woo – guitar
- Shirley Simms – background vocals
Additional personnel
- Thomas Bartlett – mellotron, clavinet, omnichord, rhodes, piano, Moog synthesizer, optigan
- Christopher Ewen – synthesizers, kazoo, angklung, stylophone, omnichord
- Pinky Weitzman – viola, Stroh violin, musical saw
- Daniel Handler – background vocals, accordion, vibraphone, piano, Hammond organ, celeste
- Johny Blood – tuba, flugelhorn, mouthpiece
- Brad Gordon – trombone, pocket trumpet
- Randy Walker – background vocals
- Anthony Kaczynski – background vocals
- Otto Handler – spoken word
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 155 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] | 77 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[21] | 29 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] | 96 |
References
edit- ^ "The Magnetic Fields 50 Song Memoir". Nonesuch. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Hill, Michael (January 30, 2017). "Stephin Merritt Shares the Story Behind the Magnetic Fields' "50 Song Memoir"". Nonesuch Records. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "Magnetic Fields Roll Out 2017 US Tour Schedule for 50 Song Memoir". The House of Tomorrow. October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (October 20, 2016). "The Magnetic Fields Announce Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ "50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for 50 Song Memoir by Magnetic Fields". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "50 Song Memoir – Magnetic Fields". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Colburn, Randall (March 3, 2017). "Stephin Merritt is his charming, morose self on The Magnetic Fields' sprawling, autobiographical 50 Song Memoir". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (March 9, 2017). "The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir review – Stephin Merritt's richly observed life". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Gill, Andy (March 8, 2017). "Album reviews: The Shins – Heartworms, The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir, Valerie June – The Order of Time and more". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Farber, Jim (April 2017). "Fifty shades darker". Mojo (281): 94.
- ^ Empire, Kitty (March 12, 2017). "The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir review – the joys are many". The Observer. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (March 6, 2017). "The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ Harrison, Ian (April 2017). "The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir". Q (370): 115.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (April 2017). "The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir". Uncut (239): 32.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 24, 2017). "Stephin Merritt's Exceptional Life and Janet Weiss's Genius: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ Beaumont, Mark; O'Connor, Roisin (October 19, 2024). "The 20 most underrated albums ever". The Independent. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ "Uncut's 75 Best Albums of 2017". Uncut. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 18, 2017.