Become What You Are

Recording and release

Singer and guitarist Juliana Hatfield recorded Become What You Are with drummer Todd Philips, formerly of Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta, and bassist Dean Fisher, who she met during high school in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Unlike her previous album Hey Babe, which deals with personal topics, Hatfield decided to write songs about other things and make them more universal. The title of the album was inspired by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whom Hatfield admired.

The album was recorded at Hollywood Sound, mixed at Oceanway Studios and mastered at Precision Mastering in Los Angeles. It was released on August 3, 1993 by Mammoth Records. The song "Spin the Bottle" is featured in the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites. As of January 1995, Become What You Are had sold 233,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Critical reception

Become What You Are received generally favorable reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Hatfield's honest vocals on "Supermodel," "My Sister," and "Spin the Bottle", stating that "her talents are strong enough to carry the album over the weak spots." The album was ranked No. 9 in NME's Albums of the Year list for 1993.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Juliana Hatfield unless otherwise noted.

1. "Supermodel" – 2:52
2. "My Sister" – 3:22
3. "This Is the Sound" – 3:01
4. "For the Birds" – 4:14
5. "Mabel" – 4:09
6. "A Dame with a Rod" – 2:55
7. "Addicted" – 3:16
8. "Feelin' Massachusetts" – 4:11
9. "Spin the Bottle" – 2:23
10. "President Garfield" – 4:38
11. "Little Pieces" – 3:05
12. "I Got No Idols" (Hatfield, Fisher, Philips) – 2:16

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

Charts

Album

Singles