Lemon Parade

Production

After Emerson Hart and Jeff Russo founded the band in 1993, the additions of bass guitar player Dan Rothchild and drummer Kevin Shepard solidified the band prior to signing their record deal in 1995. Producer Jack Joseph Puig worked with Tonic to produce the resulting album, Lemon Parade. While members of the band have traditionally been hesitant to discuss the meaning behind their songs, Hart did elaborate on some of the songs from this album. For instance, on the title track Lemon Parade, Hart explained the song came from a dream he had. "I had a dream about this girl. I was riding this big Schwinn Sting Ray, and I rode by her working in a lemonade stand. She looked ugly and sad because kids were throwing lemons at her. Then later on, I saw her after high school and was crazy about her. They couldn't see how beautiful she really was."

Promotion and release

Four unique music videos were produced as part of the album's promotion, including two different versions of "Open Up Your Eyes," one of which was directed by Tonic and Niels Alpert that featured the band on roller skates and a cameo appearance by Mick Fleetwood. In terms of singles from the record, "If You Could Only See" reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks, and also reached #11 on the Billboard Airplay Hot 100, where it spent 63 weeks on the chart. Lemon Parade as an album reached #28 on the United States charts, #12 in Australia, and #34 in Canada. In the ensuing years the popularity of "If You Could Only See" continued with its part in the video games Karaoke Revolution Party and Band Hero.

Reception

Critical response to the album has shown variances. Music critic Shawn M. Haney rated the album two and a half out of five stars, saying, "The record as a whole is full of the heavy, distortion-laden Tonic sound, and guitars that make them who they are. Although the recordings are murky at times, like shoes splashing through muddy puddles of water, the record's highlights -- such as the uplifting acoustic track "Mountain" and the rawness of "Wicked Soldier"—are still full of rich musical creativity."

Track listing

All songs by Emerson Hart except where noted.

1. "Open up Your Eyes" − 3:40
2. "Casual Affair" (Tonic) − 3:43
3. "If You Could Only See" − 4:21
4. "Soldier's Daughter" − 5:03
5. "Lemon Parade" (Hart, Jeff Russo) − 3:42
6. "Mountain" − 4:38
7. "Thick" − 4:21
8. "Wicked Soldier" (Tonic) − 4:31
9. "Mr. Golden Deal" − 4:55
10. "Bigot Sunshine" − 2:53
11. "Celtic Aggression" (Hart, Dan Rothchild, Russo) − 3:26
12. "My Old Man" − 5:52