| Lemon Parade | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 16, 1996 (1996-07-16) | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:55 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Jack Joseph Puig | |||
| Tonic chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Lemon Parade | ||||
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Lemon Parade is the debut album of Americanrock bandTonic, released on July 16, 1996, byPolydor Records. The album has sold 1,300,000 copies to date and reachedplatinum status in the United States.Lemon Parade featured threesingles. "If You Could Only See" was ahit single on theBillboardMainstream Rock Tracks charts, reaching number one, and it also reached number 11 on theBillboard Airplay Hot 100, spending 63 weeks on the chart.
Based on the success ofLemon Parade, in March 1999, Tonic released a liveEP with enhanced material entitledLive and Enhanced.
In 2016, Tonic released anall-acoustic version ofLemon Parade entitledLemon Parade Revisited. This celebrated the album's 20th anniversary and utilizeddirect funding from fans.
AfterEmerson Hart andJeff 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. ProducerJack 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.[3]"I had a dream about this girl. I was riding this bigSchwinn 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."[3]
Four uniquemusic 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 byMick Fleetwood.[4] In terms of singles from the record, "If You Could Only See" reached number one on theBillboardMainstream Rock Tracks, and also reached number 11 on theBillboard Airplay Hot 100, where it spent 63 weeks on the chart.Lemon Parade reached number 28 on theBillboard 200,[5] number 12 in Australia,[6] and number 34 on theCanadian Albums Chart.[7] In the ensuing years the popularity of "If You Could Only See" continued with its part in the video gamesKaraoke Revolution Party andBand Hero.[8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| Melodic | [10] |
Critical response toLemon Parade was mixed. Music critic Shawn M. Haney wrote, "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."[9]
All songs byEmerson Hart except where noted.
Tonic
Additional personnel
Production
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,300,000[16] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
On your playlist 2/10
