Drag (k.d. lang album)

Drag is a cover album by k.d. lang, released in 1997; most of its songs feature a smoking motif, although some address broader issues of dependence and/or addiction. The cover of Dionne Warwick's "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" was notably used in key scenes in the pilot episode and series finale of the Showtime comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie. Lang's cover of "Hain't It Funny" was part of the soundtrack for the 2002 film Talk to Her.^[8]

Drag
Studio album by k.d. lang
Released	June 10, 1997 (1997-06-10)
Genre	Pop, Blues, Country
Length	52:26
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	k.d. lang, Craig Street
K.d. lang chronology
All You Can Eat (1995) Drag (1997) Invincible Summer (2000)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
The New York Times	(Positive)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Uncut	[7]

Reception

In an AllMusic review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "A collection of covers that are somehow related to smoking, Drag is far more ambitious than the average cover record... lang's rich voice and the measured arrangements make Drag a ringer for Ingénue in places, but the tone is considerably lighter and more humorous, which certainly makes it an enjoyable listen."^[9]

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Robert Hilburn said, "The pace is sometimes slow and demanding and a couple of the songs are marginal, but the heart of this album combines mainstream pop accessibility and torch-driven cabaret intimacy in ways that seem absolutely addicting themselves."^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Smoke in Bed"	Willard Robison	3:22
2.	"The Air That I Breathe"	Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood	5:58
3.	"Smoke Dreams"	John Klenner, Lloyd Shaffer, Ted Steele	3:49
4.	"My Last Cigarette"	Gary Clark, Boo Hewerdine, Neill MacColl	4:09
5.	"The Joker"	Eddie Curtis, Ahmet Ertegun, Steve Miller	4:44
6.	"Theme from the Valley of the Dolls"	Dory Langdon, André Previn	3:02
7.	"Your Smoke Screen"	David Barbe	2:29
8.	"My Old Addiction"	David Wilcox	6:39
9.	"Till the Heart Caves In"	T-Bone Burnett, Bob Neuwirth, Roy Orbison	3:30
10.	"Smoke Rings"	Gene Gifford, Ned Washington	3:36
11.	"Hain't It Funny?"	Jane Siberry	6:23
12.	"Love Is Like a Cigarette"	Jerome Jerome, Walter Kent, Richard Byron	4:45

Personnel

• k.d. lang – vocals
• Teddy Borowieckl – piano, accordion, keyboard
• Kevin Breit – banjo, guitar
• Kimberly Brewer – background vocals
• Lisa Coleman – keyboards
• Anthony Cooke – cello
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Suzie Katayama – cello
• Bruce Dukov – violin
• Henry Ferber – violin
• Ron Folsom – violin
• Benji Gavabedian – violin
• Connie Grauer – piano
• Portia Griffin – background vocals
• Jimmie Haskell – conductor
• Jon Hassell – trumpet
• Pat Johnson – violin
• Karen Jones – violin
• Dennis Karmazyn – cello
• Ray Kelley – cello
• Jerry Kessler – cello
• Marva King – background vocals
• Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums
• Greg Leisz – pedal steel
• Gayle Levant – harp
• Joe Lovano – saxophone
• Joy Lyle – violin
• Wendy Melvoin – guitar
• Sid Page – violin
• David Piltch – bass
• Barbara Porter – cello
• Jay Rosen – violin
• David Torn – guitar, kotar
• Kim Zick – drums

Production

• Producers: k.d. lang, Craig Street
• Engineer: Danny Kopelson
• Assistant engineer: Doug Boehm
• Mixing: Patrick McCarthy
• Mixing assistant: Mike Scotella
• Mastering: Greg Calbi
• Orchestration: Jimmie Haskell
• Art direction: Linda Cobb, K.D. Lang
• Design: Linda Cobb
• Photography: Albert Sanchez

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11]	4
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[12]	39
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13]	16
UK Albums Chart[14]	19
United States Billboard 200[15]	29

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
Australian Albums Chart[16]	46

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[17]	Platinum	70,000^
United States (RIAA)[18]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Drag at AllMusic
2. Kot, Greg (1997-06-13). "K.D. Lang Drag (Warner)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
3. Browne, David (1997-07-13). "Drag Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2011-08-30.
4. Hilburn, Robert (1997-07-10). "ALBUM REVIEW / POP: Lang's 'Drag' Could Become Addictive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
5. Holden, Stephen (1997-07-08). "A Torch-Song Anthology About Dangerous Pleasures". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
6. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (1997-06-11). "K.D. Lang: Drag: Music Reviews". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
7. Brown, Glyn (July 1997). "k.d. lang: Drag". Uncut. No. 2. p. 97.
8. "Talk to Her (2002) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
9. Drag - k.d. lang | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-03-28
10. "lang's 'Drag' Could Become Addictive". Los Angeles Times. 1997-06-10. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
11. "Australiancharts.com – k.d. lang – Drag". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
12. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 65, No. 16" (PHP). RPM. June 23, 1997. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
13. "Charts.nz – k.d. lang – Drag". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
14. "k.d. lang > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
15. Allmusic - Drag > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
16. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1997". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
17. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
18. "American album certifications – K.D. Lang – Drag". Recording Industry Association of America.