Circus (Lenny Kravitz album)

Circus is the fourth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in 1995 by Virgin Records. It reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Kravitz's first top 10 album in the US and second in the UK.

Circus
Studio album by Lenny Kravitz
Released	September 12, 1995
Recorded	1994–1995
Genre	Rock hard rock pop rock[1] soul[1] psychedelic pop[2]
Length	51:04
Label	Virgin
Producer	Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz chronology
Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993) Circus (1995) 5 (1998)
Singles from Circus
"Rock and Roll Is Dead" Released: August 28, 1995[3] "Circus" Released: December 11, 1995[4] "Can't Get You Off My Mind" Released: February 19, 1996[5] "The Resurrection" Released: 1996

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Cash Box	(favorable)[6]
Robert Christgau	[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
Entertainment Weekly	C−[9]
NME	7/10[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Select	[12]

Background

The album deals with different topics, such as rock star lifestyles on "Rock and Roll Is Dead" and religion on "God Is Love" and "The Resurrection". Kravitz is quoted as saying that the making of the album was a very tedious process—he was unhappy with the music business at the time, and his mother's illness was also weighing on his mind.^[13] The recording locations were Chateau Des Conde, France; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; and Waterfront Studios, Hoboken, NJ.

Reception

Rob Wagner of The Tech stated, "Though Circus is a bit of a rip-off album, it could be justified. Kravitz believes that rock and roll is dead, so he could be trying to revive it by copying past rock and roll songs that worked. Two things are for sure: Circus definitely sounds better than his last album, and it is infinitely better than any inane drivel released by Live. Kravitz avoids the characteristically annoying sound he inflicted on people in Are You Gonna Go My Way. He avoids cheesy '70s style Muzak orchestrations, and, most of the time, he avoids incessantly singing, "Ooooooh!"^[14] Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone stated, "Whereas Kravitz's last album at least offered several possible new paths for him, Circus finds him falling back on the most transparent one. Whether it's a calculated attempt to cash in on arena rock while it's all the rage again or an unshakable desire to re-create the 70s-style rock star in his own image is hard to say. What's clear is that Kravitz is not the slick reassembler of funk, R&B, and classic rock that he was two years ago."^[15]

Track listing

1. "Rock and Roll Is Dead" (Kravitz) – 3:23
2. "Circus" (Gerry DeVeaux, Terry Britten, Kravitz) – 4:48
3. "Beyond the 7th Sky" (Craig Ross, Kravitz) – 4:54
4. "Tunnel Vision" (Kravitz) – 4:19
5. "Can't Get You Off My Mind" (Kravitz) – 4:34
6. "Magdalene" (Kravitz) – 3:48
7. "God Is Love" (Kravitz, Henry Hirsch) – 4:26
8. "Thin Ice" (Ross, Kravitz) – 5:33
9. "Don't Go and Put a Bullet in Your Head" (Kravitz) – 4:22
10. "In My Life Today" (Ross, Kravitz) – 6:29
11. "The Resurrection" (Ross, Kravitz) – 4:28
12. "Another Life" [Japan bonus] – 3:59

Personnel

• Bass by Henry Hirsch for track 3 and Tony Breit for tracks 2
• Electric guitar by Craig Ross on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10
• Electric piano by Henry Hirsch on track 11
• Mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk
• Mixed by David Domanich, Henry Hirsch and Lenny Kravitz
• Recorded by Henry Hirsch at Waterfront Studios, NJ; Chateau Des Conde, France and Compass Point Studios, Bahamas
• Art direction by Len Peltier
• Artwork design by Len Peltier and Steve Gerdes
• Photography by Ruven Afanador

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Circus Chart (1995) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 2 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 3 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 3 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 1 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[21] 2 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 8 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 4 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 7 Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 18 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 7 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[29] 5 US Billboard 200[30] 10

Year-end charts 1995 year-end chart performance for Circus Chart (1995) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[31] 46 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[32] 62 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] 79 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[21] 82 Certifications and sales Certifications and sales for Circus Region Certification Certified units/sales Argentina (CAPIF)[34] Gold 30,000^ France (SNEP)[35] Gold 100,000* Japan (RIAJ)[36] Platinum 200,000^ Netherlands (NVPI)[37] Gold 50,000^ New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] Gold 7,500^ Spain (PROMUSICAE)[39] Gold 50,000^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[40] Gold 25,000^ United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Gold 100,000^ United States (RIAA)[42] Gold 527,000[43] * Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Deggans, Eric (1998). "Lenny Kravitz". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 650–651.
2. "Circus - Lenny Kravitz". AllMusic.
3. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. August 26, 1995. p. 43.
4. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 11, 1995. p. 35.
5. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. February 17, 1996. p. 31.
6. Baltin, Steve (1995-09-23). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
7. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lenny Kravitz". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
8. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
9. Browne, David (1995-09-15). "Music Review: 'Circus' Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
10. Moody, Paul (1995-09-09). "Long Play". NME. p. 50. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
11. Kemp, Mark (1995-09-21). "Lenny Kravitz: Circus : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-04. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
12. Hotten, Jon (October 1995). "New Albums". Select. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
13. "Lenny's interview by Deep Joy". lenny-kravitz.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
14. Wagner, Rob (October 13, 1995). "Kravitz specializes in reviving old-time rock 'n' roll - The Tech". The Tech. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
15. Kemp, Mark (21 September 1995). "Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-04. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
16. "Australiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
18. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
19. "Ultratop.be – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
21. "Year End Sales Charts – European Top 100 Albums 1995" (PDF). Music & Media. December 23, 1995. p. 14. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
23. "サーカス" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
24. "Charts.nz – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
30. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
31. "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1995". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
32. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2839". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
33. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1995". DutchCharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved May 26, 2022.
34. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
35. "French album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
36. "Japanese album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 7, 2020. Select 1995年9月 on the drop-down menu
37. "Dutch album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Circus in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2003 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
38. "New Zealand album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
39. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 940. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
40. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Are you gonna go my way')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
41. "British album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". British Phonographic Industry.
42. "American album certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Circus". Recording Industry Association of America.
43. Basham, David (27 August 2001). "Calling All Chart Freaks: Michael, Lenny, Bush Under The Microscope". Mtv. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.