Hourglass (James Taylor album)

Hourglass
Hourglass
Studio album by James Taylor
Released	May 20, 1997
Recorded	May–October 1996
Studio	Chalker's Creek, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts; Westlake Audio, West Hollywood, California; Right Track Studios, New York City
Length	54:51
Label	Columbia
Producer	Frank Filipetti; James Taylor;
James Taylor chronology
Singles from Hourglass
	"Line 'Em Up"; Released: 1997; "Enough to Be On Your Way"; Released: 1997; "Little More Time With You"; Released: 1997; "Ananas"; Released: 1997; "Jump Up Behind Me"; Released: 1997; "Another Day"; Released: 1998;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[2]
MusicHound	3.5/5^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[5]

Hourglass is the fourteenth studio album by singer-songwriter James Taylor released in 1997. It was his first studio album in six years since 1991's New Moon Shine. It was a huge commercial success, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard 200, his first Top 10 album in sixteen years and also provided a big adult contemporary hit, "Little More Time With You".

The album also gave Taylor his first Grammy since JT, when he was honored with Best Pop Album in 1998. The album also won producer/engineer Frank Filipetti a Grammy that year for Best Engineered Album. The majority of the album was recorded using a Yamaha O2R mixer and three Tascam DA-88 multitrack recorders,^[6] which were early digital devices not typically used by top level artists, as most major label records were still being recorded to analog tape at that time.^{[citation needed]}

The album was dedicated to Don Grolnick who was a frequent collaborator with Taylor and who died during the Hourglass sessions in 1996 due to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background

Hourglass was an introspective album with lyrics that focused largely on Taylor's troubled past and family. "Jump Up Behind Me" paid tribute to his father's rescue of him after the Flying Machine days, and the long drive from New York City back to his home in Chapel Hill.^[7] "Enough to Be On Your Way" was inspired by the alcoholism-related death of his brother Alex earlier in the decade.^[8] The themes were also inspired by Taylor's divorce from actress Kathryn Walker, which took place in 1996.^[9] Rolling Stone found that "one of the themes of this record is disbelief", while Taylor told the magazine that it was "spirituals for agnostics."^[10]

Track listing

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

"Line 'Em Up" – 4:44
"Enough to Be on Your Way" – 5:29
"Little More Time with You" – 3:52
"Gaia" – 5:31
"Ananas" – 5:44
"Jump Up Behind Me" – 3:30
"Another Day" – 2:23
"Up Er Mei" – 3:49
"Up from Your Life" – 5:17
"Yellow and Rose" – 4:55
"Boatman" (Livingston Taylor, M. Taylor) – 3:59
"Walking My Baby Back Home" (Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk) – 3:12
"Hangnail" (also known as "Money O Money") – 2:21 [hidden track]

Personnel

James Taylor – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, penny whistle (2), harmonica (10)
Clifford Carter – keyboards
Bob Mann – guitars
Dan Dugmore – pedal steel guitar (10, 11)
Ross Traut – high-strung guitar (11)
Jimmy Johnson – bass guitar (1–3, 5–8, 10–12)
Edgar Meyer – cello arrangements (2, 7), acoustic bass (4, 9)
Carlos Vega – drums, percussion
Mark O'Connor – fiddle (2)
Yo-Yo Ma – cello (2, 7)
Stanley Silverman – cello arrangements (2, 7)
Stevie Wonder – harmonica (3)
Branford Marsalis – soprano saxophone (4), alto saxophone (9)
Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone (5), EWI (6)
Rob Mounsey – horn arrangements (5)
Valerie Carter – backing vocals
David Lasley – backing vocals
Kate Markowitz – backing vocals
Arnold McCuller – backing vocals
Sting – backing vocals (6)
Jill Dell'Abate – backing vocals (8)
Shawn Colvin – backing vocals (10)

Production

Producers – Frank Filipetti and James Taylor
Associate Producer – Jill Dell'Abate
Production Assistant – Ted Cammann
Engineered and Mixed by Frank Filipetti
Assistant Engineers – Tim Gerron and Pete Karam
Mix Assistant – Pete Karam
Technical Support – John Morrison
Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
Art Direction – Stephanie Mauer
Design – Chris Quinn
Photography – Herb Ritts
Management – Cathy Kerr for PAM Artist Management.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Hourglass*
Chart (1997)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[11]	68
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[12]	38
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[13]	67
UK Albums (OCC)^[14]	46
US Billboard 200^[15]	9

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Hourglass*
Chart (1997)	Position
US Billboard 200^[16]	111

Certifications

Certifications for *Hourglass*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[17]	Silver	60,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[18]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ AllMusic review
^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1125. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
^ Rolling Stone review
^ "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Filipetti, Frank (May 29, 2016). "Frank Filipetti Facebook comment". Facebook.
^ White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 318.
^ White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 306.
^ White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 301.
^ "In 'Up From Your Life,' you sing, 'For an unbeliever like you/ There's not much they can do.' In 'Gaia,' you call yourself a 'poor, wretched unbeliever.'" Interview, Rolling Stone, June 24, 1997.
^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 275.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – James Taylor – Hourglass". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "James Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "British album certifications – James Taylor – Hourglass". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
^ "American album certifications – James Taylor – Hourglass". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 11, 2022.

[1] AllMusic review

[2] Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.

[MusicHound-3] Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1125. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.

[4] Rolling Stone review

[5] "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

[6] Filipetti, Frank (May 29, 2016). "Frank Filipetti Facebook comment". Facebook.

[7] White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 318.

[8] White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 306.

[9] White, Long Ago and Far Away, p. 301.

[10] "In 'Up From Your Life,' you sing, 'For an unbeliever like you/ There's not much they can do.' In 'Gaia,' you call yourself a 'poor, wretched unbeliever.'" Interview, Rolling Stone, June 24, 1997.

[11] Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 275.

[ac_Norway_James_Taylor-12] "Norwegiancharts.com – James Taylor – Hourglass". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

[ac_Scotland_-13] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

[ac_UK2_-14] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

[ac_Billboard200_James_Taylor-15] "James Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

[16] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2021.

[United_KingdomJames_TaylorHourglassalbumCertRef-17] "British album certifications – James Taylor – Hourglass". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 11, 2022.

[United_StatesJames_TaylorHourglassalbumCertRef-18] "American album certifications – James Taylor – Hourglass". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 11, 2022.

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v t e James Taylor
Studio albums	James Taylor Sweet Baby James Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon One Man Dog Walking Man Gorilla In the Pocket JT Flag Dad Loves His Work That's Why I'm Here Never Die Young New Moon Shine Hourglass October Road Covers Before This World American Standard
Live albums	Live/Best Live One Man Band Amchitka Live at the Troubadour Live at the Beacon Theatre (DVD video)
Holiday albums	A Christmas Album James Taylor at Christmas
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits Classic Songs Greatest Hits Volume 2 The Best of James Taylor The Essential James Taylor
Extended plays	Other Covers
Singles	"Carolina in My Mind" "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" "Sweet Baby James" "Fire and Rain" "Country Road" "You've Got a Friend" "Long Ago and Far Away" "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" "One Man Parade" "Hymn" "Mockingbird" (with Carly Simon) "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" "Mexico" "Shower the People" "Woman's Gotta Have It" "Handy Man" "Your Smiling Face" "Honey Don't Leave L.A." "Devoted to You" (with Carly Simon) "Up on the Roof" "Her Town Too" "Hard Times" "Everyday" "It's Growing" "Change"
Other songs	"Night Owl" "Something in the Way She Moves" "Sunny Skies" "Steamroller Blues" "You Can Close Your Eyes" "Highway Song" "I Was a Fool to Care" "Bartender's Blues" "Secret O' Life" "Millworker" "Summer's Here"
Related articles	Discography James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine Working Vote for Change Tour Troubadour Reunion Tour Carly Simon Sally Taylor Kate Taylor Livingston Taylor Alex Taylor Isaac M. Taylor

v t e Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album
1960s	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1968)
1990s	Longing in Their Hearts – Bonnie Raitt (1995) Turbulent Indigo – Joni Mitchell (1996) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1997) Hourglass – James Taylor (1998) Ray of Light – Madonna (1999)
2000s	Brand New Day – Sting (2000) Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2001) Lovers Rock – Sade (2002) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2003) Justified – Justin Timberlake (2004) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles and various artists (2005) Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson (2006) Continuum – John Mayer (2007) Back to Black – Amy Winehouse (2008) Rockferry – Duffy (2009)
2010s	The E.N.D. – Black Eyed Peas (2010) The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga (2011) 21 – Adele (2012) Stronger – Kelly Clarkson (2013) Unorthodox Jukebox – Bruno Mars (2014) In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith (2015) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2016) 25 – Adele (2017) ÷ – Ed Sheeran (2018) Sweetener – Ariana Grande (2018)
2020s	When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish (2020) Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa (2021) Sour – Olivia Rodrigo (2022) Harry's House – Harry Styles (2023) Midnights – Taylor Swift (2024) Short n' Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter (2025)
From 1968–1993, the category was discontinued.

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