Grace (Jeff Buckley album)

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Live at Sin-é1993Live from the Bataclan1995studioGraceJeff_Buckley_grace.jpgJeff BuckleyTemplate:Start dateLate 1993 – 1994Bearsville, Woodstock, New YorkTemplate:FlatlistTemplate:DurationColumbia* Andy Wallace

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Grace is the only studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released on August 15, 1994, in Europe and on August 23, 1994, in the United States by Columbia Records. It was produced by Buckley and Andy Wallace.

After moving from Los Angeles to New York City in 1991, Buckley amassed a following through his performances at Sin-é, a cafe in the East Village, and signed to Columbia in 1993. He recorded Grace in Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, with musicians including Gary Lucas, Mick Grondahl, Michael Tighe and Matt Johnson. It includes versions of the jazz standard "Lilac Wine", the hymn "Corpus Christi Carol" and the 1984 Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah".

Grace reached number 149 on the US Billboard 200, below Columbia's expectations, and initially received mixed reviews. After Buckley's death in 1997, its critical standing grew and it was praised by musicians including Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan and David Bowie. By 2011, it had achieved sales of two million, and in 2016 it was certified platinum in the US.

Rolling Stone included Grace in three of its lists of the 500 greatest albums and named Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" one of the 500 greatest songs. In 2008, "Hallelujah" became Buckley's first number one on BillboardTemplate:'s Hot Digital Songs and reached number two in the UK singles chart. In 2014, "Hallelujah" was inducted into the American Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Background

Buckley moved from Los Angeles to New York City in 1991, where he met the guitarist Gary Lucas and wrote the songs "Grace" and "Mojo Pin" with him.<ref name="Pitchfork review">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He performed both songs during his brief time as a member of Lucas's band Gods and Monsters.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

After leaving the band, Buckley performed regularly at Sin-é, a cafe in the East Village, Manhattan.<ref name="Runtagh-2019">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He built a following and attracted attention from major record labels.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> In October 1992, Buckley signed a record contract with Columbia Records.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> His debut EP, Live at Sin-é, was released in 1993.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

In the weeks before recording began for his debut album, Buckley assembled a band and delayed work until he felt he had found the right musicians. He met the bassist Mick Grondahl at a concert at Columbia University, and recruited him following a jam session at Buckley's apartment.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Buckley's girlfriend, Rebecca Moore, introduced him to the drummer Matt Johnson, and Buckley invited him to audition at a rehearsal, where they created the structure for "Dream Brother".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> The band began recording Grace soon after. Johnson said it was "really scary" to go from meeting someone to recording so quickly.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

Recording

Grace was produced, engineered and mixed by Andy Wallace and recorded in Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> The album was recorded in several sessions over approximately six months.<ref name="Colen2001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Buckley experimented extensively with arrangements and recording techniques. He found the process of recording contrary to his improvisational performance style, and said later: "It's not like a live show where you play it and it just disappears into the air like smoke. It's like painting, sound painting. It's in a crystalized form, so it's very nerve-wracking: which brain cell do I put down here forever and ever?"<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Karl Berger, a longtime Woodstock resident, wrote the string arrangements with Buckley and conducted the orchestra for recording sessions.Template:Sfn

Wallace recalled Buckley as among the most talented musicians he had met, with an abundance of ideas. However, he was "very scattered" and had difficulty focusing, and required direction.<ref name="Colen2001"/> Recording was disrupted when Buckley was upset by a negative review of Live at Sin-é in Newsday, which likened his voice to Michael Bolton and wrote that he was derivative of "black idioms ... awkwardly reach[ing] for a balance of emotion and technique, eventually relying on sheer voice of will, oversinging, flaking out".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Wallace said Buckley was "almost apoplectic" about the criticism and stopped work for two days.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

As he had not completed enough original songs for an album, Buckley recorded three covers: the jazz standard "Lilac Wine", the hymn "Corpus Christi Carol" (based on an arrangement by Benjamin Britten), and the 1984 Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /><ref name="Diver-2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Buckley based his version of "Hallelujah" on the cover by John Cale, and was not familiar with Cohen's original.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Buckley recorded more than 20 takes; the final version was edited together from several recordings.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Lucas contributed guitar to the songs he co-wrote, "Grace" and "Mojo Pin".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

Near the end of the sessions, Buckley presented another song, "Forget Her", and he and the band quickly recorded it. Columbia felt the song had commercial potential, but Buckley and the band were unsure.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> In early 1994, when Grace was almost complete, Buckley enlisted another guitarist, Moore's childhood friend Michael Tighe.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> During one rehearsal, Tighe played a descending chord progression that Buckley developed into "So Real". While recording B-sides for the Grace singles, the band quickly recorded "So Real" and Buckley used it to replace "Forget Her". Tighe recalled: "He got really excited and was like, 'Oh, my record is saved because I have this song 'So Real' now ... He felt that it tipped the balance of that record to the favorable side of the spectrum, aesthetically."<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> The decision concerned the executives, but Buckley insisted.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> Buckley recorded overdubs at studios in Manhattan and New Jersey.Template:Sfn

Cover

The cover photograph was taken by Buckley's friend Merri Cyr. It depicts Buckley with his eyes closed, holding a microphone and wearing a women's sequinned jacket he purchased from a thrift store. Buckley was listening to a playback of "Dream Brother" when the photo was taken. The Columbia executives felt it sent the wrong message; some felt he looked like the new wave singer Adam Ant, while the Sony head, Don Ienner, said he looked like a lounge singer. Buckley rejected Columbia's suggested alternatives, saying he liked the peaceful expression on his face listening to music. Cyr said the photo captured Buckley's "split personality" and the conflict he felt seeking media exposure on a major label while "wanting to act like he was on an indie label".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

Music

Entertainment Weekly described Grace as a blend of "choirboy cabaret" and Led Zeppelin guitar, with vocals that "spiral into spasms of romantic despair".<ref name="Browne-1994">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Uncut said it combined "androgynous vocals, '70s rock, power chords and heroic drumming".<ref name="Pinnock-2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The lyrics for "Grace" were inspired by Buckley's separation from his ex-girlfriend at the airport before moving to New York City.<ref name="Runtagh-2019" />

Release

Buckley toured internationally for 18 months to promote Grace. According to the Mojo critic Jim Irvin, the performances "veered between delicate acoustic sets and full-scale sonic onslaughts", with Buckley "becoming increasingly interested in the harder end of the sound and the power of a band".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Grace", "Last Goodbye", "So Real" and "Eternal Life" were released as singles.Template:Cn

Grace did not meet Columbia's sales expectations and did not achieve wide popularity in Buckley's lifetime.<ref name="Diver-2011" /><ref name="Miles-2024">Template:Cite news</ref> It received little radio airplay.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It spent seven weeks on the US Billboard 200, reaching number 149. By the time of Buckley's death in 1997, it had sold 175,000 copies.<ref name="Billboard moves">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was more successful in Australia, where it reached number 9 on the ARIA charts.<ref name="Miles-2024" />

Critical reception

Template:Album ratings Grace initially received mixed reviews.<ref name="Pitchfork review" /> According to Pitchfork, its jazz and classical influences disappointed critics expecting "the next great alt-rock savior".<ref name="Pitchfork review" /> In Rolling Stone, Stephanie Zacharek wrote that Buckley "sounds like a man who doesn't yet know what he wants to be", and that the "meticulous arrangements sound too orchestrated, too ornate". She felt his cover of "Hallelujah" was not "battered or desperate enough", but praised "Lilac Wine", writing: "His voice seems weighted down with tears that just won't come out the normal way."<ref name="RS Review">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote that Buckley was "beholden to Zeppelin and Nina Simone and Chris Whitley and the Cocteau Twins ... Let us pray the force of hype blows him all the way to Uranus."<ref name="Christgau" />

Dimitri Ehlrich of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Grace was "dreamy and stunningly original", describing Buckley's vocals as "an angel and devil wrapped in one".<ref name="EW Review">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Another Entertainment Weekly writer, David Browne, named it the sixth-best album of the year. He felt that though Buckley encompassed "every cliché of the tortured bohemian artist", he was "aiming for a higher plane, musically and spiritually, than any other singer-songwriter right now, and he succeeds enough to matter".<ref name="Browne-1994" /> The Guardian critic Caroline Sullivan wrote that Grace was a "stunningly accomplished debut".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot wrote that Buckley's voice had "a soulful intensity that sends chills", matched by the "rolling-and-tumbling dynamic" of the music.<ref name="Chicago Tribune">Template:Cite news</ref> The Sydney Morning Herald said it was "a romantic masterpiece" and a "pivotal, defining work".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

In February 1997, Buckley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, while working on his second album, My Sweetheart the Drunk. On May 29, he drowned while swimming in the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi.<ref name="JBBioMarieClaire">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Sales of Grace increased after his death.<ref name="Pinnock-2015" /> By 2011, it had achieved worldwide sales of two million.<ref name="Diver-2011" /> In February 2016, it was certified platinum in the US for sales of one million.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In December 2008, Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" reached number two on the UK singles chart, behind a version by Alexandra Burke, who performed it on the fifth series of the British TV show The X Factor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

With the growth of the internet in the 2000s, Grace became popular among millennial and Generation Z listeners.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An expanded edition was released in 2004, with an additional CD of bonus tracks and a DVD making-of documentary.<ref name="Pitchfork review" /> Reviewing the reissue, Pitchfork wrote that "Grace remains one of the most engaging, inspired records ever made, and its 10 original songs serve as the best possible portrait of Buckley as a diva, songwriter and artist".<ref name="Pitchfork review" />

Q readers voted Grace the 75th-greatest album of all time in 1998 and the 13th-greatest in 2005.<ref name="Q 1998">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Q 2006">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The British critic Colin Larkin included it at number 99 in the third edition of his book All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000), writing that it "achieved a perfection that was staggering for a debut album".<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref> Rolling Stone ranked it number 303 on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> number 304 in its 2009 list and 147 on its 2020 list.<ref name="500-greatest">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2003, Rolling Stone named Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" number 259 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On April 2, 2013, it was announced that Buckley's cover would be inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2006, Mojo named Grace the number-one "modern rock classic",<ref name="Mercy Lounge">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and it was voted Australia's second-favorite album on the television special My Favourite Album.<ref name="My Favourite Album">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2011, VH1 named Grace the 73rd-greatest rock and roll album.<ref name="VH1 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a worldwide poll of 40,000 people organized by British Hit Singles & Albums and NME in 2006, Grace was voted the 23rd-greatest album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, Guitar World placed Grace at number 26 in its list of "iconic albums that defined 1994".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page, said Grace was "close to being my favorite album of the decade".<ref name="Runtagh-2019" /> The singer, Robert Plant, was also complimentary.<ref name="NOWmagazine">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bob Dylan named Buckley one of the decade's great songwriters,<ref name="NOWmagazine" /> and David Bowie considered Grace the best album ever made.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2010, the Smiths singer Morrissey, one of Buckley's influences, named Grace one of his favorite albums.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Muse singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy said he did not believe his falsetto would be suitable for rock music until he heard Grace. In 2020, Bellamy purchased the Fender Telecaster Buckley used on Grace and has used it in recordings.<ref name="Greene-2021">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Entertainment Weekly	United States	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	6
Eye Weekly	Canada	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	4
Juice	Australia	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1999	10
Les Inrockuptibles	France	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	14
Melody Maker	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	9
Mojo	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	1
NME	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	21
The Wire	United Kingdom	50 Records of the Year (1994)<ref>Template:Cite magazine Template:Subscription required</ref>	1995	32
Pitchfork	United States	Top 100 Albums of the 90's	2003	69
Platendraaier	The Netherlands	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2015	7
Q	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	*
		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2004	*
Rocksound	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	2
Rolling Stone	United States	The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time<ref name="rollingstone.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2003	303
			2012	304
			2020	147
			2023	147
		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	—	*
Select	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	41
Technikart	France	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	2
The Face	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1994	18
The Guardian	United Kingdom	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1999	15
		1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die<ref name="Guardian Albums List"/>	2007	*
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die	United States	1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	2010	*

* denotes an unranked list

Personnel

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Credits adapted from Grace's liner notes.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

• Jeff Buckley – vocals, guitars, harmonium (on "Lover, You Should've Come Over"),<ref name="Guibert Browne 2019 p. 125">Template:Cite book</ref> organ, dulcimer, additional tabla (on "Dream Brother"), production (on "So Real")

Additional Performers

• Mick Grøndahl – bass
• Matt Johnson – drums, percussion, vibraphone (on "Dream Brother")
• Michael Tighe – guitar (on "So Real")
• Gary Lucas – "Magical Guitarness" (on "Mojo Pin" and "Grace")
• Loris Holland – organ (on "Lover, You Should've Come Over")
• Misha Masud – tabla (on "Dream Brother")
• Karl Berger – string arrangements

Template:Col-2 Technical Personnel

• Andy Wallace – production, engineering, mixing
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Steve Berkowitz – executive producer
• Clif Norrell – engineering (on "So Real"), additional engineering ("Corpus Christi Carol" and "Dream Brother")
• Chris Laidlaw – assistant engineer
• Steve Sisco – assistant engineer
• Bryant W. Jackson – assistant engineer
• Reggie Griffith – assistant engineer
• Nicky Lindeman – art direction, design
• Christopher Austopchuk – art direction, design
• Jennifer Cohen – design assistant
• Merri Cyr – photography
• David Gahr – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Chart (1994–2025)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	35
Irish Albums (IRMA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="UKChartlog">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	31
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	149
US Catalog Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref name=aria95>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	94

Chart (2003)	Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	93

Chart (2024)	Position
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	188

Release history

Region	Release date	Format	Label
United Kingdom, Europe<ref name="Discography"/>	August 15, 1994	Template:Flatlist	Columbia Records (Sony)
United States<ref name="Discography">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	August 23, 1994		CD
	Compact cassette
	Vinyl
	MiniDisc
	Promo cassette
Japan<ref name="Discography"/>	September 1, 1994	CD
Australia<ref name="Discography"/>	September 19, 1994	CD
citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		August 23, 2004	Legacy Edition (2×CD+DVD)

References

Sources

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Discogs master