Welcome to the Cruel World

Welcome to the Cruel World
Studio album by Ben Harper
Released	February 8, 1994
Recorded	at The Convent
Genre	Blues, folk, alternative rock
Length	50:25
Label	Virgin
Producer	Ben Harper, Jean-Pierre Plunier
Ben Harper chronology
Welcome to the Cruel World (1994) Fight for Your Mind (1995)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	link
Dirty Linen	Favorable link
Philadelphia Tribune	Favorable link
Q	link
Rhapsody	Favorable link
Rolling Stone	link
Yahoo! Music	Favorable link
RateYourMusic.com	3.53 / 5

Welcome to the Cruel World is Ben Harper's debut album from Virgin Records. Released in 1994, the album established Harper as a popular folk musician in the California area. After this release, Harper went on to add a permanent backing band, the Innocent Criminals, although they remained unnamed until the Burn to Shine album.

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Harper except as noted.

1. "The Three of Us" – 2:35
2. "Whipping Boy" (Chris Darrow) – 5:31
3. "Breakin' Down" (Harper, Jean Pierre Plunier) – 4:00
4. "Don't Take That Attitude to Your Grave" – 4:25
5. "Waiting on an Angel" – 3:53
6. "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now" – 2:29
7. "Forever" – 3:23
8. "Like a King" – 4:18
9. "Pleasure and Pain" – 3:44
10. "Walk Away" – 3:49
11. "How Many Miles Must We March" – 3:07
12. "Welcome to the Cruel World" – 5:36
13. "I'll Rise" (Maya Angelou, Harper) – 3:35
    • Contains the hidden track "...By and By I'm Going to See the King" (Blind Willie Johnson) – 0:30
    • "Remember - unreleased version (bonus track) - 2:49

Personnel

Music credits

• Ben Harper - vocals, multiple instruments
• Clyde Allen - background vocals
• Clarence Butler - background vocals
• Richard Cook - Uillean pipes
• Rock Deadrick - percussion, drums, background vocals
• Tom Freund
• Clabe Hangan - background vocals
• Jelani Jones - background vocals
• Suzie Katayama - cello
• Ken McDaniel - background vocals
• John McKnight - bass, accordion
• John Taylor - background vocals
• Kevin Williams - background vocals
• Tommy D. Daugherty - drum programming

Production credits

• Producers: Ben Harper, J.P. Plunier
• Associate producer: Jeff Gottlieb, Mikal Reid
• Engineer: Mikal Reid
• Assistant engineer: Bradley Cook
• Mixing: Mikal Reid
• Mastering: Eddy Schreyer
• Advisor: Ben Elder
• Art direction: Tom Dolan, J.P. Plunier
• Research: Ben Elder
• Photography: Jeff Gottlieb

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[1]	94
French Albums Chart[2]	11

References

1. "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
2. "Classements - Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2012.