Suicaine Gratifaction is the third solo album from former The Replacements leader Paul Westerberg.

Suicaine Gratifaction
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 23, 1999
GenreAlternative rock
Length45:08
LabelCapitol
ProducerPaul Westerberg, Don Was
Paul Westerberg chronology
Eventually
(1996)
Suicaine Gratifaction
(1999)
Stereo
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Co-producer Don Was had admired Westerberg for years. He used Westerberg's solo debut, 14 Songs, as daily inspiration while producing the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge.[2] Westerberg once claimed that he had originally been interested in working with Quincy Jones.[3]

Regarding the album's strange title, Westerberg said, "I don't want to think about it too deeply other than the fact that it seems wrong, and therefore it's attractive to me."[4]

The piano solo in the middle of "Born for Me" is the subject of a chapter within Nick Hornby's Songbook, where its simply played, undemonstrative character, of a piece with the song as a whole, is contrasted with virtuosic solos that use the underlying song as a jumping-off point to some unrelated destination. Hornby describes Westerberg as a "born musician" and suggests that he's "a man who thinks and feels and loves and speaks in music."[5] "Born for Me" was rerecorded on I Don't Cares' 2016 album, Wild Stab.

Track listing

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  1. "It's a Wonderful Lie" – 2:47
  2. "Self-Defense" – 3:15
  3. "Best Thing That Never Happened" – 4:31
  4. "Lookin' Out Forever" – 3:41
  5. "Born for Me" – 4:00
  6. "Final Hurrah" – 3:27
  7. "Tears Rolling Up Our Sleeves" – 3:26
  8. "Fugitive Kind" – 5:54
  9. "Sunrise Always Listens" – 4:17
  10. "Whatever Makes You Happy" – 3:15
  11. "Actor in the Street" – 3:24
  12. "Bookmark" – 3:11

Bonus Track Europe

“Wonderful Copenhagen”

Bonus Track Japan

“33rd of July" – 3:00

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ VH1: Paul Westerberg Goes It Alone With Suicaine Gratifaction. Accessed June 30, 2008
  3. ^ Mountain Xpress interview. Accessed June 30, 2008.
  4. ^ MTV: Paul Westerberg Lines Up Suicaine Gratifaction for 1999 Accessed June 30, 2008.
  5. ^ Nick Hornby (2003). "Chapter 12". Songbook. Penguin. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-57322-356-0. Retrieved 21 January 2012.