Life'll Kill Ya is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on January 25, 2000, by Artemis Records. It was later hailed in Rolling Stone as his best work since Excitable Boy.[4]
| Life'll Kill Ya | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 25, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 40:23 | |||
| Label | Artemis | |||
| Producer | Paul Q. Kolderie, Sean Slade | |||
| Warren Zevon chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Life'll Kill Ya | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
| Uncut | 8/10[5] |
Themes
editSeveral of the album's songs deal with the topic of death; for instance, "My Shit's Fucked Up" is a mournful lament on the aging process and the inevitable decay that accompanies it. "Life'll Kill Ya" and "Don't Let Us Get Sick" also have prominent death themes. Additionally, Zevon had a phobia of doctors leading him to avoid them for several years; that theme is included in the album as well.[6] In 2002, just two years after the album's release, Zevon was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died a year later.[7][8]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Warren Zevon unless noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Was in the House When the House Burned Down" | 3:04 | |
| 2. | "Life'll Kill Ya" | 2:47 | |
| 3. | "Porcelain Monkey" | Jorge Calderón, Zevon | 3:32 |
| 4. | "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" | 3:13 | |
| 5. | "I'll Slow You Down" | 3:13 | |
| 6. | "Hostage-O" | 4:05 | |
| 7. | "Dirty Little Religion" | 3:11 | |
| 8. | "Back in the High Life Again" | Will Jennings, Steve Winwood | 3:13 |
| 9. | "My Shit's Fucked Up" | 2:45 | |
| 10. | "Fistful of Rain" | Jorge Calderón, Zevon | 5:19 |
| 11. | "Ourselves to Know" | 3:18 | |
| 12. | "Don't Let Us Get Sick" | 3:05 |
Note
- On some releases, track 9 is omitted from the rear U-card but appears on the song list in the case booklet.
Personnel
edit- Warren Zevon – percussion, keyboards, guitar, piccolo, vocals, penny whistle, harmonica; theremin on "Porcelain Monkey"
- Jorge Calderón – bass guitar, percussion, vocals
- Dennis Collins – vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Babi Floyd – vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Curtis King – vocals on "Fistful of Rain"
- Chuck Prophet – guitar on "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer"
- Jim Ryan – mandolin on "Ourselves to Know"
- Winston Watson – percussion, snare drums
Production
- Paul Q. Kolderie – producer, engineer
- Sean Slade – producer, engineer
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Michael Krumper – A&R
- Warren Zevon – art direction
- Jonathan Exley – photography, design
Charts
edit| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[9] | 173 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[10] | 8 |
References
edit- ^ Mark Deming (January 25, 2000). "Life'll Kill Ya – Warren Zevon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Warren Zevon (February 17, 2000). "Rolling Stone : Warren Zevon: Life'll Kill Ya : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ a b Rolling Stone album guide
- ^ "How to buy Warren Zevon". Uncut. October 2023. p. 71.
- ^ The Late Show with David Letterman, October 30, 2002
- ^ "Salon.com People | Warren Zevon". Archived from the original on August 21, 2003. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "PopMatters | Columns | Michael Stephens | BodyMatters | Warren Zevon & The Art of Dying". Archived from the original on October 30, 2002. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "Warren Zevon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "Warren Zevon Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2018.