His 'n' Hers
His 'n' Hers is the fourth studio album by English rock band Pulp, released on 18 April 1994 by Island Records. It proved to be the band's breakthrough album, reaching number nine on the UK Albums Chart,[4] and was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Music Prize. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the seventieth greatest album of all time, while it was placed at number 110 in the book Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums.[4]
| His 'n' Hers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 April 1994 | |||
| Recorded | July 1992, October 1993–February 1994[lower-alpha 1] | |||
| Studio | Britannia Row, London[lower-alpha 2] | |||
| Genre | Britpop[2][3] | |||
| Length | 50:38 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Ed Buller | |||
| Pulp chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from His 'n' Hers | ||||
| ||||
Themes and content
Lyrically, the album encompasses subjects for which Pulp were to become well known, including sexual encounters, social class and voyeurism.[4]
Robyn Strachan retrospectively describes the opener "Joyriders" as setting the tone for the album with "acerbic observation and lurking seediness and decay".[5]
"She's a Lady" takes much of its musical inspiration from Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".[6]
The album closer, "David's Last Summer", is notable as being one of Pulp's most narrative songs, delivered entirely in spoken word apart from the chorus despite being an uptempo track.
Release and aftermath
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [8] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[9] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| NME | 8/10[11] |
| Q | [12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
| Select | 4/5[14] |
| Spin | 8/10[15] |
| Uncut | [16] |
The CD edition of the album included a new remixed version of the song “Babies”, the original version of which was previously released as a single in 1992.
The album was preceded with two singles: "Lipgloss" and "Do You Remember the First Time?". The new mix of "Babies" was also released as a single as part of the Sisters EP.
The album was a long-awaited breakthrough for Pulp in the UK becoming their first charting album reaching #9[17] and later certified Gold.[18]
A CD Deluxe edition of His 'n' Hers was released on 11 September 2006. It contained a second disc of B-sides, demos and rarities. The vinyl version of the Deluxe edition was released in 2012.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker; all music is composed by Pulp
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joyriders" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Lipgloss" | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Acrylic Afternoons" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Have You Seen Her Lately?" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Babies" (does not appear on the album's vinyl release) | 4:04 |
| 6. | "She's a Lady" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Happy Endings" | 4:57 |
| 8. | "Do You Remember the First Time?" | 4:22 |
| 9. | "Pink Glove" | 4:48 |
| 10. | "Someone Like the Moon" | 4:18 |
| 11. | "David's Last Summer" | 7:01 |
| Total length: | 51:38 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Razzmatazz" | 3:41 |
| No. | Title | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live On" (BBC Mark Goodier session) | Previously unavailable | 3:58 |
| 2. | "You're Not Blind" (demo) | Previously unavailable | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Space" (BBC Hit the North Session soundcheck) | Previously unavailable | 3:27 |
| 4. | "The Boss" (demo) | Previously unavailable | 2:27 |
| 5. | "Watching Nicky" (demo) | Previously unavailable | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Frightened" (demo) | Previously unavailable | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Your Sister's Clothes" | The Sisters EP | 4:41 |
| 8. | "Seconds" | The Sisters EP | 4:19 |
| 9. | "His 'n' Hers" | The Sisters EP | 6:20 |
| 10. | "Street Lites" | B-side to "Do You Remember the First Time?" | 5:56 |
| 11. | "You're a Nightmare" (BBC John Peel session) | B-side to "Lipgloss" (incorrectly noted as previously unavailable) | 5:20 |
| 12. | "The Babysitter" | B-side to "Do You Remember the First Time?" | 5:00 |
| 13. | "Deep Fried in Kelvin" | B-side to "Lipgloss" | 9:49 |
| Total length: | 1:1:42 1:53:20 | ||
Personnel
Pulp
- Jarvis Cocker – vocals, School piano, Vox Marauder guitar, EMS Synthi A
- Russell Senior – Fender Stratocaster guitar, violin, bowed bass
- Candida Doyle – Farfisa Compact Professional II organ, Stylophone 350S, Korg Trident II, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hohner clavinette, Steinway grand piano
- Nick Banks – drums, percussion, treated cymbals, timpani, fire extinguisher
- Steve Mackey – Fender Jazz Bass
Artwork
- Philip Castle – Pulp portrait
- Kevin Westerberg – original photograph
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[21] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notes
- Except "Lipgloss" and "She's a Lady", recorded 2–10 July 1993; and "Babies", recorded 20–24 July 1992[1]
- Except "Babies", recorded at Island Records Fallout Shelter, London[1]
References
- Sturdy, Mark (15 December 2009). Truth and Beauty: The Story of Pulp. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857121035.
- Sanders, Brad (21 April 2014). "His 'N' Hers Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". Pitchfork. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- Larkin, Colin (1998). Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. ISBN 0753502585.
- Robyn Strachan (3 August 2014). "Resentment in Retrospective: Pulp's 'His 'n' Hers', 20 Years On". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- Andy Gill (4 May 1995). "POP / The last detail: It was a special night for Pulp, playing at home with their first single in the Top 10. Andy Gill was there". The Independent. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "His 'n' Hers – Pulp". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- Messbarger, Matt (1 December 1994). "Pulp: His 'N' Hers (Island)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- Cowen, Nick (26 September 2006). "Album Review: Pulp – His 'N Hers (2006 re-issue)". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2006.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). "Pulp". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- Williams, Simon (16 April 1994). "Pulp – His'N'Hers". NME. Archived from the original on 13 October 2000. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- Cooper, Mark (June 1994). "Pulp: His 'n' Hers". Q. No. 93.
- Harris, Keith (2004). "Pulp". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 665. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
- Harrison, Andrew (May 1994). "Short Cuts". Select. No. 47. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- Modell, Josh (June 2009). "Discography: Jarvis Cocker". Spin. Vol. 25, no. 6. p. 82. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- "Pulp: His 'n' Hers". Uncut. No. 112. September 2006. p. 98.
- "Pulp in the UK charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- "British certificates: searchable database". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2014. Note: User needs to enter "Pulp" in the "Keywords" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Search" button. Select "More >>" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "British album certifications – Pulp – His N Hers". British Phonographic Industry.
External links
- His 'n' Hers at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- His 'n' Hers at Discogs (list of releases)