Human Being (album)

Human Being
Studio album by
Seal
Released16 November 1998
Recorded1996–1998
Studio
Genre
Length51:35
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTrevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal
(1994) 		Human Being
(1998) 		Togetherland
(Unreleased)
Singles from Human Being
  1. "Human Beings"
    Released: 2 November 1998
  2. "Lost My Faith"
    Released: 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]
Rolling Stone[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

Human Being is the third studio album by British singer Seal, released in 1998. The title track was written about late rappers Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.[1] Human Being received mixed reviews ranging from being panned for its overtly dark and moody feel,[3] to being described in terms such as "pop perfection".[1] The album featured Seal naked on the cover. The album failed to sell in the same way as his 1994 multi-platinum album, Seal, however, it is a fan favourite.

A remix of "Lost My Faith" was featured over the closing credits of the 1999 film Entrapment, and the song's single release was accompanied by a music video in which Seal is integrated into scenes from the film alongside Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.[citation needed]

The cover art for the album was shot by French fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino.[5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Human Beings"Seal4:47
2."State of Grace"
  • Seal
  • Chris Bruce
5:00
3."Latest Craze"
4:28
4."Just Like You Said"
  • Seal
  • Bruce
4:17
5."Princess"Seal1:58
6."Lost My Faith"
  • Seal
  • Reggie Hamilton
4:38
7."Excerpt From"Seal3:04
8."When a Man Is Wrong"Seal4:21
9."Colour"Seal5:22
10."Still Love Remains"Seal5:54
11."No Easy Way"Seal4:48
12."Human Beings (Reprise)"Seal3:28
Total length:52:05

Personnel

Production

  • Trevor Horn – producer
  • Steve Fitzmaurice – recording, mixing
  • Tim Weidner – recording, mixing
  • Michael Perfitt – recording assistant, additional engineer
  • Tom Elmhirst – additional engineer
  • Gregg Jackman – additional engineer
  • Richard Lowe – additional engineer, mixing (7)
  • Steve Orchard – additional engineer
  • Mike Ross-Trevor – additional engineer
  • Alex Black – assistant engineer
  • Stuart Brawley – assistant engineer
  • Rob Brill – assistant engineer
  • Andre Coulam – assistant engineer
  • Andy Davies – assistant engineer
  • Tony Flores – assistant engineer
  • Gordon Fordyce – assistant engineer
  • Billy Gibson – assistant engineer
  • Barry Goldberg – assistant engineer
  • Mark Lane – assistant engineer
  • Luis Quine – assistant engineer
  • Iain Roberson – assistant engineer
  • Paul Silveira – assistant engineer
  • Dan Vickers – assistant engineer
  • Tim Wills – assistant engineer
  • Don C. Tyler – digital editing
  • Alexander Areteos – technical assistant
  • Justin Fraser – technical assistant
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Debbie Caponetta – production coordinator
  • Pat Dorn – production coordinator
  • Tom Mayhue – production coordinator
  • Augusta Quiney – production coordinator
  • Melanie Niessen – art direction
  • Matt Coonrod – design
  • Jean-Baptiste Mondino – photography
  • Bob Cavallo – management
  • Rebecca Mostow – management

Charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 82
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] 25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 44
US Billboard 200[13] 22

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Prato, Greg (17 November 1998). "Human Being - Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  2. ^ David Browne (16 November 1998). "Human Being Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b Evelyn McDonnell (17 November 1998). "Seal: Human Being : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  4. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 723. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. ^ "SEAL on Instagram: "'Human Beings' (My Favourite of My Album Covers) #jeanbaptistemondino #albumcover"". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2019 – via Instagram.
  6. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 246.
  7. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Human Being" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Human Being" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  14. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  15. ^ "British album certifications – Seal – Human Being". British Phonographic Industry.
  16. ^ "American album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recording Industry Association of America.


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