This Perfect World
| This Perfect World | ||||
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| Studio album by Freedy Johnston | ||||
| Released | June 28, 1994 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, power pop | |||
| Length | 40:14 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Butch Vig | |||
| Freedy Johnston chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  |
| Entertainment Weekly | A |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
This Perfect World is the third album by singer-songwriter Freedy Johnston. It was released in 1994 on Elektra Records.
It is an album steeped in regret and loss. The narrator of "Across the Avenue" is unable to get past the memory of seeing his lover killed in a pedestrian accident. In "Two Lovers Stop," a young couple commit suicide rather than let themselves be ripped away from each other. The title track concerns a dying old man returning to apologize to his estranged daughter for unspecified past misdeeds. Among the other songs, "Evie's Tears" apparently refers to sexual abuse (evidently by a priest), and "Dolores" is based on Nabokov's Lolita. Despite the preponderance of dark subject matter, the album has a jaunty feel as Johnston demonstrates an ability to craft winning pop melodies.
Reviews of the album were overflowing with praise, although those same reviewers also generally felt that it didn't quite measure up to his previous album, 1992's Can You Fly.
This Perfect World was produced by Butch Vig, who also played on the album's minor hit, "Bad Reputation." Other notable contributors include cellist Jane Scarpantoni, who performed on two tracks, and Marshall Crenshaw.
All songs written by Freedy Johnston.
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