Are You Okay?

For other uses, see Are you OK.

Are You Okay?
Original album artwork by Mark Ryden
Studio album by Was (Not Was)
Released	1990 (1990)
Studio	The Institute of Social Disruption, Microplant and Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) Hollywood Sound Recorders and Studio 56 (Hollywood, California) Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California) JHL Sound (Pacific Palisades, California) Smoketree Ranch (Chatsworth, California) Matrix Studios (London, UK)
Genre	Funk,[1] soul, pop, rock
Length	49:56
Label	Fontana (UK) - Licensed from Phonogram Chrysalis (USA)
Producer	David Was, Don Was
Was (Not Was) chronology
What Up, Dog? (1988) Are You Okay? (1990) Boo! (2008)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Sun-Times	[3]
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
NME	9/10[7]
Q	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Select	5/5[10]
The Village Voice	A−[11]

Are You Okay? is the fourth album by art-funk ensemble Was (Not Was). It was released in 1990. It was their last album for 18 years until 2008's Boo!

In UK and Europe, the album cover is replaced into a picture of the band.[12]

Track listing

All tracks composed by David Was and Don Was; except where indicated.

1. "Are You Okay?" – 4:28
2. "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield) – 6:41
3. "I Feel Better Than James Brown" – 4:45
4. "How the Heart Behaves" – 5:35
5. "Maria Novarro" – 3:27
6. "I Blew Up the United States" – 3:51
7. "In K Mart Wardrobe" – 4:16
8. "Elvis' Rolls Royce" – 3:29
9. "Dressed to Be Killed" (Was, Was, G Love E)– 4:13
10. "Just Another Couple Broken Hearts" – 4:55
11. "You! You! You!" (Was, Was, Luis Resto) – 3:28
12. "Look What's Back" – 0:43

Personnel

Was (Not Was)

• David Was – keyboards, flute, vocals
• Don Was – keyboards, bass
• Sweet Pea Atkinson – vocals
• Sir Harry Bowens – vocals
• Donald Ray Mitchell – vocals
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards
• Randy Jacobs – guitars
• Ron Pangborn – drums
• Debra Dobkin – percussion, vocals
• Dave McMurray – saxophones
• Rayse Biggs – trumpet

Guest vocalists

• G Love E – rap (1, 2, 9)
• The Roches – vocals (5)
• Doug Fieger – backing vocals (6, 9)
• Leonard Cohen – lead vocals (8)
• Iggy Pop, Downtown Julie Brown and Ewreck Benson – backing vocals (8)
• Andy Gill – backing vocals (9)
• Syd Straw – lead vocals (11)

Guest musicians

• Jeff Lorber – keyboards, keyboard programming and keyboard arrangements (1, 3, 4, 7, 10)
• Brad Buxer – additional keyboards (4)
• Luis Resto – keyboards (11)
• Paul Riser – horn and string arrangements (4, 8, 10)
• Jon Jaz-Was – saxophonic reticulation

Production

• David Bates – executive producer
• David Was – producer
• Don Was – producer, engineer
• Keith Cohen – mixing (1, 2, 4-7, 9), additional production (4)
• Ed Cherney – engineer, mixing (3, 8, 10, 11)
• Steve Deutsch – engineer
• Kenny Jones – engineer
• Jeff Lorber – engineer
• Elaine Anderson – assistant engineer
• Andy Batwinas – assistant engineer
• Kimm James – assistant engineer
• Brian Jones – assistant engineer
• Jim Mitchell – assistant engineer
• Linda Morse – assistant engineer
• Jeff Park – assistant engineer
• Neal Pogue – assistant engineer
• Martin Schmelzle – assistant engineer
• Phonogram Art – art direction
• Green Ink – artwork
• Tim Whiteley – paintbox operator
• Kushnick Passett Management – management

[13]

Charts

Charts (1990)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14]	107
USA (Billboard 200)[15]	99

References

1. Givens, Ron (November 1990). "Was (Not Was): Are You Okay?" (PDF). Stereo Review. Vol. 55, no. 11. p. 152. Retrieved May 17, 2020 – via World Radio History.
2. Ruhlmann, William. "Are You Okay? – Was (Not Was)". AllMusic. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
3. McLeese, Don (August 6, 1990). "Darker vision powers stellar 'Are You Okay?'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
4. Kot, Greg (August 9, 1990). "Was (Not Was): Are You Okay? (Chrysalis)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
5. Sandow, Greg (July 27, 1990). "Are You Okay?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
6. Willman, Chris (July 29, 1990). "Was (Not Was), 'Are You Okay?,' Chrysalis". Los Angeles Times.
7. Martin, Gavin (July 14, 1990). "Yes, Thanks". NME. p. 35.
8. Roberts, David (August 1990). "Was (Not Was): Are You Okay?". Q. No. 47.
9. Tannenbaum, Rob (September 6, 1990). "Was (Not Was): Are You Okay?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 16, 2002. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
10. Brown, Russell (August 1990). "The Okay Chorale". Select. No. 2. p. 112.
11. Christgau, Robert (September 25, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
12. Was (Not Was) - Are You Okay?, 1990, retrieved 2023-06-13
13. liner notes
14. "Was (Not Was) ARIA peaks (1988 to 2024), received from ARIA in October 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
15. Billboard, 1990, Retrieved July 18, 2023