So Tonight That I Might See

So Tonight That I Might See
Studio album by
Mazzy Star
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1993 (1993-09-27)
Genre
Length51:36
LabelCapitol
ProducerDavid Roback
Mazzy Star chronology
She Hangs Brightly
(1990) 		So Tonight That I Might See
(1993) 		Among My Swan
(1996)
Singles from So Tonight That I Might See
  1. "Five String Serenade"
    Released: June 1993[3]
  2. "Fade into You"
    Released: April 1994[4]

So Tonight That I Might See is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star, released by Capitol Records on September 27, 1993 in the United Kingdom,[5] and on October 5, 1993 in the United States.[6]

The album's first track, "Fade into You", became the band's first and only single to make the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 44, and also charted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA[8]
Far Out[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
NME8/10[11]
Pitchfork9.4/10[1]
Rolling Stone[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Uncut10/10[14]
Vox8/10[15]

Los Angeles Times critic Steve Hochman raved that So Tonight That I Might See "may be the culmination" of the Paisley Underground scene from which Mazzy Star originated, deeming the album "far more narcotic and hypnotic than anything the whole techno-trance universe has digitally blipped up to date."[10] In NME, Keith Cameron called it "an even more lustrous, becalmed work" than Mazzy Star's 1990 debut She Hangs Brightly,[11] and the magazine later ranked it as the 44th-best album of 1993.[16] Lorraine Ali was more critical in Rolling Stone, writing that the album's initially intriguing qualities grow "increasingly monotonous",[12] while Robert Christgau of The Village Voice dismissed it as a "dud".[17]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Ned Raggett said that "So Tonight That I Might See remains the group's undisputed high point, mixing in plenty of variety among its tracks without losing sight of what made the group so special to begin with."[7] In 2010, Pitchfork listed "Fade into You" as the 19th-best track of the 1990s,[18] while So Tonight That I Might See was ranked second on the website's 2018 list of the best dream pop albums,[19] and 116th on its 2022 list of the best albums of the 1990s.[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hope Sandoval and David Roback, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fade into You" 4:55
2."Bells Ring" 4:32
3."Mary of Silence" 6:02
4."Five String Serenade"Arthur Lee4:24
5."Blue Light" 5:10
6."She's My Baby" 4:25
7."Unreflected" 3:42
8."Wasted" 5:31
9."Into Dust" 5:36
10."So Tonight That I Might See" 7:19
Total length:51:36

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[21]

Mazzy Star

  • Hope Sandoval – vocals, harmonica, guitar, tambourine, album design
  • David Roback – guitar, piano, keyboard, production, album design

Additional personnel

  • Jason Yates – bass
  • Keith Mitchell – drums
  • William Cooper – strings
  • Dale Everingham – technical assistance

Charts

Chart (1994–2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 138
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 84
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 68
US Billboard 200[26] 36

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]
BPI cert 1 		Silver 60,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]
BPI cert 2 		Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Moreland, Quinn (June 14, 2020). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Potter, Jordan (April 23, 2024). "Five Easy Masterpieces: an introduction to neo-psychedelia". Far Out. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  3. ^ Rough Trade Records (July 17, 1993). "The Rough Trade Singles Club". Music Week. p. 2.
  4. ^ Capitol Records (April 23, 1994). "Advertisement". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 17. p. 1. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Capitol Records (October 2, 1993). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". NME. p. 30.
  6. ^ Rosen, Craig (October 16, 1993). "Mazzy Star Guides 'Tonight' Out of Underground". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 42. p. 16.
  7. ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "So Tonight That I Might See – Mazzy Star". AllMusic. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Thigpen, David (November 19, 1993). "So Tonight That I Might See". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Palmer, Elle (October 5, 2023). "Mazzy Star – 'So Tonight That I Might See'". Far Out. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Hochman, Steve (October 31, 1993). "A Reined-In Ride Through Ronstadt Country; Mazzy's Fuzzy Dreamland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Cameron, Keith (October 2, 1993). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". NME. p. 33.
  12. ^ a b Ali, Lorraine (December 9, 1993). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 10, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  13. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Mazzy Star". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 526. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Bonner, Michael (October 2013). "The Prettiest Star...". Uncut. No. 197. p. 26.
  15. ^ Russell, Graham (November 1993). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". Vox. No. 38. p. 118.
  16. ^ "Nothing Compares to Debut". NME. December 25, 1993 – January 1, 1994. pp. 66–67.
  17. ^ Christgau, Robert (September 13, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  18. ^ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20–01". Pitchfork. September 2, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  19. ^ "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  20. ^ "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  21. ^ So Tonight That I Might See (liner notes). Mazzy Star. Capitol Records. 1993. CDP 0777 7 98253 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  23. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Mazzy Star". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  26. ^ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Mazzy Star – So Tonight That We May See". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  28. ^ "British album certifications – Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  29. ^ "American album certifications – Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 11, 2021.