There is really no shortage of albums from the 1990s that have been lost to the sands of time. In what many would consider the greatest decade of music, the rise of grunge, hip-hop, and countless rock and alternative subgenres, there were countless influential albums that took the world by storm, at least throughout the decade.
One such album came from Evan Dando and his alt-rock band, The Lemonheads, a band that, as a whole, saw a similar fate. Released in 1993, Come on Feel The Lemonheads was the band’s sixth studio album, but just the second to achieve commercial levels of success, after their breakout album in 1992, It’s A Shame About Ray.
When it was released, Come on Feel The Lemonheads peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200 chart, even higher than their previous album, which peaked at 68. That said, however, the album’s commercial success was pretty much entirely confined to the 1990s, along with the band’s overall success, after a nearly decade-long hiatus from which they never fully recovered.
Come On Feel The Lemonheads was The Lemonheads’ Highest-Charting Album
But It Hasn’t Held Up as Well in the Decades Since Its Release
In 1993, The Lemonheads were very much riding the high of their newfound success. Come on Feel The Lemonheads was the band’s third album released with Atlantic Records, after their first three albums were released with the independent record label, Taang! Records, and, at least at the time, the new label afforded them a new level of fame.
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When the album was released, it reached Gold sales certifications in both the US and the UK, and garnered some decent media attention. The album produced four singles in total, and saw some radio airplay, giving them their biggest brush with fame to date. Unfortunately, that was their biggest brush with fame still to date.
Though the album made some substantial waves at the time, it fell off quite a bit in the years following its release. The Lemonheads briefly broke up in 1997, after the release of their following album, which did not achieve remotely the same success as their 1993 album, thus forever immortalizing their highest-charting album in the 20th century.
The Lead Single “Into Your Arms” Achieved Some Success
The Song Remains Their Highest-Charting Single
The album’s most successful track and lead single, “Into Your Arms,” was actually technically a cover. The song was originally written by Love Positions, a rock duo from Australia that included Nic Dalton, who joined The Lemonheads ever-rotating lineup as the bassist for Come on Feel The Lemonheads, and brought “Into Your Arms” with him.
Though they had a number of songs reach the Alternative Airplay charts, including “Into Your Arms,” which peaked at the number one spot, the single was their only song to reach the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 67. This made it the band’s most successful single, not only from this album but of their whole career.
The Lemonheads’ version of “Into Your Arms” certainly blew Love Positions’ version out of the water, its chart performance leading to radio plays, and quite a few setlist inclusions. Beyond live performances, the song still sees some airtime here and there in the 21st century, but again, its success was primarily confined to the ’90s.
The Lemonheads’ Legacy Into the 21st Century Is Dominated by It’s A Shame About Ray
Come On Feel The Lemonheads Has Been Unfairly Overshadowed In ’90s Music Discourse
There were a handful of little things that piled up to get me into The Lemonheads, one of them being a song I heard in a dive bar and promptly looked up on Shazam. That song was “It’s a Shame About Ray,” and I have since heard it probably upwards of 20 times in various other dive bars.
Beyond the title track, a re-release of It’s a Shame About Ray also included The Lemonheads’ iconic cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” their second most successful single, second only to “Into Your Arms.” Though “Into Your Arms” definitely contributed to the band’s fame, it would not have been possible without their previous album.
As it stands over 30 years later, one would think their 1993 album would be—as it should be—just as respected as their prior album.
When looking back on The Lemonheads’ ’90s timeline, it’s a wonder that the four singles from Come on Feel The Lemonheads don’t get played nearly as often anymore as “It’s a Shame About Ray.” As it stands, over 30 years later, one would think their 1993 album would be—as it should be—just as respected as their prior album.
