Maps of Music

Bathhouse Betty (1998)

Where the lyrics of Bathhouse Betty take you, and where it was really made.

The album takes its title from the gay bathhouses where Midler began singing, a past she says she still wears with pride.

Key places

Right Track Recording, New York (1998)

Recording site MSR Studios — Right Track Recording in New York City is listed as a recording location for Bathhouse Betty. The studio is credited in the album's recording history. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Complex Studios, Los Angeles (1998)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Complex Studios in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for Bathhouse Betty. The point is placed at the city center because the exact building is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Westwind Media, Burbank (1998)

Recording site The Enterprise (Burbank) — Westwind Media in Burbank is listed as a recording location for Bathhouse Betty. The point is placed at the city center because the exact building is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Bathhouse Betty: ninth studio album by the American singer Bette Midler
• Released in 1998
• Midler's debut album for Warner Bros. Records
• Left sister label Atlantic Records in 1995 after the moderate commercial success of Bette of Roses
• Bette of Roses was later certified platinum
• Certified Gold by the RIAA
• Spawned the Billboard Dance Club chart topper "I'm Beautiful"

Background

• Title refers to Midler's early career, when she performed cabaret shows at gay bathhouses such as the Continental Baths in New York
• That period led to her becoming a gay icon with a loyal LGBT following
• Midler said in an interview that she is still proud of those days at the gay bathhouses
• Released about twenty-five years after the breakthrough album The Divine Miss M
• Musically a comeback and a return to her high camp stage persona of the same name
• Second single "I'm Beautiful" is a remake of a song by house music group Uncanny Alliance
• Songs range from camp covers of early girl group and R&B classics to ballads
• Opens with the ballad "Song of Bernadette"

Recording

• Recording credited to Complex Studios in Los Angeles, Right Track Recording in New York City, and Westwind Media in Burbank

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born December 1, 1945 in Honolulu, Hawaii; American actress, comedian, singer, and author.
• Moved to New York City in 1965 and began in off-off-Broadway plays, then appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s.
• Rose to prominence in 1970 singing at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York, where she built a core following.
• Debut album The Divine Miss M (1972) earned the 1973 Grammy for Best New Artist.
• Starred in the film The Rose (1979), earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe.
• Won Record of the Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings" from the film Beaches (1988).
• Has over 30 million records sold worldwide, with 14 solo studio albums since 1970.
• Received a Tony Award for Hello, Dolly! (2017 Broadway revival) and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2021.

Activism

• Founded the New York Restoration Project in 1995 to revitalize neglected parks in disadvantaged New York neighborhoods.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album mixed reviews
• AllMusic critic Michael Gallucci gave it two out of five stars
• Gallucci wrote that it tries to be all things to all Bette Midler fans
• He listed high camp for the loyal drag cult, straight-up covers of major songwriters, and big ballads for the Top 40 audience
• He said the album lacks personality and resembles a photo album of vaguely familiar faces
• Robert Christgau gave the album one star
• Christgau chose "I'm Beautiful" and "Lullaby in Blue" as the best moments of the album

Records

• Reached number 32 on the Billboard 200
• "My One True Friend" reached number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart
• "I'm Beautiful" became number 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart
• "I'm Beautiful" reached number 8 on Hot Dance Music/Maxi Singles Sales
• "I'm Beautiful" was a major dance-floor hit thanks to remixes by Victor Calderone, Danny Tenaglia and Brinsley Evans
• Certified Gold by the RIAA

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album opens with the ballad "Song of Bernadette", written by Leonard Cohen, Bill Elliott and Jennifer Warnes
• "Lullaby in Blue" is the track Midler described as her personal favourite on the album
• The first single was the melancholy "My One True Friend", the lead song from the movie One True Thing
• "Heaven" by Julie Gold was released only as a single B-side and appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese edition
• "Ukulele Lady" is a tribute to Midler's native Hawaii

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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