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London Warsaw New York

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London Warsaw New York
Studio album by
Basia
ReleasedFebruary 19, 1990
Recorded1989
Genre
Length42:32
LabelEpic
Producer
Basia chronology
Time and Tide
(1987) 		London Warsaw New York
(1990) 		Brave New Hope
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
BillboardPositive[2]
Cash BoxPositive[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Music & MediaPositive[5]
The RecoupPositive[6]
Soul and Jazz and Funk[7]
Record Mirror[8]

London Warsaw New York is the second solo studio album by Polish-born singer–songwriter Basia, released in February 1990 by Epic Records. It spawned one of Basia's biggest hits, "Cruising for Bruising".

Overview

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The album's title was inspired by the tag "London Paris New York" often seen on perfume packaging. Basia decided to replace Paris with Warsaw to emphasize the fact that she is Polish, and that the album was written between the three countries represented by those cities.[9] All three cities are name-checked in the song "Copernicus": "Our love will take this globe by storm/If it's London, Warsaw, or New York". The line is also sung in Polish later in the track: "Naszą miłością podbijemy glob/Londyn, Warszawę albo Nowy Jork".[10] The other song incorporating Basia's native language is "Reward", in which she sings: "Jesteś moją nagrodą" (English: "You are my reward").[11]

"Baby You're Mine" was released as the lead single in early 1990 and was met with moderate success. "Cruising for Bruising" followed as the second single and became Basia's biggest hit yet.[12] In North America, it served as the first single, followed by "Baby You're Mine". "Copernicus" was a Japan-only single, and although never commercially released elsewhere, the track was performed on Late Night with David Letterman on Thanksgiving night on November 22, 1990.[13] The final single was the cover of "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" which charted on Billboard's Adult Contemporary list.[14]

London Warsaw New York is often regarded as Basia's best album.[15][16] It also remains her most successful release commercially, having sold in over 2 million copies worldwide,[17] with half of the total shifted in the USA alone, where the record was certified platinum in August 1992.[18] It became Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Album of 1990.[19] In 2015, the album was re-released by independent UK label Cherry Red Records as 2 CD deluxe edition featuring instrumentals, remixes and demo versions.[20]

Track listing

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All songs written by Basia Trzetrzelewska and Danny White, except where noted.

  1. "Cruising for Bruising" – 4:10
  2. "Best Friends" – 4:01
  3. "Brave New Hope" – 4:06
  4. "Baby You're Mine" – 3:34
  5. "Ordinary People" – 4:58
  6. "Reward" – 5:08
  7. "Until You Come Back to Me" (Stevie Wonder, Clarence Paul, Morris Broadnax) – 3:51
  8. "Copernicus" – 3:51
  9. "Not an Angel" – 4:23
  10. "Take Him Back Rachel" – 4:18

Personnel

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Production

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  • Arranged and produced by Basia Trzetrzelewska and Danny White.
  • Recorded by Mike Dignam at Eden Studios (London, England).
  • Assistant engineers – Richard Barraclough, Derek Fisher and Donal Hodgson.
  • Mixed by Phil Harding at PWL Studios (London, England).
  • Mix assistants – Tony King and Les Sharma
  • Mastered by Tim Young at The Hit Factory (London, England).
  • Design – The Leisure Process
  • Photography – Paul Cox and Mark Borthwick
  • Management – Alan Seifert

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for London Warsaw New York
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[29] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[18] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Jonathan Widran. "London Warsaw New York - Basia | Songs, Reviews, Credits". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  2. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 7. New York, NY. 1990-02-17. p. 88. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  3. ^ "Pop Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LIII, no. 41. New York, NY. 1990-05-05. p. 18. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  4. ^ Dennis Hunt (1990-02-11). "Basia's Travels: Sprucing Up Old Turf". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  5. ^ "Previews – Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 9. Amsterdam. 1990-03-03. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  6. ^ Joseph Kyle (2015-05-12). "Basia London Warsaw New York (Deluxe Edition) (Cherry Pop/Cherry Red) – The Recoup". therecoup.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  7. ^ Charles Waring (2015-03-11). "BASIA: 'London, Warsaw, New York' (Cherry Pop)". soulandjazzandfunk.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  8. ^ Duerden, Nick (10 March 1990). "Albums edited by Johnny Dee" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ Eberhardt, Allie (producer/director) (1990). Basia: London Warsaw New York. VH1.
  10. ^ "Basia - Copernicus Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Basia - Reward Lyrics". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "London Warsaw New York". www.basiasongs.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Late Night With David Letterman - Season 9, Episode 135: Show #1394". TV.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  14. ^ "Basia Chart History". www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  15. ^ Jeff Fiedler (2016-09-06). "Albums from the Lost and Found: Blue / London Warsaw New York / The Language of Life". www.thegreatalbums.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  16. ^ "Basia | Album Discography". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  17. ^ "Basia Trzetrzelewska dla Echa Dnia: Byłam tak zakochana, że mogłabym z nim mieszkać nawet na... Syberii (WIDEO, zdjęcia)" (in Polish). echodnia.eu. 2015-08-09. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  18. ^ a b "American album certifications – Basia – London Warsaw New York". Recording Industry Association of America. 11 August 1992.
  19. ^ Marek Kępa (2015-02-24). "8 Polish Pop Songs in English You Need to Hear". Culture.pl. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  20. ^ "London Warsaw New York: 2CD Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition - Cherry Red Records". www.cherryred.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1246". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Basia – London Warsaw New York" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2018. Select "BASIA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  24. ^ バーシアのアルバム売り上げランキング [Basia album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Basia – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  27. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Contemporary Jazz Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  29. ^ "French album certifications – Basia – London Warsaw New York" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 14 December 1990.
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