Spring Petals (album)

***Spring Petals*** is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Millie Reynolds, released on October 3, 1993, by Bad Bitch Records. After her second studio album *Innocence* failed to achieve the critical acclaim that her debut album received, Reynolds' subsequent release was to be marketed as something to sound different from her previous records, inspired by 1960s doo wop and blues. Reynolds wrote all the songs on the record, five of which feature Andreas Antunes as a co-writer. The album was recorded at Abbey Road in London for five months. During the album's production, Reynolds and Antunes picked producers Klyde McCintosh, Don Travolta and Timmy Sole which both are present in most of the instruments used, to capture the modern doo-wop sound. Reynolds was inspired to work with Travolta due to his previous works in the past which captured her attention, while Sole was selected after listening to his demos.

The album's photographs were shot by Art McKinnon. Reynolds wanted the album title and the cover image to be a very different output and image compared to her first two studio albums, stating that she wanted to 'show the sweet side of her before she turns into a young adult'. Inspired by Reynold's teenage feelings, the lyrics explore themes of romance, heartache, and aspirations. The album's title represents the overarching theme of all of its tracks, as they altogether depict Reynold's courage to embrace the challenges of love. After its release, *Spring Petals* received widespread acclaim from music critics, praising the unique retro production and its inspirational lyrics. *Spring Petals* was a worldwide commercial success and became her first-ever number one album in the US and Canada, and her second in UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many European territories after her sophomore album *Innocence* topped the charts there. It led for eleven nonconsecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, and spent 63 nonconsecutive weeks inside the top ten, making it one of the longest stay ever on the region. The album even further expanded her popularity around the world and was noted to be the album that brought her to worldwide superstardom. It was later certified 18x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 34 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling female albums ever.

Six singles were released from the album, including Reynolds' US and UK number-one "Take Me Along With You". The song spent ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100, and spent five weeks atop in the UK Singles Chart. "Leaving On a Jet Plane" was a UK number-one as well, while "I Believe In You" topped the US Hot 100. The other singles became top five hits in many countries. To promote the album, she embarked on the Spring Petals Invasion Tour, with La Fayette as her opening act. *Spring Petals* has attained significance as a cultural artifact of the 1990s. Reynolds proved that she was not a one-hit wonder and was able to provide herself with a permanent footing in the music world. Her songs became a lightning rod for both criticism by conservatives and imitation by the younger female population, especially "Take Me Along With You" and "Leaving On A Jet Plane". According to author K. Christie Ristell, "Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Millie, *Spring Petals* was just such a defining moment." In 2020, the Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry for preservation in the United States, for being a "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" recording. At the 38th Annual Grammy Awards, *Spring Petals* was named Best Pop Album and nominated for Album of The Year. "I Believe In You" won Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

## Background

In April 1988, during the wrapping of the show's third season, the show's director, Allison Mary Tanner signed Reynolds a contract to newborn record label Bad Bitch Records which was founded by Daniel Tanner, Allison Mary Tanner's husband. Mary Tanner stated that she "discovered the kid's inner potential and wanted to expand it to a bigger space". Reynolds, with the help of Arnaldo Carlsson and Andreas Antunes, began writing for her debut album on late 1988. At the same time, Reynolds played her cult-classic TV character Gellicle Winehouse on the show's final season. Reynolds' debut album *Shadow Lovers* was released on January 1990. Much to the label's big expectations because of Reynolds' big television audience popularity, the album debuted at number 104, which was deemed as very disappointing for a popular former child star. To further promote the album, Reynolds went on to perform on television shows her debut single "Slave" which was released on December 1989. The album generally received positive reviews, with critics praising the song themes and relevant issues addressed, but were ambivalent towards Reynolds' voice quality. The big popularity of its singles eventually made their parent album slowly ascend to the chart, reaching a new peak of number three on the Billboard 200 in October 1990. *Shadow Lovers* was the best-selling album of 1991, selling 5.3 million copies on the year alone. It was later certified diamond in by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. While making a strong impact on pop music, Reynolds became interested in altering her sound, and deviating from pop music for her second studio effort, *Innocence* (1992).

In January 1991, Reynolds gained more exposure by performing on *American Bandstand* and *Top of the Pops*. Her image, performances, and music videos influenced young girls and women. Reynold's style became one of the female fashion trends of the early 1990s. The same year, Reynolds co-wrote, co-produced and recorded her second studio effort, *Innocence.* Described by Reynolds as a homage to the Motown soul music, Reynolds employed the help of June Wander, who only had a small role on her debut, as well as Robert Clivillés and David Cole, from the dance group C+C Music Factory. Reynold's relationship with Wander deteriorated over a songwriting royalties dispute. After he filed a lawsuit against Bad Bitch Records, the songwriting duo parted ways. Though critics praised the album's content and described it as a more mature effort, the album was criticized as calculated and lacking originality. The album made Reynolds' popularity even rose globally as it managed to have sales of twelve million copies globally, however, it didn't match the success of her debut album in America. While European countries appreciated the singer's consistency on her music style, American countries panned it for being repeating.

## Development and production

Reynolds began writing her third studio album in mid-1992, when she was touring to support *Innocence*. While producing with Antunes, she found songwriting affinity with American songwriter Klyde McCintosh, whom she met in June 1992, due to their mutual love of pop music from the 1950s and 1960s. McCintosh had wished to create a "'50s sounding record of doo-wop-inspired pop" for three years, but could not find any artist that was interested. He shared the idea with Reynolds after the two bonded over Jimmy Soul's 1963 single "If You Wanna Be Happy", and they decided to create their own demos with the same sound, "just for fun". They wrote the song "Spring Petals" in July 1992, and had completed three songs before McCintosh started producing a rock album for the rest of the year. In January 1993, Reynolds wrote "Take Me Along With You" which she revealed was about a one night date she had with his highschool sweetheart. After recording the song, she decided to make a different direction for her new studio album, inspired by 1960s doo wop.

Reynolds immediately began working on more songs with McCintosh as Bad Bitch wanted her to record an entire album. The label briefly suggested that Reynolds work with other producers, such as Babyface or Afanasieff, but she insisted on choosing Don Travolta and Timmy Sole to capture the modern doo-wop sound. Reynolds was inspired to work with Travolta due to his previous works in the past which captured her attention, while Sole was selected after listening to his demos .While recoding the album, Reynolds took a two-month break because polyps were developing on her vocal cords. She recounted that McCintosh would "calm [her] down, [they would] dim the lights, so [she] wouldn't get frustrated", and had to use demo vocal takes Reynolds had recorded as guides. Some of the album's material was recorded while Reynolds laid on a bed McCintosh made in the studio. In May 1993, she told *Billboard* that it was "pretty much done" and she only had one more song left to realize. Following the initial completion of *Spring Petals*, Reynolds and her co-producers had an additional day to work together and went into the studio. They finalized the production and added more instruments to "So In Love" within eight minutes. Reynolds told *USA Today* in mid-June 1993, "I am very confident of this record. I've taken a lot of criticisms in the past and wanted to show the people how I respond with the brand new art we've made."

Reynolds wrote "Leaving On A Jet Plane" with fellow songwriters Antunes and McCintosh while working in Music Row. *Spring Petal*'s sound was inspired by Reynolds' love of throwback-style records, and music from the 1950s and 1960s. She wanted to continue the doo-wop vibe of the album's preceding singles, and simultaneously showcase influences of Caribbean music, rapping, and Fugees. Reynolds considered it distinctive and disparate from popular music at the time: "it's got the throwback in there, but I snuck some reggae in there and clever fun lyrics and catchy melodies that don't sound half-assed at all". According to her, the writing on *Spring Petals* reflects on the changes in her life and artistic process. Reynolds intended the album to be a source of empowerment for young people to "never lose hope in finding love".

## Composition

The standard edition of *Spring Petals* includes 12 tracks; the remastered edition contains three additional remixes of the singles. The album predominantly has a doo-wop, pop, blue-eyed soul, and R&B sound. Reynolds and McCintosh drew from their mutual interest in retro-styled music, as they were tired of penning hackneyed jackswing pop-dance music catered to contemporary hit radio's tastes. *Spring Petals* comprises three-part harmonies, handclaps, finger-clicks, acoustic bass guitar, bubblegum pop melodies, and reggae and soca riddims. According to Jim Sterling of the *New York Daily News*, the album's Caribbean music tracks were inspired by Reynolds' Tobago-born uncle, and Millie Small's song "My Boy Lollipop" (1964). He wrote that it roots itself in the same style as "Take Me Along With You" and "I C Only U", and recalls "girl groups in all their glory". Reynolds performed *Spring Petals* reminiscent of musical theatre styles. Chucky Lifty of *Rolling Stone* described her vocals as "torch-y" and "tangy", reminiscent of Chantels. The album has lyrics about teenage love, heartbreak, unrequited love, self-respect, and self-awareness.

## Promotion

### Live performances

"Take Me Along With You" was released as the lead single, peaking at number one for ten consecutive weeks, her longest that time. The song received widespread acclaim from critics for its vibe-y production and catchy hooks. Millie Reynolds received huge media coverage for her performance of "Take Me Along With You" at the first 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. Wearing a pink gown and red gloves, Reynolds appeared on stage atop a balcony set and danced with a squad of pink in a debutante-themed performance, with an outfit change on the last chorus and shocks the audience with their onstage kiss with actor Finn Watkins, who was also in the music video. MTV retrospectively considered it one of the "most iconic" pop performances of all time.

Beginning in April 1994, Reynolds embarked on her second concert world tour, the Spring Petals Invasion Tour, with La Fayette as her opening act. The tour saw the peak of Millie Reynolds wannabe phenomenon, with many female attendees dressing like her full of flowers. The tour was a success and collected a total of more than US$34 million on its 40 shows , her highest-grossing tour that time. The tour was followed up with its live album *Spring Petals Invasion Tour - Live,* which was a huge success as well, selling near 5 million copies since its release and even hit the top ten on the album charts.

### Singles

"Take Me Along With You" was released as the lead single from the album in July 26, 1993. It received widespread acclaim from contemporary critics, who frequently called it one of Reynolds' defining songs and one of her best lead singles she ever made. It became her fifth number-one single on the *Billboard* Hot 100, while reaching the top of the charts in the US, UK, France, Spain, Germany. Brazil, Australia, Japan and the top-ten of other countries. The single debuted at number thirty-seven on the *Billboard* Hot 100, and due to its quick growth and massive airplay, it rose quickly and topped the Hot 100 on its fourth week, staying there for ten consecutive weeks. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of one million copies, as well as receiving a 2x Platinum certification in UK and Platinum certifications in many countries.. The music video for "Take Me Along With You" featured "summer scenery", with scenes of Reynolds running down the hill with her pink dress, lying in a bed of pink tulips, as well as singing and dancing with a group of girl dancers in pink. The video tried to capture, a "home video" feel, adding to the song's subtle and sweet nature, something that only helped the song dominate the charts.

"Leaving On A Jetplane" served as the album's second single, and was released on September 27, 1993, a week before the release of *Spring Petals.* Music critics praised the song, calling it her most directly inspirational song since "Up All Night". The song was released during the peak of popularity of the lead single, resulting it to have a slow climb in the charts and was steadily gaining much airplay during the end of 1993. The song peaked at #2 in the United States on February and topped the charts in the UK, and many European countries. The music video for "Leaving On A Jetplane," was shot in a studio with Reynolds riding on a antique veteran plane and singing as she looks at the clouds beside her.

"I Believe In You" was released as the album's third single on March 21, 1994. At the same time, it was featured on was featured on the 1994 comedic satire film *So Far So Gone Tara* and its soundtrack. The music video features the scenes of the film. The song was appreciated by contemporary critics as well as authors, who have frequently called it "Millie Reynold's first great single". The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for five nonconsecutive weeks during the summer of 1994, becoming her sixth number-one single on the chart. The song however, missed the top spot in the UK, peaking at #2, but still managed to top in many European countries. It was her first-ever number-one single in Japan, and was her first big hit in Asia, propelling the sales of *Spring Petals* throughout the world. During the peak of its popularity, the title track "Spring Petals" was released as the fourth single in June 13. 1994. The song peaked at #3 in the United States, and topped the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the rest of Europe. The music video was shot in Netherlands, in a field full of tulips where Reynolds was lying down. Critics praised the song's addictive hook and ad-libs, and the music video was regarded as "visually-pleasing", garnering multiple nominations, noting as one of Reynolds' best music videos of her career.

"I C Only U" was released as the fifth single on September 26, 1994. It peaked at number three in the United States, and went top five in Europe. It was also top ten in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and in the Latin American countries. The critics reacted positively on the song but however some of them described it as the weakest single of the album. "So In Love" was released as the sixth and final single on October 24, 1994. The single peaked at number two in the United States and went top five in many countries, most from Europe, and also went top three in Japan. It received widespread acclaim from critics for its melancholic melody and heartbreaking lyrics. The music video was shot in Paris, France, showing flashbacks of Reynolds with her lover, played by American actor John Stamos, before it was revealed that her lover passed away. The video was listed as one of the most emotional music videos of all time by critics. The media also noted that it was the perfect final single to close off the album's cycle.

## Critical reception

Review Scores
 Exclaim.ca
 Sputnik Music
 The Quietus
 Mess+Noise
 Noisey
 NME
 Paste Magazine
 Rolling Stones
 Select

*Spring Petals* received critical acclaim from music critics. The album was praised for its "pop perfection" in catchiness, cohesion and production value. Sarah Tindra of *The Quietus* wrote, "Few artists have taken a logarithmic hit like "Shadow Lovers" as a sign to push even further, to make something better, more human, and more electric. But Reynolds is the kind of singer who thrives on the stakes that unapologetic pop music offers." Annie Zaleski of *The Quietus* said, "If there's any justice, *Spring Petals* will propel her to superstardom—but even if it doesn't, she can at least rest easy knowing she made one of 1993's most interesting, effervescent records." Peter Tabakis of *Pretty Much Amazing* stated that "*Spring Petals* is so good, it's formed sky-high expectations out of thin air." *Slant Magazine*'s James Rainis writes, "*Spring Petals* is further proof that Reynolds is capable of translating broadly understood emotions and experiences into unshakable earworms."

Writing for *NME*, Natalia Reid wrote that "*Spring Petals* is a bright, bold, mellow collection of pop majesty to dance away your anxieties to... if only for a little while". Heart Oswald of *The Line of Best Fit* praised Reynolds' direction for the album, saying "*Spring Petals* is an artist in total control. It's built on such an addictive carefree spirit that it's hard not to let loose and go with it. *Spring Petals* for sure is setting Reynolds on an upward trajectory for her career". According to *Encyclopedia of Popular Music* writer Colin Larkin, "some critics questioned whether *Spring Petals* was a controlled exercise in vacuous formula writing, with little emotion or heart."

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described *Spring Petals* as a "perfect record to catapult the popularity of ordinary popstar like Millie and turn her into a major superstar who just kept on making hits after hits." In Erlewine's opinion, the album appealed to both urban R&B and adult contemporary audiences while showing that "Reynolds continues to perfect her craft, and that she has earned her status as an pop diva."

## Commercial performance

*Spring Petals* entered the US *Billboard* 200 at number two, with 198,000 copies sold, a much bigger first-week sales than her previous album *Innocence,* which also debuted on the same position too. It became Reynold's third consecutive top-ten album in the country. On its third week, the album is on its third week at number two achieving its biggest sales week yet with 245,000 copies sold. On its seventh week of charting, the album finally reached number one, selling 357,000 copies, becoming Reynolds' first-ever number one album. It enjoyed its highest sales week in December, experiencing its fourth week atop with 568,000 copies sold in year's final week. It stayed at the top for eleven non-consecutive weeks. It remained in the top ten for sixty-three nonconsecutive weeks (one of the longest stays in the region) and on the *Billboard* 200 for 202 weeks (almost four years, longer than any other of her 90s albums). It experiences its final week of charting in August 1997. *Spring Petals* was the second-best selling album in the United States in 1994, selling 6.2 million copies that year alone, only behind Tristan Hale's *Hurricane*. It was the first female album to reach both 12 million (in April 1995), 13 million (in August 1995) in sales in the US since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan started tracking music sales. In December 1999, it was certified 16x Platinum for shipments of 16 million copies. In June 2020, it was certified 18× Platinum, which denotes eighteen million album-equivalent units. Reynolds held the record as the youngest artist—she was 19 at the time—to be certified diamond in the US, until Jenny Grace claimed that title with her debut album *Not Going To Get Us* certified diamond in September 1999 as she was 17 that time. The album recorded a further 350,000 units sold through BMG Music Club. In Canada, the album debuted at number 18 on the *RPM* Albums Chart, on October 15, 1993. It reached number one on January 15, 1994. It stayed on that position for nine weeks. The album was present for a total of 183 weeks on the chart, and was certified 14x Platinum for selling over 1.4 million copies.

The album achieved success in Latin America, where it peaked at number one in Argentina and was certified four-time platinum by the Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (CAPIF) for shipment of over 240,000 copies. The same peak position was attained in Brazil where the album was certified gold by the Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD). The album was number-one for two weeks, and eventually became in one of the best-selling albums in 1994 with sales of 415,000 units.

In the United Kingdom, *Spring Petals* debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart. Six weeks later, it reached number one and spent six weeks atop, and a total of 225 weeks on the chart. The album was certified three times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and has sold over a million copies there. In Europe, it debuted at #1 and spent fifteen nonconsecutive weeks atop. The album was certified 10x Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and as of 2009, it sold a total of 10,700,000 copies in the region.

*Spring Petals* achieved massive success in Oceania. In Australia and New Zealand, it debuted at #1 and spent sixteen nonconsecutive weeks atop. It was certified 19-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 1,330,000 copies. In Japan. *Spring Petals* became her first-ever number one album. It debuted at number five in the official Oricon chart. Following the huge success of "I Believe In You", the album reached a peak of #3 in the chart in June 1984 and was certified Million by The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for selling over 1,000,000 copies on the country.

With sales over 34 million copies sold worldwide, *Spring Petals* became one of the best-selling female albums ever and one of the best-selling albums of all time.

## Legacy

After the release of *Spring Petals*, Larry Speaks commented in *The New York Times*: "No phenomenon illustrates more pointedly how pop music history seems to run in cycles than the overnight success of the 18-year-old pop siren known as Millie Reynolds. The month before Christmas, Millie Reynolds' third album, *Spring Petals* sold more than two million copies. Teen-agers were lining up in stores to purchase the album the way their parents had lined up to buy Beatles records in the late 60's." Millie Reynolds proved she was not a one-hit wonder with the release of the album which sold 15 million copies worldwide at the time of its release. In 2016, *Billboard* ranked the album at number eleven in the list of Certified Diamond Albums From Worst to Best, with her other Diamond albums *Shadow Lovers* at number twenty, *Fire In My Soul* at number nine, *Holy Matrimony* at number five, *Bed of Sacred Roses* at number seven, and *Photosynthesis* at number three. *Spring Petals* was ranked fourth in a *Billboard* poll of albums of the decade—the highest peak by a female performer. In 2023, the Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry for preservation in the United States, for being an "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" recording.

Rust Cannes from *Los Angeles Times* felt that "*Spring Petals* is really a portrait of Millie Reynold;s uncanny pop instincts empowered by her impatient zeal for creative growth and her innate knack for crafting a good record." He added that the success of the album made it clear what was Reynolds' real persona. "She was a street-smart dance queen with the sexy allure of Marilyn Monroe, the coy iciness of Marlene Dietrich and the cutting and protective glibness of a modern Mae West". With the album receiving rave reviews, Cannes believed that the "at the time of its release so many couldn't resist praising on the record was a testament to the continuous, growing fascination with Millie Reynolds ... Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Reynolds, *Spring Petals* was just such a defining moment."

Chris Smith, author of *101 Albums That Changed Popular Music*, believed that it was with *Spring Petals* that Reynolds was able to steal the spotlight towards herself. She asserted that even at a young age, she is already having a lot of success in the industry, moving well beyond the limited confines of being a pop artist, to becoming a focal point for nationwide discussions of power relationships in the areas of sex, race, gender, religion, and other divisive social topics. Her songs became a lightning rod for both criticism by conservatives and imitation by the younger female population.

## Accolades

*Spring Petals* won industry awards, including Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the American Music Awards and Album of the Year (Western) at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1994. It also earned nominations for Best International Pop/Rock Album at the Echo Music Prize, International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, and Best International Album at the Los Premios 40 Principales in 1994. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016, *Spring Petals* Best Pop Vocal Album and was nominated for Album of The Year. Many publications ranked *Spring Petals* among the best albums of 1993. Those who placed the album within their top 10 included *Billboard* (first), *American Songwriter* (4th), *Time* (4th), *The Daily Telegraph* (5th), *The Music* (5th), *Drowned in Sound* (6th), *Complex* (8th), and *Rolling Stone* (10th). Other publications that featured *Spring Petals* in their lists were *The Guardian*, *The A.V. Club*, *PopMatters*, *Pitchfork*, and *MusicOMH*.

Publications also picked *Spring Petals* as one of the best albums of the 90s, with *The A.V. Club* and *Slant Magazine* placing it in the top ten of their lists. In *Variety*, *The Guardian* featured the album at number 21 on a 1999 list of the 100 best albums of the 90s. In terms of audience reception, *Spring Petals* ranked at number 14 on *Pitchfork*'s readers' poll for the 1990s decade. *Spring Petals* placed at number 30 on *Rolling Stone*'s 2020 revision of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and number 49 on *Consequence*'s The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time.

## Track listing

All tracks are written and produced by Millie Reynolds except where noted.

***Spring Petals*** - 2003 remastered edition
 14

## Charts

### Weekly Charts

**Peak chart positions for *Spring Petals***

### Year-end charts

**Year-end chart positions for *Spring Petals***

### Decade-end charts

**Decade-end chart positions for *Spring Petals***

 US *Billboard* 200
 UK Albums

### All-time charts

**All-time chart positions for *Spring Petals***