Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams
2000
Album Summary
Heartbreaker is the debut solo studio album by American singer/songwriter Ryan Adams, released September 5, 2000 on Bloodshot Records. The album was recorded over fourteen days at Woodland Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. It was nominated for the 2001 Shortlist Music Prize. The album is said to be inspired by Adams' break-up with music industry publicist Amy Lombardi.According to Adams, the album's title originates from a poster of Mariah Carey: "My manager called and said, 'You have 15 seconds to name this record,' "My eyes focused on this poster of Mariah wearing a T-shirt that said HEARTBREAKER. I just shouted, 'Heartbreaker!'"A Deluxe Edition, featuring bonus recording session takes and pre-album demos, was released on May 6, 2016 on PAX-AM records.
WikipediaI loved that song he did for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. It was number 1 for 16 weeks. And what a 16 weeks they were. This doesn't stand up to that monster.
Beautiful music from a reprehensible human being. I went out of my way not to pay for this, and probably can't make it a repeat listen.
Never heard this album, nor listened to Ryan Adams. The first track, “To Be Young”, is a good example of the mood of the music and the mood of the lyric completely and intentionally opposed to one another. Not sure to what purpose, but intriguing. Good instrumental settings and performances. Good acoustic guitar with sensitive coloring backgrounds—well-produced. Vocally pleasing, effective use of hushed melodies. Not a trained voice, and lacking range in the natural register, but effective, given the genre. Emmylou Harris’ backing vocal on “Oh My Sweet Carolina” is not an example of her better work. (I suspect her agent was trying to keep her relevant, when by 2000 she was over the hill.) Kim Richey does better on “Come Pick Me Up”. The lyrics are vague enough to allow multiple interpretations, more of a collage of impressions than a conveyor of meaning. Adam’s frequently tries to be Dylan-esque (“Damn, Sam”, “Don’t Ask for the Water”, etc.) in lyrics, guitar finger-picking, vocal style, and in harmonica accompaniment, but he’s obviously not in the same league. (Although I bet he makes Dylan wish he’d learned to play the banjo.) “To Be the One” is powerful. “The empty bottle misses you, and I’m the one it’s talkin’ to”. That hit home. “Shakedown on 9th Street” and “To Be Young” demonstrate that Adam’s can rock. He should do more. Overall, a good album. 3/5
Did not listen, due to the sexual controversy surrounding the artist. The 1 is a reflection of my distaste with Ryan Adams.
didn't actually listen to this because fuck Ryan Adams, instead i listened to A Tribe Called Quest - Thank you for your service.... We've got it from here Q-Tip's product is as slick as ever and opener Space Program followed up quickly with We the people.... set the tone for the rest of the album. Solid wall of sound has the best use of a Elton John sample and i think is a stand out non single track. This is a fitting final album for an amazing group, RIP Phife
The only reason I had heard of this guy was cuz he used to pork Mandy Moore. This is a fantastic album and I’m not what you would call an alt-country fan at all.
2.5 - If this album was a sexual encounter, it’d be a third date and in the middle of dinner she says she’d rather be friends. I’m reminded of live acoustic music you might hear at a winery. It’s contemplative, downtempo. Your mind wanders to boring places as you listen. How does this tiny vineyard town support a music scene? How many musicians make their living playing these winery venues? Why is this dude on the guitar wearing so much turquoise jewelry?
Super fedt album. Kan mærke han følelser helt ude gennem højtalerne. God blanding af stille og skaldede numre
I will admit to not listening as close as I should. But this was good working/ reading music. I’ll flag this to listen to again.
I liked this. Some really good songs on here. I think I might dig into a bit more Ryan Adams.
A fucking + Love this one. Gold was the album that made me fall in love with his music, but this one made me open my eyes and say “Holy SHIT”!
Es un buen álbum, muy suave y delicado, tiene lo suyo y me recuerda a Taylor Swift. La verdad es algo que puedes escuchar en un día tranquilo, me encanta, se apega mucho a mis gustos y es muy Indie/Country.
Knew Ryan Adams had something of a cult like following. Now I realize why. This was so so good.
Topp kvalitet. Svært bra musikk til å ha i bakgrunnen. Skal høre det en gang til og plukke ut sanger til tut tut
I know he's reportedly a big-league asshole, but I love this guy's music. This is clearly (in my opinion) his best album. There isn't a song on here that I don't love. I listened to the whole album twice. It's so good.
I liked this a lot, it was a good mix of folk and country. I have not listened to that much out of the genre so it was enjoyable. Would listen to it again.
This is really my lane. Gritty vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and folky instrumentation. Sucks that Ryan Adams is such a piece of shit.
I liked most of this album, though there were a few songs that didn't quite hit the right spot.
well, i didn't like the other album on the list, but this one struck me quite differently.
Este disco sí lo escuché con prejuicio porque ya he escuchado otros dos de Ryan Adams (más la reversión que hizo de todo el 1989 de Taylor Swift) y me gusta. Me gusta su voz, cómo canta, regularmente sí sus letras y también su música. Acá está muy country rock y está padre, los sonidos de las armónicas me encantan. Además, creo que tiene un buen balance de tristeo y algo más animadito o esperanzador. Lástima que haya sido un agresor sexual a decir de un puñado de mujeres (entre ellas, la Phoebe Bridgers) y pues ahora esté cancelado. Mis canciones fav: "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)", "Amy", "Call Me on Your Way Back Home", "Come Pick Me Up". 8.5/10
Great sounds and not a lot of weak points. Unfortunately made by a sexual predator, so only useful in looking at associated acts and adjacent sounds.
This was very good folk. Take a listen again sometime with a cup of coffee and really listen.
OK so I don't like or understand country. But there's a certain strain of "alt-country" I can get behind, even if I'm ignorant of the style it's an alternative to. Bright Eyes are a good example, and some moments of this album sound reminiscent of them. Much of it is more rugged, with some straight-ahead rocking and some Americana kinda ballads. I've listened to at least two Ryan Adams albums in the past, but this one clicked better with me. I also just discovered that he covered Taylor Swift's 1989 album, and it's possibly even better than the original. I'm feeling a solid 4 for this one. It's good stuff.
Sad, chill, alternative country music. Created after a breakup, this album is great listening for anyone going through the same thing.
To be young: excellent My winding wheel: excellent Amy: very good Oh my sweet Carolina: very good Bartering lines: good Call me on your way back home: very good Damn sam: good Come pick me up: excellent To be the one: average Why do they leave?: excellent Shakedown on 9th street: above average Don’t ask for the water: average In my time of need: very good Sweet lil gal: very good 8/10
I always wanted to hate RA but I dated a girl who was a big fan and went very slowly and reluctantly from "a couple songs are alright, I guess" to "damn, this guy's good." Later albums have some higher highs but this is probably his best album front to back (though there are a couple of duds) so four stars. Too bad he's a big creep.
I really liked this album. The lead song is really good, and the rest of this album was well-crafted, heartbreaking music.
Liked it, not what I expected. Never heard of the artist, good for a melancholy evening.
Pretty catchy and easy to listen to. The songs harken a merry database of lyrics to bring it all home
Ryan Adams, not to be confused with Canadian menace Bryan Adams, broke out onto the scene as an alt-country singer/songwriter with something to prove. Recorded in only 14 days, Adams took his relationship woes and put them into wonderful, tender songs. It's true, Adams is a spectacular songwriter. He's also a terrible person. How do we approach such a personal album from someone who has done terrible things? I don't know. I know that I like the music, and I don't like Adams, so how could I possibly rate this fairly? Whatever, it's great. Of course it's great. Fuck Ryan Adams but this album has so much to offer.
gleich Doppelt von Bob Dylan begrüßt (Maggies farm auf to be young is to be sad, und der Stimme auf my Winding Wheel). Amy ist ein Highlight (das Zupfmuster, die Trommeln, das songwriting). oh my sweet caroline hat den trockenst gemischten gesang ever (so ungefähr anti-fleet foxes). wenn er ned so schön singen würde könnte man manchmal Tom Waits meinen (Bartering lines). Intim alles und nachdenklich - manchmal gehts mir aber nicht so ins herz wie er wohl beabsichtigt hat.
Alt Country Blues...First time of listening and what a surprise! I like this Album. from the plaintive "Amy" to the more Bluesy Numbers like "To Be Young" and "Bartering Lines" is this a break up record comparable with "Rumours" (Only kidding folks!) but this is good and I am pleasantly surprised by the quality. I was a much expecting much more Bryan than Ryan! A rightful place in this list as far as I am concerned.
Heartland rock, very Bob Dylan influenced. A lot more harmonica than I was expecting. Ballad heavy. Drunken bar singer going through a bad breakup. It's good, maybe could've cut one or two, but overall a good, dour record. Favorite tracks: "Come Pick Me Up", "In My Time of Need"
3/23/22 This guy gives me modern day Bob Dylan with an influence of James Taylor. Added 2 song to my playlists. This would be a good calm study album for the background, but I did enjoy it! Easy listen! Favorite Song: Come Pick Me Up
Listened to on 3/23/22 4/5 Favorite song: come pick me up, to be young Very easy listening with light country vibes and lots of emotional baggage
This is some top quality Dylan worship, no? Or am I easily confused by harmonicas? Either way, I enjoyed this. I think I've heard this album a couple of times before, and gave it a couple of play throughs for the list. I think with more listens this might rise to 5 stars? 🤔 Fave track - "Come Pick Me Up" - that's a tune!
Forgot what a great album this is. My favourite Ryan Adams album before...beautiful songwriting from beginning to end. Country tinges with a touch of rock and roll swagger. Love the opening discussion about Morrissey and what album(s) have Suedehead. Sounds great on vinyl too. 4.5 stars
Who knew all that self-loathing had a basis in reality? When an artist tells you who they are, believe them.
This album was very very good. Not quite five stars, but close. I don't know much about Ryan Adams, but I am interested in trying some of his other work after this. Lots of great emotional story telling in this one. Reminded me of Bob Dylan with a much better voice.
Что такое кантри - я знаю. Что такое альтернативный рок - тоже. Что такое альт-кантри? Теперь знаю!;) Кантри здорового человека, которое звучит совсем не как кантри и как бы говорит тебе: "присаживайся рядом и погрусти со мной о вечном". Как ветвь развития жанра точно необходима к прослушиванию. Под меланхоличное настроение - тоже. 7 из 10.
One of my all time faves. Takes me back to when I heard it the first time in London 2002.
Ótimo álbum, meio rock, meio country, meio folk. Gosto muito da voz do Ryan e da sua gaita. Melhores músicas: Minha amada Come Pick me Up, Oh My Sweet Carolina, Why do they leave e In My Time of need
it feels like the classic heartbreak album and im all for it. the cover adds to the theme of the album. call me on your way back home stood out to me for its rawness and emotion
To Be Young and My Winding Wheel are brilliant tracks which I love to listen to, but the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to them
I’d never listened to Ryan Adams before, but I totally loved this album. Apparently Ryan Adams is a reprehensible human, but sometimes (often, actually), shitty people make great music. This is the first album thats come up that I hadn’t heard before that I’m sold on.
This album was so close to a 5 in my book. I really really liked it but I feel like if I'm questioning a 5 then it isn't a 5.
Never heard of this guy before but the album was okay. Something I would listen to but does not hold a permanent place on my playlist.
Another surprising find...I have heard of Ryan Adams for years but never listened to him. This album was fantastic, a great blend of blues, rock and Americana.
Thought it was great. A beautiful album, gotta look into more country. Kind of like if Dylan did a 808’s and heartbreak? I know that makes no sense
Sen tyyppistä kantria mikä mulle toimii ja oli lepposaa kuunnella. Paikoin hyviä fiilistelybiisejä
Osittain meni Teams-palsuilun takia ohi, mutta en kokenut tarvetta ottaa uusintaa joten arvostelu = OK
More country-adjacent, but this one is a little better at least. I only know Ryan Adams as the subject of Phoebe Bridgers’ song ,,Motion Sickness”. The first track on this album is worth the three stars alone.
I'd say it's good, not very good, but definitely listenable and smooth. Would try to check out some of his other songs/albums
3.5. Country blues. Surprisingly good and very listenable. Some songs were forgettable but there were some good ones in here
Pretty chill and folksy rock. Not bad to listen to, though his voice is a little whiny. Definitely tainted by knowing Ryan Adams is a creep though. It's also weird that he had to cover that Taylor Swift album, like he gets credit for making something someone else wrote more ~artsy~.
although Mark Ronson may have done it better , ‘Amy’ is such a pretty song :* his voice works and sounds better on the slower and softer tracks ! he do be relying on that harmonica tho ¿
“I never see pics of you anymore,” Adams wrote in November 2014, when he had just turned 40 and Ava was newly 16. “You were blowing my mind.” He had pet names for her body parts. So it turns out Ryan Adams is not as romantic as I thought....
Hijole, está difícil. La verdad casi todas las canciones me dieron una enorme hueva, hubo varios skips la verdad. Me gustaron básicamente la esa de to be young is to be sad and high y shakedown on 9th avenue, aunque he de de decir que esta última sí me gustó tanto que la agregue a una playlist. Mood: mames, midwest, bájale al clonazepam que se duerme la banda.
I warmed up to this album for sure. There are some pretty bare country ballads on here, but there are also a lot of great country rock songs too. Definitely more good than bad. Favorite song: Amy
The heartbreak in this album is evident. Much lamenting and sorrow throughout. Lots of harmonica riffs really touch to the sadness of a broken heart. Best: Oh my Sweet Carolina; Shakedown On 9th Street Worst: Sweet Lil' Gal
Maybe everything that came after was derivative, and this was trend setting, but I was bored
A pretty solid album, but I feel like it blended into the background on the first listen. Probably need another.
Never really listened to Ryan Adams before this. I'll have to make an effort as this wasn't half bad.
If you can get past the fact that Ryan Adams is a shit bloke, you love listening to song after song about breakups, relationship breakdowns and their aftermath then you’ll probably like Heartbreaker.
Ryan seems like a nice boy who writes nice songs. It's good that there are some albums on here that wouldn't offend my grandma if I put them on.
58 Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams 15 tracks. This started off great but I soon lost interest. Might give it another go when I'm in a different mood. It's good, but it's also just not for me, (or at least not for me right now). 3/5
Wasn't expecting to like it but it was good in a sub-TVZ/Dylan type way. A bit too droney for 4 stars but close.
Better than I thought I would be, in a few parts he's got a pretty cool sound, a 60's Dylan / Donovan / Stones vibe which bands were adopting in the late 90s. But overall it cant escape the 2000's acoustic country pop drivel. 3 - It was was alright, would enjoy it if it was on the radio but probably wouldn't choose to put it on again.
-”To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)” sounds like Bob Dylan at a few points -Generally a little slow throughout a lot of the album -I quite like the upbeat pace of “Shakedown on 9th Street.” The distorted guitar and drums are great. -Overall nice, with some nice bits, but very slow in others. Not much pulling me back to listen again
I'd have to give it another listen to fully appreciate it. Very good tunes here. 3.5/5
This albums is actually pretty solid. It just sucks dick that the dude is the fucking worst.
I’ve listened to a few of his albums and I reach the same conclusion each time. There are a couple of really good tracks and I really want to like the rest, but he disappears into self indulgent songs that aren’t really for anyone but himself. Started out a possible 4 but ended up a low 3. If it carried on it how it was going it would have been a 2.
I’ll focus on the music because I didn’t read anything on this one (Ryan Adams is a dickhead based on inference). There’s a lot to like here musically. I prefer the more upbeat, honky tonk-ish sounding songs. Some of them are very good. Like the one with Carolina in it. But there are also some almost inaudible tracks too. I like a stripped down arrangement as much as the next person, but one requirement is that I shouldn’t have to double the volume to hear it. Some of the songs, the more stripped down ones that I could hear, were boring. There is more to like than not. However, I’m judging the album as a whole which has too many misses.
I used to love this album. It was my perfect rainy day music. Then came #metoo and a slew of allegations that he was a manipulative, abusive, lecherous fuck. Sigh. I can’t separate my feelings about the man from my feelings about the music. If I could, this would be a higher rating.
Oh, Ryan Adams, I wish you weren't such a terrible person. A fantastic songwriter. And a terrible person. The only thing he loves as much as his harmonica is being an abusive prick. This is as country as I can tolerate. It hits just right for me, in a sweet spot that I used to love. But Ryan Adams has spoiled all that. I'm gonna keep tapping my foot, because I can't help it, but he can shove his harmonica where the sun don't shine. This is a four-star album. But -1 because I just can't enjoy it in the same way anymore.
Damn fine western folk blend of Dylan and Neil Young, full of variety and pregnant pauses. I wasn't planning on getting anything out of this at all. Highly likeable.
I had some hopes for this album just based on "To Be Young," which a is fun, energetic song. But the album actually is far more quiet and downbeat for the most part. Maybe I have to be in the mood, but I found the album just dragged for the most part. Fave Songs: My Winding Wheel, To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High), Come Pick Me Up, Amy, In My Time of Need
Funny that the album opens with some banter about Morrissey. Heartbreaker shares some jangly-Americana influences with Mozza's early solo albums. In addition, both vocalists have exhibited some behaviors that force fans to separate the tunes from the performers' personalities offstage. It's an alright album if you like Bruce Springsteen. The quiet songs are OK when they sound like Sufjan Stevens or Elliott Smith.
Ryan Adams' debut album with a, for me, unexpected country sound. Not bad and has a great duet with Emmylou Harris but overall just not memorable enough to warrant more than 3 stars
Not bad, but his acoustic approach on this album doesn’t provide anything that hadn’t been done already to that point in music. Nothing really stands out after listening.
Some good blues licks and a few memorable tracks to an otherwise unmemorable album. I didn't hate it, not at all, but felt like the 2 songs, "Bartering Lines" and "Shakedown on 9th Street" are the only tracks I truly enjoyed entirely. True Feelings: 2.5/5
I didn’t remember this album being so long and uneventful but here we are. That seems to be my hot take on everything of late. Oh well! Dude’s problematic and all that, but even putting all that aside “Cold Roses” is the only one of his 900 albums I have any interest in revisiting these days. “Look Me Up” is a fine song and the one about NC is pretty enough, but I think trying to intentionally make music that sounds like it came out decades earlier than when you recorded it is a good way for shit not to age well.
I don't really know what to say. Decent songwriting, half-decent voice, music that is as anonymous as the interior decor of a dentist's waiting room
Not sure I'd ever really heard Ryan Adams, only heard "of" him so I was ready to dive in. Instead of a succinct review, here is the timeline of my thoughts as i listened to this album...: "hmm. this seems affected, I'm gonna be annoyed by this..." [1 or 2 songs in] "....you know, this might be pretty good. There are some great melodies in here. I may want to admit it but if we keep going like this I might end up liking it, let's see how the album progresses..." [5 songs in] "....." [after ~7 songs] "...I thought I was listening to Damien Rice for a bit, and I prefer Damien Rice. This is getting a lot more laid-back, slow-paced, and frankly boring..." [after 10 songs] "....sigh...." [a few more] "....." [the album ends depressingly] "yeah, now i want to kill myself. Better yet, I think I'll put on some old Van Halen" 4/10
We didn’t care for this album. It sounded like the artist was still figuring out their voice, and frequently defaulted to emulating their musical heroes. Occasionally his point of view shone through, and those moments were better.
I got bored towards the end and stopped listening, maybe I missed out on greatness but I doubt it
Not going to judge the music on the man, as, having just given the Sex Pistols a 5* review and one of them having killed a woman, that would be a bit hypocritical. So I will judge it on the music. Which was pretty dull and depressing. There were a couple of nice songs that I would enjoy in a more soppy moment. But most of it just dragged on.
A shame this LP can't live up to the wonders of uptempo tracks like 'To Be Young' - while the pace is significantly too slow across the rest of the album, Adams' lightheartedness and genuine delivery do at least make the slower tracks tolerable.
Un rollo. Un 2. Casi le pongo un 3. Pero en mi lista individual le había puesto un 2. Lo que me ha hecho recular y confirmar mi 2. Si tuviera una B, estaría mejor...:P
Folk estadounidense con demasiadas canciones lentas. Ni fu ni fa. Pues no, al final un 2. Muuuchas canciones lentas.
I thought it was so dull, not an original note on there. I looked up some reviews afterwards to work out why it's on the list and apparently everyone rates it but me! I warmed to it slightly by the end
Swoon. ... then vomit. Ugh, not in the mood for this drippy whiny-achiness. I suppose there's a time and a place, but not on my watch!
4/09/2022 Today's Album: "Heartbreaker" by Ryan Adams - This album was pretty mid. I think going into it, I expected it to be pretty bad, being an album from the year 2000 with the title Heartbreaker and although there are a few break out tracks that really shine, a lot of the folk-country displayed on this record just sounds like John Denver could have done it and so much better. I appreciate the production of this album and on the songs that have a lot of views, there are really great ideas being presented like in the track My Sweet Carolina where the vocals are really clear and present in the mix. However, the only times this album really sounds good outside of that is when the song has a sad tone to it, which gets really old after a while. I think My Winding Wheel is a really great track on it's own and Amy really tugs at the heart strings, but after you hear the good tracks on this album the effort feels like it was really soaked up and the rest of this is just a bunch of filler. I enjoyed it to some extent, but I really think I would just recommend listening to the tracks under the Highlights section and leaving the rest as a bunch of uninteresting and cliché'd country folk. Score: 4/10 Very little value in most of the tracks. Highlights: My Winding Wheel, Amy, Oh My Sweet Carolina
A couple good singles, but it’s hard to listen back without ignoring the context of his shtiness as a person.