Some People Have Real Problems
Some People Have Real Problems is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including "Day Too Soon", "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" and "Soon We'll Be Found". In live performances of the latter song, Sia used sign language to accompany her singing. The album displays a more upbeat pop-style than Sia's previous downbeat albums, whilst show-casing Sia's vocals on a number of big ballads. Non-single track, "Buttons", received attention due to its video in which Sia's face is distorted by pegs, string, net, condoms and many other things. The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart which became Sia's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in her career.
Background
Sia talks about the inspiration for the album's name: "During recording people would come in and complain about traffic, and I'd say, 'Some people have real problems.' Like, they're waiting for a lung or they don't have a mum," she says. "I thought it would be a funny name for an album. And then I thought if I were to get rich and successful I would remember to not turn into an asshole. But I am one, so it didn't work."Reception
Some People Have Real Problems received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 20 reviews. Reviewers such as Rolling Stone and The Guardian and Robert Christgau were highly critical. Other reviewers, however, such as Allmusic and Slant and Entertainment Weekly were highly positive towards the album.Track listing
All tracks produced by Jimmy Hogarth."Buttons"
"Buttons" is a hidden track after "Lullaby" on the international edition of the album, but it is a normal track on the Australian edition, in which it was the first single. "Buttons" was written by Freescha and Furler.Personnel
- Sia Furler – vocals
- Beck – backing vocals
- Dan Carey – guitar
- Tony Cousins – mastering
- Larry Goldings – keyboards
- Jimmy Hogarth – guitar, keyboards, percussion
- Jim Hunt – brass
- Greg Kurstin – keyboards
- Pantera Marvelous – backing vocals
- Giovanni Ribisi – backing vocals
- Jason Lee – backing vocals
- Martin Slattery – clarinet and flute, percussion
- Eddie Stevens – keyboards
- Joey Waronker – drums, percussion
- Felix Bloxsom – drums, percussion
- Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
- Khoa Truong – guitar tracking and arranging
- Samuel Dixon – bass guitar on all tracks
Sales and chart performance
The album was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association in 2011.
Album
Certifications
Singles
The first single "Day Too Soon" was released on 12 November 2007 in the UK and was followed by "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" on 21 April 2008 and later followed by "Soon We'll Be Found", which was released on 13 October 2008. "Buttons" was released as the fourth and final single in November 2008.| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
| 2007 | "Day Too Soon" | UK Singles Chart | — |
| 2008 | "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" | US Hot Dance Club Play | 8 |
| 2008 | "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" | Global Dance Tracks | 24 |
| 2008 | "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" | Dutch Top 40 | 11 |
| 2008 | "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" | Spanish Singles Chart | 12 |
| 2008 | "Soon We'll Be Found" | UK Singles Chart | 94 |
| 2009 | "Buttons" | Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 67 |
| 2009 | "Soon We'll Be Found" | Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 89 |
| 2010 | "I Go to Sleep" | Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 32 |