Columbia
Pop, 1994
If Tongues and Tails was Sophie B Hawkins’ love guru era—raunchy, sexy, and brimming with unfiltered passion—Whaler is her “I’ve calmed down, Grandma’s visiting” album. The songs are still about love, but this time, you can play them in the living room without anyone clutching their pearls. It’s mellow, jazzy, and bluesy—like Ms Hawkins has swapped the incense for a cup of chamomile tea.
The opening track, Right Beside You, feels like Ms Hawkins was cornered by the Columbia Records suits and told to deliver something radio friendly. The result? A peppy pop ditty that’s as deep as a kiddie pool but catchy enough to sell CDs. It’s fine, but let’s just say, if this song were a person, it’d be the one at the party talking about the weather.
Then comes Did We Not Choose Each Other, which is Ms Hawkins in her element: moody, metaphorical, and slightly hallucinogenic. With imagery like dolphins swimming under streetlamps, this song is an acid trip with a side of existential wisdom. The atonal verses give way to an epic chorus layered with bridges, key changes, and a piano solo that feels like it’s holding your hand through a romantic epiphany. Ms Hawkins doesn’t just sing about love—she dissects it, scars and all, and somehow makes it sound beautiful.
Speaking of beautiful, As I Lay Me Down became her career-defining hit, and for good reason. It’s the kind of song that makes you believe in love, loss, and running barefoot on summer evenings. While it’s clearly crafted for mass appeal, it’s hard to fault it when it delivers gut punches like:
‘Til you call my name
And it sounds like church bells
Or the whistle of a train
On a summer evening
I want to meet you barefoot
Barely breathing
You’ll cry, you’ll swoon, and you’ll probably call someone you miss.
For a playful twist, Let Me Love You Up has Sophie B Hawkins channeling her inner flirt, chasing her crush with a mischievous grin and a second verse entirely in French. Because, as we all know, everything sounds sexier in French. Meanwhile, Swing from Limb to Limb (My Home Is in Your Jungle) takes us back to the jungle—literally. It’s Ms Hawkins’ callback to the raw sensuality of Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, complete with monkey metaphors. It’s fun, it’s cheeky, and yet it’s just tame enough to prove Hawkins has mellowed (a bit).
My personal favorite, I Need Nothing Else, is where Ms Hawkins goes full-on tsundere. She starts by scoffing at the idea of romance but ends up swooning harder than a rom-com heroine in the final act.
Oh Lord, my God, when you get hard
How can I stop, how can I not
You’ll blush and hope Grandma doesn’t understand innuendo.
The album closes with jazzy, introspective tracks that feel like Ms Hawkins reflecting on her wild past with a wry smile. She’s wiser now, but still a storyteller, weaving complex tales of love and life with her signature flair.
Whaler isn’t just a sequel to Tongues and Tails—it’s a transformation. Sophie B Hawkins has traded raw passion for nuance, proving she’s not just a lover but a philosopher of the heart. And damn, does she make it sound good.
