Lives in the Balance

Lives in the Balance was the first album by Browne where overtly political and socially critical songs dominated (three of which were about president Ronald Reagan), although it also included one of his best remembered songs about relationships, the tragic "In the Shape of a Heart", inspired by his relationship with his first wife. The radio play garnered by "For America" and "In the Shape of a Heart", and the use of "Lives in the Balance" in the show Miami Vice, gained him many new fans who later went back and discovered Browne's earlier works. The lesser commercial success of the album, according to a November 1989 Rolling Stone article, hardly mattered to Browne: "I like this album as much as any I've ever done," Browne said. "And there's a certain comfort, a security that I have, talking about something that I feel this strongly about. And whether or not an album succeeds wildly or not, that's intact." ==Reception==

Critical press focused on the political direction of Lives in the Balance. Music critic William Rulhmann wrote retrospectively: "if Browne sounded more involved in his music than he had in some time, the specificity of its approach inevitably limited its appeal and its long-term significance." ==Track listing==

All tracks composed by Browne except where noted. == Personnel ==

The list of contributors is as follows. • Jackson Browne – lead vocals, vocoder (1), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 6), sequencing (2, 6), acoustic piano (4), harmony vocals (6) • Jai Winding – acoustic piano (1), synthesizers (1, 4–6, 8), organ (5) • Bill Payne – synthesizers (2–4, 6), acoustic piano (8) • Danny Kortchmar – sequencing (2), guitars (5) • Craig Doerge – synthesizers (3) • Bernie Larsen – clavinet (7), guitars (7) • Ian McLagan – organ (7) • Gary Myrick – guitars (1) • Steve Lukather – guitars (2, 4, 8) • Rick Vito – guitars (3) • David Lindley – guitars (5, 7) • Waddy Wachtel – guitars (5) • Jorge Strunz – nylon-string acoustic guitar (6) • Hugo Pedroza – charango (6), tiple (6) • Kevin McCormick – guitars (7), harmony vocals (7) • Kevin Dukes – guitars (8) • Jennifer Condos – bass (1) • Bob Glaub – bass (2–4, 6, 8) • Jorge Calderón – bass (5), harmony vocals (5) • Phil Chen – bass (7) • Ian Wallace – drums (1, 7) • Russ Kunkel – drums (2, 4, 6, 8) • Stan Lynch – drums (3) • Jim Keltner – drums (5) • Walfredo Reyes Jr. – congas (5) • Phil Kenzie – alto saxophone (1) • Enrique "Quique" Cruz – zampona (6) • Doug Haywood – harmony vocals (3, 4, 7, 8) • Bonnie Raitt – harmony vocals (4) • Debra Dobkin – harmony vocals (6) • Mindy Sterling – harmony vocals (6) == Production ==

• Jackson Browne – producer • James Geddes – engineer, mixing • Greg Ladanyi – mixing • Tchad Blake – assistant engineer • Bill Jackson – assistant engineer • Coke Johnson – assistant engineer • Ed Wong – technical engineer • Murray Dvorkin – mix assistant • Sharon Rice – mix assistant • Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) • Steven Landsberg – production assistant • Dawn Patrol – art direction • Jimmy Wachtel – art direction • Richard Duardo – cover artwork • Basia Kenton – back cover photography ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Singles – Billboard (United States) ==See also==