''World in Motion'' is the ninth album by American singer-songwriter

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

, released in 1989 (see

1989 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989. __TOC__ Specific locations * 1989 in British music * 1989 in Norwegian music * 1989 in American music Specific genres *1989 in country music * 1989 in heavy metal ...

). It peaked at number 45 on The ''Billboard'' 200 and was Browne's first album to obtain neither gold nor platinum status. The album took three years to complete and makes statements about

nuclear disarmament Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the Atomic nucleus, nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear ...

and the "secret" government that brought forth

Oliver North Oliver Laurence North (born October 7, 1943) is an American political commentator, television host, military historian, author, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. A veteran of the Vietnam War, North was a National Secu ...

and the Iran-Contra scandal.

Reception

The critical reviews of ''World in Motion'' were lukewarm. Music critic William Rulhmann wrote "Except for the gloomy viewpoint, it was hard to recognize the Jackson Browne of his first few albums amid all the commentary, and even if you agreed with his overall political stance, that was disappointing." Critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

commented that the best songs were the ones Browne did not write. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' wrote, "Steven Van Zandt's 'I Am a Patriot' is the only truly memorable song on Browne's trilogy of protest albums." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of the title track that "Hackneyed late-’80s production (by Scott Thurston and the artist) and a way too literal political lyric ('Sun going down on the USA,' it starts out) make this AOR emphasis track a struggle to sit through, despite the warming presence of Bonnie Raitt."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Browne except where noted: #"World in Motion" (Browne,

Craig Doerge Craig Doerge (; born December 4, 1944) is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne. Biography He was born in Cle ...

) – 4:24 #"Enough of the Night" – 4:54 #"Chasing You into the Light" – 4:16 #"How Long" – 6:10 #"Anything Can Happen" – 5:05 #"When the Stone Begins to Turn" – 4:48 #"The Word Justice" (Browne,

Scott Thurston Scott Troy Thurston (born January 10, 1952) is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He was a member of the Stooges, and of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sang harmony vocals and played guitar, bass, k ...

) – 4:18 #"My Personal Revenge" (

Tomás Borge Tomás Borge Martínez (13 August 1930 – 30 April 2012), often spelled as Thomas Borge in United States newspapers) was a cofounder of the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua and was Interior Minister of Nicaragua during one of th ...

, Luis Enrique Mejía Godoy, translation by

Jorge Calderón Jorge Calderón, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer best known for his collaborations with Warren Zevon and Buckingham Nicks. He began working with Buckingham Nicks in 19 ...

) – 4:02 #"I Am a Patriot" (

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

) – 4:02 #"Lights and Virtues" – 4:53

Personnel

* Jackson Browne – lead vocals,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

(1),

resonator guitar A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar that produces sound by conducting string vibrations through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones (resonators), instead of to the guitar's sounding board (top). Resonator gui ...

(1), acoustic piano (2, 5, 7),

baritone guitar The baritone guitar is a guitar with a longer scale length, typically a larger body, and heavier internal bracing, so it can be tuned to a lower pitch. Gretsch, Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP Guitars, PRS Guitars, Music Man, Danelectro, Schec ...

(3, 10), keyboards (4), drum programming (4) *

– keyboards (1, 4) *

Ray Lema Raymond Lema A'nsi Nzinga (born 30 March 1946), known as Ray Lema, is a Congolese (DRC) musician. A pianist, guitarist, and songwriter, he settled in France in 1982.

– keyboards (6), harmony vocals (6) * Doug Haywood – harmony vocals (1, 6, 9), keyboards (7),

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(9) *

Kevin Dukes Kevin Dukes is an American guitarist. A native of Natchez, Mississippi, Dukes attended The University of Southern Mississippi as a Music Theory and Composition major prior to moving to Los Angeles, California in the late 1970s. He has toured an ...

– guitar (1, 2, 5–7, 9, 10), acoustic guitar (3, 8), electric guitar (8) * David Lindley –

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

(4) * Yves N'Djock – guitar (6) * Jorge Strunz – acoustic gut-string guitar (8) * Hugo Pedroza –

charango The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, from the Quechua and Aymara populations in the territory of the Altiplano in post-Colonial times, after European stringed instruments were introduced by the Spanish during c ...

(8),

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a plucked typically 12-string chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first mention of the tiple comes from musicologist Pablo Minguet e Irol in 1752. Although ma ...

(8) *

– bass (1, 7, 10), harmony vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 9), keyboards (2–8, 10), guitar (5), guitar solo (8) *

Bob Glaub Bob Glaub (born May 10, 1952)Hageman, William (April 29, 2005)."The aces of bass: Five giants of an overshadowed instrument", Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. is an American bass player and session musician. He has played with such artists an ...

– bass (2–4, 8, 9), guitar (7) *

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as ...

– bass (6) *

Michael Jochum Michael Jochum is an American rock/jazz/nu metal drummer. Although a session musician early in his career, he gained more recognition as a touring member of the band Korn. He started as a musician in the late 1970s as a member of the jazz roc ...

– drums (1–3, 7–10), tom tom (6) *

Russ Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Da ...

– drums (4), drum programming (5) *

Walfredo Reyes, Jr. Walfredo Reyes Jr. (born Walfredo de los Reyes Palau IV; December 18, 1955) is a Cuban American musician who is an expert in drum set and auxiliary percussion, a music educator, and a clinician. He has performed with many jazz, Latin, World mus ...

– drums (5) *

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

– drums (6) *

Alex Acuña Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian-American drummer and percussionist. Background Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands such as La Orquesta de los Hermanos Neci ...

– percussion (2, 5) * Brice Wouassy – percussion (6) *

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

– harmony vocals (1) * Lori B. Williams – harmony vocals (1, 2, 6, 9) * Djene Doumbouya – harmony vocals (6) *

Brinsley Forde Brinsley Forde MBE (born 16 October 1953) is a British singer and actor of Guyanese parentage who is best known as the founder member of the reggae band Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series '' Here Come the Double D ...

– harmony vocals (6) * Tony Gad – harmony vocals (6) *

Drummie Zeb Angus Gaye (24 September 1959 – 2 September 2022), better known as Drummie Zeb, was a British musician. He was the drummer and vocalist for the reggae band Aswad, as well as a record producer for other artists. Early life Gaye was born in Lond ...

– harmony vocals (6) *

Salif Keita Salif Keïta () (born 25 August 1949) is a Malian singer-songwriter, referred to as the "Golden Voice of Africa". He is a member of the Keita royal family of Mali. Biography Early life Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village o ...

– Malian vocals (6) *

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

– harmony vocals (7)

Production

* Producers – Jackson Browne and Scott Thurston * Production Assistant – Bill Irvin * Engineers – James Geddes (Tracks 1–5 & 7–10); Paul Smykle (Track 6). * Additional Engineers – Terry Becker, Jim Nipar and David Tickle (Tracks 1–5 & 7–10); Phillippe Boisse and Roy Hendrickson (Track 6). * Assistant Engineers – Scott Blockland (Tracks 1–5 & 7–10); Ingmar Kiang (Track 6). * Recorded at Groove Masters (Santa Monica, CA); The Power Station (New York, NY);

Island Studios An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

(London, England); Studio Devout (Paris, France). * Mixed by David Tickle at Groove Masters * Mastered by

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...

at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA). * Technical Engineer – Ed Wong * Art Direction and Design – Dawn Patrol and

Jimmy Wachtel Jimmy Wachtel is an American photographer, art director and designer based in Los Angeles. He has designed album covers for big artists such as Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Michael Stanley, Jo Jo Gunne, John Cougar, and Buckingham Ni ...

* Photography –

Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of Jo ...

* Paintings – Francisco Letelier * Management – Donald Miller * Management Staff – Veronica Albano, Ty Braswell, Mike Sexton, Lisa Van Valkenburgh and Randall Wixen.

Charts

Album – ''Billboard'' (United States) Singles – ''Billboard'' (United States)

References

{{Authority control Jackson Browne albums 1989 albums Elektra Records albums Albums with cover art by Jimmy Wachtel Political music albums by American artists