Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, released on 22 October 1993 in Canada, 15 February 1994 in the United States, 24 May 1994 in Japan, and 14 August 1994 in Australia. It was produced by Pierre Marchand in Montreal; McLachlan wrote most of the album while living in a small house near Marchand's studio.

The album was an immediate hit in Canada, where McLachlan was already an established star. It was slower to become her breakthrough album internationally, however; in some countries, most notably the US, it stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years. As of November 2003, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the US.

Some editions contain an album version of McLachlan's 1995 single used for The Brothers McMullen soundtrack, "I Will Remember You". The track's lyrics do not appear in the booklet, nor does the track's crediting information.

On August 5, 2008, a three-disc 15th anniversary edition of the album was released. The set includes the original remastered album, The Freedom Sessions EP and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

In December 2023, McLachlan announced she would perform on a 30 city tour in 2024 for the 30th anniversary of Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, playing the entire album in shows along with other songs.

Critical reception
Chicago Tribune critic Dan Kening praised Fumbling Towards Ecstasy as "a terrific album from a gifted 26-year-old Canadian who is mature beyond her years", highlighting McLachlan's "hauntingly beautiful voice" and the songs' "gorgeous arrangements". Similarly, Entertainment Weekly's David Bock opined that McLachlan's songs "probe the deeper, darker aspects of the human condition with an honesty, patience, and wisdom way beyond her 26 years." Comparing the record to its predecessor Solace (1991), Elysa Gardner of Rolling Stone wrote that despite its "less buoyant hooks and more muted arrangements", "there are moments of quiet radiance on Ecstasy, and even the more elusive songs reveal a passionate dignity."

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Andrew Leahey called Fumbling Towards Ecstasy "a softly assured album that combined the atmospheric production of Pierre Marchand... with some of McLachlan's strongest songwriting to date", adding that "McLachlan's work was rarely as raw or honest as it is on this record". Richard Skanse, writing in the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide, said that McLachlan "truly came into her own as an artist" on the album, finding her lyrics "sharper, her trademark earnestness now carrying a formidable edge." In 2000, it was voted number 200 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums, and in 2022, Pitchfork listed it as the 119th-best album of the 1990s.

Track listing
Notes:


 * A hidden track follows "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" which consists of a brief outtake snippet of "Ice" and a solo piano rendition of "Possession".
 * Original UK and Japanese versions of the album, along with the 2016 single-disc vinyl edition, include a cover of "Blue" by Joni Mitchell as a bonus track. These editions also do not include the hidden track appearing after "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy".

Personnel

 * Sarah McLachlan – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano
 * Bill Dillon – acoustic and electric guitars, guitorgan, bass guitar, piano
 * Michel Dubeau – saxophone
 * Kharen Hill – photography
 * David Kershaw – Hammond organ
 * Pierre Marchand – bass guitar, piano, keyboards, fake Hammond B-3 organ, drum machine, percussion machine, Roland 808, shaker, found sound
 * Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
 * Brian Minato – bass guitar
 * Guy Nadon – drums
 * Jane Scarpantoni – cello
 * Lou Shefano – drums
 * Ashwin Sood – drums, percussion