Human Being (album)

Human Being is the third studio album by Seal, released in 1998. The title track was written about late rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.[1] Human Being received mixed reviews ranging from being panned for its overtly dark and moody feel,[3] to being described in terms such as "pop perfection".[1] The album failed to sell in the same way as his 1994 multi-platinum album, Seal. However, it is a fan favourite and was inspired by his then-girlfriend, Tyra Banks and their breakup.

Human Being
Studio album by Seal
Released	16 November 1998
Recorded	1996–1998
Genre	Soul pop[1]
Length	51:35
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Trevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal (1994) Human Being (1998) Seal IV (2003)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Sputnikmusic	4/5[4]

A remix of "Lost My Faith" was featured over the closing credits of the 1999 film Entrapment, and the song's single release was accompanied by a music video in which Seal is integrated into scenes from the film alongside Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The cover art for the album was shot by French fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino.[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Human Beings"	Seal	4:47
2.	"State of Grace"	Seal Chris Bruce	5:00
3.	"Latest Craze"	Seal Earl Harvin	4:28
4.	"Just Like You Said"	Seal Bruce	4:17
5.	"Princess"	Seal	1:58
6.	"Lost My Faith"	Seal Reggie Hamilton	4:38
7.	"Excerpt From"	Seal	3:04
8.	"When a Man Is Wrong"	Seal	4:21
9.	"Colour"	Seal	5:22
10.	"Still Love Remains"	Seal	5:54
11.	"No Easy Way"	Seal	4:48
12.	"Human Beings (Reprise)"	Seal	3:28

Personnel

• Seal – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
• Earl Harvin – drums, bass, guitar, sound engineering
• Chris Bruce – guitar, bass guitar
• Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, bass guitar, programming
• Grant Mitchell – additional keyboards, programming
• Dave Palmer, David Sancious, Mike Garson, George De Angelis, Lisa Coleman – additional keyboards
• Gregg Arreguin, Chester Kayman, Gus Isadore, Wendy Melvoin, Ramon Stagnaro, Danny Saber – additional guitar
• Alex Acuña, Andy Duncan – percussion
• Andy Richards, Dave McCracken, Danny Saber, William Orbit – programming
• Anne Dudley, Wil Malone, Aaron Zigman, Nick Ingman – string arrangements

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6]	82
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7]	21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8]	25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9]	24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10]	14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11]	18
UK Albums (OCC)[12]	44
US Billboard 200[13]	22

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Latvia (LaMPA)[14]	Gold	4,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[15]	Gold	7,500^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Silver	60,000^^
United States (RIAA)[17]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Prato, Greg (17 November 1998). "Human Being - Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
2. David Browne (16 November 1998). "Human Being Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
3. Evelyn McDonnell (17 November 1998). "Seal: Human Being : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
4. "Seal: Human Being". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
5. "SEAL on Instagram: "'Human Beings' (My Favourite Of My Album Covers) #jeanbaptistemondino #albumcover"". Retrieved 4 December 2019 – via Instagram.
6. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 246.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Human Being" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Human Being" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
10. "Charts.nz – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
11. "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
13. "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
14. "International Latvian Certification Awards from 1998 to 2001". Latvian Music Producers Association. 2001. Retrieved 19 October 2015 – via Directupload.
15. "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recorded Music NZ.
16. "British album certifications – Seal – Human Being". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Human Being in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
17. "American album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.