''Rotting Piñata'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Sponge, released on August 2, 1994 through Work Group. Hit singles from this album, such as " Plowed" and " Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)", helped launch the band's career and the album was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in July 1995.

Release

''Rotting Piñata'' is Sponge's best selling album, having sold more than 500,000 copies. Although released in August 1994, the album did not enter the ''Billboard'' 200 until February 1995, following the success of its second single "Plowed". ''Rotting Piñata'' peaked at number 58 and remained on the chart for 40 weeks.

Critical reception

''Rotting Piñata'' received mostly positive reviews. However, AllMusic staff writer

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

said that the album was derivative of

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

or Stone Temple Pilots, with a few good songs but otherwise featuring "half-finished ideas". '' Trouser Press'' was more positive about the album, noting " Plowed" and "Molly" as having "catchy hooks and hummable choruses" while also being "colored by murky sonic structures that layer a bit of lead around their listener-friendly cores." They also wrote "Elsewhere on ''Rotting Piñata'', Sponge shows an affinity for density and drone— particularly in 'Pennywheels' and the metallic chug of 'Neenah Menasha'— while 'Giants' explores tense instrumental dynamics."

Track listing

All songs written by Sponge ( Vinnie Dombroski, Joey Mazzola, Mike Cross, Tim Cross, Jimmy Paluzzi) and produced by Tim Patalan and Sponge. A special edition included a bonus CD featuring Sponge live at

Rock am Ring The (German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' takes place at the Zeppelinfeld ...

Nürburgring The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...

on June 2, 1995. All songs written by Sponge except where noted.

Personnel

Sponge

* Vinnie Dombroski - vocals * Mike Cross - guitar, backing vocals * Tim Cross - bass * Joey Mazzola - guitar, backing vocals * Jimmy Paluzzi - drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

* Andy Patalan - production assistant * Tim Palmer - mixing * Mark O'Donoughue & Brandon Harris - mixing assistants * Tim Patalan - mixing on "Rotting Piñata", "Neenah Menasha", "Miles" and " Molly" * Stuart Griffen - Talent agent * Pablo Mathiason - A&R * Howie Weinberg - mastering * David Coleman - art direction * Michael Halsband - photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

Trivia

* The title of the album (and song of the same name) came from a conversation the band had regarding controversial punk rock singer GG Allin. Allin promised for several years that he would die by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

on stage during one of his concerts, but instead died from an accidental

drug overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

. The band wondered if Allin would want a posthumous tour instead, where his corpse would be present at the shows and fans would be able to hit or take a whack at it. The band's soundman Chris remarked that if that happened, the corpse would be like a rotting piñata. * Neenah and

Menasha Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Winne ...

are two cities in Wisconsin. * Track number five, "Miles", includes the last two lines of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

's poem " Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" ("And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep."). * Lead vocalist Vinnie Dombroski came up with the lyrics for " Plowed" while shoveling snow in his hometown of Detroit. * The vocals for "Molly" were re-recorded for the single release, retitled " Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". The song was partly inspired by a story the band had heard about a 16-year-old girl who fell in love with one of her teachers and attempted suicide after he rejected her advances.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotting Pinata 1994 debut albums Sponge (band) albums