Because I Was in Love
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Because I Was in Love
| type = Studio
| artist = Sharon Van Etten
| cover = Because I Was in Love cover.png
| alt =
| released = May 26, 2009
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Indie rock, folk
| length = 44:38
| label = Language of Stone Records
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Epic
| next_year = 2010
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Because I Was in Love
| type = studio
| single1 = Much More Than That
| single1date = 2007
}}
}}
Because I Was in Love is the debut studio album by American singer–songwriter Sharon Van Etten, released on May 26, 2009 by Language of Stone Records.{{cite book|title=Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was in Love|publisher=Language of Stone Records|date=May 26, 2009}}
Background
A remastered and remixed reissue of the album, now re-titled (it was) because i was in love, was self-released by Van Etten on Bandcamp on November 17, 2017. This included two bonus tracks: I'm Giving Up On You and You Didn't Really Do That, which were previously released together on a single in 2010 through Polyvinyl.{{Cite web |title=(it was) because i was in love {{!}} Sharon Van Etten |url=https://sharonvanetten.bandcamp.com/album/it-was-because-i-was-in-love |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=Bandcamp}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = Allmusic
|rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/because-i-was-in-love-r1563385/|title=Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was in Love|author=Leahey, Andrew|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=December 19, 2024}}
|rev2 = Pitchfork
}}
With a 7.7 rating Matthew Murphy of Pitchfork wrote "Van Etten keeps the album's arrangements minimal and direct, augmenting her voice and guitar with only the occasional splash of organ, brushed cymbals, or multi-tracked vocal harmonies."{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Matthew |date=2009-06-22 |title=Sharon Van Etten: Because I Was in Love|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13226-because-i-was-in-love/|accessdate=2024-07-20 |publisher=Pitchfork}}
Stephen Thomason of NPR claimed "Van Etten's 2009 debut, because i was in love, doesn't actually sound tentative or insecure. Instead, it functions as a sort of concept album about tentativeness and insecurity — about examining tiny interpersonal details until they become all-encompassing...It captures a sound Sharon Van Etten has since left behind, but it remains radiant, universal and utterly timeless."{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/11/09/562766717/first-listen-sharon-van-etten-it-was-because-i-was-in-love#:~:text=But%20Van%20Etten's%202009%20debut,until%20they%20become%20all%2Dencompassing.|title=Review: Sharon Van Etten, '(it was) because i was in love'|author=Thomason, Stephen|date=November 9, 2017|publisher=NPR|access-date=December 19, 2024}}
Andrew Leahey of AllMusic, gave the album a 3.5/5 rating. Leahey declared "Intimacy reigns supreme on Sharon Van Etten’s debut, which finds the folksinger crooning her melodies over beds of acoustic guitar, keyboard, and overdubbed harmonies...Because I Was in Love isn’t a bare-boned folk album; rather, it’s the sort of record that unfolds its layers with repeated listens, and the arrangements are often gorgeously lush without threatening to overpower Van Etten’s alto."
Track listing
All songs written by Sharon Van Etten.
{{track listing
| title1 = I Wish I Knew
| length1 = 3:47
| title2 = Consolation Prize
| length2 = 4:03
| title3 = For You
| length3 = 2:31
| title4 = I Fold
| length4 = 3:26
| title5 = Have You Seen
| length5 = 3:14
| title6 = Tornado
| length6 = 4:31
| title7 = Much More Than That
| length7 = 4:32
| title8 = Same Dream
| length8 = 3:14
| title9 = Keep
| length9 = 4:59
| title10 = It's Not Like
| length10 = 4:13
| title11 = Holding Out
| length11 = 6:08
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Sharon Van Etten}}
{{Authority control}}