Middle of Nowhere is the debut studio album by American pop rock group Hanson, and the first to be released on a major label, which was PolyGram Records and Mercury Records. Released in 1997, it features slicker studio production compared to their previous indie efforts Boomerang and MMMBop. The band members were between the ages of 11 and 16 when it was released. "Yearbook", one of the album's more dramatic songs, was not performed live until the recording of Middle of Nowhere Acoustic on May 5, 2007.
Middle of Nowhere yielded five singles: "MMMBop", "Where's the Love", "I Will Come to You", "Weird", and "Thinking of You". "MMMBop" became a major hit, reaching number one in the United States and at least eleven other countries. The album earned Hanson three Grammy Award nominations, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year.
Reception
Middle of Nowhere reached number two on the Billboard 200, being kept out of the top spot by the Spice Girls' Spice. The album also reached number one in the UK, Australia, Germany, and Taiwan.
Total sales worldwide are 10 million copies. The album sold just under 4 million in the US (4 times platinum) and over 400,000 copies in UK.
The album was well received by critics. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said of the trio: "... lack of guile is Hanson's most endearing quality." – harmonica
- Murray Adler – violin
Technical
- The Dust Brothers – production, programming
- Steve Greenberg – executive producer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Mark Hudson – vocal director
- Roger Love – vocal director
- Margery Greenspan – art direction
- Barry Mann – vocal director
- Marina Chavez – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"|Chart (1997)
! scope="col"|Peak<br>position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"| Canadian Albums (RPM)
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
!scope="row"|Czech Albums (IFPI CR)
|style="text-align:center;"|6
|-
!scope="row"| Danish Albums (Tracklisten)
| style="text-align:center;"| 5
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Estonian Albums (Eesti Top 10)
|align="center"|8
|-
!scope="row"|European Albums Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)
| style="text-align:center;"|7
|-
|-
!scope="row"| Irish Albums (IRMA)
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|-
!scope="row"|Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)
|align="center"|25
|-
!scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
|-
!scope="row"| Malaysian Albums (IFPI)
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|-
!scope="row"| Scottish Albums (OCC)
| style="text-align:center;"| 6
|-
!scope="row"|Singapore Albums (SPVA)
|align="center"|1
|-
!scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)
|align="center"|4
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Chart (1997)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|3
|-
!scope="row"|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
|22
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|13
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)
|43
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (Nielsen Soundscan)
|align="center"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
|78
|-
!scope="row"|European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)
|28
|-
!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)
|36
|-
!scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|37
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
|16
|-
!scope="row"|Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
|16
|-
!scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|14
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)
|61
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
|13
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!scope="column"|Chart (1998)
!scope="column"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)
|81
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (RPM)
|96
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
|41
|}
Decade-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"|Chart (1990–1999)
! scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Billboard 200
| style="text-align:center;"|89
|}