Hymns of the 49th Parallel

Hymns of the 49th Parallel is the ninth studio album by the Canadian singer and songwriter k.d. lang, released in 2004. It is an album of songs by lang's favourite Canadian songwriters, and also includes a new version of her original composition "Simple" that initially appeared on her 2000 album Invincible Summer.

Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Studio album by k.d. lang
Released	27 July 2004 (2004-07-27)
Studio	Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA)[1]
Genre	Folk pop country gospel
Length	47:17
Label	Nonesuch
Producer	k.d. lang Ben Mink
K.d. lang chronology
A Wonderful World (2002) Hymns of the 49th Parallel (2004) Reintarnation (2006)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(70/100)[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Billboard	(favorable)[4]
Blender	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Mojo	[7]
musicOMH	(favorable)[8]
People	[9]
Q	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Uncut	[11]
The Village Voice	(favorable)[12]

Title

The album's title refers to the Canada–United States border as the 49th parallel defines much of the international boundary between the two countries.

Track listing

1. "After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young) – 4:00
2. "Simple" (k.d. lang, David Piltch) – 3:02
3. "Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:15
4. "A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) – 5:12
5. "The Valley" (Jane Siberry) – 5:31
6. "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:01
7. "One Day I Walk" (Bruce Cockburn) – 3:24
8. "Fallen" (Ron Sexsmith) – 2:56
9. "Jericho" (Joni Mitchell) – 3:45
10. "Bird on a Wire" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:28
11. "Love is Everything" (Jane Siberry) – 5:43

Personnel

• k.d. lang – vocals
• Teddy Borowiecki – piano, accordion, keyboard
• Clayton Cameron – drums
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Brian Dembow – viola
• Eumir Deodato – conductor
• Stephen Erdody – cello
• Cynthia Fogg – viola
• Tiffiany Yi Hu – violin
• Armen Ksadjikian – cello
• Ben Mink – acoustic guitar, fiddle, electric guitar
• Ralph Morrison – violin, concert master
• Sara Parkins – violin
• David Piltch – electric bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar
• David Stenske – violin
• Cecilia Tsan – cello

Production

• Producers: k.d. lang, Ben Mink
• Engineer: David Leonard
• Mixing: David Leonard
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• Digital editing: Ben Mink
• Assistant: John Morrical
• Technical assistance: David Eaman, John Musgrave, Russell Nash
• String arrangements: Eumir Deodato
• Contractor: David Sherr
• Copyist: Tom Calderaro
• Cover photo: Andy Goldsworthy
• Photography: Jeri Heiden, John Heiden

Charts

Charts Chart (2004) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 3 Canadian Albums Chart[14] 2 Dutch Mega Albums Chart[15] 90 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 23 United States Billboard 200[14] 37

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position Australian Albums Chart[17] 44 Chart (2005) Position Australian Albums Chart[18] 85

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19]	2× Platinum	140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Silver	60,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.