Editing Daydream Nation

{{Short description|1988 studio album by Sonic Youth}}
{{For|the film|Daydream Nation (film)}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Daydream Nation
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Sonic Youth]]
| cover        = Daydreamnation.png
| alt          = 
| released     = October 18, 1988
| recorded     = July–August 1988
| studio       = [[Greene St. Recording]] ([[SoHo, Manhattan]])
| genre        = * [[Noise rock]]
* [[alternative rock]]
| length       = 70:47
| label        = [[Enigma Records|Enigma]]
| producer     = * [[Nick Sansano]]
* Sonic Youth
| prev_title   = [[Sister (Sonic Youth album)|Sister]]
| prev_year    = 1987
| year         = 1988
| next_title   = [[The Whitey Album]]
| next_year    = 1989
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Daydream Nation
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Silver Rocket]]
 | single1date = September 1988
 | single2     = [[Teen Age Riot]]
 | single2date = October 1988
 | single3     = Candle
 | single3date = October 1989
 | single4     = Providence
 | single4date = 1989
}}
}}

'''''Daydream Nation''''' is the fifth studio album by American [[alternative rock]] band [[Sonic Youth]], released on October 18, 1988. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at [[Greene St. Recording]] in New York City, and it was released by [[Enigma Records]] as a [[double album]].

After ''Daydream Nation'' was released, it received widespread acclaim from critics and earned Sonic Youth a major label deal. The album was ranked high in critics' year-end lists of 1988's best records, being voted second in ''[[The Village Voice]]''{{'}}s annual [[Pazz & Jop]] poll. ''Daydream Nation'' has since been widely considered to be Sonic Youth's [[masterpiece|greatest work]], as well as one of the greatest albums of all time,<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/10/ |title=Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1980s |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=November 20, 2002 |access-date=September 29, 2012 |last=Mitchum |first=Rob |archive-date=May 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523203821/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5882-top-100-albums-of-the-1980s/10/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Erlewine">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/daydream-nation-mw0000652888 |title=Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 29, 2012 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113114116/https://www.allmusic.com/album/daydream-nation-mw0000652888 |archive-date=January 13, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> specifically having a profound influence on the alternative and [[indie rock]] genres. It was chosen by the [[Library of Congress]] to be preserved in the [[National Recording Registry]] in 2005.<ref name="National Recording Registry">{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2005reg.html |title=The National Recording Registry 2005 : National Recording Preservation Board (Library of Congress) |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

==Writing and recording==
Sonic Youth's standard songwriting method involved [[Thurston Moore]] bringing in melody ideas and chord changes that the band would spend several months fashioning into full-length songs. Instead of paring the songs down as the group did with previous records, the months-long writing process for ''Daydream Nation'' resulted in [[Jam session#Rock|long jams]], some lasting over half an hour. Several friends of the band, including [[Henry Rollins]], had praised the band's long live improvisations and told the group that its records never captured them. With Moore on a writing spree, the album ultimately had to be expanded to a [[double album]].{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=264}}

Sonic Youth recorded ''Daydream Nation'' at New York's [[Greene St. Recording|Greene Street]] basement studio. The studio's engineer, [[Nick Sansano]], was accustomed to working with [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] artists. Sansano did not know much about Sonic Youth, but he was aware the band had an aggressive sound, so he showed the band members his work on [[Public Enemy]]'s "[[Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos]]" and [[Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock]]'s "[[It Takes Two (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock song)|It Takes Two]]". The group embraced the sound of the records.{{sfn|Browne|2008|pp=254–262}} Sonic Youth booked three weeks of recording time at Greene Street's Studio A, starting in mid-July 1988. The band paid $1,000 (about $2,659 in 2024) per day of studio time, which was the most they had paid to record an album up to that point.{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=261}}

Due to the amount of preparation the band put into composing its music, the recording process was efficient.{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=265}} The session became rushed near the end, when [[Paul Smith (music industry executive)|Paul Smith]], the head of the band's British label [[Blast First]], had set a [[mastering (audio)|mastering]] date of August 18. As a result of the time pressure, [[Kim Gordon]] was not happy with some of her vocal takes. The band spent a whole night creating a final mix for the three-song "Trilogy" so it could be mastered the following morning. The record ultimately cost $30,000 ($79,765 in 2024), which led Moore to refer to the album as "our first non-econo record".{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=267}}

==Music and lyrics==
''Daydream Nation'' is generally considered an [[avant-rock]], [[alternative rock]], [[indie rock]], [[art punk]], and [[post-punk]] album, with the record being notable for its unorthodox guitar tuning and song structure, with many songs concluding with
lengthy instrumental sections. The album is especially notable for being a significant influence for later alternative and indie rock efforts and genres, including well-known [[grunge]] band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]. Lyrics include topics of burnout, the music industry, and the [[Crack epidemic in the United States|crack epidemic of the late 1980s]].

"The Sprawl" was inspired by the works of [[science fiction]] writer [[William Gibson]], who used the term to refer to a future mega-city stretching from [[Boston]] to [[Atlanta]] (specifically from the [[Sprawl Trilogy]]). The lyrics for the first verse were lifted from the novel ''[[The Stars at Noon]]'' by [[Denis Johnson]].<ref name="pg73">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song73.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> "'Cross the Breeze" features some of Gordon's most intense singing, with such lyrics as "Let's go walking on the water/Now you think I'm Satan's daughter/I wanna know, should I stay or go?/I took a look into your hate/It made me feel very up to date". "Eric's Trip" has lyrics pertaining to [[Eric Emerson]]'s [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]]-fueled monologue in the [[Andy Warhol]] movie ''[[Chelsea Girls]]''.<ref name="pg75">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song75.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

"Hey Joni" is titled as a tribute to rock standard "[[Hey Joe]]" and to Canadian singer-songwriter [[Joni Mitchell]].<ref name="pg77">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song77.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> It is sung by Ranaldo, and has [[surrealism|surrealist]] lyrics such as "Shots ring out from the center of an empty field/Joni's in the tall grass/She's a beautiful mental jukebox, a sailboat explosion/A snap of electric whipcrack". This song also alludes to the works of William Gibson's ''[[Neuromancer]]'' with the line "In this broken town, can you still jack in/And know what to do?" These feature similarly on Ranaldo's two other songs on the album, the rarely played "Rain King"—an homage to [[Pere Ubu]] and perhaps [[Saul Bellow]]'s ''[[Henderson the Rain King]]''—and the aforementioned "Eric's Trip".

"[[Providence (Sonic Youth song)|Providence]]" consisted of a piano solo by Moore recorded at his mother's house using a [[Walkman]], the sound of a [[Peavey Electronics|Peavey]] Roadmaster amp overheating and a pair of telephone messages left by [[Mike Watt]], calling for Moore from a [[Providence, Rhode Island]] payphone, dubbed over one another.<ref name="pg78">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song78.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

The title of "The Wonder" comes from crime fiction writer [[James Ellroy]]'s phrase about the ineffable mystery at the heart of Los Angeles; in Moore's words, "the wonder" is what "for better and worse, inspires [Ellroy] to keep going, to get out of bed every day."<ref name="Kopf">{{Cite magazine |last=Kopf |first=Biba |title=Cities on Fire With Electric Guitars — I: Sonic Youth: Lost in the O-Tone |date=January 1989 |magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]] |issue=58/59 |pages=56–57 |location=London |url=https://reader.exacteditions.com/issues/35619/spread/56 |url-access=subscription |via=[[Exact Editions]]}}</ref> The closing track "Eliminator Jr." was inspired by the "Preppie Killer", [[Robert Emmet Chambers|Robert Chambers]]. It was thus titled because the band felt it sounded like a cross between [[Dinosaur Jr.]] and ''[[Eliminator (album)|Eliminator]]''-era [[ZZ Top]]. It was given part "z" in the "Trilogy" both as a reference to ZZ Top and because it is the closing piece on the disc.<ref name="pg84">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song84.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

== Title and packaging ==
{{Image frame|content=[[File:Infinite.svg|upright=0.4|frameless|alt=∞|Lee Ranaldo]][[File:Venus symbol.svg|upright=0.4|frameless|alt=♀|Kim Gordon]][[File:Greek uc omega.svg|upright=0.4|frameless|alt=Ω|Thurston Moore]][[File:Daydream Nation drummer symbol.png|upright=0.4|frameless|alt=Drummer baby|Steve Shelley]]
|innerstyle=background-color:#f8f9fa; border:none;
|caption={{center|Sonic Youth's "symbolic rock identities"}}|pos=top}}

''Daydream Nation''{{'}}s title came from a lyric in the song "Hyperstation".<ref name="pg83">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song83.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> Sonic Youth had also considered the title ''Tonight's the Day'', from a lyric in "Candle", which made reference to [[Neil Young]]'s 1975 album ''[[Tonight's the Night (Neil Young album)|Tonight's the Night]]''.<ref name="pg79">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song79.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> The cover for ''Daydream Nation'' features the 1983 [[Gerhard Richter]] painting ''Kerze'' ("''Candle''").<ref name="sy_album">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp6.html |title=sonicyouth.com Discography – Album: ''Daydream Nation''| last=Chris Lawrence |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> The back cover art is a similar Richter painting from 1982.<ref name="booklet">{{cite book |title=Daydream Nation |type=[[CD]] booklet}}</ref> The [[LP album|vinyl version's]] four sides and the compact disc inner tray contain four symbols each representing one of the members of the band, in an homage to—and parody of—the four symbols from the [[Led Zeppelin IV#Cover|fourth Led Zeppelin album]]. The symbols are [[infinity]] (∞) for Ranaldo (referencing his 1987 album ''[[From Here to Infinity]]''), [[female]] (♀) for Gordon, uppercase [[omega]] (Ω) for Moore (referencing [[Leo (astrology)|Leo]], his zodiac sign), and a drawing of a demonic–angelic baby holding drumsticks for Shelley.<ref name="sy_album"/>

==Release and promotion==
''Daydream Nation'' was released on October 18, 1988,<ref>{{cite web|last=Balk|first=Alex|date=October 18, 2013|url=http://www.theawl.com/2013/10/daydream-nation-is-25|title='Daydream Nation' Is 25|website=[[The Awl]]|access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> in compact disc, [[audio cassette|cassette]] and [[double album|double]] vinyl formats.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin Charles |title=The Great Rock Discography |publisher=Giunti |page=768 |year=1998 |isbn=88-09-21522-2}}</ref> It did not chart in the United States, but reached No. 99 on the [[UK Album Charts|British albums chart]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/daydream-nation/|title=The Official Charts Company - Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth Search |date=9 February 2019 |publisher=The Official Charts Company }}</ref> Three singles with accompanying [[music video]]s were also released: "[[Teen Age Riot]]" (in 1988 on 12-inch vinyl and CD),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/ep11.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref> "Providence" (in the United Kingdom in 1989),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/ep15.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref> "Candle" (October 1989 on 12-inch vinyl),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/ep16.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref> and a live version of "[[Silver Rocket]]" for subscribers to ''[[Forced Exposure]]''.<ref name=sy_album/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/ep12.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu | last=Lawrence |first=Chris |website=sonicyouth.com |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref> The song "Teen Age Riot" was popular on alternative radio and reached No. 20 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s newly created [[Modern Rock Tracks]] chart.<ref name="Teen Age Riot chart">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sonic-youth-mn0000755156/awards |title=Sonic Youth – Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> Sonic Youth also promoted the album with a North American tour from October to December 1988, concentrating almost exclusively on material from the album. In 1989, they took the tour to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the USSR and Europe, finishing the year with their first network television appearance—on the syndicated ''[[Sunday Night (American TV program)|Night Music]]''—playing "Silver Rocket".<ref name=sy_album/> In 2007 they played the album live as part of the [[Don't Look Back (concert series)|Don't Look Back]] concert series, and then toured with it through Europe and Australia into 2008.<ref name=sy_album/><ref name=interview>{{cite journal |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Azerrad |date=September 2007 |title=The ''Spin'' Interview |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCQFHMhVuA8C&pg=PA74 |access-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

== Reception and legacy ==
{{Music ratings
| title = Retrospective professional ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/daydream-nation-mw0000652888 |title=Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 29, 2012 |last=Deming |first=Mark}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sonic Youth |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]] |location=New York |volume=5 |issue=9 |date=October 2006 |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |pages=154–155}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref name="Kot">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-09-27-9203270984-story.html |title=The Evolution Of Sonic Youth |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=September 27, 1992 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |last=Kot |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Kot}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jun/29/popandrock.shopping1 |title=Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |date=June 29, 2007 |access-date=October 1, 2015 |last=Hann |first=Michael}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10326-daydream-nation-deluxe-edition/ |title=Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation: Deluxe Edition |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=June 13, 2007 |access-date=May 12, 2021 |last=Abebe |first=Nitsuh}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Christgau2007">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/sonicyouth/albums/album/15004436/review/15085464/daydream_nation |title=Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |issue=1029 |date=June 28, 2007 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |page=74 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611120718/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/sonicyouth/albums/album/15004436/review/15085464/daydream_nation |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Sonic Youth |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA758 |access-date=October 1, 2015 |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/758 758–759]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Hermes">{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-gSPOtHSH08C&pg=PA100 |title=Reissues |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |location=New York |volume=23 |issue=7 |date=July 2007 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |last=Hermes |first=Will |author-link=Will Hermes |page=100}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev9score = 10/10<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Sonic Youth |last=Weisbard |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Weisbard |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide |editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |year=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |pages=367–368}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Mulvey">{{cite magazine |title=Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |location=London |issue=123 |date=August 2007 |last=Mulvey |first=John |page=94}}</ref>
}}

''Daydream Nation'' received overwhelming acclaim from contemporary critics.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-05-et-book5-story.html |title=They're keepers of the grunge |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 5, 2008 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |last=French |first=David}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' called it "the supreme fulfillment" of Sonic Youth's "fullbore technique".{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=276}} Giving the album an "A" grade in ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] believed that while the band were embracing a "happy-go-lucky careerism and [[four on the floor (music)|four-on-the-floor]] maturity", their relentlessly discordant music was "a philosophical triumph".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv1188-88.php |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |location=New York |date=November 22, 1988 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'''s [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert Palmer]] rated it three-and-a-half stars out of five and said it demonstrated "the broad harmonic palette, sharply honed songwriting skills and sheer exhilarating drive" of the "influential quartet", while presenting "the definitive American guitar band of the Eighties at the height of its powers and prescience".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/daydream-nation-2-249494/ |title=Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |issue=543 |date=January 12, 1989 |access-date=October 2, 2012 |last=Palmer |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Palmer (American writer)}}</ref>

The British music press also embraced ''Daydream Nation'': ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine said the record made an "enthralling noise";{{sfn|Browne|2008|p=276}} the ''[[NME]]'' called it the "most radical and political album of the year" and awarded it a maximum score of ten;<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation |magazine=[[NME]] |location=London |date=October 22, 1988 |last=Barron |first=Jack |page=39}}</ref> and ''[[Record Mirror]]'' gave it a five-out-of-five rating, enthusing that Sonic Youth were "the best band in the universe".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |location=London |date=November 5, 1988 |last=Zeppelin |first=Geoff |page=31}}</ref>

At the end of 1988, ''Daydream Nation'' appeared in several lists of the year's best albums, being ranked at No. 2 by ''Rolling Stone'', No. 1 by ''[[CMJ]]'',{{sfn|Stearns|2007|p=9}} and No. 9 by ''NME''.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1988 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |title=Albums and Tracks of the Year for 1988 |journal=[[NME]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707004229/http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1988 |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also voted the year's second best record in ''The Village Voice''{{'}}s annual [[Pazz & Jop]] poll,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres88.php |title=The 1988 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |location=New York |date=February 28, 1989 |access-date=July 8, 2013}}</ref> which made the band realize that the album had made an impact.<ref name=interview/> Christgau, the poll's creator and supervisor, named it the fourth best album of 1988 in his own list.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/deans88.php |title=Pazz & Jop 1988: Dean's List |newspaper=[[The Village Voice]] |location=New York |date=February 28, 1989 |access-date=July 8, 2013 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau}}</ref>

''Daydream Nation'' has continued to earn acclaim and accolades. According to Matthew Stearns, writer of the [[33⅓]] book dedicated to the album, it has been "resoundingly canonized as a breakthrough landmark in the chronicles of [[experimental rock|avant-rock]] expression".{{sfn|Stearns|2007|p=9}} Stearns wrote that ''Daydream Nation'' comprised the "[[Holy Trinity]]" of early [[indie rock]] double albums with [[Hüsker Dü]]'s ''[[Zen Arcade]]'' and [[Minutemen (band)|Minutemen]]'s ''[[Double Nickels on the Dime]]'', judging that the three works "together mark a period of unprecedented creative expansion in terms of the possibilities of underground (or otherwise) American rock music".{{sfn|Stearns|2007|p=15}}

In a retrospective review for [[AllMusic]], [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] deemed it "a masterpiece of [[post-punk]] [[art rock]]" that demonstrated the degree of which "noise and self-conscious avant art can be incorporated into rock, and the results are nothing short of stunning".<ref name="Erlewine"/> Jon Matsumoto of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called it the band's masterpiece and said they had developed first-rate songwriting skills to complement their penchant for dissonant instrumentation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-17-ol-35114-story.html |title=Sonic Youth 'Daydream Nation' (1988) DGC |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=March 17, 1994 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |last=Matsumoto |first=Jon}}</ref>

[[Greg Kot]], writing in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', called it one of the most recognizable albums of the 1980s with its combination of "hypnotic guitar jams and some of the band's best, straight-ahead tunes".<ref name="Kot"/> Reviewing the 2007 deluxe edition, Christgau credited ''Daydream Nation'' for making alternative rock "a life force" and remarked that, along with the "vital" bonus disc, the album remained an honest and thrilling listen because of its [[musical tuning]]s and anthemic songs about [[post-irony]] and "confusion-as-sex".<ref name="Christgau2007"/> In ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', [[Will Hermes]] said it was perhaps "the greatest [[art punk|art-punk]] statement ever",<ref name="Hermes"/> while John Mulvey from ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' called it a still radical "avant-rock masterpiece".<ref name="Mulvey"/>

In 2002, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' ranked ''Daydream Nation'' No. 1 on its list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s<ref name="Pitchfork"/> (the album dropped to No. 7 in the 2018 list<ref>{{Cite web|last=Phillips|first=Amy|date=September 10, 2018|title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=10|access-date=October 5, 2021|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref>). It also placed at No.13 on ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums from 1985 to 2010,<ref name="Spin 100">{{cite web|url=http://admin.spin.com/node/71013#page=12 |title=125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years spin.com |last1=Battaglia |first1=Andy |last2=Indrisek |first2=Scott |date=November 30, 2010 |website=[[Spin (magazine)|spin.com]] |access-date=September 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515011628/http://admin.spin.com/node/71013 |archive-date=May 15, 2014 }}</ref> No. 30 on ''[[Slant Magazine]]'s'' "Best Albums of the 1980s"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_8 |title=Best Albums of the 1980s |date=March 5, 2012 |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> and No. 45 on the ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/sonic-youth-daydream-nation-19691231 |title=100 Best Albums of the Eighties: Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=16 November 1989 |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> The ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]'' (1995) named it the ninth best alternative album,<ref name="Spinmag">{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spin100.html#100%20alternative%20albums |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001133950/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spin100.html#100%20alternative%20albums |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 1, 2005 |title=Rocklist.net...''Spin'' Magazine (USA) Lists...Page 2.. |website=rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> and it was ranked 11th on ''[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]]''{{'}}s 2000 list of the 101 essential guitar records.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} In 2003, the album was placed at No. 328 on ''Rolling Stone'''s [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|list of the 500 greatest albums ever]],<ref name="Rolling Stone 500">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/sonic-youth-daydream-nation-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=31 May 2009 |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> and again in 2012, with the album being ranked number 171 in the 2020 edition.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=September 22, 2020|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=April 21, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>

''Daydream Nation'' was one of 50 recordings chosen by the [[Library of Congress]] to be added to the [[National Recording Registry]] in 2006.<ref name="National Recording Registry"/> ''[[PopMatters]]'' included it in their list of the "12 Essential 1980s Alternative Rock Albums", saying it was "an ambitious double album that saw Sonic Youth's various influences coalescing into a striking, searing whole".<ref>{{cite web |last=Begrand |first=Adrien |url=https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |title=Hope Despite the Times: 12 Essential Alternative Rock Albums from the 1980s |website=[[PopMatters]] |date=11 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054617/https://www.popmatters.com/184696-184696-hope-despite-the-times-12-essential-alternative-rock-albums-f-2495629508.html?rebelltpage=2 |access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=2018-01-22 }}</ref> The album was also included in the book ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ignacio|last=Julià|editor-first=Robert|editor-last=Dimery|chapter=Sonic Youth: ''Daydream Nation''|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|title-link=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|publisher=[[Universe Publishing]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7893-1371-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/1001AlbumsYouMustHearBeforeYouDie/page/n300/mode/1up 600]}}</ref> Less favorably, [[Chuck Eddy]] describes ''Daydream Nation'' as "two discs of good [[Hawkwind]], with an [[I Ching]] groove sleek enough to send your cow jumping over the moon, but most of it's watery wallpaper regardless."<ref name="Eddy">{{cite book |last1=Eddy |first1=Chuck |title=Stairway to Hell: The 500 Best Heavy Metal Albums in the Universe |date=1991 |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=0517575418 |page=124}}</ref>

"''Daydream Nation''," remarked [[David Bowie]], "is an extraordinary album."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Steve|last=Lowe|title=Q200 – David Bowie|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=March 2003|issue=200|page=62}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_writing = Sonic Youth ([[Thurston Moore]], [[Kim Gordon]], [[Lee Ranaldo]] and [[Steve Shelley]])
| extra_column = Vocals
| headline = Side one
| title1 = [[Teen Age Riot]]
| lyrics1 = Moore
| extra1 = Gordon, Moore
| length1 = 6:57
| title2 = [[Silver Rocket]]
| lyrics2 = Moore
| extra2 = Moore
| length2 = 3:47
| title3 = The Sprawl
| lyrics3 = Gordon
| extra3 = Gordon
| length3 = 7:42
| total_length = 18:26
}}
{{track listing
| extra_column = Vocals
| headline = Side two
| title4 = {{-'}}Cross the Breeze
| lyrics4 = Gordon
| extra4 = Gordon
| length4 = 7:00
| title5 = Eric's Trip
| lyrics5 = Ranaldo
| extra5 = Ranaldo
| length5 = 3:48
| title6 = Total Trash
| lyrics6 = Moore
| extra6 = Moore
| length6 = 7:33
| total_length = 18:21
}}
{{track listing
| extra_column = Vocals
| headline = Side three
| title7 = Hey Joni
| lyrics7 = Ranaldo
| extra7 = Ranaldo
| length7 = 4:23
| title8 = Providence
| lyrics8 = [[Mike Watt]]
| extra8 = Watt
| length8 = 2:41
| title9 = Candle
| lyrics9 = Moore
| extra9 = Moore
| length9 = 4:58
| title10 = Rain King
| lyrics10 = Ranaldo
| extra10 = Ranaldo
| length10 = 4:39
| total_length = 16:41
}}
{{track listing
| extra_column = Vocals
| headline = Side four
| title11 = Kissability
| lyrics11 = Gordon
| extra11 = Gordon
| length11 = 3:08
| title12 = Trilogy"
* a) "The Wonder"
* b) "Hyperstation"
* z) "Eliminator Jr.
| lyrics12 = Moore/Gordon
*Moore
*Moore
*Gordon
| extra12 = Moore, Gordon
*Moore
*Moore
*Gordon
| length12 = 14:07
* 4:16
* 7:13
* 2:38
| total_length = 17:15
}}

* On some editions of the album, including all digital releases, all parts of “Trilogy” are separated as their own tracks.

===Deluxe Edition===
A deluxe edition of ''Daydream Nation'' was released in 2007, containing live versions of every track on the album, plus studio recordings of some cover songs. A 4-LP vinyl version was released on July 17, 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/42303-sonic-youth-reveal-deluxe-idaydream-nationi-details |title=Pitchfork: Sonic Youth Reveal Deluxe ''Daydream Nation'' Details |first=Matthew |last=Solarski  |date=December 4, 2007 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416145205/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/42303-sonic-youth-reveal-deluxe-idaydream-nationi-details |archive-date=April 16, 2007 |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

The four-LP vinyl release of the deluxe edition has a slightly different track listing than the CD release. The first two LPs have the same track listing as the original double-LP release. However, the home demo of "Eric's Trip" is at the end of the fourth LP, rather than falling immediately after the original album.

{{track listing
| headline = Deluxe Edition track listing
| title1 = Teen Age Riot
| length1 = 6:57
| title2 = Silver Rocket
| length2 = 3:47
| title3 = The Sprawl
| length3 = 7:42
| title4 = {{-'}}Cross the Breeze
| length4 = 7:00
| title5 = Eric's Trip
| length5 = 3:48
| title6 = Total Trash
| length6 = 7:33
| title7 = Hey Joni
| length7 = 4:23
| title8 = Providence
| length8 = 2:41
| title9 = Candle
| length9 = 4:58
| title10 = Rain King
| length10 = 4:39
| title11 = Kissability
| length11 = 3:08
| title12 = Trilogy: The Wonder
| length12 = 4:15
| title13 = Trilogy: Hyperstation
| length13 = 7:13
| title14 = Trilogy: Eliminator Jr.
| length14 = 2:37
| title15 = Eric's Trip (Home Demo)
| length15 = 2:27
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Deluxe Edition bonus disc
| title1 = The Sprawl
| note1 = Noise Now Festival, [[Mitsubishi Electric Halle|Philipshalle]], Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989
| length1 = 8:27
| title2 = {{-'}}Cross the Breeze
| note2 = Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989
| length2 = 5:54
| title3 = Hey Joni
| note3 = [[Paradiso (Amsterdam)|Paradiso]], Amsterdam on March 26, 1989
| length3 = 3:38
| title4 = Silver Rocket
| note4 = Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989
| length4 = 4:19
| title5 = Kissability
| note5 = Recorded for the documentary ''Put Blood in the Music'' in Brooklyn, New York in August 1988
| length5 = 2:19
| title6 = Eric's Trip
| note6 = Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989
| length6 = 3:05
| title7 = Candle
| note7 = [[Metro Chicago|Cabaret Metro]], Chicago on November 5, 1988
| length7 = 5:04
| title8 = The Wonder
| note8 = Recorded at [[CBGB]] on December 13, 1988
| length8 = 4:02
| title9 = Hyperstation
| note9 = Recorded at CBGB on December 13, 1988
| length9 = 6:14
| title10 = Eliminator Jr.
| note10 = Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989
| length10 = 2:38
| title11 = Providence
| note11 = Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989
| length11 = 1:47
| title12 = Teen Age Riot
| note12 = Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989
| length12 = 4:37
| title13 = Rain King
| note13 = Recorded for the documentary ''Put Blood in the Music'' in Brooklyn, New York in August 1988
| length13 = 4:06
| title14 = Totally Trashed
| note14 = [[Maxwell's]], Hoboken, New Jersey on June 9, 1988
| length14 = 1:57
| title15 = Total Trash
| note15 = Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey on June 9, 1988
| length15 = 5:18
| title16 = [[Within You Without You]]
| note16 = [[The Beatles]] cover, ''[[Sgt. Pepper Knew My Father]]'' compilation, 1988
| writer16 = [[George Harrison|Harrison]]
| length16 = 4:58
| title17 = [[Touch Me I'm Sick#Sonic Youth cover|Touch Me I'm Sick]]
| note17 = [[Mudhoney]] cover, [[Touch Me I'm Sick / Halloween|split 7-inch]] with Mudhoney, [[Sub Pop Singles Club]], December 1988
| writer17 = Mudhoney
| length17 = 2:33
| title18 = [[Trans (album)|Computer Age]]
| note18 = [[Neil Young]] cover, ''[[The Bridge: A Tribute to Neil Young]]'' compilation, 1989
| writer18 = Young
| length18 = 5:12
| title19 = [[Electricity (Captain Beefheart song)|Electricity]]
| note19 = [[Captain Beefheart]] cover, ''[[Fast 'n' Bulbous – A Tribute to Captain Beefheart]]'' compilation, 1988
| writer19 = [[Captain Beefheart|Van Vliet]], [[Herb Bermann]]
| length19 = 2:46
}}

==Personnel==
===Sonic Youth===
*[[Thurston Moore]] – guitar, vocals, piano, [[record producer|production]]
*[[Kim Gordon]] – bass guitar, guitar, vocals, production
*[[Lee Ranaldo]] – guitar, vocals, production
*[[Steve Shelley]] – drums, production

===Production===
*[[Nick Sansano]] – production, [[audio engineer|engineering]]
*[[Howie Weinberg]] – [[mastering (audio)|mastering]]
*Dave Swanson – engineering assistance
*[[Michael Lavine]] – photography
*Matt Tritto – engineering assistance

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:left"
! scope="col"| Chart (1988)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Albums Chart|British Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/sonic%20youth|title=Sonic Youth &#124; Artist|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|publisher=[[British Phonographic Industry]]|access-date=January 22, 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center"| 99
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2007)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| [[Ultratop|Belgian Albums Chart (Vl)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/album/2a9f/Sonic-Youth-Daydream-Nation|title=Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation|website=[[Ultratop]]|publisher=Hung Medien|access-date=January 22, 2013}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center"| 91
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |title=[[Our Band Could Be Your Life]] |publisher=Little, Brown |year=2001|isbn=0-316-78753-1}}
*{{cite book |last=Browne |first=David |title=Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth |publisher=Da Capo |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-306-81515-7 }}
*{{cite book |last=Stearns |first=Matthew |title=Daydream Nation |publisher=Continuum |year=2007 |series=[[33⅓]] |isbn=978-0-8264-1740-4}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=282–283|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}

==External links==
<!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices -->
*{{Official website|http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp6.html}}
*[https://archive.today/20130416103620/http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/RGF5ZHJlYW0gTmF0aW9u/Daydream%20Nation ''Daydream Nation''] ([[Adobe Flash]]) at [[Radio3Net]] (streamed copy where licensed)
*{{Discogs master|9768|Daydream Nation}}

{{Sonic Youth}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1988 albums]]
[[Category:Sonic Youth albums]]
[[Category:Au Go Go Records albums]]
[[Category:Blast First albums]]
[[Category:DGC Records albums]]
[[Category:Geffen Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Greene St. Recording]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry albums]]
[[Category:Art punk albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Nick Sansano]]