1. “Into The Fire” – Sarah McLachlan
(From the album Solace)
1991
Born in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Sarah McLachlan was something of a musical prodigy as a child and studied music throughout her childhood. By the time McLachlan was in high school she was fronting a rock band named The October Game. However, after an early October Game show McLachlan was offered a solo recording contract with the Vancouver, Canada based record label Nettwerk. McLachlan was interested and excited but her parents insisted she finish high school and one year of college before she could move west to Vancouver and work as a recording artist. Two years later though McLachlan signed with Nettwerk and moved to Vancouver. When McLachlan signed her recording contract she had never written a song but she still wrote or co-wrote the entirety of her first album Touch and even scored a minor Canadian hit with the song “Vox”. She also gained increased exposure in Canada by serving as the opening act for Canadian alt rockers The Grapes Of Wrath. McLachlan released her second album Solace in 1991 and it became her Canadian breakthrough, spinning off a series of Canadian hits and starting her career-long partnership with producer Pierre Marchand, who would become her primary collaborator. Solace earned McLachlan Canadian hits with “The Path Of Thorns (Terms)”, “Drawn To The Rhythm”, and “Into The Fire”, the last one being the biggest hit and earning McLachlan her first American success when the song went to #4 on the US alternative rock charts. The moderate success of “Into The Fire” also helped to build some momentum for McLachlan outside of Canada and built up some expectations for her next record; expectations that she would capitalize on.
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