Surfacing
by Sarah McLachlan

Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan
Year: 1997
Overall rank: 3,941st   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
74/100 (from 121 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1997 (60th)
Award Top albums of the 1990s (647th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,941st)

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Surfacing by Mclachlan, Sarah (Record, 2023)
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SIGNED Sarah McLachlan Better Broken vinyl LP AUTOGRAPHED surfacing Fumbling
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Sarah McLachlan bestography

Surfacing is ranked 2nd best out of 19 albums by Sarah McLachlan on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Sarah McLachlan is Fumbling Towards Ecstasy which is ranked number 3138 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 481.

Sarah McLachlan album bestography « Higher ranked (3,138th)
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
This album (3,941st)
Surfacing
Lower ranked (11,728th) »
Afterglow

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jul
01
Wed
Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken Tour
FirstBank Amphitheater, Franklin, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jul
03
Fri
Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken Tour
Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chasta, Atlanta, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jul
07
Tue
Sarah McLachlan - Better Broken Tour
TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann, Philadelphia, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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Surfacing rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,941st | 1990s rank: 647th | 1997 rank: 60th

Surfacing collection

Surfacing ratings

Average Rating: 
74/100 (from 121 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 121 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 
01/21/2026 14:37 cicadelic  Ratings distribution  12,17573/100
 
95/100
 
12/11/2025 02:44 Kingturtle  Ratings distribution  7,57973/100
 
65/100
 
11/21/2025 03:05 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  7,81970/100
 
80/100
 
09/06/2025 00:41 dhbarrett  Ratings distribution  8,36265/100
 
40/100
 
02/26/2025 02:56 Proto  Ratings distribution  4,10833/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 15% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.2/100, a mean average of 74.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.4/100. The standard deviation for this album is 12.7.

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Surfacing favourites

Showing all 8 members who have added this album as a favourite

Surfacing comments

Showing all 5 comments |
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Rating:  
80/100
From 06/26/2016 20:04 | #169940
Good album. Not quite as brilliant as, solace, and, fumbling towards ecstasy, but fine songs here, especially, Adia, which has got to be Mcclachlan's greatest composition. Absolutely beautiful, and the rest isn't bad either.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/25/2013 09:58 | #94466
Knew I had grown up when I heard this album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 08/08/2012 14:57 | #48100
It's funny: Canadian artists usually hone their craft in Canada, unknown to the big market south of the border. They usually peak right before going stateside, and then release a huge album that catches fire in the charts. Funny thing, it's not usually their best. (See Barenaked Ladies - Gordon is better than Stunt, or Shania Twain - Woman in Me is better than Come on Over) Surfacing is a great album. Sarah McLachlan's vocals soar, her songwriting is solid, and there are memorable melodies and hooks. She is feeling confident and it sounds that way. It's a great album. It's just that Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is better.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/17/2012 20:59 | #42573
This was her biggest hit album, it's about on par with Fumbling Towards Ecstacy in terms of quality. More diverse and such.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/07/2011 18:45 | #30060
Totally partial to this album as it accompanied the first kiss of a very significant relationship, to the song "I Love You" - how perfect is that! Anyway, I still think the music is quite alright dear.
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Best Albums of 1997
1. OK Computer by Radiohead
2. Homogenic by Björk
3. Either/Or by Elliott Smith
4. The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse
5. F♯ A♯ ∞ [F-Sharp, A-Sharp, Infinity] by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
6. Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spiritualized®
7. Perfect From Now On by Built To Spill
8. Urban Hymns by The Verve
9. The Colour And The Shape by Foo Fighters
10. The Boatman's Call by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
11. I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One by Yo La Tengo
12. The Fat Of The Land by The Prodigy
13. The Mollusk by Ween
14. Blur by Blur
15. Buena Vista Social Club by Buena Vista Social Club
16. Time Out Of Mind by Bob Dylan
17. Homework by Daft Punk
18. Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind
19. Mogwai Young Team by Mogwai
20. Dots And Loops by Stereolab
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