Under the Pink
Encyclopedia
Under the Pink is the second solo album by singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...

. Upon its release in January 1994, the album peaked at US #12 and on the back of the hit single "Cornflake Girl
Cornflake Girl
"Cornflake Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the first single from her second studio album Under the Pink. It was released on January 10, 1994 by EastWest Records in the UK and on May 5 by Atlantic Records in North America...

", the album debuted at UK #1, her highest-charting UK album debut to date. It had sold around 220,000 copies in the UK by the end of 1994, finishing that year as the UK's 61st best-selling album. This album was included in Blender magazine
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....

's list of 500 CDs You Must Own. A special double-disc edition was released exclusively in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, titled More Pink: The B-Sides.

Overview

While several soft-loud-soft tunes betray a clear debt to Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...

-style grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

, overall this album represents a more acoustic piano-based sound, and most of the final third of the album is devoted to a classical-inspired suite of piano songs, including the sweeping nine-and-a-half minute epic "Yes, Anastasia". Amos used a prepared upright piano
Prepared piano
A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects between or on the strings or on the hammers or dampers....

 for the studio recording of "Bells for Her", which was also played on a prepared piano for the second half of the tour. It was voted among the greatest albums of the 1990s by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

magazine some years later.

Amos has described the meaning of the song "Yes, Anastasia" to the media. The song is about the life of Anastasia Romanova, a grand duchess of Russia who was the daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. Amos explained that she had once become sick from eating bad crabs in Maryland. She explained that while performing a sound check, she was influenced by Romanov's presence. "Needless to say, when you are very, very ill, it is easier to communicate with your source... you are fragile and vulnerable... Now I have only heard of her story, I've got no point to make. She comes and goes 'You've got to write my tune.' I go 'Ohhh, now's not a really good time.' She says 'No, you've got to understand something from this, there's something here that you've got to come to terms with.' And that night came." Amos said that the lyrics "We'll see how brave you are" means so many different things to her; it is a part of her self saying "If you really want a challenge, just deal with yourself."

Amos performed the Under the Pink tour from February through November 1994, encompassing many of the same stops as on the previous world tour. A limited edition release of the album commemorating the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n tour included a second disc entitled More Pink, a collection of rare B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

s like "Little Drummer Boy" and a cover version of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...

's "A Case of You
A Case of You
"A Case of You" is a song by Joni Mitchell, from her 1971 album Blue. It is one of her most well-known songs.-Writing and recording:Mitchell recorded A Case of You in 1971, during her early folk period. The song was first released on the 1971 album Blue with Mitchell playing Appalachian dulcimer,...

", was issued in November 1994. During this period, she also contributed the song "Butterfly" to the soundtrack for the 1994 movie Higher Learning
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...

, as well as a cover of the R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...

 song "Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. The song was released as the first single from the group's 1991 album Out of Time. Based around a mandolin riff, "Losing My Religion" was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering heavy airplay on radio as well as on MTV due...

".

The album was recorded in Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...

 in a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...

. The album artwork features several Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 and New Mexican references in the photography. The album is also notable as the last Amos album to feature the production of Eric Rosse as they split that year. To date, Under the Pink remains her highest-charting album in the UK and has sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Track listing

The original track listing included the B-side "Honey", which was kicked off the record at the last minute. Amos has since voiced great regret for leaving the song off the album.

"There were certain songs that were supposed to be on the record that got kicked off. 'Honey' was supposed to be on the record and, in retrospect, I wish it had been. I kicked it off for 'The Wrong Band'. Under the Pink wept when 'Honey' wasn't on, and she still is angry with me about it."


Amos made a similar reference to the song "Here. In My Head" which was originally featured as a B-side to the UK single of "Crucify
Crucify (song)
"Crucify" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the fifth single from her debut studio album Little Earthquakes. It was released on May 12, 1992 by Atlantic Records in North America and on June 8 by EastWest Records in the UK.-Background:The song served...

".

Singles

Under the Pink produced four singles. "God
God (Tori Amos song)
"God" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the second single from her second studio album Under the Pink...

" was the first U.S. single in January 1994, and reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart; an October release in the UK saw a peak of #44. "Cornflake Girl
Cornflake Girl
"Cornflake Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the first single from her second studio album Under the Pink. It was released on January 10, 1994 by EastWest Records in the UK and on May 5 by Atlantic Records in North America...

" became Amos' biggest international hit of the time, reaching UK #4, while "Pretty Good Year
Pretty Good Year
"Pretty Good Year" is a single by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, taken from her second album Under the Pink. Released in March 1994, it reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart, her second consecutive Top 10 hit there following "Cornflake Girl"...

" followed it to UK #7. "Past the Mission", which featured the vocal contribution of Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...

 of Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...

, just missed the UK Top 30 that summer. In February 2007, the album was certified UK Platinum by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

.

B-sides

As with most of Tori Amos' albums, Under the Pink is also known for its various B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

s. Amos recorded a host of songs that did not make the album, but were released as B-sides to various singles or performed live in concerts. The song "Peeping Tommi" was recorded during Under the Pink album sessions and remained unreleased 12 years until its inclusion on the five-disc box set A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection
A Piano: The Collection is a five-disc box set spanning the first 15 years of the solo career of American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Released on September 26, 2006 by Rhino Records as part of the contract Amos negotiated with Warner Bros., the set consists of classics, rarities, demos,...

, in 2006.
Title Release
"Home on the Range (Cherokee Edition/with Cherokee addition)" "God" (US 1994)/ "Pretty Good Year" (UK Ltd 1994)
"All the Girls Hate Her/Over It (Piano Suite)" "God" (US 1994)/ "Cornflake Girl" (UK 1994)
"Sister Janet" "God" (US Cass 1994)/"Cornflake Girl" (US/UK 1994)
"Daisy Dead Petals" "Cornflake Girl" (US 1994)/ "Pretty God Year" (UK Ltd 1994)
"Honey" "Cornflake Girl" (US 1994)/ "Pretty Good Year" (UK 1994)
"Black Swan" "Pretty Good Year" (UK 1994)/ "Past the Mission" (US Cass 1994)
"A Case of You" "Cornflake Girl" (UK Ltd 1994)
"Strange Fruit" "Cornflake Girl" (UK Ltd 1994)
"If 6 Was 9" "Cornflake Girl" (UK Ltd 1994)
"Little Drummer Boy" More Pink: The B-Sides (Aus 1994)
"Butterfly" Higher Learning Soundtrack
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...

(1994)
"Losing My Religion" Higher Learning Soundtrack
Higher Learning
Higher Learning is a 1995 American drama film, starring an ensemble cast. It also featured Tyra Banks' first performance in a theatrical film...

(1994)

More Pink: The B-Sides

The double-disc version of Under the Pink was released on November 14, 1994 by East West
East West Records
East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...

 to coincide with Amos' tour of Australia and New Zealand. The second disc, titled More Pink: The B-Sides was never released separately, and is a rarity amongst Tori Amos collectibles. Amos would not release another collection of B-sides until 2006's A Piano: The Collection.

The packaging simply inserted the normal Australian release of Under the Pink in a double jewel case, and altered the back insert artwork so that instead of being blank it featured the track listing of the second disc as well as production information for the songs. The title More Pink may be misleading, as many of the B-sides on the disc did not come from Under the Pink singles but in fact from the 1992 album Little Earthquakes
Little Earthquakes
-B-sides:The album is also known for its collection of B-sides. The four songs recorded with Davitt Sigerson that did not make it to the final version of the album were included on the singles released from Little Earthquakes....

, and in one case, from a Christmas compilation. The length of this disc is 48:49.

The double-disc set entered the Australian ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

 Top 100 Albums chart on the week ending 11 December 1994, peaking at #44 and spending 6 weeks on the chart. However, it was listed on the chart as a re-entry of Under the Pink, with its weeks spent charting added to the 21-week tally achieved earlier by the album.

Track listing

Personnel

  • Michael Allen Harrison – violin
  • Tori Amos – piano, vocals, producer
  • John Acevedo – viola
  • Steve Caton
    Steve Caton
    Steve Caton is a professional guitarist/singer, song writer, producer, and visual artist, whose career has spanned almost three decades.Catons first time in a band was in Tedd Armstrongs' band "PEGASUS" in the late 1970s into early 1980s. Even as a beginner, Caton's talent as a lead guitarist was...

     – guitar
  • Paulinho Da Costa
    Paulinho Da Costa
    Paulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...

     – percussion
  • Ross Cullum – mixing
  • Shaun DeFeo – assistant engineer
  • Melissa "Missy" Hasin
    Melissa Hasin
    Melissa "Missy" Hasin, is an American Cellist who was raised in Newport Beach, California. Although her parents wanted her to stick with Classical music, she played the electric bass in various blues and rock bands as a teenager but later concentrated mainly on the cello...

     – cello
  • John Beverly Jones – engineer
  • Kevin Killen – mixing
  • Ezra Killinger – violin
  • Dane Little – cello
  • Bob Ludwig
    Bob Ludwig
    Bob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....

     – mastering
  • Paul McKenna – producer, engineer
  • Cynthia Morrow – viola
  • Carlo Nuccio – drums
  • George Porter, Jr.
    George Porter, Jr.
    George Porter, Jr. is a musician best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 60's and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk. The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989...

     – bass
  • Chris Reutinger – violin
  • Trent Reznor
    Trent Reznor
    Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...

     – backing vocals
  • Jimbo Ross – viola
  • Nancy Stein-Ross – cello
  • Eric Rosse – producer, engineer
  • John Philip Shenale
    John Philip Shenale
    John Philip Shenale is a Canadian composer, arranger, musician and producer based in Los Angeles. He has contributed his talents to over forty Gold and Platinum albums, and over thirty Top 40 singles. His work has also been associated with twenty-one Grammy Award nominations.-Background:Shenale...

     – strings, organ (Hammond)
  • Francine Walsh – violin
  • John Wittenberg – violin
  • Nancy Roth – violin
  • Cindy Palmano – art direction, photography
  • Julie Larson – production coordination
  • John Fundi – assistant engineer
  • Alan Reinl – design
  • Avril McIntosh – mixing assistant

Album

Year Chart Position
1994 Billboard 200 (U.S.) 12
1994 Official UK Albums Chart (UK) 1
1994 Australian ARIA Albums Chart (Australia) 5
1994 Austrian Albums Chart (Austria) 6
1994 Dutch Albums Chart (The Netherlands) 10
1994 NZ Albums Chart (New Zealand) 15
1994 Swedish Albums Chart (Sweden) 15
1994 Swiss Albums Chart (Switzerland) 11

Singles

Title Chart Position
"God" (1994) US Modern Rock Tracks 01
"God" (1994) UK Airplay (UK) 28
"God" (1994) UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

44
"God" (1994) Billboard Hot 100 Airplay (U.S.) 64
"God" (1994) Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

65
"God" (1994) U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

72
"God" (1994) Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) 73
"God" (1994) Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

87
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

04
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) UK Airplay (UK) 06
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) Irish Singles Chart
Irish Recorded Music Association
Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...

09
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) US Modern Rock Tracks 12
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

19
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) Dutch Top 40
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

26
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

30
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) Canadian Airplay 32
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...

41
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) German Singles Chart
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...

73
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

107
"Pretty Good Year" (1994) UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

07
"Pretty Good Year" (1994) Irish Singles Chart
Irish Recorded Music Association
Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...

26
"Pretty Good Year" (1994) UK Airplay (UK) 53
"Pretty Good Ygear" (1994) Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

85
"Past the Mission" (1994) Irish Singles Chart
Irish Recorded Music Association
Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:...

25
"Past the Mission" (1994) UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

31
"Past the Mission" (1994) UK Airplay (UK) 73
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK