Cornflake Girl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Cornflake Girl" | ||
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| Single by Tori Amos | ||
| from the album Under the Pink | ||
| Released | May 5, 1994 | |
| Genre | Alternative Rock | |
| Length | 05:06 | |
| Label | Atlantic | |
| Producer(s) | Tori Amos Eric Rosse |
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| Chart positions | ||
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| Tori Amos singles chronology | ||
| "Crucify" (1992) |
"Cornflake Girl" (1994) |
"God" (1994) |
"Cornflake Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It is the eighth track on Amos' 1994 album Under the Pink. The song reached number four on the UK singles chart, and was Amos' most successful international hit at the time.
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[edit] Inspiration and meaning
The inspiration for "Cornflake Girl" came from Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy, about a young African woman going through the ritual of female circumcision. Amos was angered by the idea that a mother could subject her daughter to such a brutal act, and the song arose as an exploration of the idea of betrayal between women. In the song two factions of women are referred to; the "Raisin Girls" are open-minded and trusting while the "Cornflake Girls" of the title are narrow-minded and deceitful.[1]
The reference to cornflakes and raisins comes from their distribution in a box of breakfast cereal, implying that "raisin girls" are much harder to find than "cornflake girls". Tori has spoken in interviews about being referred to glibly as "the Cornflake Girl" due to the song's title being applied to her, when she considers herself a "Raisin Girl". The mistake may be related to Tori's appearance as a young woman in a Kellogg's "Just Right" cereal commercial.
The song was covered by post-hardcore band Jawbox as a hidden track on their self titled 1996 album.
[edit] Track listing
US Single
1. Cornflake Girl- Radio Edit (3:54)
2. Sister Janet (4:00)
3. Daisy Dead Petals (3:03)
4. Honey (3:47)
Australian Single
1. Cornflake Girl (5:05)
2. Sister Janet (4:00)
Piano Suite
3. All The Girls Hate Her (2:23)
4. Over It (2:11)
UK Limited Edition
1. Cornflake Girl (5:05)
2. A Case Of You (4:38)
3. If 6 Was 9 (3:59)
4. Strange Fruit (4:00)
[edit] Music Video
There were two different videos for Cornflake Girl. The UK version was directed by Big TV! two directors from the UK. Tori said that is based on The Wizard Of Oz- but Dorothy goes to hell instead. This version was considered slightly too "strange" for American audiences and a second version was made, which was co-directed by Amos herself along with Nancy Bennett. The American video features Tori driving a truck full of girls around a typical American desert.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Jukebox", page 13. QWeekend Magazine, 2006
