Boys for Pele
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| Boys for Pele | ||
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| Studio album by Tori Amos | ||
| Released | January 22, 1996 | |
| Recorded | Ireland, 1995 | |
| Genre | Alternative/Experimental | |
| Length | 70:09 | |
| Label | Epic Records | |
| Producer(s) | Tori Amos | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Tori Amos chronology | ||
| More Pink The B~Sides (1994) |
Boys for Pele (1996) |
From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) |
Boys for Pele, the Grammy-nominated third album by singer and songwriter Tori Amos, is perhaps her least well-known and yet best-selling album to date. Featuring 19 songs that incorporate harpsichord, clavichord, harmonium, gospel choirs, brass bands and full orchestras, the album addresses the concept of the different types of men that enter and affect a woman's life. All the tracks were written by Amos, and it was the first album she produced herself. Most of it was recorded in a church in Ireland. The album's first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze," was groundbreaking because it was the first ever song to be made available as a free Internet download.
Named after the legendary volcano goddess Pele, the album was inspired by Tori's break-up with longtime boyfriend Eric Rosse, co-producer of Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink. The songs represent a journey to find her power as a woman, and the sexually and religiously charged lyrics are the most intense of any of her albums. It consists of 14 fully-formed songs and five "interludes"; the 14 main songs represent the number of body parts of her husband Osiris the goddess Isis had to find to put his body back together in Egyptian mythology.[1]
One song, "Marianne," details Amos' relationship with Marianne Curtis, a high school student from Montgomery County, Maryland, who died under questionable circumstances in the late 1970s. The death, which was actually due to an accidental drug overdose, was first suspected to be murder, and then later called a suicide.
Because the music was so inaccessible to radio, it did not initially sell well. However, it did debut at #2 on the Billboard Chart, selling 102,000 copies in the first week. Shortly after its release, however, the song "Professional Widow" was remixed into a dance track that immediately rocketed to number one in the charts. The song "Talula" was also remixed and included on the soundtrack of the film Twister. Two new versions of the album were then released; In the USA, the original version of the song "Talula" was replaced by "Talula (The Tornado Mix)," which incorporated a minor dance beat. In the UK, in addition of Talula (The Tornado Mix) a remix of "Professional Widow" was also added to the album after the original version of the song (and the song "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" was removed completely).
Album sales quickly picked up because of the demand for these remixes. Ironically, the removed track "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" was also remixed but was a much smaller club success. Interest in the album resurfaced when, a little less than a year after its release, Tori Amos sang vocals on Blue Skies, another huge club and dance hit by dance music artist BT (Brian Transeau).
The album eventually went on to achieve platinum status (selling more than one million copies).
[edit] Track listing
(all songs written by Amos)
- "Beauty Queen" / "Horses" – 6:07
- "Blood Roses" – 3:56
- "Father Lucifer" – 3:43
- "Professional Widow" – 4:31
- "Mr. Zebra" – 1:07
- "Marianne" – 4:07
- "Caught a Lite Sneeze" – 4:24
- "Muhammad My Friend" – 3:48
- "Hey Jupiter" – 5:07
- "Way Down" – 1:13
- "Little Amsterdam" – 4:29
- "Talula" – 4:08
- "Not the Red Baron" – 3:49
- "Agent Orange" – 1:26
- "Doughnut Song" – 4:19
- "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" – 5:32
- "Putting the Damage On" – 5:08
- "Twinkle" – 3:12
The album was a commercial success in various alternative markets
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 2 |
| 1996 | Official UK Album Chart (UK) | 2 |
| 1996 | ARIA Album Chart (Australia) | 6 |
Single
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) | Billboard Modern Rock Tracks (U.S.) | 13 |
| "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) | Billboard Hot 100 (U.S.) | 60 |
| "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) | Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles (U.S.) | 9 |
| "Talula" (1996) | Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles (U.S.) | 49 |
| "Talula" (1996) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 22 |
| "Hey Jupiter [EP]" (1996) | Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 94 |
| "Hey Jupiter/Professional Widow [remix]" (1996) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 20 |
| "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" (1996) | Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play (U.S.) | 6 |
| "Professional Widow [remix]" (1996) | Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play (U.S.) | 1 |
| "Professional Widow [remix]" (1996) | Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles (U.S.) | 14 |
| "Professional Widow [remix]" (1996) | Official UK Singles Chart (UK) | 1 |
| "Professional Widow [remix]" (1997) | ARIA Singles Chart (Australia) | 17 |
| "Blue Skies (BT feat. Tori Amos)" (1997) | ARIA Singles Chart (Australia) | 93 |
[edit] B-Sides
The album, as with most of Tori Amos' albums, is also known for its collection of original b-sides. 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. Amos also recorded a great many songs that were never released.
| Title | Single |
|---|---|
| Graveyard | "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) |
| Hungarian Wedding Song | "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) |
| Toodles Mr. Jim | "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996) |
| Samurai | "Talula" (1996) |
| Frog on My Toe | "Talula" (1996) |
| Sister Named Desire | "Talula" (1996) |
| Alamo | "Talula" (1996) |
