Tori Amos’ sophomore album, Under the Pink, released

Under the Pink Tori Amos

Released: January 31, 1994 Peak: 12 US, 11 UK, 5 CN, 17 AU Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.3 UK, 2.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: adult alternative singer/songwriter

Tracks: (Click for codes to charts.) Pretty Good Year (3/19/94, 7 UK, 85 AU, 3 DF) God (1/29/94, 72 BB, 1 MR, 44 UK, 87 CN, 65 AU, 1 DF) Bells for Her (40 DF) Past the Mission (5/28/94, 31 UK, 6 DF) Baker Baker (5 DF) The Wrong Band (5 DF) The Waitress (3 DF) Cornflake Girl (1/10/94, 12 MR, 4 UK, 30 CN, 19 AU, 4 DF) Icicle (9 DF) Cloud on My Tongue Space Dog (9 DF) Yes, Anastasia Total Running Time: 56:50 Other Songs from the Era: Sister Janet [4:00] (1/10/94, “Cornflake” US EP, 23 DF) * A Case of You(Joni Mitchell) [4:38] (1/17/94, “Cornflake UK EP, 16 DF) If 6 Was 9 Jimi Hendrix) [3:59] (1/17/94, “Cornflake UK EP, 30 DF) Strange Fruit [4:00] (Abel Meeropol) (1/17/94 “Cornflake UK EP, 18 DF) Home on the Range (Cherokee Edition) [5:24] (2/3/92, “God” EP, 1 DF) * All the Girls Hate Her [2:22] (2/3/92, “God” EP) * Over It [2:09] (2/3/92, “God” EP) * Daisy Dead Petals [3:02] (3/7/94, “Pretty Good Year” EP, 31 DF) * Honey [3:47] (3/7/94, “Pretty Good Year” EP, 30 DF) * Black Swan [4:04] (3/7/94, “Pretty Good Year” EP, 9 DF) * * On the 2015 deluxe edition bonus disc, which also included a remix of “God” and live versions of “Here in My Head,” Upside Down,” “Past the Mission,” “Icicle,” “Flying Dutchman,” “Winter,” and “The Waitress” from 1994. Songs by Tori Amos unless noted otherwise.

Rating: 4.236 out of 5.00 (average of 14 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “After sharing personal and emotional accounts on her stunning debut, Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos stirs those sensations up for an eclectic yet beautiful account of female security on Under the Pink.” AM She “continued to offer piano-driven rock songs with religion, gender, and sexuality. However, the album is generally regarded as being more abstract and less directly confessional than its predecessor.” WK Being a woman, she’s always in question of her actions, calling out and interrogating the opposite sex for her own pleasure. But it’s not necessarily with a scolding tone. She’s playful with her signature piano accompaniment, but allows for a twisted mess of guitars, violins, and bass loops, which are quite enigmatic like Kate Bush as well.” AM Cornflake Girl was released as the first single in Europe and the second single in North America. It was a #1 hit on Billboard’s alternative rock chart and “became a mainstay of Amos’s live performances early on.” WK The song features a “catchy piano solo” WK and “reggae-inspired guitar rhythms.” WK It was marketed with a “darkly humorous US video as well as a more abstract black and white UK one.” WK In North America, God was released as the first single and became her first chart entry on the Billboard Hot 100, although at a measly #72.. The song features “Steve Caton’s dissonant guitar work…paired with the frank lyrics ‘Do you need a woman to look after you?’” WK Both singles are “are sultry and provocative, depicting that she's everything but shy” AM and “solified Amos’s place among the canon of 1990s alt rock musicians.” WK “Baker Baker and Bells for Her are aching with ballad-esque beauty, but the seething The Waitress sparks Amos’ inner devil. She’s quaint at first, but rages into a scalding vocal queen. It makes her even more a pioneer for female originality and independence.” AM “Under the Pink is typically melodic, but it contains a heavy desire. Amos is still breaking into something more definitive as both a woman and a singer/ songwriter. The lyrical imagery is much more wide open, something that will become Amos’ ever-changing swan song.” AM Notes: A double-disc deluxe edition was released in 2015 that included B-sides and live cuts from the era. See track listing above.

Review Sources: AM AllMusic.com review by MacKenzie Wilson WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 12/10/2024.