"Trouble's Lament" | ||||
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Single by Tori Amos | ||||
from the album Unrepentant Geraldines | ||||
Released | March 28, 2014 | |||
Genre | Pop rock, alternative rock, acoustic rock | |||
Length | 3:40 | |||
Label | Universal/Mercury Classics | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tori Amos | |||
Producer(s) | Tori Amos | |||
Tori Amos singles chronology | ||||
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"Trouble's Lament" is a song by American singer/songwriter Tori Amos from her 14th studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines (2014). It was released as the album's lead promotional single on March 28, 2014, by Universal/Mercury Classics as a digital download only.
Trouble's Lament was announced by Amos on March 27 to be the first song available from the album. Cover art was released on Amos' social media sites the same day, along with the album's complete track list.
Musically, the song is influenced by different musical styles, including Americana, folk music, Flamenco and pop music. Amos' piano playing is accompanied by acoustic guitar and sparse percussion. The instrumentation is similar to the music of Neko Case, Patty Griffin, Fleetwood Mac and Amos' own past production on the predominantly acoustic Scarlet's Walk (2002).
The song's lyrics finds Amos stating that "Trouble needs a home" after having left Satan behind, and sings about welcoming Danger into her life.
Of the song's style and background, Amos (who is originally from North Carolina) stated that her Southern roots were influential: "It's really in the blood. It's almost like you listen to the land speaking to you. And wherever I am I can hear the South calling me. I really like the idea that trouble was a young woman....I see her on my travels a lot. And maybe I knew her many years ago when I was in my twenties." [1]
Musicians:
Personnel:
The accompanying music video was shot on location in London, featuring Amos in a diner in Islington. At points in the video three young women (with the help of a young gay male waiter) come into the diner and provide distractions to steal data and files from two businessmen. Their tactics include spilling coffee on one man and having the waiter flirt with the other. They also interact with Amos' character who watches from a nearby table. The end shot shows Amos handing the three women new passports as they sit in the back of her car.
On April 18, Amos shared behind-the-scenes snapshots of the production, showing some "new friends" and stating that filming was still underway.
The video was released on May 28, 2014 via Amos' Facebook fan page.
Reactions to the song were highly positive. The track was noted as being signature Amos, with most critics complimenting the song's Americana-influence, Amos' vocal performance, the dark lyrics and the rippling piano. Rolling Stone called the song "haunting and eerie," with a showcase vocal range. [2] SPIN found it to be a "perfect return" and an "undeniably good look" for Amos. [3] Consequence of Sound said it was a charming song with "otherworldly" harmonies. [4] Broadway World called the track "an eerie Southern blues song," noting that Amos' voice is "matchless." [1] Noisey likewise took pleasure in the Americana-influence and vocals. [5] PinkIsTheNewBlog stated its love for the track, favourably comparing the musical style to Scarlet's Walk. [6] Music blog Nuwave Pony also expressed love for the song's "groovy, sinister arrangement" and "honey-coated vocals." [7] Indie music site Death and Taxes likened the song to PJ Harvey's work on Let England Shake, finding Amos' track to be more upbeat and accessible. [8] Exclaim! called it a "dust-kicking" and spooky track with luscious vocals. [9] Stereogum stated that the song was "exactly what we want from Tori." [10] Glide Magazine found Amos' vocals to be "fresh, sultry and inviting," in top form and reminiscent of her work in the early 1990s. [11] Flavorwire called the track a typically pretty Amos song, stating: "what's not to love?" [12] Under the Gun Review said the track "is full of spice and any fan of Tori Amos will enjoy it." [13] Faster Louder included the song in their weekly should-hear music roundup, commenting that it was exactly what fans would enjoy. [14] Mxdwn.com called it a soulful blues track, noting Amos' one-of-a-kind vocals and talent for thought-provoking lyrics. [15]
Tori Amos is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University at the age of five, the youngest person ever to have been admitted. She had to leave at the age of eleven when her scholarship was discontinued for what Rolling Stone described as "musical insubordination". Amos was the lead singer of the short-lived 1980s pop group Y Kant Tori Read before achieving her breakthrough as a solo artist in the early 1990s. Her songs focus on a broad range of topics, including sexuality, feminism, politics, and religion.
From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American musician Tori Amos. It was released on May 5, 1998 on Atlantic Records. The album was Amos' first to be recorded at her own Martian Engineering Studios in Cornwall, England and was self-produced, with the mixing being handled by longtime collaborators Marcel van Limbeek and Mark Hawley, whom she had married in early 1998.
Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on January 22, 1996, in the United Kingdom, on January 23 in the United States, and on January 29 in Australia. Despite the album being Amos's least radio friendly material to date, Boys for Pele debuted at number two on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart, making it her biggest simultaneous transatlantic debut, her first Billboard top 10 debut, and the highest-charting US debut of her career to date.
Scarlet's Walk is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos. It was released on October 28, 2002 in the UK and October 29 in the US on Epic Records, making it her first release on the label after her split with Atlantic Records. Her first studio album of original material since To Venus and Back in 1999, the 18-track concept album details the cross-country travels of Scarlet, a character loosely based on Amos, and was greatly inspired by the changes in American society and politics post-September 11, 2001. Topics explored on the album include nationalism, personal relationships, and the death of a close friend. Amos also took inspiration from the stories of her grandfather, who was Cherokee and told her of the abuses against Native Americans throughout the United States' history.
The Beekeeper is the eighth studio album by American musician Tori Amos. It was released on February 20, 2005, through Epic Records and is her second release for the label. As with many of Amos' releases throughout the 2000s, The Beekeeper is a concept album, heavily inspired by the practice of beekeeping and its connection to femininity and female empowerment. The album's nineteen tracks are separated into six different "gardens", and are inspired by topics such as her experiences with motherhood, betrayal ("Witness"), and Christian mythology.
"Cornflake Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released on January 10, 1994 as the first single from her second studio album, Under the Pink (1994), by EastWest Records in the United Kingdom, and on May 5, 1994, by Atlantic Records in North America. Singer Merry Clayton provided backing vocals and sang the "man with the golden gun" bridge.
American Doll Posse is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released in 2007 by Epic Records. A concept album, American Doll Posse sees Amos assuming the identity of five different female personalities inspired by Greek mythology in order to narrate stories of life in modern America. Themes include opposition to the Iraq War, recording industry misogyny, disillusionment, sexuality, personal loss, and female empowerment in general. Musically, the record is more rock-oriented than other studio works by Amos, notably featuring more guitar and drums than previous albums The Beekeeper (2005) and Scarlet's Walk (2002).
"1000 Oceans" is a song by Tori Amos, released as the second single from her 1999 album To Venus and Back. It reached number 22 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales, though it did not chart on the Hot 100. The song deals with issues of love and loss, and is based on the singer's personal experiences. It was released on September 7, 1999, and was generally well received by critics.
Abnormally Attracted to Sin is the tenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released 19 May 2009, in standard and limited CD/DVD edition. The album debuted on Billboard 200 at no. 9, giving Amos her seventh Top 10 album in the US.
Midwinter Graces is the eleventh solo studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released on November 10, 2009, through Universal Republic Records. It is the first seasonal album by Amos and is also notable for marking her return to a more classical, stripped-down, baroque sound with various synths, string instruments, the harpsichord, and Amos's own signature Bösendorfer piano at center stage, once more. The album, like previous releases from Amos, is available in a single-form CD or a deluxe edition, which includes three bonus tracks, a twenty-page photo book, and a DVD containing an interview with Amos. The standard edition was not released in the US or Canada. Midwinter Graces became Amos's lowest-charting album on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 66.
Little Earthquakes is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and "Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos began working on a second version with her then-boyfriend Eric Rosse. The album was first released in the UK on January 6, 1992, where it peaked at number 14 in the charts.
"Dātura" is a song by singer, songwriter, and pianist Tori Amos, released on her fifth studio album To Venus and Back. At eight minutes and twenty-five seconds in length, it is the longest song in the studio portion of the album.
Night of Hunters is the twelfth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released on September 20, 2011, in the United States through Deutsche Grammophon. It is a concept album that Amos has described as "a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years." She pays tribute to classical composers such as Alkan, Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert, taking inspiration from their original compositions to create new, independent songs. Regarding the album's concept, she has described it as the exploration of "the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us" through the story of "a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship."
Bosnian Rainbows is the only studio album by American alternative rock band Bosnian Rainbows, released on June 24, 2013 on Clouds Hill, Sargent House and Rodriguez-Lopez Productions. Recorded and produced by Johann Scheerer, the album was recorded at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, Germany in October 2012, during a break in band's touring schedule.
Unrepentant Geraldines is the fourteenth studio album by American musician Tori Amos. It was released on May 9, 2014 through Mercury Classics. The album marks a return to pop and rock music after several releases in the classical genre. Recorded at her own Martian Engineering Studios, the album was self-produced and mixed by her husband Mark Hawley and Marcel van Limbeek.
"A Silent Night with You" is a song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter, Tori Amos. It was released November 29, 2009 as the only promotional single from the seasonal album Midwinter Graces (2009).
"Maybe California" is a song by American singer and songwriter Tori Amos from her tenth studio album Abnormally Attracted to Sin (2009). It was released as a promotional single May 19, 2009 by Universal Republic as a digital download only.
Native Invader is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released on September 8, 2017, through Decca Records. Its lead single "Cloud Riders", was released on July 27, 2017.
A Tori Kelly Christmas is the first Christmas album and the fourth studio album, by American singer Tori Kelly. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Schoolboy and Capitol Records. It is Kelly's first Christmas album, and was executively produced by Kelly, Babyface, and Scooter Braun. The album contains cover versions of Christmas standards such as "All I Want for Christmas is You" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" alongside original songs which incorporate R&B elements.
"Speaking with Trees" is a song by American musician Tori Amos, released as the first single from her sixteenth studio album Ocean to Ocean on September 29, 2021.