Under the Pink

Content

While several soft-loud-soft tunes betray a clear debt to Nirvana-style grunge, 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 for the studio recording of "Bells for Her", which was also played on a prepared piano for the second half of the tour.

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 Australian tour included a second disc entitled More Pink, a collection of rare B-sides like "Little Drummer Boy" and a cover version of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You", was issued in November 1994. During this period, she also contributed the song "Butterfly" to the soundtrack for the 1994 movie Higher Learning, as well as a cover of the R.E.M. song "Losing My Religion".

The album was recorded in Taos, New Mexico in a hacienda. The album artwork features several Native American 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

All tracks written by Tori Amos.

"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."

Singles

Under the Pink produced four singles. "Cornflake Girl" was released as the first single from the album in Europe (January 1994) and Australasia (February 1994), and became Amos' biggest international hit at the time, peaking at #4 in the UK. "God" was released as the first single in North America in February 1994, where it became her first Billboard Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at #72. "God" was released as the second single from the album in Australasia in May 1994, and as the fourth single in Europe in October 1994. "Pretty Good Year" was released as the second single in Europe in March 1994 and the fourth single in Australasia in November 1994, but was not released as a single in North America. "Past the Mission", featuring backing vocals from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, was the third single from the album in all territories, released in Europe in May 1994, Australasia in July 1994, and North America in September 1994.

More Pink: The B-Sides

The double-disc version of Under the Pink was released on November 14, 1994 by East West 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, 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 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

All tracks written by Tori Amos except track 1 (Joni Mitchell) and track 11 (traditional).