History Music / ToriAmos

* BunnyEarsLawyer - Despite being rather ...odd... Tori does have extraordinary musical talent.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}

* SugarWiki/AnvilsThatNeededToBeDropped - "Me and a Gun".

* GreenEyedRedhead

* AMVHell - In AMV Hell 4, a short AMV featuring "Teenage Hustling" [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUr92OLxtNQ#movie_player appears at the 46:40 mark.]]

* CelebrityResemblance - Music/ReginaSpektor could pass off as Tori's endearing younger sister.

* CreatorBreakdown - "Me and a Gun" is about her rape, "Toast" was the result of her brother's death, ''Boys for Pele'' was the result of a bad breakup, and ''from the choirgirl hotel'' was the result of her miscarriage(s).
** "1000 Oceans" was written after her husband's father died.
* CreatorCouples - The albums that Eric Rosse co-produced are considered Tori's best by critics.

* DyeHard - She's actually a brunette, but her dyed red hair is one of her trademarks. Although now she wears an orangey wig (at least in performances).
** Now she stopped wearing wigs, and her real hair is currently orange-red.
*** It's still a wig, it's just of a much higher quality.

* ExecutiveMeddling - When she first submitted ''Little Earthquakes'' to her record company, they didn't like it and made her record more songs. Then they wanted to remove some songs from her soon-to-be debut. This is one of those cases where the executives unknowingly helped, since the second batch of songs Tori recorded were fan-favorites "Tear In Your Hand" and "Precious Things". They also wanted to replace the piano with guitars, since {{Grunge}} was popular at the time. Fortunately, Tori didn't let that happen.
** They also rejected her first video for "Cornflake Girl" (which ended up being released overseas) and made her film a new video. The US version featured the defining visual of Tori on a merry-go-round, singing the chorus of the song.

** This can be applied to a lot of her work. "Happy Phantom" is, in spite of its cheery title and sound, the thought of someone contemplating suicide, "Cornflake Girl" (one of her most radio-friendly songs) is about constant betrayal and disappointment and almost all of the tracks she calls her "Silly Songs" (such as the brief interludes for ''Boys for Pele'') offer up enough psychedelic imagery to constitute legitimate NightmareFuel.

* OldShame - She fronted a synth-pop band called Y Kant Tori Read (also featuring Cult/GNR/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum) that released a single self-titled record in 1988. The record label stopped promoting it after two months, Tori had fired the entire band except one member by the time the first video was shot, and Tori has [[CanonDiscontinuity acted like it never existed]], with good reason.
** Actually, Tori seems to have reconciled herself with the album, to the extent that she occasionally plays songs from the album live (particularly "Etienne" and "Cool on Your Island"). This may be an example of an artist reconciling with Old Shame. As for the badness of the album, [[YourMileageMayVary opinions differ widely]]; some folks think it's abysmal, while others find it kind of charming in a synth-poppy, "80s hard rock meets Music/KateBush" kind of way.
** Oh, let's not forget that '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iZ8ys-utfs cereal commercial]]''' she did back in the 80's, when [[IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney she was young and needed the money.]]

* OneOfUs - She is a huge comic book fan. It's not much of a surprise when you take her relationship with NeilGaiman and ''Comic Book Tattoo'' into account.
** The [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mr. Sulu]]/Warp speed" lyric in "In the Springtime of His Voodoo" further qualifies her.

* UrbanLegendOfZelda: One particularly mean-spirited urban legend that has floated around over the years, is the rumor that after "Y Kant Tori Read" flopped, Tori ended up sleeping with a record executive in order to get the chance to record ''Little Earthquakes''.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen - Tori wanted to cover "Fear of a Black Planet" by Public Enemy, "Hoover Factory" by Elvis Costello, "Marlene Deitrich's Favorite Poem" by Peter Murphy, and a harpsichord version of "I'm Sick of You" by Iggy Pop for ''Strange Little Girls''. She didn't cover "Black Planet" and "Hoover Factory" because she couldn't find a way to remake them in time. Tori didn't cover "Favorite Poem" because she felt that Peter Murphy had already taken the point of view she would've taken. Lastly, she didn't cover "Sick of You" because the harpsichord wasn't ready in time, and she didn't feel like doing it when it was. Whether these would've been more interesting covers than the ones on the album is unknown.
** Tori originally wanted to change her name to ''Sammy Jay''. Thankfully, a friend's boyfriend at the time told her that "she looked like a Tori". The rest is history.
** "Honey" was originally meant to be on ''Under the Pink'', but Tori replaced it with "The Wrong Band" at the last minute. She has expressed regret for it ever since.
** What would've happened if Y Kant Tori Read became successful?

Tori Amos (1963-) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Her music walks the fine line between [[BaroquePop baroque pop]] & straightforward [[AlternativeRock alternative rock]]. She has ventured off into other terri[[IncrediblyLamePun tori]]es, like electronic (''from the choirgirl hotel'', ''To Venus and Back'', ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin''), funk/soul/gospel (''The Beekeeper''), big band ("Pink and Glitter"), adult contemporary (''Scarlet's Walk'', certain songs on ''The Beekeeper''), and country ("Not Dying Today", "Drive All Night"). She has written about many topics, including rape, masturbation, war, religion, feminine sexuality, ''homosexuality'' (and related topics), betrayal, and...[[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible other things]]. [[http://thegospelaccordingtorichardcroft.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/515-tori-amos-little-earthquakes-1992/ Richard Croft]] said it best: "The image of Tori Amos most widely known in pop culture is sort of like an American {{Bjork}}, a modern KateBush, a feminist icon, a screeching, red-haired banshee who flails wildly at the piano and sings all sorts of man-hating anthems for her throngs of similarly screeching, red-haired fans." Contrary to popular belief though, she is not misandric, and her fans have a variety of hair colors.

* AnvilsThatNeededToBeDropped - "Me and a Gun".

* CelebrityResemblance - ReginaSpektor could pass off as Tori's endearing younger sister.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting - Delirium from ''{{Sandman}}'' is sometimes based on her.

* {{Cover Song}}s - Not to mention the billions of straightforward covers she did, Tori did a variation of this for ''Night of Hunters''. All of the songs are based (directly or indirectly, in the case of "Job's Coffin") on classical pieces.

*** If you want an er...less religious interpretation, the song would just be about a girl's church-bred guilt about sex and frigidity [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic melting like an icicle]] so she finally feels free to please herself.

* EpicRiff - "Professional Widow" (harpsichord), and "Precious Things" (piano).

* {{Music/Instrumentals}} - "Over It" and "All the Girls Hate Her". Also, "Seven Sisters" from ''Night of Hunters'', her first instrumental on seventeen years and the first one that's not a b-side.

* LesYay - "Raspberry Swirl".

* OldShame - She fronted a synth-pop band called Y Kant Tori Read (also featuring Cult/GNR/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum) that released a single self-titled record in 1988. The record label stopped promoting it after two months, Tori had fired the entire band except one member by the time the first video was shot, and Tori has [[CanonDisContinuity acted like it never existed]], with good reason.
** Actually, Tori seems to have reconciled herself with the album, to the extent that she occasionally plays songs from the album live (particularly "Etienne" and "Cool on Your Island"). This may be an example of an artist reconciling with Old Shame. As for the badness of the album, [[YourMileageMayVary opinions differ widely]]; some folks think it's abysmal, while others find it kind of charming in a synth-poppy, "80s hard rock meets KateBush" kind of way.

* ShoutOutMusic - Tori Amos has given shout outs to Neil Gaiman in many of her songs:

** "Got a sister named Desire...Teach me about them old worlds big brother," in "A Sister Named Desire" is a reference to the characters of Desire and Dream from TheSandman

** Also, a shoutout to NineInchNails in "Precious Things": "With their nine inch nails and little fascist panties..."

* TheSomethingSong - "Doughnut Song", "Dolphin Song", "Hungarian Wedding Song", and "Song for Eric"

* ACCentUponTheWrongSyLLAble - Tori does this with most of her songs to the point where it can sound like a different language.

* [[AllLowercaseLetters all lowercase letters]] - She writes her lyrics this way, and the title of ''from the choirgirl hotel'' is in all lowercase.

* CloudCuckoolander

* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning - ''Strange Little Girls'', again.

As a person, she is sexy, funny, talented, open-minded, kind, and very eccentric. She is known for having an obsession with fairies, and shocking people by breast-feeding a pig and saying things like "I have a 12-inch cock." She's also known for having a devoted fanbase and being a [[http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/gay-sex-vs-straight-sex/ gay]] [[http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=27542 icon]]. Some fans call her a goddess, some ex-fans believe she [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks sucks now]], and do nothing but [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike bash her on the Internet]]. Tori sees them at meet-and-greets before concerts.

* DetractorNickname - "Torn Anus", "Snori Lamos".

* AudioErotica - [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaVFK4Jcxjg Have you listened to her talk?!]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVefGxHi3QY "Gimme eight..."]]

--> [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVefGxHi3QY "Gimme eight..."]]

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVefGxHi3QY "Gimme eight..."]]

* ''Crucify'' (1992)
* ''Hey Jupiter'' (1996)

** I have that very book. "Strange" doesn't even begin to cover a few of them.
* AnvilsThatNeededToBeDropped - "Me and a Gun"
* AudienceParticipationSong - "Big Wheel"

* BreakupBreakout - Tori went from the lead singer of a bargain-bin band (Y Kant Tori Read) to one of the best female musicians ever.

* CountryMusic - She made some songs that have an obvious country influence ("Not Dying Today", "Drive All Night").
** The radio version of "Strange" was country-fied.

* FadingIntoTheNextSong - "Josephine" → "Riot Poof" (on ''To Venus and Back'') & "Give" → "Welcome to England" (on ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'').
* FirstAndForemost - Her cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of the most famous covers of all time, but it's a ''{{Nirvana}}'' song.

* GratuitousPanning - A lot of Tori's songs fall under this trope, most notably in "Josephine". The drums & bass are to the right, and the piano & guitars are to the left.

* InheritedIlliteracyTitle - Y Kant Tori Read.
** Tori continued this when she became a successful solo artist. "Caught a Lite Sneeze", anyone?
* {{Music/Instrumentals}} - "Over It" & "All the Girls Hate Her". Also, "Seven Sisters" from ''Night of Hunters'', her first instrumental on seventeen years and the first one that's not a b-side.
* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle - "Fat Slut"

* LighterAndSofter - Some of her fans (or ex-fans) claim that this has happened after Tori became a mother. Although it wasn't until ''Midwinter Graces'' that she had released an album with more-or-less upbeat lyrics (i.e. the rebirth of the s-u-n, not s-o-n)

* MagnumOpus - ''Little Earthquakes''. Although ''Boys for Pele'' and ''from the choirgirl hotel'' are frequently referenced as this among fans as well.

** The [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mr. Sulu]]/Warp speed" lyric in ''In the Springtime of His Voodoo'' further qualifies her.

* RearrangeTheSong- The Dakota Version of Hey Jupiter. Professional Widow was infamously re-released overseas as a dance hit; also Tori's live version of Cornflake Girl features a new introduction and verses, while omitting the "Man With the Golden Gun".
** Tori does this to virtually all of her songs, since she tours either solo (with only a piano and other keyboard instruments) or with a band. For example, the funky "Sweet the Sting" became a piano-only jazzy ballad on the Original Sinsuality/Summer of Sin tours, and when she tours with a band, more instruments are played during "Horses".
*** There are 2 versions of "Me And A Gun", one is a hauntingly sad a capella with no musical accompaniment at all. The second is a "rock version" which is far angrier and defiant sounding.
**** Talula was replaced on Boys for Pele with the "tornado mix" of the song.
** When Tori toured ''Night Of Hunters'' in 2011, she brought a string quartet with her, and several songs were rearranged for piano and strings. In some cases, such as 'Cruel' and 'Suede', the quartet used their instruments as percussion.

* TheSomethingSong - "Doughnut Song", "Dolphin Song", "Song for Eric"
* UrbanLegendOfZelda: One particularly mean-spirited urban legend that has floated around over the years, is the rumor that after "Y Kant Tori Read" flopped, Tori ended up sleeping with a record executive in order to get the chance to record "Little Earthquakes".

She co-founded RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), America's largest anti-sexual-assault organization. She tours frequently and changes her setlist almost entirely every time she performs (though she has a few staples, and not just [or usually] the lead singles). She's also working on a musical based on ''The Light Princess'', which will start sometime in 2012. She has recently released her latest album, ''Night of Hunters'', which got her the most critical acclaim she's had in over 10 years.

Tori Amos (1963-) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Her music walks the fine line between [[BaroquePop baroque pop]] & [[AlternativeRock alternative rock]]. She has ventured off into other terri[[IncrediblyLamePun tori]]es, like electronic (''from the choirgirl hotel'', ''To Venus and Back'', ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin''), funk/soul/gospel (''The Beekeeper''), big band ("Pink and Glitter"), adult contemporary (''Scarlet's Walk'', certain songs on ''The Beekeeper''), and country ("Not Dying Today", "Drive All Night"). She has written about many topics, including rape, masturbation, war, religion, feminine sexuality, ''homosexuality'' (and related topics), betrayal, and...[[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible other things]]. [[http://thegospelaccordingtorichardcroft.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/515-tori-amos-little-earthquakes-1992/ Richard Croft]] said it best: "The image of Tori Amos most widely known in pop culture is sort of like an American {{Bjork}}, a modern KateBush, a feminist icon, a screeching, red-haired banshee who flails wildly at the piano and sings all sorts of man-hating anthems for her throngs of similarly screeching, red-haired fans." Contrary to popular belief though, she is not misandric, and her fans have a variety of hair colors.

* HotChickWithASword - The cover of Y Kant Tori Read.

** This can be said about all of her music. No one can agree on whether she's alternative rock, baroque pop, or something else. She has flirted with country, electronica, dance, gospel, big band, orchestral, soul, and funk.

** The [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mr. Sulu]]/Warp drive" lyric in ''In the Springtime of His Voodoo'' further qualifies her.

Tori Amos is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Her music walks the fine line between [[BaroquePop baroque pop]] & [[AlternativeRock alternative rock]]. She has ventured off into other terri[[IncrediblyLamePun tori]]es, like electronic (''from the choirgirl hotel'', ''To Venus and Back'', ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin''), funk/soul/gospel (''The Beekeeper''), big band ("Pink and Glitter"), adult contemporary (''Scarlet's Walk'', certain songs on ''The Beekeeper''), and country ("Not Dying Today", "Drive All Night"). She has written about many topics, including rape, masturbation, war, religion, feminine sexuality, ''homosexuality'' (and related topics), betrayal, and...[[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible other things]]. [[http://thegospelaccordingtorichardcroft.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/515-tori-amos-little-earthquakes-1992/ Richard Croft]] said it best: "The image of Tori Amos most widely known in pop culture is sort of like an American {{Bjork}}, a modern KateBush, a feminist icon, a screeching, red-haired banshee who flails wildly at the piano and sings all sorts of man-hating anthems for her throngs of similarly screeching, red-haired fans." Contrary to popular belief though, she is not misandric, and her fans have a variety of hair colors.

** UglyGuyHotWife - Mark is quite homely.
** He's got that nerdy cuteness about him, though it's agreed that Tori is the looker in the couple by far.

* HotMom - [[http://www.yessaid.com/pic/2009_lucas_jackson_006.jpg Here]] [[http://www.yessaid.com/pic/beekeeperposterpromo-big.jpg are]] [[http://www.yessaid.com/pic/2001_libi_pedder_001.jpg some]] [[http://www.yessaid.com/pic/sw9b.jpg pictures.]] [[http://www.yessaid.com/pic/2005_d_mazzoni_004.jpg Rawr.]]

* TheTropeSong - "Doughnut Song", "Dolphin Song", "Song for Eric"

* OldShame - She fronted a synth-pop band called Y Kant Tori Read (also featuring Cult/GNR/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum) that released a single self-titled record in 1988. The record label stopped promoting it after two months, Tori had fired the entire band except one member by the time the first video was shot, and Tori has [[DisContinuity acted like it never existed]], with good reason.

* DisContinuity - Subverted. Instead of refusing to acknowledge the albums that they hate, ex-Toriphiles will bash them. Although it seems to be played straight with ''Strange Little Girls'', even with Tori herself. On her 2009 tour, she only performed material from this album ''twice''.

** "and if there is a way to find you, I will find you. but will you find me if Neil makes me a tree," in "Horses" refers to a deal between Tori and Gaiman during his writing of Stardust
** "Got a sister named Desire...Teach me about them old worlds big brother," in "A Sister Named Desire"

** Which, for Christians and females both (for utterly unrelated reasons), is NightmareFuel as well. You see, the date is with the icicle, and it is a substitutionary device for Jesus'...uh...[[IfYouKnowWhatIMean icicle]].
*** If you want an er...less religious interpretation, the song would just be about a girl's church-bred guilt about sex and frigidity [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic melting like an icicle]] so she [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean finally feels free to please herself.]]

** Subverted with "Mary Jane". [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean It's not about a girl]].

* CompletelyMissingThePoint - Popnography thinks that "Pink and Glitter" is "one of the gayest Christmas songs ever", despite that it's about the birth of a baby girl who has presumably heterosexual parents.