Criminal (Fiona Apple song)
| "Criminal" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Fiona Apple | ||||
| from the album Tidal | ||||
| Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
| Format | CD Single | |||
| Length | 5:42 | |||
| Label | Work, Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Fiona Apple (lyricist/composer) | |||
| Producer(s) | Andrew Slater | |||
| Fiona Apple singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Criminal" is a song by Fiona Apple. Apple said that the song is about "feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality."[1] It was released as the third single from the album Tidal in September 1997, and is Apple's biggest hit, peaking at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as #4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Rock Song. The song was listed at number 71 on Blender magazine's 2005 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[1] It reached #55 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90's.[2]
Though the lyrics appear to be mostly original work, the intro line "I've been a bad, bad girl", and accompanying melody were first heard on a recording made by Alan Lomax entitled "Prison Blues", performed by Ozella Jones.<ref name=""OzellaJones">"Lomax Blues Compilations go to the Source". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-09-29.</ref>
Music video
The song's music video was directed by Mark Romanek with cinematography by Harris Savides. The video features Apple sulking in various states of undress, and The New Yorker described her as "looking like an underfed Calvin Klein model."[3] It explores themes of voyeurism and adolescence.[4] In 1998, the video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.
Track listing
- "Criminal" – 5:42
- "Sleep to Dream" (live) – 4:36
Charts
| Chart (1997/1998)[5] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Singles Chart)[6] | 51 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 21 |
| Illegal chart entered Billboardadult Pop Songs|17 | |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] | 4 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[9] | 18 |
| US Radio Songs (Billboard)[10] | 21 |
Cover versions
In 2006, singer Natalie Cole covered "Criminal" for her album Leavin'.
In 2011, the band The Pretty Reckless played a live cover of "Criminal" for KHFI-FM.
Actress Sarah Paulson covered the song in the episode "Massacres and Matinees" on American Horror Story: Freak Show in 2014.
References
- 1 2 "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100". Blender (magazine). October 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ↑ "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
- ↑ Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Extraordinary Measures". The New Yorker. October 10, 2005. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
- ↑ Zeltner, Mark. "Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' and Video Voyeurism for the '90s". Images, issue 5. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
- ↑ "Tidal > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles".
- ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 24 May 1998". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
- ↑ "Fiona Apple – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Fiona Apple. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Fiona Apple – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Fiona Apple. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Fiona Apple – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Fiona Apple. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Fiona Apple – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for Fiona Apple. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||