Past the Mission

"Past the Mission"
Standard cover art for most editions
Single by Tori Amos
from the album Under the Pink
B-side	"Black Swan"
Released	16 May 1994 (UK limited edition) 23 May 1994 (UK CD2)[1] 4 July 1994 (AUS)[2] 27 September 1994 (US)
Format	CD, cassette
Recorded	April 1993
Genre	Baroque pop alternative rock piano rock
Label	Atlantic, EastWest
Producer(s)	Tori Amos
Tori Amos singles chronology
"Pretty Good Year" (1994) "Past the Mission" (1994) "Caught a Lite Sneeze" (1996)

"Past the Mission" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the third single from her second studio album Under the Pink in Europe, Australasia and North America; but was the fourth release worldwide, due to a varied released schedule in different countries. "Past the Mission" was released in May 1994 by EastWest Records in the UK, in July 1994 in Australasia, and in September 1994 by Atlantic Records in North America. Two different CD singles containing live B-sides were released in the UK, and the second of these was released in continental Europe and Australia. In the US, the single was only released commercially on cassette, although a promotional CD single was produced.

Background

Regarding the origins of the song, Amos commented:

“

"Past the Mission" refers to a personal experience with sexual violence, which I had a song about on Little Earthquakes also. So, the remark 'I once knew a hot girl' is painful. Where’s she gone? On this record there are songs about the healing from that experience, like "Baker Baker" ('Make me whole again'), "Past the Mission", "Yes, Anastasia". The idea is to rescue myself from the role of a victim. That I have a choice left. Though I can't change what has happened, I can choose how to react. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life being bitter and locked up. That’s also the thought behind the phrase 'past the mission/I smell the roses'.[3]

”

Trent Reznor, founder of the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, sings background vocals on this track.

"Past the Mission" had less commercial success than the previous "Under the Pink" singles. It reached the top 40 in both the UK^[4] and Ireland,^[5] but failed to chart on the US Hot 100,^[6] and peaked outside the top 100 in Australia.^[7]

An alternate mix of "Past the Mission" appears on Amos' compilation box set A Piano: The Collection (2006).

Music video

The video begins with Tori holding hands with two young women, walking along a dirt road. As the three begin walking through a town, other women join them in their march until there's a large parade as the men look on. The women are eventually confronted by a male priest, who blocks their pathway. One by one the women move to the ground, laying flat as the priest walks around and steps over them. The priest is then joined by the rest of the men, who all walk away as the women stand up and continue their march, eventually finding themselves in the open field seen at the beginning of the video. The video ends with a young boy running to catch up with the ever advancing parade of women.

Track listing/Releases

The UK CD single set was sold in two parts. The non-limited part (CD 2) comes in a slim jewel case and the disc features a photo-negative image of Amos playing a piano. The limited edition (CD 1) comes in a triple gatefold digipak case with two slots to house each CD in the set. In place of the second disc there is a cardboard cutout that looks like the CD. The owner can replace the cutout with the actual CD from the other half of the set. The second CD was also released in Germany and looks nearly identical excepting that the image on the disc is a positive image, not photo-negative.

UK limited edition CD single

1. "Upside Down" (live) – 5:57
2. "Past the Mission" (live) – 4:21
3. "Icicle" (live) – 7:50
4. "Flying Dutchman" (live) – 6:31

UK CD single 2/German CD/Australian CD

1. "Past the Mission" (LP edition) – 4:05
2. "Winter" (live) – 6:37
3. "The Waitress" (live) – 3:29
4. "Here. In My Head" (live) – 6:05

UK 7" single/UK, German and Australian cassette

1. "Past the Mission" (LP edition)
2. "Past The Mission" (live in Chicago March 1994)

US cassette single

1. "Past the Mission" – 4:05
2. "Black Swan" – 4:04

Charts

Chart (1994)	Position
Australia (ARIA Singles Chart)[7]	116
Irish Singles Chart[5]	25
UK Singles Chart[4]	31

References

1. "Tori Amos Past the Mission (UK promotional display flat)". imgur.com. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
2. "New Release Summary – Product Available from: 04/07/1994 > Singles (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 229 – Week Ending 3rd July 1994)". ARIA. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
3. St Louis Dispatch - July 15, 1994
4. "Official Charts > Tori Amos". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
5. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Past the Mission". Fireball Media. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
6. http://www.hereinmyhead.com/collect/under/ptmuk.html -- hereinmyhead.com
7. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17". imgur.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2016-03-13.