From the Choirgirl Hotel
Encyclopedia
From the Choirgirl Hotel is the fourth studio album by American
singer and songwriter
Tori Amos
. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock
band sound (instead of Amos' usual minimalist piano sound). Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6. While falling short of the # 2 debut for her previous album, Boys For Pele
(1996), From the Choirgirl Hotel is Amos' strongest debut to date in US sales, selling 153,000 copies in the first week. Amos received two 1999 Grammy
nominations: Alternative Music Performance, and Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Raspberry Swirl
".
The lead single "Spark" became a hit after its release in June 1998 (becoming her last UK Top 40 hit to date, as well as her highest charting US single, reaching #49), and was followed by "Jackie's Strength
" (September 1998) and "Cruel/Raspberry Swirl
" (November 1998).
The accompanying tour, Amos' first with a full band (using the album's personnel of Matt Chamberlain
on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and long-time collaborator Steve Caton on guitar), was known as the "Plugged '98 Tour" and took Amos through most of 1998.
, Amos allowed several songs from the album to be remixed. Remixes of both "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were club hits. The album's theme dealt very closely with the first two in Amos' series of three miscarriage
s between 1996 and 1999.
Thematically and conceptually, the "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the fictional, imaginary place where the songs "live." Amos pointed out that although the songs are recorded, they are also alive themselves - they can be re-modeled and reshaped in concert etc. Amos imagined the songs as living their own lives, all checking into the "choirgirl hotel" (i.e. the album) but living separate lives. In the artwork, Amos included a hand-drawn map detailing the stomping ground of these songs.
The album artwork was created by the UK-based photographer, Katerina Jebb
. The artwork features full-body color photocopies of Amos (in various couture outfits) as scanned by a human-sized photocopier.
album. In 2010, several tracks from a demo CD for the album leaked online, including a new track entitled "Violet's Eyes". Parts of this song were included in two tracks on 2007's American Doll Posse
, "Almost Rosey" and "Miracle".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
. A departure from her previous albums, it was more heavily produced and a very radio-friendly project featuring a full rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band sound (instead of Amos' usual minimalist piano sound). Upon its release in May 1998, the album debuted at US #5 and UK #6. While falling short of the # 2 debut for her previous album, Boys For Pele
Boys for Pele
Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on 22 January 1996, in the United Kingdom and on 23 January, in the United States...
(1996), From the Choirgirl Hotel is Amos' strongest debut to date in US sales, selling 153,000 copies in the first week. Amos received two 1999 Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations: Alternative Music Performance, and Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Raspberry Swirl
Raspberry Swirl (song)
"Raspberry Swirl" is a song by Tori Amos, released as the third and final single from her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel. It was released with "Cruel", off of the same album....
".
The lead single "Spark" became a hit after its release in June 1998 (becoming her last UK Top 40 hit to date, as well as her highest charting US single, reaching #49), and was followed by "Jackie's Strength
Jackie's Strength
"Jackie's Strength" is a song by Tori Amos, released as the second single from her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel. It reached #54 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. The remix single, released the following year, reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the U.S...
" (September 1998) and "Cruel/Raspberry Swirl
Raspberry Swirl (song)
"Raspberry Swirl" is a song by Tori Amos, released as the third and final single from her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel. It was released with "Cruel", off of the same album....
" (November 1998).
The accompanying tour, Amos' first with a full band (using the album's personnel of Matt Chamberlain
Matt Chamberlain
Matthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and long-time collaborator Steve Caton on guitar), was known as the "Plugged '98 Tour" and took Amos through most of 1998.
Album description
The album began recording on September 8, 1997, with mastering complete by early February 1998. Following the trend set by 1996's Boys For PeleBoys for Pele
Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on 22 January 1996, in the United Kingdom and on 23 January, in the United States...
, Amos allowed several songs from the album to be remixed. Remixes of both "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were club hits. The album's theme dealt very closely with the first two in Amos' series of three miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
s between 1996 and 1999.
Thematically and conceptually, the "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the fictional, imaginary place where the songs "live." Amos pointed out that although the songs are recorded, they are also alive themselves - they can be re-modeled and reshaped in concert etc. Amos imagined the songs as living their own lives, all checking into the "choirgirl hotel" (i.e. the album) but living separate lives. In the artwork, Amos included a hand-drawn map detailing the stomping ground of these songs.
The album artwork was created by the UK-based photographer, Katerina Jebb
Katerina Jebb
Katerina Jebb is a British-born artist and photographer based in Paris. In 1984, she moved to California to study photography. In 1989, she moved to Paris where she continues to work and live.-Images and techniques:...
. The artwork features full-body color photocopies of Amos (in various couture outfits) as scanned by a human-sized photocopier.
Reception
Track listing
B-sides
The album, as with most of Amos' albums, is also known for its collection of original b-sides. Amos recorded a host of songs that did not make the album, but were released as b-sides to various singles or performed live in concerts. The songs "Cooling," "Never Seen Blue," and "Beulah Land" were originally written and recorded for 1996's Boys for PeleBoys for Pele
Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on 22 January 1996, in the United Kingdom and on 23 January, in the United States...
album. In 2010, several tracks from a demo CD for the album leaked online, including a new track entitled "Violet's Eyes". Parts of this song were included in two tracks on 2007's American Doll Posse
American Doll Posse
American Doll Posse is the ninth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos; it was released in 2007. Like her previous albums Strange Little Girls and Scarlet's Walk , American Doll Posse is a concept album, which entails five female personae Amos developed based on Greek mythology. Musically,...
, "Almost Rosey" and "Miracle".
| B-side title | Single |
|---|---|
| "Purple People" | "Spark" (1998) |
| "Bachelorette" | "Spark" (1998) |
| "Cooling" | "Spark (UK Special Edition)" (1998) |
| "Do It Again" | "Spark (UK Special Edition)" (1998) |
| "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" | "Spark" (1998) |
| "Never Seen Blue" | "Jackie's Strength (US)" (1998) |
| "Beulah Land" | "Jackie's Strength (US)" (1998) |
| "Merman" | "No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees No Boundaries: A Benefit For The Kosovar Refugees was released on June 15, 1999 by Epic Records featuring a handful of various artists to help raise money for ethnic Albanians sent by aeroplane to Australia during the Kosovo War. It was released in Australia on June 21, 1999 and that also has music... " (1998) |
| "Violet's Eyes" | "Unreleased, leaked in 2010" |
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Billboard 200 (U.S.) | 5 |
| 1998 | Official UK Album Chart (UK) | 6 |
| 1998 | IFOP Album Chart (France) | 30 |
| 1998 | Norway Album Chart (Norway) | 9 |
| 1998 | Irish Album Chart (Ireland) | 10 |
| 1998 | Icelandic Album Chart (Iceland) | 2 |
| 1998 | Austrian Album Chart (Austria) | 11 |
| 1998 | ARIA Album Chart (Australia) | 8 |
| 1998 | Canadian Album Chart (Canada) | 10 |
| 1998 | German Album Chart (Germany) | 13 |
| 1998 | Rabo Album Top 100 (the Netherlands) | 24 |
| 1998 | NZ Album Chart (New Zealand) | 26 |
| 1998 | Swedish Album Chart (Sweden) | 26 |
| 1998 | Swiss Album Chart (Switzerland) | 31 |
Singles
| Title | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Spark" (1998) | US Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
13 |
| "Spark" (1998) | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
16 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
25 |
| "Spark" (1998) | US Adult top 40 Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
32 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Irish Singles Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
35 |
| "Spark" (1998) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
49 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
50 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) | 61 |
| "Spark" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 Airplay (U.S.) | 65 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (remix) (1999) | Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 01 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (remix) (1999) | Billboard Maxi-Singles (U.S.) | 05 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (1999) | Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
12 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) | 33 |
| "Jackie's Strength" (1998) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
54 |
| "Raspberry Swirl" (1998) | Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
20 |
| "Raspberry Swirl/Cruel" (1998) | Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) | 38 |
| "Raspberry Swirl" (1998) | Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
57 |