Strange Little Girl
Encyclopedia
"Strange Little Girl" by The Stranglers
was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records
(part of EMI
). By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records
, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation album The Collection 1977-1982
.
The band showed their talent for mischief in releasing "Strange Little Girl" as their last single on the label when they revealed that it had originally been written in 1974, and submitted to EMI years before the band had a record deal. EMI had rejected the band on the basis of that demo. "Strange Little Girl" went on to become a top-ten hit single in the UK.
, was released as the first and only single from her 2001 album Strange Little Girls
Of her cover, Amos stated:
As with all the dolls, Neil Gaiman wrote short "stories" about each of the girls with their respective song (the text was later released in the tour book/calendar called "Strange Days". The story of this girl, in particular, is as follows:
, the other being "Glory Of The 80's".
The video takes place in a sort of crop field, with a young girl being chased by a wolf. Oddly, between the shots of the crops, the girl suddenly becomes Amos (this age shift goes back and forth throughout the video). After running, she discovers a house, in which she takes refuge. The wolf tries to get inside, but it cannot--in fact, at one point, the wolf is almost as large as the house. Conversely, near the end of the video, the wolf shrinks enough to be able to squeeze under the door. Amos then takes the wolf in her hand.
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
was released in the UK in 1982 as their last single while signed to Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
(part of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
). By the time of release, the band had already decided to leave the label for Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, and this last single was part of the severance deal, along with the compilation album The Collection 1977-1982
The Collection 1977-1982
The Collection 1977–1982 is a compilation album by The Stranglers. It was released to complete their contract with EMI, who had acquired the band's back catalogue on the United Artists and Liberty labels...
.
The band showed their talent for mischief in releasing "Strange Little Girl" as their last single on the label when they revealed that it had originally been written in 1974, and submitted to EMI years before the band had a record deal. EMI had rejected the band on the basis of that demo. "Strange Little Girl" went on to become a top-ten hit single in the UK.
Tori Amos version
The version by Tori AmosTori 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...
, was released as the first and only single from her 2001 album Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls
Strange Little Girls is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female's point of view. Amos created female personae for each track and was photographed as...
Track listing
German Single- "Strange Little Girl" - 3:50
- "After All" - 4:42
- "Only Women BleedOnly Women Bleed"Only Women Bleed" is a song written by the musicians Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. It is a ballad about a woman in an abusive marriage.It is one of Cooper's biggest hits, reaching #1 on the Canadian RPM national singles chart and #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1975. It is from...
" - 3:34
Song Info
The single for "Strange Little Girl" was never released outside of Germany. Unlike some of her other previously rare tracks, the two B-sides for the single ( "Only Women Bleed" and "After All" ) were not included on the Tori Amos compilation "A Piano: The Collection", and have yet to appear on any other Tori Amos release to date. The two songs are also the only songs recorded for "Strange Little Girls" to not have accompanying "personas".Of her cover, Amos stated:
As with all the dolls, Neil Gaiman wrote short "stories" about each of the girls with their respective song (the text was later released in the tour book/calendar called "Strange Days". The story of this girl, in particular, is as follows:
Music Video
A music video was filmed for "Strange Little Girl". However, it has never been released officially (this is one of two videos that were excluded from her music video collection, Fade to RedFade to Red
Fade to Red: Tori Amos Video Collection is a double DVD set from recording artist and musician Tori Amos and was released by Rhino Entertainment on February 14, 2006. It featured music videos spanning 1992 to 2005, including the singles "Silent All These Years," "Crucify," "Cornflake Girl," and "A...
, the other being "Glory Of The 80's".
The video takes place in a sort of crop field, with a young girl being chased by a wolf. Oddly, between the shots of the crops, the girl suddenly becomes Amos (this age shift goes back and forth throughout the video). After running, she discovers a house, in which she takes refuge. The wolf tries to get inside, but it cannot--in fact, at one point, the wolf is almost as large as the house. Conversely, near the end of the video, the wolf shrinks enough to be able to squeeze under the door. Amos then takes the wolf in her hand.