When the Pawn…
Encyclopedia
When the Pawn… is the second album
by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple
, released by Work Records in the United States
on November 9, 1999. The full album title contains over 400 characters of text. In 2010, Spin
magazine named the album the 106th greatest of the last 25 years. A year later, Slant Magazine
named it the 79th best album of the 90s.
When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring
There's no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won't matter, cause you'll know that you're right
The album's long title has become a source of trivia, and when it was released held the world record for longest album title (previously a record held by one of the volumes in The Best... Album in the World...Ever!
. (Rolling Stone
magazine made fun of the title/poem, calling it, "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Oh the Hell With It".) However, in October 2007 Soulwax
released their remix album Most of the Remixes
, which has 100 characters more in its title. This was later surpassed in 2008 by the Chumbawamba
album The Boy Bands Have Won...
, with its full title containing 865 characters of text.
The first single, "Fast as You Can
", was fairly popular and received moderate radio and video
airplay. It reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart and became Apple's first top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart
. The follow-up singles, "Limp" and especially "Paper Bag", though it was nominated for a Grammy Award, were less successful. Apple's boyfriend at the time, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson
, directed videos for all three singles.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
, released by Work Records in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 9, 1999. The full album title contains over 400 characters of text. In 2010, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine named the album the 106th greatest of the last 25 years. A year later, Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
named it the 79th best album of the 90s.
Background
The album came in special packaging that contained sheer red paper around the inserts. The title was written as a poem over Apple's face on the cover. The title is a poem Apple wrote after reading the readers' letters that appeared in Spin after an article had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue. The full title reads:When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring
There's no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won't matter, cause you'll know that you're right
The album's long title has become a source of trivia, and when it was released held the world record for longest album title (previously a record held by one of the volumes in The Best... Album in the World...Ever!
The Best... Album in the World...Ever!
The Best... Album in the World...Ever! is a compilation album brand from Circa Records...
. (Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine made fun of the title/poem, calling it, "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Oh the Hell With It".) However, in October 2007 Soulwax
Soulwax
Soulwax, headed by David and Stephen Dewaele, are an alternative rock/electronic band from Ghent, Belgium. Next to the Dewaele brothers, Soulwax consists of bassist Stefaan Van Leuven and drummer Steve Slingeneyer. They were first noticed after the release of their album Much Against Everyone's...
released their remix album Most of the Remixes
Most of the Remixes
Most of the Remixes... is an electronic album by Soulwax. It was released on October 22, 2007 and features a collection of remixes made by Soulwax for other artists...
, which has 100 characters more in its title. This was later surpassed in 2008 by the Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
album The Boy Bands Have Won...
The Boy Bands Have Won
The Boy Bands Have Won is the common title of a Chumbawamba album released in 2008. Its full title contains 865 characters, and holds the record for the longest album title, as of August 2009. The band normally uses the shorter version when referring to the album on their website.- Background :The...
, with its full title containing 865 characters of text.
The first single, "Fast as You Can
Fast as You Can
"Fast as You Can" is a song written by Fiona Apple, and produced by Jon Brion for her second album, When the Pawn.... It was released as the album's lead single in late 1999 in the United States and in February 2000 in the United Kingdom. It became one of Apple's most successful singles in both...
", was fairly popular and received moderate radio and video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
airplay. It reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 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...
chart and became Apple's first top 40 hit on the 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 ...
. The follow-up singles, "Limp" and especially "Paper Bag", though it was nominated for a Grammy Award, were less successful. Apple's boyfriend at the time, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has written and directed five feature films: Hard Eight , Boogie Nights , Magnolia , Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood...
, directed videos for all three singles.
Track listing
All songs written by Fiona Apple- "On the Bound" – 5:23
- "To Your Love" – 3:40
- "Limp" – 3:31
- "Love Ridden" – 3:22
- "Paper Bag" – 3:40
- "A Mistake" – 4:58
- "Fast as You CanFast as You Can"Fast as You Can" is a song written by Fiona Apple, and produced by Jon Brion for her second album, When the Pawn.... It was released as the album's lead single in late 1999 in the United States and in February 2000 in the United Kingdom. It became one of Apple's most successful singles in both...
" – 4:40 - "The Way Things Are" – 4:18
- "Get Gone" – 4:10
- "I Know" – 4:57
Bonus tracks
- "Across the UniverseAcross the Universe"Across the Universe" is a song by the English group The Beatles. It was written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the various artists charity compilation album No One's Gonna Change Our World in December 1969, and later, in different form, on Let It Be,...
" (Lennon/McCartneyLennon/McCartneyThe Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
) - "Never Is a Promise" [live]
- "Across the Universe" and "Never Is a Promise" appeared as bonus tracks on the Japanese edition, and were not included on other editions.
Personnel
- Fiona AppleFiona AppleFiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John Bainbridge - orchestration
- Robert Becker - violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Charlie BisharatCharlie BisharatCharlie Bisharat is a Grammy-winning violinistwho has extensively toured and/or recorded with numerous artists. He was a member of Shadowfax who won a Grammy in 1988 for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village...
- violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Mike Breaux - woodwind
- Denyse Buffman - viola
- Jonathan "Butch" Norton - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Eve Butler - violin
- Matt ChamberlainMatt ChamberlainMatthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
- percussion, drums - Susan Chatman - violin
- Greg CohenGreg CohenA native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Larry Corbett - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Mike ElizondoMike ElizondoMichael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
- bass guitar - Armen Garabedian - violin
- Berj Garabedian - violin
- Scott Haupert - viola
- Suzie Katayama - cello
- Wendell Kelly - horn
- Jim KeltnerJim KeltnerJames Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
- drums - Peter Kent - violin
- Brain Leonard - violin
- Maria Newman - viola
- Rober Peterson - violin
- Michele Richards - violin
- Edmund Stein - violin
- Patrick Warren - Chamberlin, Wurlitzer
- John Wittenberg - violin
Production
- Producer: Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
- Engineer: Rich CosteyRich CosteyRich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
- Assistant engineers: Tom Banghart, Rob Brill, Greg Collins, Bryan Jackson, Steve Mixdorf, John Tyree
- Mixing: Jon BrionJon BrionJon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, Rich CosteyRich CosteyRich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine... - Mastering: Eddy Scheyer
- Production coordination: Valerie Pack
- Programming: Rich CosteyRich CosteyRich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
- Arranger: John Bainbridge
- Design: Fiona AppleFiona AppleFiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
- Cover art concept: Fiona AppleFiona AppleFiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
Charts
| Album | Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
13 | |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums | 1 | |
| Single | Chart (1999) | Peak position |
| "Fast as You Can" | U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 29 |
| "Fast as You Can" | U.S. Billboard 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... |
20 |
| Single | Chart (1999) | Peak position |
| "Fast as You Can" | UK Singles Chart | 33 |