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== Early life == |
== Early life == |
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Apple is a member of a family rich with roots in entertainment. Born '''Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart''' in [[New York City]], she is the of singer [[Diane McAfee]] and actor [[Brandon Maggart]]. Her older sister, Amber Taleullah, sings [[cabaret]] under the stage name [[Maude Maggart]]. Her brother Spencer is a director and directed the video for her [[Single (music)|single]] "Parting Gift." Her half brother [[Garett Maggart]] starred in the TV series ''[[The Sentinel (TV series)|The Sentinel]]''. In addition, her maternal grandparents were [[Millicent Green]], a dancer with the [[George White's Scandals]], a [[flapper]]-era group similar to the [[Ziegfeld Follies]], and [[Johnny McAfee]], a [[multireedist]] and vocalist of the [[big band]] era; her grandparents met while touring with [[Johnny Hamp]] and his Orchestra. |
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At the age of 12, Apple was [[rape]]d upon returning home from school to her mother's apartment. The rape is mentioned subtly in some of her work, but is not necessarily a major theme. |
At the age of 12, Apple was [[rape]]d upon returning home from school to her mother's apartment. The rape is mentioned subtly in some of her work, but is not necessarily a major theme. |
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Revision as of 04:34, 9 May 2006
Fiona Apple | |
|---|---|
 Fiona Apple performing in Seattle on 25 January 2006. (Photo credit:
Sara Covich) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Fiona Apple (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first three albums, Tidal (1996), When the Pawn (1999), and Extraordinary Machine (2005) have sold over six million copies worldwide. [1]
Early life
Apple is a member of a family rich with roots in entertainment. Born Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart in New York City, she is the of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart. Her older sister, Amber Taleullah, sings cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart. Her brother Spencer is a director and directed the video for her single "Parting Gift." Her half brother Garett Maggart starred in the TV series The Sentinel. In addition, her maternal grandparents were Millicent Green, a dancer with the George White's Scandals, a flapper-era group similar to the Ziegfeld Follies, and Johnny McAfee, a multireedist and vocalist of the big band era; her grandparents met while touring with Johnny Hamp and his Orchestra.
At the age of 12, Apple was raped upon returning home from school to her mother's apartment. The rape is mentioned subtly in some of her work, but is not necessarily a major theme.
Examples:
"Fast as You Can": I let the beast in too soon / I don't know how to live without my hand on his throat / I fight him always and still
"Sullen Girl": Is that why they call me a sullen girl - sullen girl / They don’t know I used to sail the deep and tranquil sea / But he washed me ashore and he took my pearl / And left an empty shell of me
While the media latched onto the story of her dark past experience, making her what Apple referred to as "the poster child for rape," the singer says the only reason she even mentioned the rape to an interviewer was because she didn't want it to seem like something of which she should be ashamed.
As a child, there was concern she had anti-social tendencies, as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder. She underwent therapy as a child after telling a childhood friend that she was going to kill herself as well as her older sister Amber when she was 11 years old. This prompted several therapy sessions which ultimately led her to believe that there must actually be something wrong with her if she required therapy.
Career
Her break into the music industry came when a friend, who babysat for a record executive, handed her employer a demo. Apple's husky voice, nimble piano skills, and mature lyrics got the attention of Sony executive Andy Slater, who signed her to a record deal.
Going Tidal, 1995–1998
In 1996, Apple's debut album Tidal was released by a subsidiary of Sony. The album went on to sell 3 million copies (certified triple platinum) domestically.
"Criminal," the third single from Tidal, became Apple's breakthrough hit. While the song garnered a great deal of attention, in part for its suggestive lyrics, it was mostly due to the Mark Romanek-directed music video. While manager Slater says he considered the clip a "tribute to [director Gregg] Araki and [photographer] Nan Goldin," to most MTV viewers it was just a sex tease--a wide-eyed, scantily clad girl, in the debris of a wood-paneled basement party, looking guilty for who-knew-what illicit exploits. It was as if the video treatment was developed from the song's first line--"I've been a bad, bad girl"--without listening to the predatory aggression and sexual ambivalence of the rest of the lyrics. It would prove to be Apple's defining moment. Years later Apple would state that "The shit that got me popular was the stuff that I was not proud of,". "It makes me feel really stupid. I wanted to be like every other girl you see in videos, and that's why it's embarrassing. But the way that I justified [the treatment] is that the song is about someone talking to God about a mistake they've been making. And so I actually did think for a while that the video made sense. But I think the thing that screwed it up is how fuckin' horrified I look. I really look like I'm doing something wrong, instead of playing it with a little bit of a wink. I just couldn't do it."
Other singles from Tidal included "Sleep to Dream," "Shadowboxer," "Never is a Promise," and "The First Taste." She also contributed a cover of The Beatles' "Across the Universe," to the soundtrack of Pleasantville.
After a series of fiery public appearances, Apple's public image began to suffer in some circles. Most notoriously, while accepting an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist Video of 1997 ("Sleep To Dream"), she proclaimed "This world is bullshit, and you shouldn't model your life on what you think that we think is cool, and what we're wearing and what we're saying," referring to the image-driven MTV/music industry. She closed quoting Maya Angelou: "Go with yourself." Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was immediate; host Chris Rock made a derisive comment about her speech, which only added to the backlash. Some considered her remarks hypocritical, seeing a contradiction between her appearance in a risqué music video in only her underwear, and her telling young women to ignore celebrity culture. She was unapologetic, however: "When I have something to say, I'll fuckin' well say it."
Stand-up comedian Denis Leary included a satire of this speech on his album, Lock 'N Load, titled "A Reading from the Book of Apple." And the Television Show Celebrity Deathmatch featured her and her quote in it. Janeane Garofalo did a bit about Fiona's emaciated looks. Fiona, who admitted she was a fan of Garofalo's, was angry about this, mainly because Garofalo had talked about her struggles with her own weight and felt it was hypocritical of Janeane to make fun of Fiona's weight. Garofalo reportedly replied "it's comedy. Deal with it.".
When the Pawn 1999–2001
In 1999, Apple's second album, When the Pawn... was released. Its full title is actually: 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, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right.
The album was cultivated during Apple's relationship with film director Paul Thomas Anderson. It was well-received critically, especially by the New York Times and by Rolling Stone, but some music journalists immediately dismissed the album. The initial review in Spin Magazine simply quoted the title, and then underneath read "Whoops. Now we don't have room for a review. One star."
The album used more expressive lyrics, experimented more with drum loops, and heavily incorporated clavichord and organ. It did not fare as well commercially as her debut, though it was an RIAA-certified Platinum-selling release in the United States. Several singles were released ("Fast as You Can," "Paper Bag" and "Limp"), but the videos (directed by then-boyfriend Anderson) received very little play. The album's lyrics were also often difficult to decipher, due to the archaic and creative wording ("To Your Love":My derring-do allows me to dance the rigadoon around you / But by the time I'm close to you, I lose my desideratum [...]).
Fashioning an Extraordinary Machine, 2002–2005
A third album, Extraordinary Machine, which was produced by Jon Brion, was submitted to Sony executives in May 2003. Sony was reportedly unenthusiastic about the finished product, and the project was shelved for over two years. In 2004 and 2005, tracks were leaked on the Internet in MP3 format and played on U.S. and international radio; subsequently, MP3s of the entire album, believed produced by Brion (although he later claimed the leaked tracks were "tweaked" beyond his own work), went online. Although a website distributing the album was quickly taken offline via the DMCA copyright law, they soon reached P2P networks and were downloaded by fans.
In August 2005, the album was given a release date for October. Production had been completed by Mike Elizondo (though known for his work with hip-hop artists such as Dr. Dre, he had previously played bass for Apple on Pawn) and co-produced by electronica experimentalist Brian Kehew. Spin later reported: "Fans erroneously thought that Apple's record label, Epic, had rejected the first version of Extraordinary Machine... in reality, according to Elizondo, Apple was unhappy with the results, and it was her decision to redo the record, not her label's". Two of the eleven previous leaked tracks were relatively unchanged, nine were completely retooled, and one new song ("Parting Gift") was also included. According to Elizondo, "Everything was done from scratch". Upon its release, the album became the highest-charting album of Apple's career (debuting at number seven), and before the end of 2005 had sold more than 300,000 copies in the US alone.
It was revealed in late 2005 that Sony was initially unhappy with the work, and Apple and Brion sought to rework the album. Sony made caveats on the process, to which Apple balked. After a long period of waiting, she began an attempt to rework the album with close friend Kehew (also a friend and former roommate of Jon Brion). Elizondo was brought back as co-producer to complete the tracks he had begun with Brion and Apple. Despite suggestions that the album had caused a rift between Brion and Apple, they regularly perform together at Largo, a club in Los Angeles, including a joint appearance with Elizondo on bass just before the news broke of an official release. Apple went on a live tour to support the album in late 2005, and from early 2006 supported Coldplay on their tour of North America. The album has yielded the singles: "Parting Gift", "O' Sailor", "Get Him Back" and "Not About Love".
PETA
Apple is also a vegan and supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). In 1997, Apple recorded a message on PETA's hotline expressing her concern for the plight of turkeys on Thanksgiving. In reference to a Butterball Turkey hotline people could call to get tips on cooking their turkeys, she claimed, "There's no proper way to kill and cook these beautiful birds." She continued, "Millions of people are learning that a vegetarian diet is the healthy choice for themselves, the Earth and the animals."
Discography
| Album information |
|---|
Tidal
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When the Pawn...
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Extraordinary Machine
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Fiona Apple: iTunes Originals
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Other Songs and Collaborations
Apple sang with Johnny Cash on a couple of tracks. One of those, Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", ended up on the Johnny Cash album American IV: The Man Comes Around. The other one, Cat Stevens's "Father and Son", presumably from the same sessions, was included on Cash's 2003 collection, Unearthed.
Apple also contributed two cover tunes to the Pleasantville soundtrack: a version of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" and one of Percy Mayfield's blues ballad "Please Send Me Someone to Love."
Awards and nominations
1997
- 1997 MTV Video Music Award win for New Artist Video of the Year for "Sleep To Dream"
1998
- 1998 MTV Video Music Award win for Best Cinematography for "Criminal" - shared win with Harris Svides
- 1998 MTV Video Music Award nomination for Female Video of the Year for "Criminal"
- 1998 Grammy Award win for Best Female Rock Vocal "Criminal"
2001
- 2001 Grammy Award nominations for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Paper Bag"), and Best Alternative Music Album ("When the Pawn").
2003
Fiona is alto and second soprano.
- 2003 Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - shared nomination with Johnny Cash
2006
- 2006 Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album for "Extraordinary Machine"
- 2006 New Pantheon Award nomination for "Extraordinary Machine"
- 2006 The video for "O' Sailor" received seven Music Video Production Association Award nominations.
References
- Cohen, Jonathan (August 15, 2005). "Fiona Apple fashions a different 'Machine'". Billboard magazine.
- "Fiona Apple's Machine Finally Turned On". Spin Magazine, (August 15, 2005)
- Luck, Otto. Fiona Apple Suffers for Her Sins (and So Do We). NY Rock. November 1997. Retrieved September 23, 2005.
See also
External links
