Deep Dish: Tori Amos “Spark” singles
This is a new portion of my blog I wanted to start, where I take a deep dive into some of my favorite artists works. I am calling it “Deep Dish”, as I plan to go into some of their B-sides, unreleased tracks, or live cuts. This first edition of the Deep Dish will explore one of my favorite songs by Tori Amos, “Spark”, and its wonderful b-sides.
“Spark” was released in April of 1998. The sound track off of her forthcoming record From the Choirgirl Hotel was drastic change from Boys for Pele. The track begins with Tori’s sampled guitar tones on her keyboard. It’s a dark and brooding track from the get go. The lyrics explore the intense feelings of loss and hopelessness Tori felt around the miscarriage she had around a year or so prior. I believe it was one the first tracks she wrote during that time in 1996. It’s honest and raw. “She’s convinced she could hold back a glacier, but she couldn’t keep baby alive, doubting if there’s a woman in there somewhere…”, it’s brutal how much pain and anger she feels over this experience. This is a subject matter rarely discussed in public, let alone in music. “Spark” conveys the feeling of tragedy and loss from miscarrying masterfully in a way only Tori can do. The choruses bring in Tori’s classic piano skills, which add so much dimension to the song. It ends with the same verses it begins with, only to fade away in a wheezed breath. These themes and overall darker tone are heavily explored in the album.
One thing Tori is known for is her prolific backlog of beautiful and interesting b-sides. Two groups of singles were released for “Spark”, a Part 1 and Part 2 version. Each of these had their own unique set of b-sides that went with them. The first one we will dive into is the Part 1 release. The cover of this single comes from the Choirgirl album photoshoot. Tori had said they were like human scans (like from a scanning machine). The b-sides on this track are labeled “Macthristy’s Lounge B-sides: Last Stop on the Kufurstendam”, and it’s a great little journey. This single has 3 unique b-sides with it. “Purple People”, which was mislabeled on the single as “Purple People (Christmas in Space)”, the first track here. It opens with the same sampled saxophone tones Tori used on “Playboy Mommy”. It’s a slinky and smooth number, with Tori’s piano work sounding as gorgeous as ever. Tori said on during a live show in Seattle that the inspiration behind this track was a story from one of Tori’s friend that used to be constantly taunted by this girl that would go around and say, “Hi, my name is Betsy Brown, do you do judo? I do judo…”. The song shaped itself around that initial bit. Side note: shout out to the Drive All Night podcast for providing with the lore behind this track and “Spark” (if you’re a big Tori fan, you should most definitely check them out). Lyrically, the track surrounds the idea of someone who is boastful and garish and how you should handle this scenario. This track was released on the To Venus and Back live album, from the Plugged tour rehearsals. It’s definitely worthy of listen. The second song is a version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, which should be labeled “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Christmas in Space)”. The “Christmas in Space” tagline really highlights the feel of this version. It’s a lovely rendition of the song, with this rising and falling spacey tone in the background. The final b-side her is “Bachelorette”, not the same track a the Bjork song of the same name. This has a more improvisational feel to it. There’s almost a middle eastern or Russian tone to the track with its interesting sounds and piano style. Tori here cheers on the bachelorettes of the world. “You must remember you’re a car girl, you’re a star girl…” It’s calling out to this bachelorette to not give up and keep going. The end falls into this goofy fun little wordless sung bit and ends with Tori’s giggles.
The second single, Part 2, is a special edition that came with several postcard shots from the one of the photoshoots for the album. The cover of this single is a full version of what is on the CD for the album. The cover is striking, with a black background and only the shock of Tori’s arms, hair, and red lips. This single comes with 2 unique b-sides. The first is a cover of Steely Dan’s “Do It Again”. This a dark sultry version. The drums are loud and heavy, the bass prominent, and Tori’s piano playing dark and commanding. She’s powerful here both vocally and instrumentally. It’s such a fantastic cover. From her many live shows over the years, she’s only ever performed this track live 3 times. The second b-side is a fan favorite and one Tori plays live frequently, “Cooling”. This is a beautiful track. It’s only Tori and her piano. Tori had originally wanted this track to be on her prior record, Boys for Pele, however it just wasn’t right for it. She discusses its evolution on the To Venus and Back live album during her live performance. I believe she may have performed an early incarnation of this track during her Dew Drop Inn tour (for the Boys for Pele album), but I am unsure if any recordings of this exist. Tori seems to be covering a love that although maybe over in the other person’s eye, has not quite yet for her. “This is cooling faster than I can.”, that passion is dying down to the other person much quicker than it has for Tori. This is a golden Tori Amos track and is a high recommendation to anyone wanting to here some of here more obscure tracks. Although a live version was officially released, it is missing the entire second section of the track and the studio version has.
I love “Spark”. I can’t recommend it more to anyone who hasn't heard the track. It was one of the first tracks that really got me into Tori Amos. As for her b-sides here, they are a delightful journey into the various ideas and sounds Tori experimented with in the making of Choirgirl. Although I love them all, I highly recommend these:
- “Purple People”
- “Cooling”
It’s a solid 8 out of 10 nicotine patches here, here, here…
