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Fiona Apple

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Fiona Apple
Apple performing in Seattle in 2006
Apple performing in Seattle in 2006
Background information
Birth nameFiona Apple McAfee Maggart
Born (1977-09-13) September 13, 1977 (age 47)
Manhattan, New York, United States
OriginNew York City, New York
GenresPiano rock, baroque pop, alternative rock, experimental rock, jazz
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, optigan
Years active1996–present
LabelsEpic
WebsiteFiona-Apple.com

Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success. At the age of nineteen she received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Criminal" from that album in 1998.

After Tidal, Apple released the critically acclaimed, though less commercially successful albums, When the Pawn... (1999) and Extraordinary Machine (2005). A perceived shelving of Extraordinary Machine was met with vocal protests from her fans, who campaigned against her record label in 2005. Apple's musical style contains elements of jazz and alternative rock.

Early life and family

Born in New York City, Apple is the daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart. Her older sister, Amber, sings cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart. Her half 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 series of 1920s musical revues 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. Apple was raped at the age of twelve, a trauma she would later allude to in songs such as "Sullen Girl."[1][2]

Career

1994–1998: Career beginnings and Tidal

Apple was introduced to the music industry in 1994, when she gave a demo tape containing the songs "Never Is a Promise," "Not One of Those Times," and "He Takes a Taxi" to her friend who was the babysitter of music publicist Kathryn Schenker.[1] Schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music executive Andy Slater.[3] Apple's contralto voice, piano skills and lyrics captured his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal.[4][5]

In 1996, Apple's debut album, Tidal, was released by Work. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was certified three times platinum in the U.S.[6][7] "Criminal," the third single, became a hit and the song reached the top forty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song's controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video — in which a scantily clad Apple appeared in a 1970s-era tract house — played on MTV. Apple later said: "I decided if I was going to be exploited, then I would do the exploiting myself."[8] Other singles from Tidal included "Shadowboxer," "Sleep to Dream," and "Never Is a Promise." In 1997, while accepting MTV Video Music Award for "Best New Artist" for her song Sleep to Dream, Apple said: "This world is bullshit, and you shouldn't model your life on what we think is cool, and what we're wearing and what we're saying."[9] The New Yorker and NYRock characterized her MTV award show speech as ungrateful and "ridiculous."[1][4] Apple was unapologetic. "I just had something on my mind and I just said it. And that's really the foreshadowing of my entire career and my entire life. When I have something to say, I'll say it," she said, responding to these criticisms in an article in Rolling Stone in January, 1998.[10]

During this period, Apple also made recordings of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" and Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love" for the soundtrack of the film Pleasantville. She later canceled the last twenty-one dates on a tour in support of her album due to "personal family problems."[11]

1999–2002: When the Pawn... and hiatus

Apple's second album, When the Pawn..., was released in 1999. Its full title is a poem Apple wrote after reading letters that appeared in Spin regarding an article that had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue.[12] The title's length earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for 2001. However, as of October, 2007, it is no longer the longest album title, as Soulwax released Most of the Remixes, a remix album whose title surpasses When the Pawn’s length by 100 characters.[13] When the Pawn was cultivated during Apple's relationship with film director Paul Thomas Anderson. When the Pawn, which was produced by Jon Brion, used more expressive lyrics, experimented more with drum loops, and incorporated both the Chamberlin and drummer Matt Chamberlain.[14] The album received a positive reception from publications such as The New York Times and Rolling Stone. It did not fare as well commercially as her debut, though it was an RIAA-certified platinum album[6] and sold one million copies in the U.S.[7] The album's lead single, "Fast as You Can," reached the top twenty on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and became Apple's first Top 40 hit in the UK. The videos for two follow-up singles, "Paper Bag" and "Limp" (directed by then-boyfriend Anderson), received very little play.

After performing for forty minutes in a set hampered by equipment issues to 3,000 fans at the New York City Roseland Ballroom, a frustrated Apple left the stage without returning. Her performance saw Apple appearing distraught at the sound quality, apologizing numerous times for the sound and crying.[15] The incident was described by AOL as "music's most infamous on-stage meltdown."[16] After completing a concert tour in support of her second album in 2000, Apple relocated to Los Angeles. During her hiatus, Apple contemplated retiring from her recording career. Apple sang with Johnny Cash on a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" that ended up on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around and was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals." She also collaborated with Cash on Cat Stevens's "Father and Son," which was included in his 2003 collection Unearthed.

2002–2010: Extraordinary Machine and second hiatus

Fans in support of Fiona Apple demonstrating outside the NYC headquarters of Sony BMG Music Entertainment in January 2005.

Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine, was originally produced by Jon Brion. In spring 2002, Apple and Jon Brion, her longtime friend and producer on When the Pawn, met for their weekly lunch meeting. Brion reportedly "begged" Apple to make another album. Apple agreed, and Brion went to Apple's label, Epic Records, with strict stipulations (including no deadline), which the label eventually agreed to. Recording sessions began in 2002, at Ocean Way studios in Nashville, Tennessee, but later moved to the Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. Work on the album continued until 2003, and in May of that year it was submitted to Sony executives. 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 went online. Although a Web site distributing the album was quickly taken offline, it soon reached P2P networks and was downloaded by fans.[17][18] A fan-led campaign supported the album's official release.

Mike Elizondo, who had previously played bass on Pawn, was brought back as co-producer to complete the tracks he had begun with Brion and Apple. Spin later reported the following: "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."[19] In August, 2005, the album was given an October release date.[18] Production had been largely redone "from scratch" by Elizondo and was co-produced by Brian Kehew. Two of the eleven previous leaked tracks were relatively unchanged, and one new song was also included.[20] 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.[21] Extraordinary Machine debuted at number seven and was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Vocal Album". It was eventually certified gold[6] and sold 462,000 copies in the U.S., though its singles ("Parting Gift," "O' Sailor," "Not About Love" and "Get Him Back") failed to enter any Billboard charts.[22] Apple went on a live tour to promote the album in late 2005.

Apple on tour with Nickel Creek in 2007

In June, 2006, Apple appeared on the joke track "Come Over and Get It (Up in 'Dem Guts)" by comedian Zach Galifianakis. Galifianakis previously appeared in the music video for Apple's "Not About Love."[23] Apple recorded a cover of "Sally's Song" for the 2006 special edition release of the soundtrack for the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas. In May, 2006, Apple paid tribute to Elvis Costello on VH1's concert series Decades Rock Live, by performing Costello's hit "I Want You." Her version was subsequently released as a digital single.[24][dead link] Apple toured the East Coast during August, 2007, with Nickel Creek.[25][26] In 2008, Apple recorded a duet titled "Still I" with Christophe Deluy. In 2009, Apple covered "Why Try to Change Me Now" and "I Walk A Little Faster" for The Best Is Yet to Come - The Songs of Cy Coleman. In January, 2010, Fiona Apple and Jon Brion performed together at "Love and Haiti, Too: A Music Benefit," a charity concert for the people hurt by the Haiti earthquake. Fiona sang a cover of "(S)he's Funny That Way," composed by Neil Moret, lyrics by Richard Whiting, which is often associated with the singer Billie Holiday. In June, 2010, Fiona released a song titled "So Sleepy," produced by Jon Brion and written by children involved with the non-profit organization 826LA. The song will be included on a compilation album released by the organization titled Chickens in Love. Apple collaborated with Margaret Cho on her album Cho Dependent, which was released on August 24, 2010.[27]

2011-present: The Idler Wheel...

The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do,[28][29] Apple's fourth studio album will be released on June 19, 2012 in the US. The international release date has yet to be finalized.[30] In late 2010, Billboard published an article stating that Apple was planning on releasing a new album in spring 2011, with musician Michelle Branch claiming to have heard some of the new tracks.[31] Drummer Charley Drayton also told Modern Drummer magazine that he was co-producing the record.[32] However, the album was not released in the spring and Billboard reported later that year that there was no record.[33] On November 23, 2011, a music blog quoted an exchange between Apple and a member of the audience at the Largo Coronet in Los Angeles who requested she perform new material. She reportedly replied "I can't remember [how to play] any of my new songs because they've been done for a fucking year."[34] In January 2012, after its new record label head, LA Reid hinted at new music from Apple, Epic Records announced that the album would be released later in the year.[35] Apple announced performances at the South by Southwest Festival and a spring 2012 tour soon after.[36]

Personal life

Fiona has been dating writer and actor Jonathan Ames since 2007.[37] As of March 2012, they remained together.[38] In the mid-1990s, Apple dated magician David Blaine.[39] Afterward, Apple was romantically linked to director Paul Thomas Anderson.[40] Anderson directed several music videos for Apple's second album.[41]

Public speculation about Apple having an eating disorder arose in 1997, upon the release of the music video for "Criminal," in which Apple appeared to be extremely thin. The New Yorker wrote that she "looked like an underfed Calvin Klein model."[42] During the 1998 Rolling Stone interview, Apple admitted that she "had an eating disorder," and speculated that it stemmed from her rape as an adolescent. "I definitely did have an eating disorder . . . What was really frustrating for me was that everyone thought I was anorexic, and I wasn't. I was just really depressed and self-loathing . . . . For me it wasn't about getting thin, it was about getting rid of the bait attached to my body."

Apple is a vegan. "I'm not really up in the activist world right now [though] . . . I'm not really thinking about it. I'm a vegan, but I don't care if you're eating turkey in front of me. I'm not a preaching vegan."[43]

Discography

Albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions[44] Certifications[6]
(sales threshold)
US UK AUS NZ BEL FRA
1996 Tidal

  • First studio album
  • Release date: July 23, 1996
  • Label: Clean Slate / WORK
 15 — 43 22 48 21
  • US: 3× Platinum
  • US sales: 2,700,000[45]
  • CAN: Platinum
1999 When the Pawn…

  • Second studio album
  • Release date: November 9, 1999
  • Label: Clean Slate / Epic
 13 46 54 — — 32
  • US: Platinum
  • US sales: 913,000[45]
2005 Extraordinary Machine

  • Third studio album
  • Release date: October 4, 2005
  • Label: Clean Slate / Epic
 7 — 53 — — 61
  • US: Gold
2012 The Idler Wheel...

  • Fourth studio album
  • Release date: June 19, 2012
  • Label: Clean Slate / Epic
 — — — — — —

"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Extended plays

Year EP details
2006 iTunes Originals – Fiona Apple

  • First extended play
  • Release date: February 14, 2006
  • Label: iTunes

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[44] Album
US US Alt US Pop UK
1996 "Shadowboxer" — 34 32 — Tidal
"Slow Like Honey" — — — —
1997 "Sleep to Dream" — 28 — 84[46]
"Criminal" 21 4 18 —
"The First Taste" — — — —
1998 "Never Is a Promise" — — — —
"Across the Universe" — — — — Pleasantville (soundtrack)
1999 "Fast as You Can" — 20 — 33 When the Pawn...
2000 "Limp" — — — —
"Paper Bag" — — — —
2005 "Parting Gift" — — — — Extraordinary Machine
2006 "O' Sailor" — — — —
"Not About Love" — — — —
2007 "Get Him Back" — — — —
2012 "Every Single Night" — — — — The Idler Wheel...
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other contributions

Music videos

Year Song Director Album
1996 "Shadowboxer" Jim Gable Tidal
1997 "The First Taste" (Released only in France)[47] Dewey Nicks
"Sleep to Dream" Stéphane Sednaoui
"Criminal" Mark Romanek
"Never is a Promise" Stéphane Sednaoui
1998 "Across the Universe" Paul Thomas Anderson Pleasantville soundtrack
1999 "Fast as You Can" When the Pawn...
2000 "Limp"
"Paper Bag"
2005 "Parting Gift" Spencer Maggart Extraordinary Machine
"O' Sailor" Floria Sigismondi
2006 "Not About Love" Michael Blieden

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Fiona Apple
Awards and achievements
Preceded by MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist
1997 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ a b c Luck, Otto. "Fiona Apple Suffers for Her Sins (and So Do We)". NY Rock. November 1997. Retrieved September 23, 2005.
  2. ^ McLean, Craig (January 29, 2006). "Second bite" (Document). Guardian News and Media Limited. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Images - Fiona Apple". Imagesjournal.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  4. ^ a b New Yorker Apple’s robust contralto, though sometimes heavy on vibrato, gave her line readings a pleasingly sinister feel.
  5. ^ San Diego Arts Though most of her lyrics are sung in a straightforward pop contralto, she judiciously adds vibrato, sudden jumps into her head voice, and rapid reiterations of the same pitch (what academics in the classical music field call a "Monteverdi vibrato").
  6. ^ a b c d "Gold and Platinum Searchable Database"[dead link]. RIAA.com.
  7. ^ a b "Loyal fans helped free Fiona Apple's CD". Associated Press/MSNBC Entertainment. October 5, 2005.
  8. ^ Spin, October 1997.
  9. ^ "THE HOT ROCK | Chris Rock | Pop Culture News | News | Entertainment Weekly | 2". Ew.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  10. ^ Heath, Chris (January 22, 1998). "The Caged Bird Sings". Rolling Stone. No. 778. p. 30. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
  11. ^ "News - Articles - 1424968". Mtv.com. 1998-03-03. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  12. ^ iTunes Originals Interview, 2006
  13. ^ Soulwax remixes.
  14. ^ "Seattle Weekly: Matt Chamberlain Talk About Recording With Apple". Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  15. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums. "Fiona Apple Breaks Down At NYC Concert". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  16. ^ "Fiona Apple Onstage Meltdown". Spinner. 2000-04-30. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  17. ^ Biography: "Fiona Apple." Retrieved on August 25, 2010
  18. ^ a b "Fiona Apple's Machine Finally Turned On". Spin. August 15, 2005.
  19. ^ Fiona Apple's Machine Finally Turned On Spin. August 15, 2005. Retrieved on March 5, 2009
  20. ^ New York Times "Fiona Apple Retools Her Leaked Album". Retrieved 2005-08-15.
  21. ^ Music: "Fiona Apple." Retrieved on August 25, 2010
  22. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Fiona Taps Rice, Garza For Summer Trek". Billboard. April 19, 2006.
  23. ^ Zach Galifianakis & Fiona Apple – “Up In Them Guts” Stereogum.com Retrieved on 06-08-11
  24. ^ "Decades Rock Live". Decades Rock Live. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  25. ^ Hasty, Kate. "Apple, Nickel Creek Teaming For Tour". Billboard. May 18, 2007.
  26. ^ Madison, Tjames. "Fiona Apple joins Nickel Creek's 'farewell' tour". LiveDaily. May 17, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  27. ^ Maerz, Melissa (2010-06-07). "Margaret Cho's Murder Ballad". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  28. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (2012-03-07). "Fiona Apple Unveils 23-Word Album Title | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  29. ^ "Fiona Apple Reveals Album Title | News". Pitchfork. 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  30. ^ "Welcome | The Official Fiona Apple site". Fiona-apple.com. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  31. ^ Maples, Jillian (16 September 2010). "Fiona Apple Releasing New Album in Spring 2011". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  32. ^ "Fiona Apple To Release New Music 'In The Next Few Weeks,' says L.A. Reid". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  33. ^ Up for Discussion (2009-09-14). "11 Anticipated Album Updates: Madonna, DMX, Nickelback And More". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
  34. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (2012-01-24). "New Fiona Apple Album Promised in 2012 | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  35. ^ Time. January 24, 2012 http://entertainment.time.com/2012/01/24/fiona-apple-has-new-music-coming-out-but-not-in-the-next-few-weeks/?xid=gonewsedit. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. ^ Entertainment Weekly. February 21, 2012 http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/02/21/fiona-apple-tour-dates-2012-sxsw/. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. ^ "Jonathan Ames Beats Craig Davidson, Makes Out With Fiona Apple". Gawker.com. 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  38. ^ "Fiona Apple announces title for first album in seven years - Celebrity Circuit". CBS News. 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  39. ^ "Kinks Of The Stars: David Blaine & Fiona Apple's Wild Relationship". Wizbang Pop!. 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  40. ^ Basham, David (13 December 1999). "Fiona Apple, Paul Thomas Anderson On Move For Movie Premiere". MTV. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  41. ^ http://mvdbase.com/tech.php?last=Anderson&first=Paul Thomas
  42. ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Extraordinary Measures". The New Yorker. 10 October 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  43. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (2 December 2005). Pop Matters. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |unused_data= ignored (help)
  44. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 36. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  45. ^ a b "Ask Billboard > Chaka Khan". Billboard. 2005-03-30. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  46. ^ "Chart Log UK: A - Azzido Da Bass". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  47. ^ Fiona Apple: "SonicSwap." Retrieved on August 25, 2010
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