Born in Manhattan, New York, United States, Apple made her break into the music industry 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.
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 fourth single from Tidal, became Apple's breakthrough hit. The song garnered a great deal of attention, in part for its suggestive lyrics ("I've been a bad, bad girl...") but also for the controversial music video, directed by Mark Romanek. The video featured a waifish, half-dressed Apple surrounded by the aftermath of a party, including unconscious party-goers. The video received heavy rotation on VH-1 and MTV and gained the singer immediate notoriety. Years later, Apple said, "I wasn't (comfortable). And you can see that in the video. It's not sexy. It's disturbing."
Other singles from Tidal included "Sleep to Dream," "Shadowboxer," "Never is a Promise," and "The First Taste."
In 1998, she contributed two tracks to the Pleasantville soundtrack, "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and a cover of the Beatles hit "Across the Universe".
In 1999, Apple's second album was released with the name "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" but it has just been commonly called "When the Pawn..." This album released the singles "Fast As You Can," "Limp," and "Paper Bag."
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 of 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 Magazine 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 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 United States 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 four singles: "Parting Gift," "O' Sailor," "Not About Love," and "Get Him Back."
In 2006, a special edition version of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas" was released, with Fiona Apple contributing a version of "Sally's Song."
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, with 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 written by children involved with the non-profit organization 826LA. The song will be included in a compilation album released by the organization titled Chickens in Love. She also collaborated with Margaret Cho on Cho's album Cho Dependent.
The Every Single Night Songfacts reports that Apple began recording new material for her fourth album The Idler Wheel… in the late 2000s, keeping her sessions secret, even from her label, Epic Records. She opted to produce the album with her touring drummer, Charley Drayton, rather than her longtime collaborator Jon Brion. Executives at Epic only discovered that Apple had recorded an album in early 2012 when she presented it to them. It was released on June 19, 2012, to success, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200. The album sold 72,000 copies in the first week and was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. In 2020, the album was placed at number 213 on the list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.
In 2020, Apple's fifth studio album, "Fetch the Bolt Cutters", was released to universal acclaim. The artist earned two Grammy Awards for the album: Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance for the lead single "Shameika."
05. paper bag
Fiona Apple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just looking for a star
To pray on or wish on or something like that
I was having a sweet fix
Of a daydream of a boy
Whose reality I knew was a hopeless to be had
But then the dove of hope began its downward slope
And I believed for a moment
But as it came down near
So did a weary tear
I thought it was a bird but it was just a paper bag
Hunger hurts and I want him so bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't want to clean up
I've got to fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts but starving works when it costs too much to love
And I went crazy again today
Looking for a strand to climb
Looking for a little hope
Baby said he couldn't stay
Wouldn't put his lips to mine
A fail to kiss is a fail to cope
I said "honey, I don't feel so good
Don't feel justified
Come on put a little love here in my void"
He said "it's all in your head"
And I said "so's everything" but he didn't get it
I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy
Hunger hurts and I want him so bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't want to clean up
I've got to fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts but starving works when it costs too much to love
Hunger hurts but I want him so bad, oh it kills
'Cause I know I'm a mess that he don't want to clean up
I've got to fold because these hands are just too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts but starving works when it costs too much to love
Hunger hurts but I want him so bad, oh it kills
Because I know that I'm a mess he don't want to clean up
I've got to fold 'cause these hands are just too shaky to hold
Hunger hurts but starving, it works when it costs too much to love
Mm-mm
The song "Paperbag" by Fiona Apple speaks of a sense of disappointment in a young woman's relationship. The song begins with her staring at the sky and looking for a star to wish upon, daydreaming of a boy she knows she can never have. However, she experiences a glimmer of hope as a dove flies down, but as it comes closer, she realizes it's just a paper bag, and her hope is dashed.
The chorus of the song speaks of her hunger for this boy, both physically and emotionally, but she knows that he doesn't want to be with her. She feels like a mess that he doesn't want to clean up, and so she folds her hands in surrender because she's too shaky to hold on any longer. She acknowledges that starving might be a way to cope when love costs too much, but it still hurts.
The song also touches on her mental state, as she talks about going crazy and looking for hope, which her partner cannot provide. She asks him for love to fill the void she's feeling, but he dismisses her feelings as being all in her head. In the end, she realizes that he wasn't the man she thought he was, but just a little boy who couldn't give her what she needed.
Overall, "Paperbag" is a song about disappointment, unrequited love, and the pain of hungering for something you cannot have. It also touches on mental health and the importance of being with someone who can truly support and love you.
Line by Line Meaning
I was staring at the sky
I was gazing up towards the sky
Just looking for a star
I was seeking a single twinkling light in the sky
To pray on or wish on or something like that
To make a silent prayer or wish upon that star or something of the sort
I was having a sweet fix
I was lost in a daydream-like state of ecstasy
Of a daydream of a boy
I was dreaming sweetly about a boy who was only a figment of my imagination
Whose reality I knew was a hopeless to be had
I was aware that this boy was an unattainable dream
But then the dove of hope began its downward slope
Suddenly, I felt hopeful about my chances with this boy
And I believed for a moment
For an instant, I held onto the possibility of being with him
That my chances were approaching to be grabbed
I thought that I might have a chance with him
But as it came down near
As my hope began to fade
So did a weary tear
I began to cry a sad and tired tear
I thought it was a bird but it was just a paper bag
I mistook a fluttering paper bag for a bird, but it was just trash
Hunger hurts and I want him so bad, oh it kills
My yearning for him is so intense that it is like a painful hunger
'Cause I know I'm a mess he don't want to clean up
I am aware that I am not in a good place mentally or emotionally, and he would not want to deal with that
I've gotta fold 'cause these hands are too shaky to hold
I am not stable enough to hold onto anything right now, so I must let go
Hunger hurts, starving works when it costs too much to love
My hunger for love is causing me so much suffering that I feel like I am starving, and sometimes it is better to go without love if it costs you too much
And I went crazy again today
I lost control of myself today
Looking for a strand to climb
I was searching for a way to improve my situation or find hope
Looking for a little hope
I was craving even just a speck of hope
Baby said he couldn't stay
The boy I was dreaming of said he could not stay with me
Wouldn't put his lips to mine
He refused to kiss me
And a fail to kiss is a fail to cope
Not being kissed is a way of coping, a way to avoid feeling loved and then losing it
I said honey I don't feel so good
I expressed to him that I was not feeling well emotionally
Don't feel justified
I feel as though I do not deserve to feel this way
Come on put a little love here in my void
I asked him to fill the emptiness inside me with love
He said it's all in your head
He dismissed my struggles as being all in my mind
I said so's everything but he didn't get it
I tried to explain that all of my pain and struggles are very real, but he did not understand
I thought he was a man but he was just a little boy
I had thought that he was mature and capable of handling my emotions, but it turns out he was not
Hunger hurts
Once again, I feel the painful hunger of love
Hunger hurts
And again, the hunger becomes too overwhelming to ignore
Hunger hurts
The pain of my yearning for love continues
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Fiona Apple Maggart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind