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."
Frosty The Snowman
Fiona Apple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corn-cob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow
How he came to life one day
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said, "Let's run
And we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away"
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there
All around the square
Saying, "Catch me if you can"
He led them down
The streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment
When he heard them holler, "Stop!"
Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying, "Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day"
The song "Frosty the Snowman" recounts the story of a magical snowman who comes to life and brings joy to children. It describes how Frosty was created with a corn-cob pipe, a button nose, and coal eyes, and how he magically came alive when an old silk hat was placed on his head. The song reveals that Frosty was a jolly, happy soul, and that he loved to dance, laugh, and play, just like the children who admired him. The lyrics suggest that there was something special and mysterious about Frosty's creation, that it was not just the result of children's play, but also involved magic and wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
Frosty the Snowman
This song is about a snowman named Frosty.
Was a jolly happy soul
Frosty was a cheerful and happy snowman.
With a corn-cob pipe and a button nose
He had a corn-cob pipe and a button nose.
And two eyes made out of coal
His eyes were made of coal.
Is a fairy tale they say
Some people believe that Frosty is only a story.
He was made of snow
Frosty was made of snow.
But the children know
But the kids understand that Frosty came to life one day.
How he came to life one day
The children know how Frosty came to life.
There must have been some magic
It's possible that there was some kind of magic involved.
In that old silk hat they found
Part of the magic might have come from the old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head
When they put the hat on Frosty's head...
He began to dance around
...he started to dance around!
Was alive as he could be
Frosty was alive, as alive as he could be.
And the children say
According to the kids...
He could laugh and play
...Frosty could laugh and play, just like them!
Just the same as you and me
Frosty was just like you and me.
Knew the sun was hot that day
Frosty was aware that the sun was hot that day.
So he said, 'Let's run
So he suggested that they all run...
And we'll have some fun
...and have some fun!
Now before I melt away'
...before he melted away, of course.
Down to the village
They all went down to the village.
With a broomstick in his hand
Frosty had a broomstick with him.
Running here and there
He ran all around...
All around the square
...the square!
Saying, 'Catch me if you can'
...and challenged them to catch him if they could!
He led them down
He led them all down...
The streets of town
...the streets of the town.
Right to the traffic cop
They went right up to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment
Frosty only stopped for a brief moment...
When he heard them holler, 'Stop!'
...when he heard someone yell 'stop!'
Had to hurry on his way
Frosty had to leave in a hurry...
But he waved goodbye
...but he waved goodbye anyway.
Saying, 'Don't you cry
...and told them not to cry...
I'll be back again some day'
...because he promised to come back one day.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JACK ROLLINS, STEVE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@allysonstauffer5221
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corn-cob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow
But the children know
How he came to life one day
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said, "Let's run
And we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away"
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there
All around the square
Saying, "Catch me if you can"
He led them down
The streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment
When he heard them holler, "Stop!"
Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying, "Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day
@TudenJamir
I will never get tired of you Fiona, your voice never stops being amazing!
@tiktokroyalty4778
ikr
@benjaminsmith3657
God this is so beautiful. Fiona a sweet voice as sweet as they come.
@yellowHime
It's a Christmas miracle!
@suzukimartellsono181
This is what I call a nice christmas present!
@xtop23
Love your music Fiona. Please release another album
@gukstan11
+xtop23 I doubt she's going to read this...
@xtop23
Gustavo Lourenço Never know. She's occasionally a bit of a shut-in. She might.
@gukstan11
+xtop23 Let's hope she reads it and gives a shit
@robin.s.
last thing i expected was a fiona apple christmas song cover ^^