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."
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Fiona Apple Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breaking, its early morn
The taxi's waiting he's blowin' his horn
Already, I'm so lonesome I could die.
(Chorus)
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane,
I dont know when I'll be back again.
Oh babe I hate to go.
There's so many times I've let you down,
So many times I've been around, but
I don't know, they don't mean a thing.
Every place I go I think of you,
Every song I sing, I sing for you.
When I come back I'll wear your wedding ring.
(Chorus)
Now the time has come to leave you,
One more time oh let me kiss you...
Now close your eyes and I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come
When I wont have to leave alone
About the times that I wont have to say...
(Chorus)
And I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh babe I hate to go
But I'm leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
Leaving on a jet plane
On a jet plane.
The song "Leaving On A Jet Plane" is about the pain and sadness of leaving a loved one, even if only temporarily. The singer expresses their reluctance and sorrow at having to leave someone they care deeply about, but also acknowledges their past mistakes and promises to return with a newfound commitment to their relationship. The opening lines paint a vivid picture of the singer standing outside their lover's door, bags packed and taxi waiting, already feeling the weight of the separation that's about to occur. The repeated phrase "I'm leaving on a jet plane" throughout the song emphasizes the finality of the departure, making it clear that the singer doesn't know when they'll return.
The chorus of "Leaving On A Jet Plane" is a plea for comfort and reassurance from the singer's partner. They ask to be kissed and held tightly, told that they will be missed and that their relationship will survive the distance. The singer promises to return and wear a wedding ring as a symbol of their commitment, acknowledging the mistakes they've made in the past and hoping for a brighter future. The final verse is a bittersweet goodbye, with the singer urging their loved one to dream of a time when they will not have to part again.
Line by Line Meaning
All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I have finished packing my bags and I am prepared to leave
I'm standing here outside your door
I am waiting outside your house
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
I feel bad that I have to wake you up to bid farewell
But the dawn is breaking, its early morn
Although it is early morning, the sun is starting to rise
The taxi's waiting he's blowin' his horn
The taxi driver is waiting for me and honking his horn to inform me
Already, I'm so lonesome I could die.
I am already feeling lonely and it feels like it could kill me
So kiss me and smile for me.
Please kiss me and smile before I leave
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
Please promise me that you will wait for my return
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Embrace me tightly like you never want to let me go
Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane,
I am leaving on a jet plane
I dont know when I'll be back again.
I am unsure of when I will return
Oh babe I hate to go.
I am not happy about leaving
There's so many times I've let you down,
I have disappointed you so many times
So many times I've been around, but
I have been present with you many times before, but...
I don't know, they don't mean a thing.
But those moments don't really matter in this context
Every place I go I think of you,
I always think about you no matter where I am
Every song I sing, I sing for you.
Every song I sing, I sing with you in my mind
When I come back I'll wear your wedding ring.
When I return, I will wear the wedding ring that belongs to you
Now the time has come to leave you,
The time has come for me to leave you
One more time oh let me kiss you...
Please let me kiss you one more time before I go
Now close your eyes and I'll be on my way.
Now please close your eyes so I can go on my journey
Dream about the days to come
Please dream about the future days that we will spend together
When I wont have to leave alone
Days when I won't have to leave and be alone
About the times that I wont have to say...
Think about times when I won't have to say...
And I'm leaving on a jet plane
I am leaving on a jet plane
On a jet plane.
Specifically, I am traveling on a jet plane
Contributed by Alaina I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ChipmunkMix67
This was one of the last songs me and my brother listened to before he left for Afghanistan. Every time I listen to it makes me think he's there with me. :D Hope you're okay in Afghanistan Josh. Good luck, xxx
@Spookyiozz
Did he ever come home?
@67chickadee
@MissSheetFaced -- this is so beautiful. You are blessed to be touched by life this way.
@Leo55BabyBoomer
Thank you...Thank you...thank you! This takes me back to the 70's. Boston (Logan Airport), heading back home to family, yet wanting to stay in Cambridge, MA. for my own reasons. ( I still remember your name, and, eating pattie melts at "Friendly's)
@PhilippeRR1
I had never heard of that singer before! Thanks for presenting her to us BILISMAIL! Right up there with Peter Paul and Mary (and Mary TRAVERS alone).
@audacityofthemind8348
Absolutely love this rendition of this classic song🙌🏽👌🏽
@chelsizieger
This is the song my mom sang to me as a litlle girl...what i would give to hear her sing it again!!... Love you mom R.I.P <3
@Spookyiozz
I hope you remember this sweet comment 13 years later🥺🤍
@zmayster
miss u Macha , ur definatly one of the kind ,
@birgitmitchell6707
Heading to Europe tomorrow...ciao Italia, hallo Deutschland