It was after relocating to New York City in the early '90s (to study at N.Y.U.'s film school) that Osborne began to take a singing career seriously after singing Billie Holiday's classic "God Bless the Child" at a local bar's "open mic night." In addition to Holiday, Osborne looked to such legendary vocalists as Etta James and Ray Charles as role models, as the up-and-coming singer decided not to cater to major record companies and formed her own label, Womanly Hips, which resulted in such releases as 1992's in-concert Soul Show, among others. But eventually, Osborne decided to sign on with a major label, Mercury, which in turn issued the singer's next release, 'Relish,' in March 1995. The album eventually racked up sales of three million copies and proved to have a long life, as almost a year after its initial release the track "One of Us" became a massive MTV and radio smash, camping out at the number-one spot on the U.S. singles chart for 2 weeks. Other tracks ("Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa") failed to match the success of Osborne's first hit, but the singer still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially while touring as part of the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Osborne received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997.
Producing a worthy followup to Relish proved to be a time-consuming challenge for Osborne. Mercury tried to buy her some time by issuing a compilation release, 'Early Recordings' (which collected the early releases 'Live at Delta '88' and 'Blue Million Miles'). In the meantime, Osborne focused on supporting a few groups/causes she felt strongly about, such as Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood (eventually being named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advocates), besides covering "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 'Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote' benefit album. Osborne also studied briefly with the late Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and performed alongside such notables as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains.
September 2000 finally saw the release of Osborne's second all-new studio album, titled 'Righteous Love'; but it failed to match its predecessor's commercial success and sank from sight shortly after its release. In 2002, Osborne bounced back with 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s. A career retrospective, 'One of Us,' came out in 2005.
Osborne played a prominent role in the 2002 film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," performing with the legendary Motown house band the Funk Brothers in a concert performance segment, and appearing with several members of the group in an interview segment. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of classic rock and soul covers.
During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.
In November 2006, Osborne released 'Pretty Little Stranger,' her self-described "Nashville album."
In May 2007, Osborne issued 'Breakfast in Bed,' a return to the soul music that she had covered on 'How Sweet It Is'. 'Breakfast in Bed' also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
She sings lead vocals on the cover of "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album 'Two Sides Of If'.' Osborne also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album 'Chocolate Supa Highway.' Joan is featured on The Holmes Brothers 2007 collection 'State of Grace' performing "Those Memories of You," an old Allan O'Bryant and Bill Monroe bluegrass tune.
Her album Bring It On Home was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.
Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.
Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014, and in 2017 the album Songs of Bob Dylan. A new album of original songs, Trouble and Strife, is due in September 2020.
Poison Apples
Joan Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To strangle me with its sweet taste
See God would never be so cruel
To make me like without your face
Now that I have made you crawl
It does you good to see me fall
Like poison apples from the tree
As heavy as a honey bee
Hallelujah
I gave you away so easily
It makes me wounder why
Moving through you every night
The lovely girls in dresses tight
The angels dancing on a pin
The people we are downing in
Like a needle going in
Oh I recall the moment when
You ruined me for other men
[Repeat]
Hallelujah
I gave you away so easily
It makes me wonder why
I don't know why
If I die before you do.
Believe me I'll be haunting you
I'll come upon you while you sleep
To drown you in a kiss
So deep
In Joan Osborne's song Poison Apples, the singer reveals the power of memory and the emotions that come with it. The first verse speaks about the memory of the person she loves coming back to her, and how bittersweet it is. She says that God would never be cruel enough to make her remember this person without being able to see their face. However, she has already made the person crawl and it feels good to see them fall. The line "like poison apples from the tree, as heavy as a honey bee" hints at the idea of temptation and how it can be both alluring and dangerous.
The chorus, which includes the lines "Hallelujah, I gave you away so easily, it makes me wonder why", suggests that the singer has moved on from this person and wonders why she ever loved them so easily. The following verse talks about the memories of other women that haunt the singer, and the idea that the person she loves has ruined her for other men. The imagery of angels dancing on a pin and people drowning like a needle going in creates a sense of chaos and confusion, highlighting the emotional turmoil the singer is experiencing.
The final verse reveals the intensity of the singer's emotions and her desire for revenge, even in death. She threatens to haunt and drown the person she loves so deeply in a kiss, suggesting both the passionate nature of their love and the pain that it has caused her.
Line by Line Meaning
Your memory comes back to me
I am reminded of you
To strangle me with its sweet taste
Your memory overwhelms me
See God would never be so cruel
I can't believe how painful it is
To make me like without your face
To live without you in my life is unbearable
Now that I have made you crawl
I have caused you to feel pain
It does you good to see me fall
You enjoy seeing me suffer
Like poison apples from the tree
My love for you was tainted and harmful
As heavy as a honey bee
It was a burden to love you
Hallelujah
An expression of joy
I gave you away so easily
I ended our relationship without difficulty
It makes me wounder why
I'm not sure why it was so easy to let you go
Moving through you every night
I think of you constantly
The lovely girls in dresses tight
I envy the women who have your attention
The angels dancing on a pin
I am tormented by happy thoughts of you
The people we are downing in
We are hurting others in our relationship
Like a needle going in
Our relationship is painful and damaging
Oh I recall the moment when
I remember clearly when you hurt me
You ruined me for other men
I can't love anyone else after being with you
If I die before you do.
If I die first
Believe me I'll be haunting you
I will never leave your memory
I'll come upon you while you sleep
You will dream of me
To drown you in a kiss
To leave you breathless
So deep
With deep love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROB HYMAN, JOAN E OSBORNE, RICHARD E CHERTOFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind