Fiona Apple "When the Pawn..."
When the Pawn..." is the second studio album by Fiona Apple, an American singer-songwriter, and was released on November 9, 1999, by Epic Records. The album was written entirely by Fiona Apple and produced by Jon Brion. It received critical acclaim and was recognized as the 106th greatest album of the last 25 years by Spin magazine in 2010, and the 79th best album of the 1990s by Slant Magazine. The album also earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked "When the Pawn..." as the 108th greatest album of all time.
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When the Pawn..." is the second studio album by Fiona Apple, an American singer-songwriter, and was released on November 9, 1999, by Epic Records. The album was written entirely by Fiona Apple and produced by Jon Brion. It received critical acclaim and was recognized as the 106th greatest album of the last 25 years by Spin magazine in 2010, and the 79th best album of the 1990s by Slant Magazine. The album also earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked "When the Pawn..." as the 108th greatest album of all time.
The initial release from Fiona Apple's album garnered some popularity, particularly the lead single "Fast as You Can", which received moderate radio and video airplay and reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Fast as You Can" also became Fiona Apple's first top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart. However, subsequent singles like "Limp" and "Paper Bag", which received a Grammy nomination, were not as successful. The music videos for all three singles were directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who was Fiona Apple's boyfriend at the time.
In 2019, Fiona Apple collaborated with King Princess on a cover of "I Know", which was released on January 25 as part of Spotify's RISE program. In 2020, a reissue of the album was announced by Vinyl Me Please, with a new cover chosen by Apple herself, marking the album's first ever vinyl release.
According to critics, Fiona Apple's album "When the Pawn" is a more mature work than her debut album "Tidal". It trades in youthful melodrama for more serious reflections on broken relationships and romantic obsession. The album is also musically more complex and advanced, with a focus on Fiona Apple's sultry voice and moody piano playing. Critics praised Jon Brion's production and Fiona Apple's songwriting, with some calling it richer, deeper and stronger than "Tidal". While some critics like Pitchfork and Entertainment Weekly awarded the album high scores, others such as NME gave it a lower rating, calling it MTV-branded Lilith Fair fodder.
