Fiona Apple is truly a singular talent in modern music - she is a fearless, uncompromising, and raw artist that combines poetic lyricism and innovative compositions that have won her massive critical acclaim. She is one of the few solo artists where every single one of her albums has been critically acclaimed, all of them frequently mentioned on top album lists by fans and critics alike. From her groundbreaking debut Tidal in the 1990s to her experimental triumphs in the 2020s, Fiona has built a career defined by authenticity, vulnerability, and artistic integrity, all on her own terms and time schedule.
Fiona burst onto the scene like a wave of the same name with her debut album, Tidal, in 1996, a record that introduced the world to her smoky voice, virtuosic piano playing, and deeply introspective and precocious songwriting talent. Songs like "Criminal" became an instant 90s classic and MTV staple (despite her justified reservations about the video direction, which felt exploitative). "Shadowboxer" and "Never Is a Promise" further demonstrated her prodigious ability to merry different genres in her own style that felt so self-actualized at such a young age.
Her follow-up When the Pawn.. resolutely showed that this was no fluke. This album, often considered one of the best of the 90s, solidified her reputation as a once-in-a-generation artist. Tracks like "Paper Bag" and "Fast As You Can" showed her knack for intricate melodies, compositional skills, and bold storytelling. Songs like "Limp" and "Get Gone" have become feminine rage anthems. The album’s full title, a 90-word poem, reflected Fiona’s penchant for challenging conventions. Fiona’s later works, Extraordinary Machine and The Idler Wheel…(another signature long title album), pushed boundaries even further, stripping away traditional production to highlight raw emotion and minimalist arrangements, and also showed that good things come to Fiona fans who wait.
By 2020, Fiona absolutely shook the music world with the unexpected release of Fetch the Boltcutters. Instantly heralded as a masterpiece by critics, it perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the age of COVID. Tracks like "Shameika" and "I Want You to Love Me" embodied Fiona’s fearless approach to storytelling once again. The raw production and unfiltered, at times brutal, honesty won her a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and appeared on virtually every critic's choice list.
Beyond her music, Fiona Apple is celebrated for her courage and advocacy. She has been outspoken about issues like mental health, sexual violence, and the challenges of navigating the music industry as a woman. Her music is not made for mass appeal, but rather, a conduit for her talent, intelligence, and emotional honesty. She is a trailblazer, poet, and philosopher in every right.
She has never released a bad album, so narrowing it down to ten songs seems futile, but here is a random stab at it we made with a hot knife (we also snuck an additional one because, honestly, Fiona deserves it at this point):
0:00 Extraordinary Machine (2005) - Extraordinary Machine
0:05 Across the Universe (1998) - Pleasantville: Music from the Motion Picture
0:11 Shameika (2020) - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
0:15 I Want You to Love Me (2020) - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
0:21 Limp (1999) - When the Pawn...
0:26 Sleep to Dream (1996) - Tidal
0:31 Every Single Night (2012) - The Idler Wheel...
0:38 Fast as You Can (1999) - When the Pawn...
0:44 Shadowboxer (1996) - Tidal
0:49 Paper Bag (1999) - When the Pawn...
0:54 Criminal (1996) - Tidal
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