Niki N. Phaser

Tori Amos rose to prominence in the 90’s and back then, being a strong independent female didn’t mean you get to dance with high-heels surrounded by half-naked muscular dudes. She became a genuine role model for women all over the world, not just because of her artistic creativity, but also because of her activism in stopping violence against women — she co-founded RAINN, an organization dealing with helping victims of sexual assault, Amos herself being a survivor of rape. But there is so much more to Tori Amos then being this brave female artist which metamorphosized an awful experience into something beautiful. She’s a brilliant composer and an even greater lyricist.

If this would have been the review of a Single Masterpiece, it would most definitely be about Crucify, but, even so, it’s quite a challenge to skim through her Non-Single Masterpieces and choose just one. The Power of the Orange Knickers displays a lot of Tori’s themes, styles and methods, as well as being one of her few collaborations, this time with Irish singer-songwriter, Damien Rice. Her songs always sound  intimate, but this second vocal presence amplifies that feeling and the soft voices used by both singers make the track sound as a lullaby sung by both parents to their child. The title and lyrics showcase Tori’s often ironic view on love and relationships (“When you become a twist, For their latest drink”), especially when it is unrequited love (“this terrorist”), which seems to be the theme of Orange Knickers. It’s wonderfully stated through some of the lyrics: “Shame shame, for letting me think, That I would be the one” or “The power of listening to what, You don’t want me to know”, all of these creating the image of a relationship where just one loves and the other feeds on that. There is a metaphor to underline this, one of the best metaphors in the history of metaphors (Shakespeare included): “Am I alone in this kiss?”. BONUS: Tori sings the word ‘fun’ in a very cute way in this song.

ORANGE FEMALE UNDERWEAR                  LIVE VERSION