1000 Oceans

"1000 Oceans" is a song by Tori Amos, released as the second single from her 1999 album To Venus and Back. It reached number 22 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales, though it did not chart on the Hot 100.[2] The song deals with issues of love and loss, and is based on the singer's personal experiences. It was released on September 7, 1999, and was generally well received by critics.

"1000 Oceans"
Single by Tori Amos
from the album To Venus and Back
ReleasedSeptember 9, 1999 (US); January 10, 2000 (AUS)[1]
RecordedMay 1999
Length4:19
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Tori Amos
Producer(s)Tori Amos
Tori Amos singles chronology
"Bliss"
(1999)		 "1000 Oceans"
(1999)		 "Glory of the 80's"
(1999)

Background

Amos has explained that the idea for the song came to her in a dream. An old African woman was humming the melody to her, and she got up around 5:30 in the morning to record it.[3][4] She describes writing the transition from the melody line around the words "I can't believe that I would keep, keep you from flying" to "and I would cry 1000 more" as particularly difficult, and what took the longest time.[3] The inspiration for the lyrics came when her father-in-law died, and she claims the song helped her husband deal with the grieving process.[4] The lyrics contain reference to Silbury Hill, an ancient mound in Wiltshire, England. This is a place often visited by Amos and her husband.[5]

Video

The video for the song was directed by Erick Ifergan and filmed by Toby Irwin, and it was shot in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot.[6] It shows Amos singing inside a glass booth. The booth is in a busy street, and as people walk by some stop and stare. Others are engaged in everyday activities, and at one point a full-scale riot breaks out in the street, while Amos behaves like a mere distant observer.[7] The video had its TV debut on MTV's 120 Minutes on October 24, 1999.[6]

Reviews

Reviewers generally had a positive attitude towards "1000 Oceans", and many mentioned it among the better tracks on the album. VH1 said the song was "one of the most billowing songs she's written in a while".[8] The Tech called the melody of this song and "Lust" "powerful ballads" and "some of Tori's finest".[9] Others were less impressed though; Spin magazine called the album track "perhaps the most disappointing", and claimed Amos came across as a "Celine Dion-LeAnn Rimes rip-off".[10]

Track listing

Track listing for the various editions of the single:[11][12]

US (CD single, Cassette Single; September 7, 1999)

  1. "1000 Oceans" – 4:18
  2. "Baker Baker" (Live) – 4:18

US (7" Vinyl Single) (Atlantic 7-84534)

  1. "1000 Oceans" – 4:17
  2. "Baker Baker" (Live non LP version) – 3:56

US (Enhanced cd, includes "1000 Oceans" and "Bliss"video, September 28, 1999)

  1. "1000 Oceans" (Album Version) – 4:18
    Secretime
  2. "Baker Baker" (Live Non LP Version) – 3:53
  3. "Winter" (Live Non LP Version) – 7:01

Australia (January 10, 2000)

  1. "1000 Oceans" (Album Version) – 4:18
    Secretime
  2. "Baker Baker" (Live Non LP Version) – 3:53
  3. "Winter" (Live Non LP Version) – 7:01

France

  1. "1000 Oceans" (radio edit)

Germany

  1. "1000 Oceans"
  2. "Hey Jupiter" (live)
  3. "Upside Down" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 145
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] 50

References
  1. "ariaNET New Releases! > Available from 10th January 2000 > Singles (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 515)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  2. "Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  3. "Tori talks about 1000 Oceans". toriphoria / yes, said. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  4. Christiane Rebmann (1999). "Ich habe einen Traum" (in German). Die Zeit. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  5. "1000 Oceans: to venus and back". The Dent. March 20, 2000. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  6. "1000 Oceans Video". The Dent. November 25, 1999. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  7. "1000 Oceans Tori Amos". YouTube. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  8. "VH1 reviews "to venus and back"". The Dent. September 20, 2000. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  9. Fred Choi (October 22, 1999). "Tore Amos: To Venus and Back". The Tech. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  10. Julie Ann Pietrangelo (September 1999). "Spin Magazine Album Review September 1999". Spin. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  11. "Tori Amos: to venus and back". toriphoria / yes, said. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  12. "1000 Oceans Singles". EverythingTori. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  13. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received July 15, 2015". Imgur.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7302." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
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