Concertina (song)

"Concertina" is a song written and performed by American singer/songwriter Tori Amos, released as the fourth and last single from her 1999 album To Venus and Back. The commercial CD single was released in February 2000.

"Concertina"
Single by Tori Amos
from the album To Venus and Back
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2000
RecordedMarch 1999
Genre
Length3:57
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Tori Amos
Producer(s)Tori Amos
Tori Amos singles chronology
"Glory of the 80's"
(1999)		 "Concertina"
(2000)		 "Strange Little Girl"
(2001)

Background and release

The title of the song refers to the musical instrument concertina. The lyrics use it as a metaphor to describe the experience of discomfort and unease in a social setting, likening it to being a squeezebox.[1] When recording the song, Amos wanted to combine the acoustic piano with electronic drums, as she felt the dichotomy complimented the themes of the lyrics, which describe sensory discomfort in a "fierce calm" and being changed "particle by particle".[2]

In the interview for her cover story in Alternative Press in October 1999,[3] Amos commented on the content of the song:

Do you ever feel like you walk in a room, and you don't know why, but you're just so uncomfortable you're crawling out of your skin, even though nobody's touched you, physically? That's in Concertina, when you feel like you haven't excavated enough of your different personalities that when one pops up, you're not sure where it came from, and you try to hack it out of yourself. It shocks you that you could have this kind of fault, or that other people could bring it out in you.

Since 1999, the song has been featured in all of Amos' world tours,[4] except the 2005 Original Sinsuality Tour in support of The Beekeeper.

Concertina was included on the setlist for the DVD release of Amos' concert for Live from the Artists Den in 2010.[5]

Track listing

Enhanced CD single, February 8, 2000:[6]

  1. Concertina (The single mix) 3:58
  2. Famous Blue Raincoat (Live) 5:24
  3. Twinkle (Live) 2:49
  4. Music video for "Glory of the 80s"

Promotional CD single, February 8, 2000:

  1. Concertina (The single mix) 3:57
  2. Concertina (The album mix) 3:57

Promotion and chart performance

No music video was filmed for the song. A promo CD single featuring both the single and album mix of the song was released to radio stations. Concertina was performed live on the television show Later... with Jools Holland. The song was featured in setlists during Amos' 1999 concert tour in support of the album.

Title Chart Position
"Concertina" (2000) US AAA 18
"Concertina" (2000) Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales (U.S.) 48

References
  1. "t o r i p h o r i a - the World of Tori Amos". Yessaid.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. "Everything Tori | concertina". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  3. "Alternative Press - October 1999". Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  4. "Tori Amos Setlist Database". Toriset.org.
  5. "Tori Amos | Live from the Artists den". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  6. "Everything Tori | Concertina Singles". Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
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