Professional Widow

"Professional Widow" is a song written by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released on her third album, Boys for Pele (1996). It is a harpsichord-driven rock song and its lyrics are rumored to have been inspired by the American songwriter Courtney Love. The song was released on July 2, 1996 by Atlantic and EastWest, as the third single from the Boys for Pele album in the US, containing remixes by the house music producers Armand van Helden and MK. The single reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In Italy, the original version peaked at number two in October 1996. An edited version of the Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix of "Professional Widow" was originally released as a double A-side single with "Hey Jupiter" in Europe and Australia.

"Professional Widow"
Single by Tori Amos
from the album Boys for Pele
ReleasedJuly 2, 1996 (1996-07-02)
GenreAlternative rock
Length
  • 4:31 (album version)
  • 8:08 (remix)
Label
Songwriter(s)Tori Amos
Producer(s)Tori Amos
Tori Amos singles chronology
"Talula"
(1996)		 "Professional Widow"
(1996)		 "Hey Jupiter"
(1996)

On December 30, 1996, van Helden's remix was released as a single in the UK as "Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big)", which topped the UK Singles Chart in January 1997 and reached the top 20 in Finland, Iceland, Ireland and Norway. In 2022, Rolling Stone named the remix the 109th-greatest dance song of all-time.[1]

Lyrics

"Professional Widow" is rumored to be about the American songwriter Courtney Love, the widow of the Nirvana songwriter Kurt Cobain.[2] Love said she had never determined if she was the "professional widow" of the title.[2] In 1996, Amos said she had never met Love and that the song was about her own experience and "the part of myself that's Lady Macbeth". In a 2003 television interview, when the host said the song was inspired by Love, Amos interrupted with "allegedly" and smiled.[2]

Remix

"Professional Widow" was remixed by the American DJ Armand van Helden. In Europe, the remix became more widely known than the original song.[3]

Van Helden said that Amos was contractually entitled to approve all remixes, and when the remix became popular in Europe, she called to thank him.[4] In a 1998 interview with Music & Media, Amos said: "It did kick my ass a bit [...] I know what van Helden took and what he did and I think he did some very clever things [...] I loved the fact that he didn't try and retain that at all, he went completely to the other pole."[5] In Europe, the remix became far more well known than the original.[3]

Critical reception

Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal praised the song as "excellent".[6] Justin Chadwick from Albumism wrote in his retrospective review of Boys for Pele, "Though much of the world is more familiar with the propulsive, dancefloor-filling Armand Van Helden remix of 'Professional Widow', its original incarnation featured here is noteworthy for its much-debated allusions to none other than Courtney Love."[7] Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic described it as a "powerful dose of industrial-piano ferocity that holds nothing back in its demands for peace, love, and a little something extra."[8] Paul Verna from Billboard named it a "highlight" of the album, viewing it as "searing" and "groove-heavy".[9] The Daily Vault's Sean McCarthy felt it's one of the most "straightforward" songs of the album.[10] Kevin Courtney from Irish Times declared it as "a mad maelstrom of beats and harpsichord arpeggia, a sort of Portishead for the beaten generation".[11] In a separate review of the remix, Courtney wrote, "Older fans of Tori's introspective balladeering will be bemused that their heroine now sounds like Stretch & Vern. Calling this a Tori Amos single is like describing "Money for Nothing" as a Sting song, and the lady's sampled voice is just incidental to the handbag-heaving beat and bassline."[12]

Alan Jones from Music Week deemed the remix as a "brilliant reworking"[13] and remarked that "it is as different from the rest of the album as chalk is from cheese."[14] Tim Jeffery from Record Mirror's Dance Update gave it top score with five out of five, adding, "Needless to say, any lyrical subtlety has gone out of the window on this remixed package but that's not the point really. MK and Armand Van Helden pick and choose which of Tori's lines to chop up into bits and loop over their own music — Helden's is by far the most inventive with loads of strange synth sounds over a Bucketheads-style groove and a terrific atmospheric drop in the middle. A big club hit for sure but it'll be radio that decides this record's success or otherwise."[15] Cynthia Joyce from Salon noted that Amos' "penchant for abrupt endings and ad nauseam repetition; still surfaces on more experimental songs" like "Professional Widow".[16] In 2014, Stereogum ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 10 greatest Tori Amos songs,[17] and in 2023, The Guardian ranked the song number five on their list of the 20 greatest Tori Amos songs.[18] In 2022, Rolling Stone named the "Professional Widow" remix the 109th-greatest dance song of all-time.[1]

Music video

A music video was made for the "Star Trunk Funkin' Mix", comprising clips from other Amos videos edited together. It is the only video from between 1991 and 1998 that does not appear on Tori Amos: Complete Videos 1991-1998.

A live performance of the song is featured on the Welcome to Sunny Florida DVD. The performance features Jon Evans on bass and Matt Chamberlain on drums, while Amos plays the piano. This version mutes the words "fucker" and "cock".

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the Boys for Pele album booklet. The album version includes the cry of a bull, which is credited as "bull" in the booklet.[29]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57]
"Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big)" 		Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[58]
"Professional Widow" 		Silver 200,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[59]
"Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big)" 		Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Version Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States "Professional Widow" July 2, 1996 CD Atlantic [60]
United Kingdom "Hey Jupiter" / "Professional Widow" July 22, 1996
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 EastWest [61]
"Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big)" December 30, 1996 [62]

See also

References
  1. Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  2. "11 diss tracks that are probably about Courtney Love". The A.V. Club. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  3. Petridis, Alexis (August 17, 2023). "Tori Amos's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  4. "The Remix Hits of 1996" (PDF). Music Week. December 14, 1996. p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  5. Stratton, Sally (March 28, 1998). "Amos Adds Rhythm to Her Blues". Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 13. p. 12.
  6. Aberdeen Press and Journal. December 26, 1996. p. 8.
  7. Chadwick, Justin (January 18, 2021). "Tori Amos' 'Boys for Pele' Turns 25 — Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  8. Yeung, Neil Z. "Tori Amos – Boys for Pele". AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. Verna, Paul (January 27, 1996). "Reviews & Previews: Albums" (PDF). Billboard. p. 105. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  10. McCarthy, Sean (February 18, 2005). "Boys For Pele – Tori Amos". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  11. Courtney, Kevin (January 26, 1996). "Rock". Irish Times.
  12. Courtney, Kevin (January 10, 1997). "U2 go disco-tech". Irish Times.
  13. Jones, Alan (December 28, 1996). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  14. Jones, Alan (February 8, 1997). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  15. Jeffery, Tim (June 15, 1996). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  16. Joyce, Cynthia. "AMOS 'N' RANDY". Salon. Archived from the original on September 3, 2000. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  17. Dick, Jonathan (June 18, 2014). "The 10 Best Tori Amos Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  18. Petridis, Alexis (August 17, 2023). "Tori Amos's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  19. Professional Widow (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Tori Amos. Atlantic Records. 1996. 2-85499.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. Professional Widow (US 12-inch single sleeve). Tori Amos. Atlantic Records. 1996. 0-85499.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. Hey Jupiter / Professional Widow (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5494CD, 7567-85494-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. Hey Jupiter / Professional Widow (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5494T, 7567-85493-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. Hey Jupiter / Professional Widow (UK cassette single sleeve). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5494C.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big) (UK CD single liner notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5450CD, 7567-85450-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big) (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5450T, 7567-85451-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. Professional Widow (It's Got to Be Big) (UK cassette single sleeve). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. A5450C, 7567-87038-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. Professional Widow (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. 7567-85478-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. Professional Widow (French maxi-CD single liner notes). Tori Amos. EastWest Records. 1996. 7567-85445-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. Boys for Pele (US CD album booklet). Tori Amos. Atlantic Records. 1996. 82862-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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