St. Teresa (song)

"St. Teresa" is a song by American singer-songwriter Joan Osborne. Released in May 1996 by Blue Gorilla and Mercury as the second single from her debut album, Relish (1995), it was written by Osborne as well as its producer Rick Chertoff and the Hooters members Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman. It failed to chart in the US but had some minor international chart success.

"St. Teresa"
Single by Joan Osborne
from the album Relish
B-side"Lumina"
ReleasedMay 27, 1996 (1996-05-27)
GenreRock
Length
  • 5:20 (album version)
  • 4:44 (single edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Chertoff
Joan Osborne singles chronology
"One of Us"
(1995)		 "St. Teresa"
(1996)		 "Right Hand Man"
(1996)

Background and release

Written about a sex worker she witnessed openly engaging in drug dealing in their shared Manhattan neighbourhood,[1][2] Osborne has said that she penned the lyrics to "St. Teresa" while under hypnosis in a desperate attempt to overcome writer's block.[1][3] Alongside the simple fact that she found the name St. Teresa "singable,"[1] the singer further explained the song's connection to its namesake Saint Teresa of Jesus in an interview with The Irish Times:

"Part of the appeal of the Catholic church is the mystery, even in relation to sexuality. And someone like St Teresa experienced a lot of these mysteries through her body, so this idea has some kind of precedent in the history of religion. And I've no problem linking the themes of sexuality and spirituality in that way. Again, it's trying to reclaim a woman's sexuality, in particular, from the history of oppression in the Church."[4]

"St. Teresa" received airplay on triple-A and modern rock stations in late 1995 as a "warm-up" track to help the album gain exposure.[5][6] It was also accompanied by a music video.[6] Later given a proper commercial release in 1996 following the global success of "One of Us," it was once again promoted with another music video, directed by Osborne herself.[2][6] In it, she plays a hotel maid discovering bizarre and supernatural occurrences while cleaning, including goldfish living in a toilet and bathtub as well as a levitating woman.[6]

The re-release led to the song reaching the top 50 of the Australian, British, New Zealand, and Swedish singles charts. It also earned a nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards but ultimately lost to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know."[7]

Critical reception

Kevin Courtney from Irish Times wrote, "In her follow up "St Teresa" (Mercury), Joan paints a gritty picture of a drug addicted prostitute for whom canonisation would seem a remote possibility. It's not half as catchy or quirky as "One of Us", although the "Losing My Religion" style mandolins keep it jangling nicely along."[8]

Track listings
UK CD1; Australian and Japanese CD single[9][10]
No.TitleLength
1."St. Teresa" (edit)4:10
2."Spider Web" (live)5:28
3."St. Teresa" (live)4:18
4."Lumina"3:08
UK CD2[11]
No.TitleLength
1."St. Teresa" (edit)4:10
2."One of Us" (live)5:13
3."Help Me"5:17
4."St. Teresa" (album version)5:20
UK cassette single and European CD single[12][13]
No.TitleLength
1."St. Teresa" (edit)4:04
2."Lumina"3:08

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the CD liner notes of Relish.[14]

Charts
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 43
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 69
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[17] 42
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[18] 96
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 38
Scotland (OCC)[20] 27
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 35
UK Singles (OCC)[22] 33

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States May 27, 1996 Alternative radio
[23]
May 28, 1996 Contemporary hit radio [24]
Japan August 25, 1996 CD [25]

References
  1. Gehman, Geoff (June 24, 1995). "Joan Osborne Learns To Relish Recording". The Morning Call. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  2. Pareles, Jon (April 28, 1996). "Contemplating Sin, Salvation and Her Success". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  3. "Blue Gorilla Relishes Its Joan Osborne Breakthrough". Billboard. November 4, 1995. p. 108. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. Jackson, Joe (June 14, 1996). "Not quite Saint Joan". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  5. "Blue Gorilla Relishes Its Osborne Breakthrough". Billboard. November 4, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  6. "Joan Osborne Takes Up Former Craft". Billboard. June 29, 1996. p. 91. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  7. "38th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  8. Courtney, Kevin (May 31, 1996). "Simply Red Card". Irish Times.
  9. St. Teresa (CD1, CD single liner notes). Joan Osborne. UK, Australia: Blue Gorilla, Mercury Records. 1996. JOACD 3, 852 999–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. St. Teresa (CD single liner notes). Joan Osborne. Japan: Blue Gorilla, Mercury Records. 1996. PHCR-8374.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. St. Teresa (CD2 liner notes). Joan Osborne. UK: Blue Gorilla, Mercury Records. 1996. JOADD 3, 578 035–2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. St. Teresa (Cassette single liner notes). Joan Osborne. Europe: Blue Gorilla, Mercury Records. 1996. JOAMC 3 3, 852 998–4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. St. Teresa (CD single liner notes). Joan Osborne. Europe: Blue Gorilla, Mercury Records. 1996. 852 998-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Relish (CD liner notes). Joan Osborne. United States: Mercury Records. 1995. 314 526 699-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. "Joan Osborne – St. Teresa". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  16. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9657." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  17. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8510." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  18. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 24. June 15, 1996. p. 12.
  19. "Joan Osborne – St. Teresa". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  21. "Joan Osborne – St. Teresa". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  22. "Joan Osborne: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  23. "Be on the Lookout". Gavin Report. No. 2105. May 17, 1996. p. 22.
  24. "Selected New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1147. May 24, 1996. p. 30.
  25. "St.テレサ | ジョーン・オズボーン" [St. Teresa | Joan Osborne] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
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