Criminal (Fiona Apple song)

"Criminal"
Single by Fiona Apple
from the album Tidal
B-side	"Sleep to Dream"
Released	June 2, 1997 (1997-06-02)[1]
Studio	Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Blues[2][3]
Length	5:41
Label	Work Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Fiona Apple
Producer(s)	Andrew Slater
Fiona Apple singles chronology
"Sleep to Dream" (1997) "Criminal" (1997) "Never Is a Promise" (1997)
Music video
"Criminal" on YouTube

"Criminal" is a song by American recording artist Fiona Apple, the third single from her debut studio album, Tidal, released on June 2, 1997 through Work Records and Columbia Records. Apple has stated that the song is about "feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality".[4] Apple's highest-charting single, it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 (her only entry to date), as well as No. 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.

The song won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best Rock Song. "Criminal" was listed at No. 55 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s",[5] and No. 71 on Blender magazine's 2005 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[4]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Mark Romanek in May 1997 with cinematography by Harris Savides. It was released a month later in June 1997. Visual enhancements including the retroreflector in Fiona's eyes and additional lighting vignettes were created by visualist Ash Beck. The video features Apple sulking in various states of undress, and The New Yorker described her as "looking like an underfed Calvin Klein model",[6] known as the "heroin chic" look. It explores themes of voyeurism and adolescence.[7] In 1998, the video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.

The video was featured in the 1997 MTV special "Beavis and Butt-Head Do Thanksgiving".[8] Up until Beavis and Butt-Head's revival in 2011, it was the last to be critiqued by the duo among other videos in the special.[8]

Track listings

US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single[9][10][11] "Criminal" – 5:41 "Sleep to Dream" – 4:10 European CD single[12] "Criminal" (album version) "Slow Like Honey" (live version)

Australian CD single[13] "Criminal" (radio edit) "Slow Like Honey" (live) "The Child Is Gone" (live) "Never Is a Promise" (live)

Personnel

Personnel taken from Tidal liner notes [14]

• Fiona Apple - vocals
• Jon Brion - Chamberlin
• Matt Chamberlain - drums
• Rob Laufer - guitar
• Dan Rothchild - bass
• Patrick Warren - piano

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[15] 51 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] 28 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[17] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 21 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 2 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[20] 17 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[21] 4 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[22] 18

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[23] 26 US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)[24] 100 US Triple A (Billboard)[25] 15 Chart (1998) Position US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[26] 71 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[27] 88

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[28]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	June 2, 1997	Alternative radio	Work	[1]
	September 16, 1997	7-inch vinyl CD cassette		[28]

Cover versions

Singer Natalie Cole covered the song for her 20th studio album, Leavin' (2006). Len Righi of The Morning Call wrote that she was surprised at Cole's ability to transform the "agonizing, brazen lament" into "a funky, Tina Turner-type, rump-shaker".[29]

In "Massacres and Matinees", the second episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show, Bette and Dot Tattler (played by Sarah Paulson) perform a duet version of "Criminal".[30][31]

Legacy

The music video for "Criminal" was the main inspiration for It Was Romance frontperson Lane Moore's music video to her song "Hooking Up with Girls", with many visuals as well as costumes inspired by the video.[32][33] "Criminal" was ranked number 423 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list of the "Top 500 Songs of All Time".[34]

References

1. "Be on the Lookout" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 2156. May 23, 1997. p. 32. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
2. "Criminal [US]". AllMusic. September 16, 1997. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
3. O'Neill, Siobhan (2015). "Fiona Apple - Criminal". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 750.
4. "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100". Blender. October 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2007. ^[dead link‍]
5. "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
6. Frere-Jones, Sasha. "Extraordinary Measures" Archived January 1, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. The New Yorker. October 10, 2005. Retrieved June 18, 2007.
7. Zeltner, Mark. "Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' and Video Voyeurism for the '90s" Archived February 7, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Images, issue 5. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
8. Kain (November 22, 2012). "Top Thanksgiving Cartoon Specials". 95 Rock KKNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
9. Criminal (US CD single liner notes). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 32K 78595.
10. Criminal (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 32 78595.
11. Criminal (US cassette single sleeve). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 32T 78595.
12. Criminal (European CD single liner notes). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 665523 1.
13. Criminal (Australian CD single liner notes). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 664852 2.
14. Criminal (US CD single liner notes). Fiona Apple. Clean Slate, Work Group. 1997. 32K 78595.
15. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart Week Ending 24 May 1998". ARIA. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
16. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3451." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 9, 1998. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
17. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3315." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. September 1, 1997. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
18. "Fiona Apple Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
19. "Fiona Apple Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
20. "Fiona Apple Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
21. "Fiona Apple Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
22. "Fiona Apple Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
23. "The Year in Music 1997: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-73.
24. "Best of '97: Top 40/Mainstream Singles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 38.
25. "Best of '97: Triple A Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 28.
26. "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 55.
27. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 45.
28. "American single certifications – Fiona Apple – Criminal". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
29. Righi, Len. "Natalie Cole". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016.
30. Kreps, Daniel (October 16, 2014). "Watch Conjoined Twins Sing Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' on 'American Horror Story'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
31. Murphy, Shuana (October 16, 2014). "A Two-Headed Woman Sang Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' On 'American Horror Story': Watch". MTV. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
32. "It Was Romance's New Video Is A Remake Of Fiona Apple's "Criminal" A '90s dream come true". July 27, 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
33. "This Lesbian Homage to Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' Is Exactly What You Need Right Now". The New York Observer. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
34. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2022.