This week’s featured artist, Fiona Apple, is one of my very favorite singer-songwriters… and I stress both halves of that phrase — she is extraordinarily talented as both a singer and a writer of songs. I think a lot of artists tend to excel at one more than the other, but I place her in the top ranks of both categories.
What I find most interesting is the impact she has had on me through just three studio albums, just 32 songs. I guess that’s all it takes when the albums are as good as hers. But still, 32 songs in 13 years just doesn’t seem right. Get thee to a piano, woman!
I believe her talent and her lack of productivity are intertwined, because the creation of art for her is not a pleasant process. She writes a lot about pain and heartbreak, generally in the first person. She has used her music to come to terms with everything from your basic breakup to being raped at age 12. I can see why she might not relish the process.
Today’s song is the final track on her debut album, Tidal. I have to thank my wife for introducing me to Apple’s music when this CD first came out. She heard ‘Shadowboxer’ on the radio and encouraged me to check it out. We figured the soulful voice belonged to a 45-year-old black woman and were shocked to see it was actually a stick-thin 18-year-old.
Tidal is probably my least favorite of her albums, but there are no losers in that race. The songs are universally strong and it has the added value of being the introduction to a wonderful new talent. ‘Carrion’ is a sultry number that showcased a couple of Apple’s strengths right off the bat — her theatrical vocals, as she performs much of the song in a sweet, seductive whisper; and her love of tempo changes. The dramatic chorus and Beatles-esque outro feel like a whole other song while remaining very much a part of this one.
What’s gone is gone and you can’t bring it back around
Won’t do no good to hold no searchlight
You can’t illuminate what time has anchored down
Oh Honey, I’ve gone away
Won’t do no good to sing no love song
No sound could simulate the presence of a man
Won’t do no good asking no questions
Your divination should acquaint you with the plan
Oh Honey, I’ve gone away
My feel for you, boy, is decaying in front of me
Like the carrion of a murdered prey
And all I want is to save you, honey
Or the strength to walk away
Won’t do no good to go no distance
The space between us is as boundless as the dark
Won’t do no good to throw no fist, babe
You can’t intimidate me back into your arms
Oh Honey, I’ve gone away
My feel for you, boy, is decaying in front of me
Like the carrion of a murdered prey
And all I want is to save you, honey
Or the strength to walk away
Meet Me In Montauk 
Very good song from her debut album. I’ve always been drawn to the chorus and the way the song ebbs and flows through that chorus.
I can’t say I am always in the mood to hear Apple, but, when I do hear her, I always find the experience rewarding. She is truly a talented songwriter.