Editing Professional Widow (section)

==Critical reception==
Scottish ''[[Aberdeen Press and Journal]]'' said "Professional Widow" as "excellent".<ref>''[[Aberdeen Press and Journal]]''. December 26, 1996. p. 8.</ref> 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]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-25-years-of-tori-amos-boys-for-pele|date=January 18, 2021|first=Justin|last=Chadwick|title=Tori Amos' 'Boys for Pele' Turns 25 — Anniversary Retrospective|publisher=Albumism|access-date=February 3, 2022}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web|first= Neil Z. |last= Yeung |title= Tori Amos – ''Boys for Pele'' |publisher= [[AllMusic]] |access-date= November 10, 2020 |url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/boys-for-pele-mw0000179033}}</ref> Paul Verna from ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' named it a "highlight" of the album, viewing it as "searing" and "groove-heavy".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Paul|last=Verna|title=Reviews & Previews: Albums|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-01-27.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121005851/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-01-27.pdf |archive-date=2021-01-21 |url-status=live|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=January 27, 1996|page=105|access-date=November 21, 2022}}</ref> The Daily Vault's Sean McCarthy felt it's one of the most "straightforward" songs of the album.<ref>{{cite web|first= Sean |last= McCarthy |title= ''Boys For Pele'' – Tori Amos |publisher= The Daily Vault |date= February 18, 2005 |access-date= November 20, 2020 |url= http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=2770}}</ref> Kevin Courtney from ''[[Irish Times]]'' declared it as "a mad [[Whirlpool|maelstrom]] of beats and harpsichord arpeggia, a sort of [[Portishead (band)|Portishead]] for the beaten generation".<ref>Courtney, Kevin (January 26, 1996). "Rock". ''[[Irish Times]]''.</ref> 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 (song)|Money for Nothing]]" as a [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] song, and the lady's sampled voice is just incidental to the handbag-heaving beat and bassline."<ref>Courtney, Kevin (January 10, 1997). "U2 go disco-tech". ''[[Irish Times]]''.</ref> 

Alan Jones from ''[[Music Week]]'' deemed the remix a "brilliant reworking"<ref>{{cite magazine|first= Alan |last= Jones |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-12-28.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-12-28.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live |title= Talking Music |magazine= [[Music Week]] |date= December 28, 1996 |page= 17 |access-date= October 7, 2021}}</ref> that was "as different from the rest of the album as chalk is from cheese".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Alan|last=Jones|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-02-08.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-02-08.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Talking Music|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=February 8, 1997|page=8|access-date=May 8, 2022}}</ref> Tim Jeffery from ''[[Record Mirror]]''{{'}}s Dance Update gave it five out of five, writing: "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."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-06-15.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-06-15.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|first=Tim|last=Jeffery|title=Hot Vinyl|magazine=[[Music Week]], in [[Record Mirror]] (Dance Update Supplemental Insert)|date=June 15, 1996|page=9|accessdate=August 22, 2021}}</ref> Cynthia Joyce from ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' noted that Amos' "penchant for abrupt endings and ad nauseam repetition; still surfaces on more experimental songs" like "Professional Widow".<ref>{{cite web|first= Cynthia |last= Joyce |title= AMOS 'N' RANDY |magazine= [[Salon (website)|Salon]] |access-date= August 9, 2020 |url= http://salon.com/05/reviews/tori.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000903024759/http://salon.com/05/reviews/tori.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 3, 2000 }}</ref> Kevin Newman from ''[[Smash Hits]]'' named it the best track of the album with "[[Caught a Lite Sneeze]]", describing it as "more-[[Björk]]-than-Björk".<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Kevin|last=Newman|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/53175030571/in/album-72177720311069342/|title=Albums: Best New Album|magazine=[[Smash Hits]]|date=January 31, 1996|page=53|access-date=November 29, 2024}}</ref> In 2014, ''[[Stereogum]]'' ranked the song number 10 on their list of the 10 greatest Tori Amos songs,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1686765/the-10-best-tori-amos-songs/lists/|title=The 10 Best Tori Amos Songs|first=Jonathan|last=Dick|website=[[Stereogum]]|date=June 18, 2014|accessdate=September 1, 2023}}</ref> ''[[Mixmag]]'' featured it in their list of the best basslines in dance music in 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/best-basslines-dance-music|title=The Best Basslines In Dance Music, According To You|magazine=[[Mixmag]]|date=May 7, 2020|access-date=October 16, 2024}}</ref> and in 2023, ''[[The Guardian]]'' ranked the song number five on their list of the 20 greatest Tori Amos songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/17/tori-amos-20-greatest-songs-ranked|title=Tori Amos's 20 greatest songs – ranked!|first=Alexis|last=Petridis|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=August 17, 2023|accessdate=September 1, 2023}}</ref> In 2022, ''[[Rolling Stone Australia Awards|Rolling Stone]]'' named the "Professional Widow" remix the 109th-greatest dance song.