Editing From the Choirgirl Hotel

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = From the Choirgirl Hotel
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Tori Amos]]
| cover      = FromTheChoirgirl.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = May 5, 1998
| recorded   = September 1997 – February 1998
| venue      =
| studio     = Martian Engineering, [[Cornwall]], England
| genre      = {{Flat list|
* [[Art rock]]<ref name="Hunter">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/from-the-choirgirl-hotel-19980416 |title=''From The Choirgirl Hotel'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 16, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Hunter |first=James}}</ref> 
* [[art pop]]<ref name="Hunter">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/from-the-choirgirl-hotel-19980416 |title=''From The Choirgirl Hotel'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 16, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Hunter |first=James}}</ref>
* [[trip hop]]<ref name="Vowell 127">{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ij4Wc-5krxYC&pg=PA127 |title=Original Sinner |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=14 |issue=6 |date=June 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Vowell |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Vowell |page=127}}</ref>
* [[techno]]<ref name="MusicHound Rock">{{cite book|first= Thor|last= Christensen|editor1-first= Gary |editor1-last= Graff |editor2-first= Daniel |editor2-last= Durchholz |year= 1998 |title= MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |chapter= Tori Amos|publisher= [[Visible Ink Press]] |location= Detroit |page= 26}}</ref>
* [[Industrial music|industrial]]<ref name="MusicHound Rock"/>
}} 
| length     = 54:11
| label      = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| producer   = [[Tori Amos]]
| prev_title = [[Boys for Pele]]
| prev_year  = 1996
| next_title = [[To Venus and Back]]
| next_year  = 1999
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = From the Choirgirl Hotel
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Spark (Tori Amos song)|Spark]]
 | single1date = April 20, 1998
 | single2     = [[Jackie's Strength]]
 | single2date = September 15, 1998
 | single3     = [[Cruel (Tori Amos song)|Cruel]]"/"[[Raspberry Swirl]]
 | single3date = November 24, 1998
}}
}}

'''''From the Choirgirl Hotel''''' (stylised in all lowercase) is the fourth studio album by American musician [[Tori Amos]]. It was released on May 5, 1998, on [[Atlantic Records]]. The album was Amos's first to be recorded at her own Martian Engineering Studios in Cornwall, England and was self produced, with the mixing being handled by longtime collaborators Marcel van Limbeek and Mark Hawley, whom she had married in early 1998.

In contrast with the sparse, minimalist sound of Amos's previous albums, ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' features a greater emphasis on full band arrangements. Additionally, the album sees Amos integrate elements of [[electronica]], [[trip hop]], and [[dance music]]. The album marks the first appearance of [[Matt Chamberlain]] on drums; he has gone on to contribute to the majority of Amos's albums ever since.

''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' was commercially and critically successful. It peaked at number 5 in the US, becoming Amos's second straight top ten album in her home country, and reached number 6 in the UK. "[[Spark (Tori Amos song)|Spark]]", the album's lead single, reached number 49 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]], her highest position on the chart. Two further singles—"[[Jackie's Strength]]" and "[[Raspberry Swirl]]" / "[[Cruel (Tori Amos song)|Cruel]]"—were released, with the former reaching the top of the US [[Dance Club Songs|Hot Dance Club Play]] chart. The album garnered two [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]] nominations – one for [[Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Performance]], and another for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance|Best Female Rock Vocal Performance]] (for "Raspberry Swirl"). Amos promoted the album with the "Plugged '98" tour, her first with a full band. Performances from the tour were included on the live disc of her next release, ''[[To Venus and Back]]''.

==Album description==
The album began recording in September 1997, with mastering complete by early February 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul98/articles/toriamos.html |title=MARK HAWLEY: Recording Tori Amos |access-date=May 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601225156/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul98/articles/toriamos.html |archive-date=June 1, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the trend set by 1996's ''[[Boys for Pele]]'', Amos allowed several songs from the album to be remixed. Remixes of both "Raspberry Swirl" and "Jackie's Strength" were club hits. The album's theme dealt very closely with the first two in Amos's series of three [[miscarriage]]s between 1996 and 1999.<ref>{{cite web | title =  Vital Tori article from She Magazine in the UK – December 2003 | url =http://www.thedent.com/more.php?id=A1096_0_1_0_M}}</ref>

Thematically and conceptually, the "choirgirl hotel" of the title refers to the fictional, imaginary place where the songs "live". Amos pointed out that although the songs are recorded, they are also alive themselves – they can be re-modeled and reshaped in concert. Amos imagined the songs as living their own lives, all checking into the "choirgirl hotel" (i.e., the album) but living separate lives. In the artwork, Amos included a hand-drawn map detailing the stomping ground of these songs.<ref>{{cite journal| title = Tori, British Airways Highlife Magazine |date=May 1998}}</ref>

The album artwork was created by the UK-based photographer, [[Katerina Jebb]]. The artwork features full-body color photocopies of Amos (in various couture outfits) as scanned by a human-sized photocopier.<ref>{{cite web| title =HEREINMYHEAD.COM – artistic expressions – katerina jebb profile| url =http://www.hereinmyhead.com/artimp/katerina/index.html| access-date =22 February 2007| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130521045222/http://www.hereinmyhead.com/artimp/katerina/index.html| archive-date =May 21, 2013}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1       = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score  = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/from-the-choirgirl-hotel-mw0000031539 |title=''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' – Tori Amos |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref>
| rev2       = ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''
| rev2Score  = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4443251.html |title=Tori Amos, 'from the choirgirl hotel' |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=April 30, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304114214/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4443251.html |archive-date=March 4, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev3       = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3Score  = B+<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/1998/05/04/choirgirl-hotel |title=''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=May 4, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist)}}</ref>
| rev4       = ''[[The Guardian]]''
| rev4Score  = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Tori Amos: ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' (eastwest) |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 1, 1998 |last=Sullivan |first=Caroline}}</ref>
| rev5       = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
| rev5Score  = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-03-ca-45751-story.html |title=A True Renegade Cavorts on Amos' 'Choirgirl Hotel' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 3, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Scribner |first=Sara |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304205624/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/may/03/entertainment/ca-45751 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev6       = ''[[NME]]''
| rev6Score  = 6/10<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101001017reviews.html |title=Tori Amos – ''Songs From The Choirgirl Hotel'' |journal=[[NME]] |date=May 2, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Segal |first=Victoria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001002073109/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101001017reviews.html |archive-date=October 2, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev7       = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev7Score  = 6.7/10<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/a/amos_tori/from-the-choirgirl-hotel.shtml |title=Tori Amos: ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=May 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Schreiber |first=Ryan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050317052111/http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/a/amos_tori/from-the-choirgirl-hotel.shtml |archive-date=March 17, 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev8       = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev8Score  = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Q">{{cite journal |title=Tori Amos: ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=141 |date=June 1998 |last=Aizlewood |first=John}}</ref>
| rev9       = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev9score  = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Hunter">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/from-the-choirgirl-hotel-19980416 |title=''From The Choirgirl Hotel'' |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 16, 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Hunter |first=James}}</ref>
| rev10      = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev10Score = 8/10<ref name="Vowell 127">{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ij4Wc-5krxYC&pg=PA127 |title=Original Sinner |journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |volume=14 |issue=6 |date=June 1998 |access-date=August 10, 2015 |last=Vowell |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Vowell |page=127}}</ref>
}}

"The kookiness isn't dominant, she's stopped the attention-seeking lyrics almost completely and, yes, her pianos don't try to be guitars too often," enthused John Aizlewood in ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''.<ref name="Q"/> "At last, she's putting the songs first, and the band-led ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' is, by any reasonable yardstick, a glorious coming of age."<ref name="Q"/>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing     = Tori Amos
| title1          = [[Spark (Tori Amos song)|Spark]]
| length1         = 4:13
| title2          = [[Cruel (Tori Amos song)|Cruel]]
| length2         = 4:07
| title3          = Black-Dove (January)
| length3         = 4:38
| title4          = [[Raspberry Swirl]]
| length4         = 3:58
| title5          = [[Jackie's Strength]]
| length5         = 4:26
| title6          = i i e e e
| length6         = 4:07
| title7          = Liquid Diamonds
| length7         = 6:21
| title8          = She's Your Cocaine
| length8         = 3:42
| title9          = Northern Lad
| length9         = 4:19
| title10         = Hotel
| length10        = 5:19
| title11         = Playboy Mommy
| length11        = 4:08
| title12         = Pandora's Aquarium
| length12        = 4:45
| title13         = Purple People
| note13          = Japanese edition bonus track
| length13        = 4:12
}}

'''Notes'''
*The track 'Merman' was released as a pre-order bonus track*

===B-sides===
Like Amos's previous Atlantic albums, several songs recorded during the ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' sessions were released as B-sides, and introduced into Amos's live performance repertoire. "Cooling," "Never Seen Blue," and "Beulah Land" were originally written and recorded for 1996's ''[[Boys for Pele]]'' album. Several tracks from a demo CD for the album leaked online in 2010, including "Violet's Eyes".<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/_LVkxX1Euq0 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180405201105/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LVkxX1Euq0 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LVkxX1Euq0 |title=Tori Amos – Violet's Eyes (demo) |via=YouTube |date=July 8, 2010 |access-date=17 February 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Parts of this song evolved into "Almost Rosey" and "Miracle" from 2007's ''[[American Doll Posse]]''.

{|class="wikitable"
! B-side title
! Single
|-
| "Purple People"
| rowspan="2"| "Spark" (1998) and Japanese edition bonus track of the album
|-
| "Bachelorette"
|-
| "[[Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas]]"
| "Spark" (UK CD1) (1998)
|-
| "[[Do It Again (Steely Dan song)|Do It Again]]"
| "Spark" (UK CD2) (1998)
|-
| "Cooling"
| "Spark" (UK CD2) (1998) (Recorded during ''[[Boys for Pele]]'' sessions)
|-
| "Never Seen Blue"
| rowspan="2"| "Jackie's Strength" (US) (1998) (Recorded during ''Boys for Pele'' sessions)
|-
| "Beulah Land"
|-
| "Merman"
| ''[[No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees]]'' (1998) and was released as a pre-order bonus track.
|-
| "Violet's Eyes"
| unreleased, leaked in 2010
|}

==Personnel==
* Tori Amos – [[Bösendorfer]] piano, keyboards, vocals
* [[Steve Caton]] – acoustic and electric guitar; mandolin on "Black-Dove (January)"
* [[George Porter Jr.]], [[Justin Meldal-Johnsen]] – bass guitar
* [[Matt Chamberlain]] – drums; marimba on "Cruel"
* Andy Gray – programming
with:
* Stewart Boyle – guitar on "Northern Lad"
* [[Willy Porter]] – guitar on "Playboy Mommy"
* [[Al Perkins]] – steel guitar on "Playboy Mommy"
* [[Sinfonia of London]] – on "Jackie's Strength", conducted by David Firman, strings arranged by [[John Philip Shenale]]

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Chart (1998)
! Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|8|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Austria|11|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|13|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardCanada|10|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|24|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|France|30|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|13|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|26|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|9|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|11|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|date=May 16, 1998}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|26|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|31|artist=Tori Amos|album=From the Choirgirl Hotel|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|UK|6|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|5|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
|-
! scope="row"|[[European Top 100 Albums|European Albums]] (''[[Music & Media|Eurotipsheet]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1998/MM-1998-05-23.pdf|title=European Hot 100 Albums|magazine=[[Music & Media|Eurotipsheet]]|volume=15|issue=21|date=23 May 1998|page=21|oclc=29800226|via=World Radio History}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|8
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Chart (1998)
! Position
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 23, 2021}}</ref>
| 148
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=From the Choirgirl Hotel|type=album|relyear=1998|certyear=1998|artist=Tori Amos|award=Gold}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=From the Choirgirl Hotel|type=album|relyear=1998|certyear=1998|artist=Tori Amos|award=Gold|id=2423-3036-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=From the Choirgirl Hotel|type=album|relyear=1998|certyear=1998|artist=Tori Amos|award=Platinum}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Tori Amos}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:From The Choirgirl Hotel}}
[[Category:1998 albums]]
[[Category:Tori Amos albums]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records albums]]
[[Category:Trip hop albums by American artists]]