#classic alternative

[weshallcleansetheworld]

Andy Rourke - R.I.P. - May 19, 2023

[dyefantasy01]

[toddrundgren-interactive]

Todd, cut and dyed for The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect 1983 photo by Lynn Goldsmith

[bleugarcon]

[listentothecountdown-blog]

2693. Tori Amos - ‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’ (1996)

Boys on my left side Boys on my right side Boys in the middle And you’re not here

from the album Boys For Pele

For an era that technically gave Tori Amos her biggest hit in the form of the ‘Professional Widow’ remix, Boys For Pele is a decidedly stranger prospect than her first two LPs. There are no ‘Cornflake Girl’ sequels here, and that shift away from anything you might call “radio-friendly” meant that the single choices on Pele are much less clear than they were on Little Earthquakes or Under The Pink. Today, the album could be dropped without a second thought given to what works on radio or the singles chart, but in the mid-nineties they had to at least try, leading to some truly odd tracks being highlighted. Case in point: Boys For Pele’s cryptic lead single, ‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’.

From the title onwards, ‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’ is near-impenetrable for the casual listener. Tori herself has said, however, that the track is about wanting to continue a failing relationship, no matter the cost, and from this starting point, the lyrics begin to unravel somewhat - the “lite sneeze” is the fleeting nature of a love that falls apart much quicker than expected, and the remainder of the song wrestles with the fallout (a reference to the Nine Inch Nails album Pretty Hate Machine has led many to assume the lyrics are about Trent Reznor). On the recording, Tori’s voice is raw, nearly cracking at several points, and it becomes obvious that even if us listeners cannot - or are not meant to - decipher the track completely, it remains closely personal to her.

'Caught A Lite Sneeze’ was the first song ever released for download on the internet, and coupled with a visually stunning (but suitably abstract) video, the single actually became, at the time, the biggest US hit of Tori’s career. This was perhaps a testament to the anticipation surrounding Boys For Pele, which would soon debut at number two on the album chart - proving that, when it came to Tori Amos, the intensity and mystery of ‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’ was exactly what audiences wanted.

‘Caught A Lite Sneeze’ music video:

Chart peaks: UK #20, AUS #51, US #60

Written by Richard Eric, 22/10/18

[hungryhungryterminator]

[periodically-vintage]

"Boasting the most fervid fans in the pop universe, Morrissey drew 2,500 starry-eyed acolytes to his April 27 in-store appearance at New York City's Tower Records." 

Spin. August 1994. 

Side note: I WAS THERE! I was on line all day (I was way up by Lafayette Street - that was one serious line), and just as I was inching up to the entrance, Morrissey lifts up a sign that simply says: "I'm sorry. I'm tired. Goodbye." That was a fun day.

[themusictrunk]

It wears me out, it wears me out.