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She should have back in the day. Grammys were once meant for rare talent and high standards. No longer, so it doesn’t matter anymore. “Unholy” got a Grammy for crying out loud. The artist options just aren’t there anymore, so it doesn’t take much these days.
@@rumblefish9 Seen her on that tour. Just her, no band. After the show, she was very gracious. Before entering her lemo. She had a nice little chat with our small group. She seemed so happy to living the dream. Witch made me love her more.
How can it POSSIBLY be 30 years later? That seems impossible. But I agree, it still blows my mind. She's in my opinion THE best lyricist of the 1900s. Is she known and recognized for her lyrics widely? No, she's not. And that's a crying shame.
Winter was the first Tori song I ever heard; back in the 90s as a teen I was captivated by the voice coming through the radio. I quickly hit record on the cassette player and captured as much as I could, then re-listened over and over, holding it close to my heart. Tori was “my own discover”, and I did not want to share her with anyone. My younger sister heard one day, and she too was swept away forever with love for Winter and all things Tori. 3 decades later, my sister is gone now 6 months and I am still playing this song, as swept away as ever. I hear her screaming through the void to me through Tori. 6 days after she died, my Father took me to the Tori concert that I had bought tickets to for my sister and I. I did not want to go, as my heart was destroyed and my mind full of watching her pass. As we walked to the venue from Dad’s car, I put my hand in his and asked him to tell me that everything was going to be alright. That I could raise her children alongside mine, that I could go on another day without my best friend. That maybe there was a chance that my sweet, broken sister could FINALLY love herself as much as we do. It was the most devastatingly beautiful show I’ve ever attended. Tori was incredible, and Dad and I quietly sat with hands clasped and tears soaking our faces as she sang this song to us. Your reaction brought me to more than tears. Thank you for this video.
I’m so sorry about your sister. What a beautiful story and bonding moment with your dad. I can’t imagine how tough it’s been for you. I remember feeling the same way when I first discovered Tori Amos. This video was on MTV and I sat staring at the screen in absolute awe. I’d never heard anything like her, and how she appeared to sing straight through me, directly to my soul. I wanted her to myself just like you. But I had to share her with my best friend Bridget because I knew she’d be the only person I knew on the earth who would appreciate her as much as I did. And so, she became ours together. Every time I went to see Tori live, Bridget was by my side, crying, laughing, going through all the emotions. In 2015 Bridget passed away in a tragic accident. It was the most devastating loss. Now, listening to Tori sing brings her spirit back to me and I can almost feel her sitting beside me, holding my hand, smiling. I love that music has this almost intangible thing having the ability supspend the universe and sort of surpass time and space. It brings such vivid images, memories and feelings to the surface, so much that it’s almost tangible.
The sadness in the song is that her father wants her to love and believe in herself as much as he does, while he knows that his ability to be there for her as she gets older and more independent will fade. She needs to be her own support, because he won't able to be there for her forever. Not sure, but I think the white horses are dreams. When she was young, they had not yet taken off, but at the end of the song, they had passed her by.
_"Not sure, but I think the white horses are dreams."_ I always thought the white horses were the the prince charming carriers. They're still at sleep, that means boys are still a distant concern for her dad, she's still his little princess girl. They passed by: the prince were maybe not that charming after all... Only my 2 cents ;-)
The song gains a deeper meaning knowing that her dad has always supported her dreams of being a musician. When she was younger... about 13 or 14... she wanted to play for people but the only ones that would offer her a job were gay bars. Her dad who is a minister btw would accompany her (since she was underage) to those bars just so his daughter could play.
White horses are the princes who will come to take her away from her father I think. Can't listen to this song since my father passed. Grew up in the UK and used to put my hand in my dad's glove when it was cold too. Wanted to grow up and marry him...he was always my prince. ❤ This song is truly heartbreaking 😢
When I first met Tori in Oct of 2001, I asked her if she would play Winter for me that night at the concert. She wrote it on her hand and played it for me that night. It meant and still means the world to me to this day. I had a very rocky relationship with my father, and I just lost him in January. This song always tears me to bits. She is my absolute favorite artist, and as a pianist I know how special she truly is. I loved watching you break this beautiful song down.
I met her in 2007 on ADP. I moved to the big city for art school. I gave her a book of my art, heavily inspired by 2 b-sides of hers. She couldn't play it that night but the next night in the next city she played them in the same set never done before or after on that tour. I love her soo much. I was walking around completely light-headed and giddy.
Sometimes her breaths are as chill inducing as her lyrics and vocal style. Some of those inhales felt like I was being pulled right through the screen.
YES!! One of my favorite Tori-isms. I swear, I could listen to a whole entire album of her playing piano and breathing in. Such an unearthly instrument.
As a kid I loved her music because it was beautiful and I related to the emotion in them. As a father of an adult daughter, this song just freakin' slays me now. Jesus.
There really is noone like Tori Amos, she is her own galaxy. Each song pulls you in, touches your heart and soul and tugs at your gut. You learn something new and feel something different each time you listen to her music. It's life changing.
Beautiful song ...if not her best its up there...tori amos has the title of THE MOST UNDERRATED ARTIST OF ALL TIME...she's truly the bollocks ..amazing composer/ singer and her genius is impeccable
I agree, but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I guess music is in the ear of the beholder too. So, it must take a "special" ear to really appreciate Tori's singing and piano playing. By some lucky quick of fate I just happen to be one of those people with a "special" ear. I feel sorry for people who do not have that "special" ear.
@@jaykellett2327 I feel the same way, we are lucky enough to get struck by Tori’s lightning and the poor souls who can’t see or feel it have been served an injustice in life.
She leaves so much space in this live version, space for you to step into the story and emotions and make them your own. Nothing is forced and her breathe becomes part of the experience.
Separate comment that may get overly long...to your point of this not being a 'happy song.' I've mostly always interpreted the song as generally bittersweet, being about being a young child who is ushered out into the wilderness by a supportive father, and as she grows older and starts becoming confused by feelings about boys, competing with girls, and beginning to lose that childhood magic and judging herself too harshly, her father encourages her to become independent while feeling distraught that she can't see herself as being as precious as her father sees her as being. But her lyrics in the song are admittedly a little more cryptic than that, and I can't believe that that is due to clumsy songwriting because Tori is not challenged at all to express herself clearly with words when she wants to. Even the introduction she gives here is a little "hmm," as she seems to be saying "so this is, um, for my dad," but if you listen carefully, it *really* sounds like she's saying "so this is, um, from my dad." (1:45) That's a little more curious than "for my dad," and if she really did say that, what exactly does that mean? How does it change the meaning of the song if the song is from him rather than for him? The most cryptic lyrics come at the end of the song. She sings: "You say, 'I always wanted you to be proud of me.' I always wanted that myself." What does that really mean? You (her father) says, "I always wanted you to be proud of me." So now the song is turned around from the father supporting his daughter to, at the end of his life (hair is gray and the fires are burning...) telling Tori he always wanted her to be proud of *him* whereas all of the song that precedes it is about him encouraging her to be strong and see the beauty in herself. Tori's response to him is, "I always wanted that myself." What does that mean? She always wanted him to be proud of her, as well? Or--how it reads literally--he says at the end of his life that he always wanted her to be proud of him, and she replied with, "Yeah, I always wanted to be proud of you myself." If the song ends that way, that's chilling. Tori's relationship with her father, especially when she was young, was very fraught. He was a charismatic Methodist minister and a Bible beater. He banned her favorite music--"devil music!"--from the house. He forced her to play piano at church functions. He took her to bars to play professionally when she was 12 years old. His mother was Tori's childhood enemy, calling Tori "wicked." Tori seems to have a lot of love for her father and also a lot of...less positive feelings about him. So I feel like this beautiful-sounding song may have a couple of sharp barbs in it. Tori's mother was a true saint to her, practically a living goddess, and I think her relationship with her father is a very different story. Every song Tori has written about her mother clearly communicates how much she revered her mother. The songs that refer to her father are never as straightforward or uncomplicated. -- Re "white horses" - I am pretty sure Tori has said at some point that white horses represent something like dreams or possibilities...in the beginning of the song, all the white horses are in bed--basically lying down, all potential energy, all the possibilities in the world were there with her as a child--and then in the end, hair is gray, so many dreams on the shelf, and the white horses have gone ahead. They're all out of the gate now. They're running or they've finished running. The beginning of the song is childhood, confronting the changes of adolescence and adulthood and looking forward, and the end of the song is looking backward, reflecting back at life and what they've missed along the way. Horses are one motif that comes up throughout Tori's entire music catalog. A LOT of Tori songs mention horses. The first time I got to interview her, I did a word association game and asked about a few of the terms she uses metaphorically and then just some other random words to see if I could gain some insight into some of the deeper meanings and how she thinks. One of the words was "horses": I said: She said... Doll: "Parts" Horses: "Lakota -- Native American" Geek: "Computers" Acrobat: "Nimble" iPod: "Porn" Dragon: "Warm" Digital: "Ghost" Britney Spears: "Fragmented" Librarian: "Complicated" American: "Searching"
I love this analysis so, so much! The song has melancholic undertones, I feel. I think that's why it's such an iconic performance - because it is complex and relatable.
If you ever find yourself with an hour to spare… the whole Live at Montreux ‘91 gig is absolutely enchanting and absolutely legendary. Every song. Crazy that she was the support act.
Thank you for presenting such a carefully considered reaction to this song. You mention her Yamaha keyboard here. You may be aware of this, but just in case you aren't, this was early in Tori's career, before she had the wealth and respect to produce music as she wanted to produce it. I think it was by the time she made her second solo album, Under the Pink, (the one with 'Icicle') Tori had purchased two Bosendorfer grand pianos--one for touring and one for home--with 97 keys/eight octaves, and her piano alone certainly fills a room. There are plenty of recorded later live performances of Winter on the Bosendorfer. (By the way, you may also be very interested to hear her song Bells for Her, played on a detuned old upright piano that was 'prepared' with "those Chinese meditation balls" rolled over the piano strings to create a haunting effect.) I will admit I am *a little* bummed that it seems so many people on RUclips react to this performance and nothing else. It's gorgeous and extraordinary in every way, and so it's understandable why this performance has stood out, but Tori's music is a whole genre of music unto itself. From the very beginning of her recording career, a lot of topical themes have remained consistent, but her presentation of them, her music, her vocalizations are some incredibly diverse, always outstanding and typically brilliant. I hope you'll dig more into her work. Winter and Icicle are both what in the 90s was too often dismissed as "girl and a piano songs," and I love-love-love them, but they only scratch the surface of her musical talents and her insightful brilliance. With her recent album Native Invader, I like to think that Tori finally "came out" as a wise woman/shaman of sorts, but she's always been a very wise woman and no one who gives her music their careful attention ever regrets it.
Tori has said that the horses were her dreams (ambitions). She sings about them again in Beauty Queen/Horses. It's the beginning of Boys for Pele and opens with the sound of a Leslie cabinet being turned on (I think I named that correctly) and a single note played slowly & repeatedly.
someone i dearly loved introduced me to Tori Amos many years ago, and since she died, i've thought of her as i've listened to this album, particularly Horses. her name was Leslie. i didn't know about this connection before i read your comment. thank you. i'll never forget this.
If you listen to a lot of Tori, you'll pretty much give up trying to interpret the literal meaning of her lyrics. Many have significance only to her, and you're just along for the ride. And what a wonderful ride it is.
Lots of words you used! Positively you fell in Love in 90 seconds and it shows. Full respect! I am a Classically trained pianist and was lucky in life to have studied Jazz .where the chord structure and understanding it is the high pin of improvising . So I got where you analyzed that. The thing about Tori is she makes magic with her music and that is what you were drawn in to and that is what made you so emotional!! I did click the subscribe bottom so I will hear more of your analysis of various things. Did make me f flash on a phrase I use when people ask what music I like. I often say things like "I studied the music of Bach." Well Tori is like that "study". You catch magic right on but to understand it you need to listen and think/analyze a lot deeper. Her body of work informs itself. Keep listening. I am sure you will see how she has a unique system of poetry and one metaphor informs another across the body of her work. and one chord progression leads to throwing in a wild card on another song. Tori is an artist worth "studying" in so so many ways and , for me... that has made me a better musician/ singer/ poet. But the real message is once you fall in love... you want to keep spending more time with that person.. I am always drawn to listening to Tori's music.
For me..this song was like the loss of innocence..as we go from wide eyed child to an adult..about how hard it is to get older..and how much you can lose along the way..she has such a way of making melancholy sadness so beautiful...
I love seeing your reaction to this stunning performance and song. She’s one of my favorite artists ever. And so many people don’t know her and it blows my mind! She’s a true artist
I didn't have a good relationship with my dad. He was neglectful, never there when I needed him, though I desperately loved him. I felt betrayed and grew to hate him over time. This song was like a dagger in the heart for me at 13 years old. I grew up loving Tori's music and this song has always been very hard for me to listen to. I can't without crying. Her music saved my life on more than 1 occasion in my teenage years, and I owe her a great debt. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Same. I had a good relationship with my dad and this song wrecks me. My struggle is with my mom. For me- China is my mom. Tori is not of this world. She speaks right to your soul.
There are different ways to relate to this once you get past that painful realisation or reminder of all the love and care you were denied as a child. Especially when she sings about failing to love herself despite all the love she received, it's hard to relate. But her story is shared so you can experience it vicariously through her art and make it part of your own experience. It can be an effective exercise in self-parenting through self -compassion and a lot of imagination. Much like reading a book.
Thank you for that. This has been my favorite song since I was 15 (a while ago). Over the years I've been avoiding listening to it to not wear it out, and only play it when the timing allowed me to actually "feel it". It means too much for me to just play it in the background, and it's been some years since I've been able to listen to it. I guess the timing was right, and I caught your video and was back in my core world again. Your digging into the elements of the music and analysis helped my pause in this moment. Honestly, Thank you.
About the Yamaha piano - this was actually recorded before Tori released her first solo album, at a music festival in Switzerland in the summer of 1991. She was completely unknown at the time, and she was opening for another act (The Moody Blues), so presumably she used whatever piano the festival arranged for her. This is most likely one of the first times this song were ever performed in front of an audience. She played the same festival the next year, in 1992, after Little Earthquakes had been released and she had had a bit of success. At that show she played a Steinway grand piano, neatly showing how far she had come by then. These early festival dates were mostly forgotten until 2008 when both shows were released as a DVD/CD set (now also available on BluRay) as part of the “Live at Montreux” series of live releases from that festival. It’s basically the only HD footage around from Tori’s early career. As someone mentioned, she’s been playing Bösendorfer grand pianos since recording her second album in 1993. She has an official relationship with Bösendorfer, and is one of their “official” artists.
As a father, you offer warmth and safety to your daughter, but you recognize that the comfort you provide is transient, much like the changing seasons. The melancholy lies in acknowledging that we must release our beloved children into the harsh realities of life. While I wish to keep you close always, I understand that you must pursue your dreams. I just hope you love you as much as I do.
Somehow your emotional reaction and competent analysis enhanced the intense amount of feelings that are already in this song (which I already loved) and performance (which I hadn't seen before). Thank you for a wonderful video.
It is indeed one of the most beautiful performances ever. I'm so impressed how you learned the entire song so quickly just by listening to it! Keep doing these Tori reactions! Fun fact she taught herself piano at age 2 and could reproduce songs she had only heard once, she started composing at age 3, and at age 5 she was the youngest student ever admitted into the Peabody Conservatory, but lost the scholarship when she was 11 because of her interest in pop and rock music and dislike of sheet music...I love her so much.
Instant sub from me...Your detailed analysis of E flat minor was enough to hook me in. (Yes, it is a sad but comforting sound) Looking forward to seeing more of your videos mate. Shalom from Israel. ✌️🖖
OMG! THANK YOU!!! I've heard this song hundreds of times during the last 25 years or so, since I first heard Tori in my teens and fell in love with her instantly. Anyway, "Winter" had become for me just one of those favorite pieces of music from the past, so familiar that I no longer paid much attention when it was on. I probably heard this particular live version as well, but thanks to your video, I truly listened to the song again, and it brought me to real tears. Not because of any memories associated with it, though I have plenty; she simply pulled me deep into her story as if I listened to it for the first time. I didn't expect it at all, but yeah, she did it again! Actually, she did bring one specific memory: this show of her ("American Dol Posse Tour) I attended in Madison Square Garden more than a decade ago, and how her voice soared filling the entire space of that gigantic concert hall. So far, it was my only Tori show I experienced, and those emotions were undiscibable. I stumbled upon your channel by accident, and I'm very grateful to YT algorytm for that. And to you for your insights, your knowledge on music, and the passion you convey it with. I'm surely going to explore your channel, and it looks like I might become a frequent guest. Thank you again.
P.S. Getting into Tori's poetry can be very, very tricky. "Winter" is actually pretty easy to interpret, as most songs from her debiut album. To see her more signature poetic side, I strongly recommend the third one - "Boys for Pele". It's brilliantly mind-blowing madness both in terms of music (the harpsichord and all those strings and French horns and much more, accompanying her beloved grand Bösendorfer) and the way the stories are told. (Let me just say that it has nothing to do with that famous soccer player. Pele is this Hawaiian volcano goddess whose followers used to worship with human sacrifices - by throwing young men into the burning lava, to be precise 🙂).
This performance in my opinion is the best one. The emotion Tori brought out is unbelievable. Her vocals and piano were perfectly executed with precision unmatched. Truly just rips into every fiber inside yourself that you literally feel like crying tears filled with pain of knowing life changes and will pass by with a blink of an eye. This song and performance accomplished the awakening of the little things and bigger things in life. Embrace it and don’t let it go.
The best term to describe Tori Amos is "artist". She has a form of synethesia and her brain interprets sounds visually. So with every song, every choice of phrasing/dynamics, she's literally painting a picture.
Tori Amos is such a special and captivating woman. A true phenomenal artist and I'm so happy you did this song. Really touching and beautiful. Keep up the good work! 💪🏻🇳🇱🎸🤘🏻
Love your reactions John - no idea how many times I've already seen this on Patreon, but it's a lot! Always thoughtful, always impressive knowledge or skill - you know I enjoy most when you break out the piano. Great that you're going to see Tori live - something I've never done to my shame.
I couldn't click on this video fast enough. When you reacted to Icicle, I immediately thought of this live version of Winter. As for the interpretation of the song, I've imagined a father trying to get his little girl to believe in herself, because he wasn't always going to be there for her. The white horses going ahead at the end of the song, to me, was her dad passing on. I know she has said the meaning of this song has shifted throughout her life. I guess that is the mark of great songwriting, it can mean many things to many people, even the composer. I had the opportunity to see her live a few months back, and it was mesmerizing. I hope it's just as great when you get to see her.
I’ve been meaning to suggest this one to you so I was ecstatic when I saw this video come up. It is an amazing, captivating performance. I just can’t look away every time I see it. Thanks!
I’ve been a huge fan since 92. I’m 52 now. She challenged all of the industry back in the day. Especially men in the music business. She still does. Her recent book, “Resistance”, tells it all, but she’s been singing about it since this video was shot all the way till the present day. Her passion to make change for women all over the world is what drives her and music has always been her vehicle. That’s why it’s so powerful. Great video and analysis. Thank you.😊
I love how speechless you were at this performance. I have always loved this version live at the Montreux. I was obsessed with this for years definitely a spiritual experience listening/watching her perform live🙌🏽🙌🏽 Enjoyed your reaction and take on it!!
The line "When you gonna love you as much as I do?" I might not have this entirely correct - I read it some time ago in an interview with her - but I believe that line was inspired by something her dad said to her when he picked her up from a gig one night when she was still very young. She was feeling depressed and down, feeling stuck, and he said something along the lines of, "Tori Ellen, [she was born Myra Ellen] when are you going to see yourself as I do?" She was a child prodigy, and attended Peabody, but was dismissed or dropped out because she didn't like to read, preferring to play by ear and improvise. If I'm not mistaken, she's the youngest person ever to have been accepted there, too (she was five). Anyway, afterwards, her and her dad would drive around looking for bars that would give her a shot at playing, assuring the managers and whatever personnel they were speaking with that she was good, and most all turned their noses up, "Like, yeah, right. Try someplace else, little girl." But not the gay bars. The gay bars were the first ones to say, "Well, come on in, honey, let's see what you've got." I don't know if that's a testament to an otherness they recognised in her or what, but it's a fact. She is remarkable. Her story is a fascinating one, and I have loved her since "Little Earthquakes", the album featuring this song, came out. I think you can see very clearly why.
Tori really knows how to tug them heart strings, doesn't she? That entire album (Little Earthquakes) is beyond belief - songwriting, playing, lyrics, vocals... I've heard her do this on her favourite Bösendorfer, and that's something to behold truly. Goosebumps a mile high.
Ah, what a song…and great analysis. Little Earthquakes will always be one of my favourite albums of all time, along with Boys For Pele (on that one, she rocks a harpsichord- it is freaking glorious). There seems to have been a point in her later albums when they started editing out her breathing from the songs and it’s a shame because her breath is so much a part of it. The woman is just other-worldly, truly…
Fantastic. I remember being one of the blokes in the comments asking for this one. I was not disappointed! It’s nice to see people affected by this the same way I am. Just a gorgeous and timeless piece of music.
You can see at the end of this, just like most of us who has fallen in love with Tori. JW is there with the rest of us. Her talent and charisma is off the charts. Her expressions, her breathing, her changes in pitch. All used to make you feel the emotions she wants to share. A goddess of music (and beauty).
Thanks for this. I've been a Tori Amos fan for several decades; I think I 'discovered' her when I lived in Australia in the 90s; though I've never listened to her as analytically and insightfully as you just did. It was a joy to see you 'find' this and to shed new light on a song that I've heard many times but perhaps not truly listened to. I'm inspired to go through Little Earthquakes again. And I loved watching you explore the music on your own ivories. Hats off to all sight readers. As a modest guitarist with some keyboard familiarity I have some appreciation of what Tori Amos did and you analysed. Crikey; so many tricky black notes!
I like watching Tori Amos reactions because it's like when I first watched her in 1997 and came away emotionally smacked in my soul... She's been my favorite musician since I was 16/17. I'm 42 now. Beautiful human.
I love these Tori reactions. It’s so validating to me to see that I’m not alone in my awe of her. She’s incredible and so hard to put into words when I try to describe her to people. Thank you for sharing your experiences getting to know Tori ❤
also noticeable that she actually create art with her breathing rather than just breath well in between, by staying so close to the mic. I haven't seen that from other artists.
This is Tori's most underrated song. Thank you for loving it as much as I do. As a daughter, I longed for my father to love me. This hits so deeply. Always the flower competing for the sun.
Huge Tori fan here! Been a fan since 99, though I feel like she was in my periphery since her first album, I just had to mature enough to get her. I bought her Boys For Pele album in 97 and was freaked out by it, but just 3 yrs later it became my favorite album, still is pretty much. Just want to say I’ve subscribed based on your Tori reactions alone! I love that you’re discovering her brilliance and falling in love with her music and her as a person. Please do more! I love the music analysis too, and even though I don’t necessarily have the music education or notes, I seem to get what you’re saying and demonstrating. ❤❤❤
I loved your insight here. Such an emotionally charged song, for me; it was not so much sad as bittersweet: the 'thawing' of a young woman from childhood into adulthood, an 'awakening' sorrowfully greeted by a knowing and loving father... it is a 'separation' that must happen, but not necessarily for the worse....
I love to see first reactions from men listening to her music. She's been amazing for the entire 30 or so years of her career. 18 studio albums in, and I'm still hooked. Please listen to each of her albums, in order, and the live ones, see her in person once, she's magic.
I just keep coming back and watching you watch her... I love that you appreciate her so much (like so many of us have). It just great to know others love her like me.
Thank you so much for this, it really made me see the song anew. I've heard it over and over for the past 20 years, and it's definitely a song that ages with you. The sadness and awkwardness of growing up, and then realizing that your parents are doing the same, is an incredible emotion to capture in a song. Your breakdown hit me like a truck in the best way.
To me, winter in the song represents childhood. As she gets older things change and new things are noticed and developed- especially when she says "boys get discovered as winter melts". Her childhood is melting away and she is becoming independent and is growing up but still wants someone with her like her father. She's not ready to let go just yet and has things to figure out. Going into the song again thinking of it as childhood I feel makes all of the metaphors and analogies make sense. This is a song of hers I can understand and can relate to and I love it.
You made me cry watching your reaction.... This is my daughters and my song.... I took her to see Tori for her first concert when she was 11....was the same year as this performance.
Conheci Tori Amos ha mais de 20 anos. Hoje, tenho 34. Me lembro a primeira vez que vi esta música, esta apresentação aqui no RUclips. Chorei como uma criança. Me emociona! Toca minha alma e minhas emoções de forma pura e profunda. Gostaria de ver Tori Amos ao vivo aqui no Brasil ❤
I think the white horses just represent her childhood. An image of a fairy tale. And finally they left. She is talking about not getting to achieve what she set out to achieve, or what her father was asking her to achieve.
I spent an entire evening watching this performance on repeat, and found it really moving . Watching you react to it, just as I did was quite emotional.
this is really a reaction video.🥰 thank you for your warm appreciation. tori amos, i have loved her art for so long, is a very special artist in the soundtrack of my life..🎼🎹🎵
I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times. You’re the first I’ve heard ask what piano she plays. She typically plays a Bosendorfer (gives a bigger range of keys). But now I’m watching this video to see if that what’s she’s playing. I get your point that the bass level could be stronger, even though I think this performance is perfection. But I liked that perspective from you.
Sigo a Tori desde siempre. Ha tocado mi corazon y mis mas profundas emociones. Gracias por este Analisis/Reaccion. me ha gustado mucho. Saludos cordiales desde Argentina
Seen her live twice in London. I wish I’d seen her more because the number of classic songs she has written could fill a fortnight’s worth of concerts. I got lucky and she played Yes Anastasia the first concert (in my top 3 Tori songs of all time), and she played another of my favourites called Honey the second time. Honey was a B side on the single of Pretty Good Year, which was a double CD single. Honey is one of the most melancholy songs I’ve ever heard but it hit me like a truck when I first heard it because I had just split up with the first girl I ever really loved. I was 19 and hearing Honey for the first time opened up the floodgates of emotion I don’t think more than 2 or 3 songs ever have in my whole life. To think she has so much talent that this song was left off Under Th Pink and is nothing but the B side of a single/short EP - (when it would be the pinnacle of a lesser songwriters career) is a testament to the beauty of her unique talent.
A very real musical journey and reaction recommendation would be Yes Anastasia. A true major work in my opinion. Incredibly powerful song that reveals all her genius in so many different ways. Composition, arrangement, production, piano playing and her voice in its own realm. A true must. BTY, great analysis of her work.
JW, happy to sub, awesome reaction vid. Tori changed my life the first time i heard Silent All These Years.(Album purchased from Colombia House back in '92.) Been a fan since. If you haven't heard/watched her do "Butterfly" and "Here, In My Head", you're doing yourself a disservice. Keep up the good work, sir!
Breathtaking.. thanks for your video and words. This song is for my dad as well and I have been a Tori Follower since over 25 years and this songs touches me over again and again because my dad died 15 years ago. Every concert I am part of I hope for this song. I have to cry every time. thanks for your video! It was touching!
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Tori is a phenomenal performer and virtuoso Pianist and Singer/Songwriter. It's criminal that she's never won a Grammy.
Are Grammys still the Gold Standard? I think not. Valid point though.
She should have back in the day. Grammys were once meant for rare talent and high standards. No longer, so it doesn’t matter anymore. “Unholy” got a Grammy for crying out loud. The artist options just aren’t there anymore, so it doesn’t take much these days.
Under the Pink should have won
@@rumblefish9 Seen her on that tour. Just her, no band. After the show, she was very gracious. Before entering her lemo. She had a nice little chat with our small group. She seemed so happy to living the dream. Witch made me love her more.
Those awards are just popularity contests
30 years later it stills blows my mind.
She's truly amazing.
How can it POSSIBLY be 30 years later? That seems impossible. But I agree, it still blows my mind. She's in my opinion THE best lyricist of the 1900s. Is she known and recognized for her lyrics widely? No, she's not. And that's a crying shame.
Winter was the first Tori song I ever heard; back in the 90s as a teen I was captivated by the voice coming through the radio. I quickly hit record on the cassette player and captured as much as I could, then re-listened over and over, holding it close to my heart.
Tori was “my own discover”, and I did not want to share her with anyone.
My younger sister heard one day, and she too was swept away forever with love for Winter and all things Tori.
3 decades later, my sister is gone now 6 months and I am still playing this song, as swept away as ever. I hear her screaming through the void to me through Tori.
6 days after she died, my Father took me to the Tori concert that I had bought tickets to for my sister and I. I did not want to go, as my heart was destroyed and my mind full of watching her pass.
As we walked to the venue from Dad’s car, I put my hand in his and asked him to tell me that everything was going to be alright. That I could raise her children alongside mine, that I could go on another day without my best friend. That maybe there was a chance that my sweet, broken sister could FINALLY love herself as much as we do.
It was the most devastatingly beautiful show I’ve ever attended. Tori was incredible, and Dad and I quietly sat with hands clasped and tears soaking our faces as she sang this song to us.
Your reaction brought me to more than tears. Thank you for this video.
I’m so sorry about your sister. What a beautiful story and bonding moment with your dad. I can’t imagine how tough it’s been for you. I remember feeling the same way when I first discovered Tori Amos. This video was on MTV and I sat staring at the screen in absolute awe. I’d never heard anything like her, and how she appeared to sing straight through me, directly to my soul. I wanted her to myself just like you. But I had to share her with my best friend Bridget because I knew she’d be the only person I knew on the earth who would appreciate her as much as I did. And so, she became ours together. Every time I went to see Tori live, Bridget was by my side, crying, laughing, going through all the emotions. In 2015 Bridget passed away in a tragic accident. It was the most devastating loss. Now, listening to Tori sing brings her spirit back to me and I can almost feel her sitting beside me, holding my hand, smiling. I love that music has this almost intangible thing having the ability supspend the universe and sort of surpass time and space. It brings such vivid images, memories and feelings to the surface, so much that it’s almost tangible.
The sadness in the song is that her father wants her to love and believe in herself as much as he does, while he knows that his ability to be there for her as she gets older and more independent will fade. She needs to be her own support, because he won't able to be there for her forever. Not sure, but I think the white horses are dreams. When she was young, they had not yet taken off, but at the end of the song, they had passed her by.
_"Not sure, but I think the white horses are dreams."_ I always thought the white horses were the the prince charming carriers. They're still at sleep, that means boys are still a distant concern for her dad, she's still his little princess girl. They passed by: the prince were maybe not that charming after all... Only my 2 cents ;-)
Perfect interpretation. Tori herself once said in an interview that the white horses do indeed symbolize aspirations.
The song gains a deeper meaning knowing that her dad has always supported her dreams of being a musician. When she was younger... about 13 or 14... she wanted to play for people but the only ones that would offer her a job were gay bars. Her dad who is a minister btw would accompany her (since she was underage) to those bars just so his daughter could play.
White horses are the princes who will come to take her away from her father I think.
Can't listen to this song since my father passed.
Grew up in the UK and used to put my hand in my dad's glove when it was cold too.
Wanted to grow up and marry him...he was always my prince. ❤
This song is truly heartbreaking 😢
She said the wild horses are her dreams. @@pianissimo369
When I first met Tori in Oct of 2001, I asked her if she would play Winter for me that night at the concert. She wrote it on her hand and played it for me that night. It meant and still means the world to me to this day. I had a very rocky relationship with my father, and I just lost him in January. This song always tears me to bits. She is my absolute favorite artist, and as a pianist I know how special she truly is. I loved watching you break this beautiful song down.
I met her in 2007 on ADP. I moved to the big city for art school. I gave her a book of my art, heavily inspired by 2 b-sides of hers. She couldn't play it that night but the next night in the next city she played them in the same set never done before or after on that tour. I love her soo much. I was walking around completely light-headed and giddy.
Sometimes her breaths are as chill inducing as her lyrics and vocal style. Some of those inhales felt like I was being pulled right through the screen.
YES!! One of my favorite Tori-isms. I swear, I could listen to a whole entire album of her playing piano and breathing in. Such an unearthly instrument.
She leaves spaces for us to insert ourselves. She is so much more than a musician. This woman is emotion.
As a kid I loved her music because it was beautiful and I related to the emotion in them. As a father of an adult daughter, this song just freakin' slays me now. Jesus.
As an adult daughter of an aging father, this song cuts both ways. Cheers man.
I am also an adult daughter. This song will never not bring me to tears. So beautiful.
Love you, Dad.
goddamn. It slayed me when I was 20yo and single, now my daughter is that age I can't listen to it without melting into a puddle.
This is almost the exact response I wrote on someone else's response to this song.
Holy shit man, they don't need to be an adult for this to hit hard.
There really is noone like Tori Amos, she is her own galaxy. Each song pulls you in, touches your heart and soul and tugs at your gut. You learn something new and feel something different each time you listen to her music. It's life changing.
Absolutely agree
Is she not in Kate Bush's galaxy, with her own style and talents? That may be why she get awarded less than she should be on merit.
One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Even more powerful live.
Beautiful song ...if not her best its up there...tori amos has the title of THE MOST UNDERRATED ARTIST OF ALL TIME...she's truly the bollocks ..amazing composer/ singer and her genius is impeccable
I agree, but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I guess music is in the ear of the beholder too. So, it must take a "special" ear to really appreciate Tori's singing and piano playing. By some lucky quick of fate I just happen to be one of those people with a "special" ear. I feel sorry for people who do not have that "special" ear.
@Jay Kellett hi Jay.. I never thought of it like that...I couldn't put it any better..we are blessed with our special ears x..we're the lucky one's...
Absolutely agree, she's mega talented, the only one of two singers that sends shivers down my spine. (Floor Jansen the other one).
@@jaykellett2327 I feel the same way, we are lucky enough to get struck by Tori’s lightning and the poor souls who can’t see or feel it have been served an injustice in life.
She leaves so much space in this live version, space for you to step into the story and emotions and make them your own. Nothing is forced and her breathe becomes part of the experience.
..space...or...t o r i
Little Earthquakes is one of the best debut albums I've ever heard. And Winter is just..... magnificent. Magnificent songwriting story telling.
Separate comment that may get overly long...to your point of this not being a 'happy song.' I've mostly always interpreted the song as generally bittersweet, being about being a young child who is ushered out into the wilderness by a supportive father, and as she grows older and starts becoming confused by feelings about boys, competing with girls, and beginning to lose that childhood magic and judging herself too harshly, her father encourages her to become independent while feeling distraught that she can't see herself as being as precious as her father sees her as being.
But her lyrics in the song are admittedly a little more cryptic than that, and I can't believe that that is due to clumsy songwriting because Tori is not challenged at all to express herself clearly with words when she wants to. Even the introduction she gives here is a little "hmm," as she seems to be saying "so this is, um, for my dad," but if you listen carefully, it *really* sounds like she's saying "so this is, um, from my dad." (1:45) That's a little more curious than "for my dad," and if she really did say that, what exactly does that mean? How does it change the meaning of the song if the song is from him rather than for him?
The most cryptic lyrics come at the end of the song. She sings:
"You say, 'I always wanted you to be proud of me.' I always wanted that myself."
What does that really mean?
You (her father) says, "I always wanted you to be proud of me." So now the song is turned around from the father supporting his daughter to, at the end of his life (hair is gray and the fires are burning...) telling Tori he always wanted her to be proud of *him* whereas all of the song that precedes it is about him encouraging her to be strong and see the beauty in herself.
Tori's response to him is, "I always wanted that myself." What does that mean? She always wanted him to be proud of her, as well? Or--how it reads literally--he says at the end of his life that he always wanted her to be proud of him, and she replied with, "Yeah, I always wanted to be proud of you myself." If the song ends that way, that's chilling.
Tori's relationship with her father, especially when she was young, was very fraught. He was a charismatic Methodist minister and a Bible beater. He banned her favorite music--"devil music!"--from the house. He forced her to play piano at church functions. He took her to bars to play professionally when she was 12 years old. His mother was Tori's childhood enemy, calling Tori "wicked." Tori seems to have a lot of love for her father and also a lot of...less positive feelings about him. So I feel like this beautiful-sounding song may have a couple of sharp barbs in it. Tori's mother was a true saint to her, practically a living goddess, and I think her relationship with her father is a very different story. Every song Tori has written about her mother clearly communicates how much she revered her mother. The songs that refer to her father are never as straightforward or uncomplicated.
--
Re "white horses" - I am pretty sure Tori has said at some point that white horses represent something like dreams or possibilities...in the beginning of the song, all the white horses are in bed--basically lying down, all potential energy, all the possibilities in the world were there with her as a child--and then in the end, hair is gray, so many dreams on the shelf, and the white horses have gone ahead. They're all out of the gate now. They're running or they've finished running. The beginning of the song is childhood, confronting the changes of adolescence and adulthood and looking forward, and the end of the song is looking backward, reflecting back at life and what they've missed along the way.
Horses are one motif that comes up throughout Tori's entire music catalog. A LOT of Tori songs mention horses.
The first time I got to interview her, I did a word association game and asked about a few of the terms she uses metaphorically and then just some other random words to see if I could gain some insight into some of the deeper meanings and how she thinks. One of the words was "horses":
I said: She said...
Doll: "Parts"
Horses: "Lakota -- Native American"
Geek: "Computers"
Acrobat: "Nimble"
iPod: "Porn"
Dragon: "Warm"
Digital: "Ghost"
Britney Spears: "Fragmented"
Librarian: "Complicated"
American: "Searching"
Thank you-very enlightening!
I love this analysis so, so much! The song has melancholic undertones, I feel. I think that's why it's such an iconic performance - because it is complex and relatable.
I’m really glad I watched this video (and subscribed!) and particularly glad that I found this comment. Thank you both.
Bingo
If you ever find yourself with an hour to spare… the whole Live at Montreux ‘91 gig is absolutely enchanting and absolutely legendary. Every song. Crazy that she was the support act.
I've listened to this song over a hundred times and, NEVER without tears!!!
Absolutely one of the most magical songs written ❤
That song is a caress to the soul.
Thank you for presenting such a carefully considered reaction to this song.
You mention her Yamaha keyboard here. You may be aware of this, but just in case you aren't, this was early in Tori's career, before she had the wealth and respect to produce music as she wanted to produce it. I think it was by the time she made her second solo album, Under the Pink, (the one with 'Icicle') Tori had purchased two Bosendorfer grand pianos--one for touring and one for home--with 97 keys/eight octaves, and her piano alone certainly fills a room. There are plenty of recorded later live performances of Winter on the Bosendorfer.
(By the way, you may also be very interested to hear her song Bells for Her, played on a detuned old upright piano that was 'prepared' with "those Chinese meditation balls" rolled over the piano strings to create a haunting effect.)
I will admit I am *a little* bummed that it seems so many people on RUclips react to this performance and nothing else. It's gorgeous and extraordinary in every way, and so it's understandable why this performance has stood out, but Tori's music is a whole genre of music unto itself. From the very beginning of her recording career, a lot of topical themes have remained consistent, but her presentation of them, her music, her vocalizations are some incredibly diverse, always outstanding and typically brilliant.
I hope you'll dig more into her work. Winter and Icicle are both what in the 90s was too often dismissed as "girl and a piano songs," and I love-love-love them, but they only scratch the surface of her musical talents and her insightful brilliance.
With her recent album Native Invader, I like to think that Tori finally "came out" as a wise woman/shaman of sorts, but she's always been a very wise woman and no one who gives her music their careful attention ever regrets it.
I believe that Bosendorfer sponsored her after LE.
💯💯💯💯♥️
BEST comment ❤❤❤
Why you write so much? Zzz
Tori has said that the horses were her dreams (ambitions). She sings about them again in Beauty Queen/Horses. It's the beginning of Boys for Pele and opens with the sound of a Leslie cabinet being turned on (I think I named that correctly) and a single note played slowly & repeatedly.
someone i dearly loved introduced me to Tori Amos many years ago, and since she died, i've thought of her as i've listened to this album, particularly Horses. her name was Leslie. i didn't know about this connection before i read your comment. thank you. i'll never forget this.
If you listen to a lot of Tori, you'll pretty much give up trying to interpret the literal meaning of her lyrics. Many have significance only to her, and you're just along for the ride. And what a wonderful ride it is.
Lots of words you used! Positively you fell in Love in 90 seconds and it shows. Full respect! I am a Classically trained pianist and was lucky in life to have studied Jazz .where the chord structure and understanding it is the high pin of improvising . So I got where you analyzed that. The thing about Tori is she makes magic with her music and that is what you were drawn in to and that is what made you so emotional!! I did click the subscribe bottom so I will hear more of your analysis of various things. Did make me f flash on a phrase I use when people ask what music I like. I often say things like "I studied the music of Bach." Well Tori is like that "study". You catch magic right on but to understand it you need to listen and think/analyze a lot deeper. Her body of work informs itself. Keep listening. I am sure you will see how she has a unique system of poetry and one metaphor informs another across the body of her work. and one chord progression leads to throwing in a wild card on another song. Tori is an artist worth "studying" in so so many ways and , for me... that has made me a better musician/ singer/ poet. But the real message is once you fall in love... you want to keep spending more time with that person.. I am always drawn to listening to Tori's music.
For me..this song was like the loss of innocence..as we go from wide eyed child to an adult..about how hard it is to get older..and how much you can lose along the way..she has such a way of making melancholy sadness so beautiful...
I love seeing your reaction to this stunning performance and song. She’s one of my favorite artists ever. And so many people don’t know her and it blows my mind! She’s a true artist
I didn't have a good relationship with my dad. He was neglectful, never there when I needed him, though I desperately loved him. I felt betrayed and grew to hate him over time. This song was like a dagger in the heart for me at 13 years old. I grew up loving Tori's music and this song has always been very hard for me to listen to. I can't without crying. Her music saved my life on more than 1 occasion in my teenage years, and I owe her a great debt. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Cry every time too sis, such a powerful (and healing) song! ❤
Same. I had a good relationship with my dad and this song wrecks me. My struggle is with my mom. For me- China is my mom. Tori is not of this world. She speaks right to your soul.
There are different ways to relate to this once you get past that painful realisation or reminder of all the love and care you were denied as a child. Especially when she sings about failing to love herself despite all the love she received, it's hard to relate. But her story is shared so you can experience it vicariously through her art and make it part of your own experience. It can be an effective exercise in self-parenting through self -compassion and a lot of imagination. Much like reading a book.
Thank you for that. This has been my favorite song since I was 15 (a while ago).
Over the years I've been avoiding listening to it to not wear it out, and only play it when the timing allowed me to actually "feel it".
It means too much for me to just play it in the background, and it's been some years since I've been able to listen to it.
I guess the timing was right, and I caught your video and was back in my core world again.
Your digging into the elements of the music and analysis helped my pause in this moment.
Honestly, Thank you.
About the Yamaha piano - this was actually recorded before Tori released her first solo album, at a music festival in Switzerland in the summer of 1991. She was completely unknown at the time, and she was opening for another act (The Moody Blues), so presumably she used whatever piano the festival arranged for her. This is most likely one of the first times this song were ever performed in front of an audience.
She played the same festival the next year, in 1992, after Little Earthquakes had been released and she had had a bit of success. At that show she played a Steinway grand piano, neatly showing how far she had come by then. These early festival dates were mostly forgotten until 2008 when both shows were released as a DVD/CD set (now also available on BluRay) as part of the “Live at Montreux” series of live releases from that festival. It’s basically the only HD footage around from Tori’s early career.
As someone mentioned, she’s been playing Bösendorfer grand pianos since recording her second album in 1993. She has an official relationship with Bösendorfer, and is one of their “official” artists.
Thank you, i will rewatch the DVD with this context.
There have also been two wonderful vinyl pressings of both shows. They’re spectacular.
Tori is such an underrated artist, she should be in the top 1% of all musicians ever. Such beauty, emotion and power from one girl and her piano
As a father, you offer warmth and safety to your daughter, but you recognize that the comfort you provide is transient, much like the changing seasons. The melancholy lies in acknowledging that we must release our beloved children into the harsh realities of life. While I wish to keep you close always, I understand that you must pursue your dreams. I just hope you love you as much as I do.
So true. I loved this when I was ‘young’ but now I’ve got daughters of my own it brings me to tears more often than not.
Chills!
I feel exactly the same way.
Mad respect for not interrupting her performance. I would have given you side eye if you had.
Somehow your emotional reaction and competent analysis enhanced the intense amount of feelings that are already in this song (which I already loved) and performance (which I hadn't seen before). Thank you for a wonderful video.
Very kind words, thank you!
It is indeed one of the most beautiful performances ever. I'm so impressed how you learned the entire song so quickly just by listening to it! Keep doing these Tori reactions! Fun fact she taught herself piano at age 2 and could reproduce songs she had only heard once, she started composing at age 3, and at age 5 she was the youngest student ever admitted into the Peabody Conservatory, but lost the scholarship when she was 11 because of her interest in pop and rock music and dislike of sheet music...I love her so much.
I looooooove her 97 New York version. It's devastating and perfect
Instant sub from me...Your detailed analysis of E flat minor was enough to hook me in. (Yes, it is a sad but comforting sound) Looking forward to seeing more of your videos mate. Shalom from Israel. ✌️🖖
Thank you very much!
OMG! THANK YOU!!! I've heard this song hundreds of times during the last 25 years or so, since I first heard Tori in my teens and fell in love with her instantly. Anyway, "Winter" had become for me just one of those favorite pieces of music from the past, so familiar that I no longer paid much attention when it was on. I probably heard this particular live version as well, but thanks to your video, I truly listened to the song again, and it brought me to real tears. Not because of any memories associated with it, though I have plenty; she simply pulled me deep into her story as if I listened to it for the first time. I didn't expect it at all, but yeah, she did it again!
Actually, she did bring one specific memory: this show of her ("American Dol Posse Tour) I attended in Madison Square Garden more than a decade ago, and how her voice soared filling the entire space of that gigantic concert hall. So far, it was my only Tori show I experienced, and those emotions were undiscibable.
I stumbled upon your channel by accident, and I'm very grateful to YT algorytm for that. And to you for your insights, your knowledge on music, and the passion you convey it with. I'm surely going to explore your channel, and it looks like I might become a frequent guest.
Thank you again.
P.S. Getting into Tori's poetry can be very, very tricky. "Winter" is actually pretty easy to interpret, as most songs from her debiut album. To see her more signature poetic side, I strongly recommend the third one - "Boys for Pele". It's brilliantly mind-blowing madness both in terms of music (the harpsichord and all those strings and French horns and much more, accompanying her beloved grand Bösendorfer) and the way the stories are told.
(Let me just say that it has nothing to do with that famous soccer player. Pele is this Hawaiian volcano goddess whose followers used to worship with human sacrifices - by throwing young men into the burning lava, to be precise 🙂).
This performance in my opinion is the best one. The emotion Tori brought out is unbelievable. Her vocals and piano were perfectly executed with precision unmatched. Truly just rips into every fiber inside yourself that you literally feel like crying tears filled with pain of knowing life changes and will pass by with a blink of an eye. This song and performance accomplished the awakening of the little things and bigger things in life. Embrace it and don’t let it go.
The best term to describe Tori Amos is "artist". She has a form of synethesia and her brain interprets sounds visually. So with every song, every choice of phrasing/dynamics, she's literally painting a picture.
That makes a lot of sense! She’s amazing
Tori Amos is such a special and captivating woman. A true phenomenal artist and I'm so happy you did this song. Really touching and beautiful. Keep up the good work! 💪🏻🇳🇱🎸🤘🏻
This song and this performance is really phenomenal, I also want to hug her sooo much ❤
Love your reactions John - no idea how many times I've already seen this on Patreon, but it's a lot! Always thoughtful, always impressive knowledge or skill - you know I enjoy most when you break out the piano. Great that you're going to see Tori live - something I've never done to my shame.
You're a legend, dude. Thank you very much for the encouraging words! :)
I couldn't click on this video fast enough. When you reacted to Icicle, I immediately thought of this live version of Winter. As for the interpretation of the song, I've imagined a father trying to get his little girl to believe in herself, because he wasn't always going to be there for her. The white horses going ahead at the end of the song, to me, was her dad passing on. I know she has said the meaning of this song has shifted throughout her life. I guess that is the mark of great songwriting, it can mean many things to many people, even the composer. I had the opportunity to see her live a few months back, and it was mesmerizing. I hope it's just as great when you get to see her.
One of my favorite Tori songs, and I'm a superfan. Winter has always sounded like regret to me more than sadness.
I’ve been meaning to suggest this one to you so I was ecstatic when I saw this video come up. It is an amazing, captivating performance. I just can’t look away every time I see it. Thanks!
I’ve been a huge fan since 92. I’m 52 now. She challenged all of the industry back in the day. Especially men in the music business. She still does. Her recent book, “Resistance”, tells it all, but she’s been singing about it since this video was shot all the way till the present day. Her passion to make change for women all over the world is what drives her and music has always been her vehicle. That’s why it’s so powerful. Great video and analysis. Thank you.😊
I love how speechless you were at this performance. I have always loved this version live at the Montreux. I was obsessed with this for years definitely a spiritual experience listening/watching her perform live🙌🏽🙌🏽 Enjoyed your reaction and take on it!!
Thanks for you amazing review and appreciation of tori's genius...she's been my go to artist for the last 30 years
The line "When you gonna love you as much as I do?" I might not have this entirely correct - I read it some time ago in an interview with her - but I believe that line was inspired by something her dad said to her when he picked her up from a gig one night when she was still very young. She was feeling depressed and down, feeling stuck, and he said something along the lines of, "Tori Ellen, [she was born Myra Ellen] when are you going to see yourself as I do?" She was a child prodigy, and attended Peabody, but was dismissed or dropped out because she didn't like to read, preferring to play by ear and improvise. If I'm not mistaken, she's the youngest person ever to have been accepted there, too (she was five). Anyway, afterwards, her and her dad would drive around looking for bars that would give her a shot at playing, assuring the managers and whatever personnel they were speaking with that she was good, and most all turned their noses up, "Like, yeah, right. Try someplace else, little girl." But not the gay bars. The gay bars were the first ones to say, "Well, come on in, honey, let's see what you've got." I don't know if that's a testament to an otherness they recognised in her or what, but it's a fact. She is remarkable. Her story is a fascinating one, and I have loved her since "Little Earthquakes", the album featuring this song, came out. I think you can see very clearly why.
good lord... i know this song, and EVERY time, I get absolute chills and teary. She is a master performer
Tori really knows how to tug them heart strings, doesn't she?
That entire album (Little Earthquakes) is beyond belief - songwriting, playing, lyrics, vocals...
I've heard her do this on her favourite Bösendorfer, and that's something to behold truly. Goosebumps a mile high.
Ah, what a song…and great analysis. Little Earthquakes will always be one of my favourite albums of all time, along with Boys For Pele (on that one, she rocks a harpsichord- it is freaking glorious). There seems to have been a point in her later albums when they started editing out her breathing from the songs and it’s a shame because her breath is so much a part of it. The woman is just other-worldly, truly…
Fantastic. I remember being one of the blokes in the comments asking for this one. I was not disappointed! It’s nice to see people affected by this the same way I am. Just a gorgeous and timeless piece of music.
I think this song is about her Dad trying to let her know that she should love herself as much as he loves her
Yes, exactly that. He wanted her to live herself no matter what.
Thanks for your brilliant breakdown on a favorite artist! I want to give Tori a hug too. ❤
I only recently discovered your site but man, you describe my feelings listening to Tori perform way better than I ever could!
You can see at the end of this, just like most of us who has fallen in love with Tori. JW is there with the rest of us. Her talent and charisma is off the charts. Her expressions, her breathing, her changes in pitch. All used to make you feel the emotions she wants to share. A goddess of music (and beauty).
Please keep up the Tori reactions ❤️ It's so great seeing you experience her songs for the first time
Thanks for this. I've been a Tori Amos fan for several decades; I think I 'discovered' her when I lived in Australia in the 90s; though I've never listened to her as analytically and insightfully as you just did. It was a joy to see you 'find' this and to shed new light on a song that I've heard many times but perhaps not truly listened to. I'm inspired to go through Little Earthquakes again. And I loved watching you explore the music on your own ivories. Hats off to all sight readers. As a modest guitarist with some keyboard familiarity I have some appreciation of what Tori Amos did and you analysed. Crikey; so many tricky black notes!
I bawl it every time I hear these song! 😭😭😭
I like watching Tori Amos reactions because it's like when I first watched her in 1997 and came away emotionally smacked in my soul... She's been my favorite musician since I was 16/17. I'm 42 now. Beautiful human.
I love these Tori reactions. It’s so validating to me to see that I’m not alone in my awe of her. She’s incredible and so hard to put into words when I try to describe her to people. Thank you for sharing your experiences getting to know Tori ❤
also noticeable that she actually create art with her breathing rather than just breath well in between, by staying so close to the mic. I haven't seen that from other artists.
My all time favourite song…. It hits me straight in the heart ❤️
This is Tori's most underrated song. Thank you for loving it as much as I do. As a daughter, I longed for my father to love me. This hits so deeply. Always the flower competing for the sun.
Her use of space and liquid timing create such an intimate hold on the audience live.
Huge Tori fan here! Been a fan since 99, though I feel like she was in my periphery since her first album, I just had to mature enough to get her. I bought her Boys For Pele album in 97 and was freaked out by it, but just 3 yrs later it became my favorite album, still is pretty much. Just want to say I’ve subscribed based on your Tori reactions alone! I love that you’re discovering her brilliance and falling in love with her music and her as a person. Please do more! I love the music analysis too, and even though I don’t necessarily have the music education or notes, I seem to get what you’re saying and demonstrating. ❤❤❤
I loved your insight here. Such an emotionally charged song, for me; it was not so much sad as bittersweet: the 'thawing' of a young woman from childhood into adulthood, an 'awakening' sorrowfully greeted by a knowing and loving father... it is a 'separation' that must happen, but not necessarily for the worse....
I hope you get to see her in concert. It's even more magical in person.
wow, I love the technical aspect to this reaction as a guitar player it makes me think a bit more
I love to see first reactions from men listening to her music. She's been amazing for the entire 30 or so years of her career. 18 studio albums in, and I'm still hooked. Please listen to each of her albums, in order, and the live ones, see her in person once, she's magic.
A fitting analysis for one of the greatest female artists and vocalists in my humble opinion.
Not enough known here in France, I'll dig her discography. Very emotional, and I like her playing
I just keep coming back and watching you watch her... I love that you appreciate her so much (like so many of us have). It just great to know others love her like me.
Thanks for reviewing this video. I've been a huge Tori Amos fan since her first album.
Tory can make the hardest man cry her music is full of extreme emotions so beautiful. Thank you for reviewing such a great choice of music.
She's a musical Goddess. Love her music.
The finest review of this masterpiece I've ever seen.
I call her my bard!!!!! Nice to hear a fellow Nordy commenting on my favourite music artist
Thank you so much for this, it really made me see the song anew. I've heard it over and over for the past 20 years, and it's definitely a song that ages with you. The sadness and awkwardness of growing up, and then realizing that your parents are doing the same, is an incredible emotion to capture in a song. Your breakdown hit me like a truck in the best way.
To me, winter in the song represents childhood. As she gets older things change and new things are noticed and developed- especially when she says "boys get discovered as winter melts". Her childhood is melting away and she is becoming independent and is growing up but still wants someone with her like her father. She's not ready to let go just yet and has things to figure out. Going into the song again thinking of it as childhood I feel makes all of the metaphors and analogies make sense.
This is a song of hers I can understand and can relate to and I love it.
completely what i was thinking thank you
You made me cry watching your reaction.... This is my daughters and my song.... I took her to see Tori for her first concert when she was 11....was the same year as this performance.
Conheci Tori Amos ha mais de 20 anos. Hoje, tenho 34.
Me lembro a primeira vez que vi esta música, esta apresentação aqui no RUclips.
Chorei como uma criança.
Me emociona! Toca minha alma e minhas emoções de forma pura e profunda.
Gostaria de ver Tori Amos ao vivo aqui no Brasil ❤
I think the white horses just represent her childhood. An image of a fairy tale. And finally they left. She is talking about not getting to achieve what she set out to achieve, or what her father was asking her to achieve.
I spent an entire evening watching this performance on repeat, and found it really moving . Watching you react to it, just as I did was quite emotional.
this is really a reaction video.🥰 thank you for your warm appreciation. tori amos, i have loved her art for so long, is a very special artist in the soundtrack of my life..🎼🎹🎵
She’s so bewitching, what an absolute ⭐️ she is!!!❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
I’ve always felt it’s a coming of age song. It’s poetry and it’s beautiful.
Its about her da. Everything about her is beautiful.
I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times. You’re the first I’ve heard ask what piano she plays. She typically plays a Bosendorfer (gives a bigger range of keys). But now I’m watching this video to see if that what’s she’s playing. I get your point that the bass level could be stronger, even though I think this performance is perfection. But I liked that perspective from you.
That was really beautiful. Thank you so much
Simply beautiful and so touching.
It's so good. I can listen to this over and over and over again!
Sigo a Tori desde siempre. Ha tocado mi corazon y mis mas profundas emociones. Gracias por este Analisis/Reaccion. me ha gustado mucho. Saludos cordiales desde Argentina
I just found you with this song. The BLISS on your face made me subscribe!
Love Tori! Was lucky enough to see her live twice. 😊
What a brilliant reaction thank you so much.
Seen her live twice in London. I wish I’d seen her more because the number of classic songs she has written could fill a fortnight’s worth of concerts.
I got lucky and she played Yes Anastasia the first concert (in my top 3 Tori songs of all time), and she played another of my favourites called Honey the second time. Honey was a B side on the single of Pretty Good Year, which was a double CD single.
Honey is one of the most melancholy songs I’ve ever heard but it hit me like
a truck when I first heard it because I had just split up with the first girl I ever really loved. I was 19 and hearing Honey for the first time opened up the floodgates of emotion I don’t think more than 2 or 3 songs ever have in my whole life.
To think she has so much talent that this song was left off Under Th Pink and is nothing but the B side of a single/short EP - (when it would be the pinnacle of a lesser songwriters career) is a testament to the beauty of her unique talent.
Those early Tori songs and performances were excellent ❤
Been a fan of tori for over 30 years now!! There are no words to describe her musicalty and talent. No words
A very real musical journey and reaction recommendation would be Yes Anastasia. A true major work in my opinion. Incredibly powerful song that reveals all her genius in so many different ways. Composition, arrangement, production, piano playing and her voice in its own realm. A true must. BTY, great analysis of her work.
Totally agree
Absolutely! Definitely do Yes, Anastasia… the end is just so amazing in particular
I've loved her music since the 90s, brilliant.
JW, happy to sub, awesome reaction vid. Tori changed my life the first time i heard Silent All These Years.(Album purchased from Colombia House back in '92.) Been a fan since. If you haven't heard/watched her do "Butterfly" and "Here, In My Head", you're doing yourself a disservice. Keep up the good work, sir!
Breathtaking.. thanks for your video and words. This song is for my dad as well and I have been a Tori Follower since over 25 years and this songs touches me over again and again because my dad died 15 years ago. Every concert I am part of I hope for this song. I have to cry every time. thanks for your video! It was touching!
This video is so beautiful! thank you!