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'97 Bonnie & Clyde
In 'Strange Little Girls' Tori Amos performed 12 covers originally created by men, hearing the songs from her female point of view is the point of this not so understood album.
Tori surprised a lot of her fans by this cover of Eminem's song. The two artist can't be more distinguished then one another, but in her cover for "97 Bonnie & Clyde' Tori proved once again that her female point of view can make a song's meaning different.
While Eminem's original is a rap version and "I killed you mother, and we're going to drown her together, my little girl" is an exquisite choice of words, rimes and narrative, Tori gives this terrific song a thriller touch. In her cover, the aggressive rap is turned into a frantic-crazed talk of the father to his daughter, trying to convince her nothing is wrong, while the mother is lying dead in the trunk of their car. The added violins give a 'Psycho' edge to this cover version, differentiating it from the 'f*** You' attitude Eminem has, transforming this jewel (that Eminem created in his elaborated and amazing mind) into a Masterpiece!
- Yuval Ben-Hillel, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 17.11.2005
Tori Amos
2001 |
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Eminem
1999 |
| Click on the cover for listening |
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Click on the cover for listening |
Comments about '97 Bonnie & Clyde:
Personally im not really into eminem but i will say that its a good song. I love Tori her songs have so much meaning, and to all you rappers out there she does like to add in a f*** every now and then. Mainstream listeners are not able o respect Tori's version as it is too hardcore, therefore they dismiss tori for being a 'ginger'(idiots) because she covered a rap song and changed it. In one way I feel sorry for Eminem because Toris version is better and I'd hate that to happen to me. His version is more fun slash than serious.
- Andrew, Limerick, Ireland, 13.12.2007 |
Tori's intention was to tell the story from the perspective of the woman in the trunk. She said she wasn't personally attacking Eminem by recording the song, but when she explained the song in the press, you could tell that she was pretty pissed that an artist would put a song like this out for the world to groove to.
In the long run, Eminem's shocking, loose cannon bit wore him out. Where is he now? Hiding out in his huge Detroit mansion, surfacing every now and again to serve as producer and hype man on tired club hits, rapping about moshing and strippers. Yawn.
On the other hand, you've got Tori Amos, who continues to make music, keeping her following engaged and expanding her catalog of work.
As for '97 Bonnie and Clyde, Tori's version is superior but it bears much more resonance as a response to the Em's version than as a stand alone song-- and particularly holds some weight when paired with "Strange Little Girl", another song she recorded as a story about the daughter in the front seat of the car:
"Walking home in a wrapped up world/she survived but she's feeling old/'cause she found all things cold."
- Brian Otano, Brooklyn, United States, 07.11.2007 |
Looks like people forgot who the original make of this song was.... gainsbourg!
- Simon, New York, United States, 17.10.2007 |
Eminem's brilliance found it's female counterpart, I think, in Amos's cover. They are both original and cutting edge. Eminem's song is cathartic for men as Amos's is for women. It's like a lovers' dialogue.
- D., Nebraska City, United States, 30.09.2007 |
I personally can't stand the origional artist...
- rae_rae, Brownwood, United States, 10.12.2006 |
Both versions of the song are wonderfully disturbing, but it's the mood of the Tori Amos version that makes me like it so much. Even a friend of mine, an avid Eminem fan (and not a huge fan of Tori), loves the added creepiness she gives an already scary song.
The different characters portrayed in the versions are unbelieveably different, with Eminem's version almost happy-go-lucky and nonchalant (which is creepy in its own right, since the subject matter is completely contrary to the mood), while Tori's is almost manic in more of a Misery sort of way.
Being a "Toriphile" myself, I am more prone to like her version, although I do like the conflict between the character and the story of Eminem's. I simply like the mood of the cover better. The one thing that I really like about Eminem's that Tori's lacks is the sound of Hailey in the background that even furthers the disturbing aspect of how blatantly happy Slim Shady seems in the song.
- Morgan, Corpus Christi, United States, 27.03.2006 |
This comment is not meant to bash the Tori-fans here or Tori's cover of this song, but to point that their comments, as well as the sarcastic tone in the text above, are completely ludicrous.
"Through Tori's version, listeners get a chance to see how disturbing this mysogynistic piece really is."
I thought it was pretty obvious, isn't it meant to be disturbing? The whole theme of "The Slim Shady LP" is Eminem rapping as his psycho-alter ego slim Shady. Just as Tori is playing a role in her version, so is he. Tori didn't make him seem "sonically scitzophrenic", that's the whole idea behind his album!
I don't really think Tori amos transformed the meaning of this song, I think she did give it a bit of a different mood through using an alternative viewpoint. I also think a lot of Tori Amos fans are surprised (dissapointed even?) she even listened to Eminem's album and are preserving their image of her with these weird claims.
Maybe I'm completely wrong and is Tori Amos on a mission to expose the 'evil' Eminem for what he is. But I just think that she might be more open to other styles and influences than the people making these comments really are.
- Freddy Freeloader, Oss, Netherlands, 15.02.2006 |
Eminems origional was shocking, but Tori's remake of the violent tune was moving and made Eminem look sonically scitzophrenic
- Dane, Wellington, New Zealand, 21.11.2005 |
Through Tori's version, listeners get a chance to see how distrubing this mysogynistic piece really is.
- Rob, Dubuque, IA, United States, 18.11.2005 |
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