When the Pawn...

When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right, frequently abridged to When the Pawn..., is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Fiona Apple.[1] Released by Epic Records in the United States on November 9, 1999, When the Pawn... was wholly written by Apple, with production by Jon Brion.

When the Pawn...
Studio album by
Fiona Apple
ReleasedNovember 9, 1999
Recorded1998–1999
Studio
Genre
Length42:39
Label
ProducerJon Brion
Fiona Apple chronology
Tidal
(1996)		 When the Pawn...
(1999)		 Extraordinary Machine
(2005)
Vinyl cover
Singles from When the Pawn Hits...
  1. "Fast as You Can"
    Released: November 20, 1999
  2. "Limp"
    Released: 2000
  3. "Paper Bag"
    Released: November 21, 2000

In 2010, Spin magazine named the album the 106th greatest of the last 25 years,[2] and Slant Magazine named it the 79th best album of the 1990s.[3] The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Album.[4] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked When the Pawn... at number 108 on its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.[5]

Title

The album's title is a poem Apple wrote in response to unfavorable reactions from readers of an unfavorable Spin magazine cover story about her.[6] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post called it Apple's version of Chumbawamba's "I get knocked down, but I get up again".[6] "It came from being made fun of," she said, "and then, of course, it becomes a thing I'm being made fun of for."[7]

Upon its release, When the Pawn... broke the record for longest album title at 444 characters (previously held by a volume in The Best... Album in the World...Ever!).[8][9] Chumbawamba themselves would end up breaking the record with 2008's The Boy Bands Have Won, whose full title contains 865 characters, nearly twice as many as When the Pawn...'s. The album was produced and mixed by Jon Brion and co-mixed and engineered by Rich Costey.

The full title is:

When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring
There's no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won't matter, cuz you'll know that you're right

Release

The first single, "Fast as You Can", was fairly popular and received moderate radio and video airplay. It reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and became Apple's first top 40 hit on the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up singles, "Limp" and especially "Paper Bag", which was nominated for a Grammy Award, were less successful. Apple's boyfriend at the time, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, directed videos for all three singles.[10]

In 2019, Apple collaborated with King Princess on a cover of "I Know". The song was released for Spotify's RISE program on January 25.[11] A reissue by Vinyl Me Please was announced in 2020 featuring a new cover chosen by Fiona herself, marking the album's first ever vinyl pressing.[12]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Chicago Sun-Times[15]
Entertainment WeeklyA[16]
Los Angeles Times[17]
NME5/10[18]
Pitchfork9.4/10[19]
Q[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
Spin8/10[22]
The Village VoiceA−[23]

In comparison to Apple's debut album Tidal, Harrington stated, "When the Pawn is a decidedly more mature work that trades in youthful melodrama for somber ruminations on shattered relationships and romantic obsession".[6] In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Jenny Eliscu states that Pawn is "more musically complex and melodically advanced" than the previous album, while focusing on Apple's "sultry voice and moody piano playing".[1] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it "richer, deeper and stronger than Tidal, in every way", with "a far more muscular approach to both the songs and the singing".[21] Entertainment Weekly's David Browne awarded the album an A grade, praising Jon Brion's production as well as Apple's songwriting: "Apple hasn't gained much in psychic confidence following the success of Tidal. On When the Pawn..., Apple presents herself as a mental shambles, and she’s more than happy to tell us about it."[16] Pitchfork originally gave the album a score of eight out of ten, with reviewer Chip Chanko praising Apple's lyrics, writing: "[Apple] seems older. Her voice is full of a heartfelt soul that seems almost timeless. While Billie Holiday would never have considered the possibility of lines like, 'It won't be long till you'll be/ Lying limp in your own hand,' Apple executes them flawlessly with a modern passion.[24] Amy Linden of Vibe wrote: "When the Pawn... is full of images that resonate. Apple's a sad, sultry woman with a sense of who she is—even if that person isn't someone she wants to be. Once again, her pain brings us joy."[25] Piers Martin of NME rated it a 5 out of 10, calling it Apple's "second album of Amos-aping MTV-branded Lilith Fair fodder."[18]

On the U.S. Billboard 200, When the Pawn.. debuted at number 13 with 103,000 copies sold in first week.[26] As of 2005, sales of the album in the United States had exceeded 922,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[27] On March 26, 2020, When the Pawn.. was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[28]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Fiona Apple, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."On the Bound"5:22
2."To Your Love"3:40
3."Limp"3:29
4."Love Ridden"3:22
5."Paper Bag"3:39
6."A Mistake"4:56
7."Fast as You Can"4:38
8."The Way Things Are"4:16
9."Get Gone"4:07
10."I Know"4:55
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Across the Universe" (Lennon–McCartney)5:11
12."Never Is a Promise" (Live)6:12

Personnel

Production
  • Jon Brion – producer, mixing, assistant engineer
  • Rich Costey – mixer / engineer
  • Tom Banghart – assistant engineer
  • Rob Brill – assistant engineer
  • Greg Collins – assistant engineer
  • Bryan Jackson – assistant engineer
  • Steve Mixdorf – assistant engineer
  • John Tyree – assistant engineer
  • Eddy Scheyer – mastering
  • Valerie Pack – production coordination
  • Rich Costey – programming
  • John Bainbridge – arranger
  • Ian Sefchick – vinyl mastering (2020)
  • Fiona Apple – design, cover art concept
  • Hooshik– art direction

Charts
Album
Chart (1999/2000) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[29] 54
UK Albums Chart 46
US Billboard 200 13
US Billboard Top Internet Albums 1
Singles
Title Chart (1999) Peak
position
"Fast as You Can" UK Singles Chart 33
US Billboard Adult Top 40 29
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 20

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[30] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Platinum 1,000,000 / 922,000[27]

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Eliscu, Jenny (2004). "Fiona Apple". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian D. (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Fireside. p. 23. ISBN 0-74-320169-8.
  2. "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years". Spin. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. "Best Albums of the '90s". February 14, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-02-18. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
  4. "Fiona Apple". GRAMMY.com. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  5. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  6. Harrington, Richard (November 28, 1999). "Fiona Apple: The Time Is Ripe". The Washington Post. p. G1.
  7. Sutcliffe, Phil, "Hard Core Pawn", Q, March 2000, pp. 46-48
  8. Cossar, Neil (2010). This Day in Music: An Every Day Record of Musical Feats and Facts: An Every Day Record of Musical Feats and Facts. Omnibus Press. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-857-12362-6.
  9. "12 Guinness World Records That Exist For No Real ReasonWorld's Longest Album Title". Complex. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  10. Sharf, Zack (2017-10-04). "The Complete Paul Thomas Anderson Music Video Collection, From Fiona Apple to Radiohead — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  11. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/25/688618778/king-princess-and-fiona-apple-collaborate-on-new-version-of-i-know?t=1548436537592
  12. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_2iKffp8y_/
  13. "Reviews for When The Pawn... by Fiona Apple". Metacritic. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King... – Fiona Apple". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  15. Reed, Bobby (November 14, 1999). "Fiona Apple, 'When the Pawn . . .' (Clean Slate/Epic)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  16. Browne, David (November 12, 1999). "When the Pawn..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  17. Gardner, Elysa (November 9, 1999). "Assured Apple Challenges Her Audience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  18. Martin, Piers (March 15, 2000). "Fiona Apple – When The Pawn..." NME. Archived from the original on June 4, 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  19. Berman, Judy (March 24, 2019). "Fiona Apple: When the Pawn..." Pitchfork. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  20. Aizlewood, John (March 2000). "Fiona Apple: When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts..." Q (162): 101. Archived from the original on November 21, 2000. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  21. Sheffield, Rob (November 25, 1999). "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King..." Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  22. Weisbard, Eric (December 1999). "Fiona Apple: When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King / What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight..." Spin. 15 (12): 215. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  23. Christgau, Robert (March 7, 2000). "Consumer Guide: Cleanup Time". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
  24. Chanko, Chip. "Fiona Apple: When the Pawn..." Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  25. Linden, Amy (December 1999). "Fiona Apple - 'When the Pawn...'". Vibe. 7 (10): 257. ISSN 1070-4701.
  26. https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/61124/nickelback-debuts-right-on-top
  27. "Billboard". 8 October 2005 – via Google Books.
  28. "Gold & Platinum - Fiona Apple". riaa.com. RIAA. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  29. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  30. "Japanese album certifications – Fiona Apple – When the pawn" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved October 20, 2019. Select 2007年1月 on the drop-down menu
  31. "American album certifications – Fiona Apple – When the Pawn". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 29, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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