| "Me and a Gun" | |
|---|---|
 Single from Little Earthquakes | |
|
Length |
3:42 (single) |
|
Label |
|
|
Writer |
Tori Amos |
"Me and a Gun" is the first single off of Tori Amos's 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes and the eleventh song on the album itself.
Background[]
Remastered versions[]
Remastered versions of "Me and a Gun" were included on the 2003 greatest hits collection Tales of a Librarian, Disc A of the 2006 boxset A Piano: The Collection, and the reissue of Little Earthquakes in 2015.
On <i>Tales of a Librarian,</i> "Me and a Gun" was directly followed by "Bliss". For Tori, this sequencing had particular thematic weight:
The extremes of having "Me and a Gun", and "Bliss" on the record, so there was "Me and a Gun" and "a man on my back", the song about the rape, into "Father, I killed my Monkey". I thought things were improving then (chuckle), and um, it was important that we take you out of this woman's rape in a way that shows you how she has transcended.[1]
Live performances[]
The first recorded live performance of "Me and a Gun" was at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1991.
"Me and a Gun" was sung every night on Tori's 1994 Under the Pink Tour, 1996 Dew Drop Inn Tour, and 2001 Strange Little Girls Tour. Tori explained that "I made a commitment not to be a victim again, by writing and by singing as often as I can Me and a Gun", and find the quote about how she sings the song every night on tour because... The song has been only occasionally performed since 2001.
A notable performance of "Me and a Gun" took place on Date in Chicago, Illinois during the 2007 American Doll Posse World Tour. Tori, performing as the character Pip, sang "Me and a Gun" with backing instrumentation from her bandmates while holding a knife and a gun. (Did any press reviewers comment on this?) See what Tori's explanation was for the performance.
Releases[]
Me and a Gun (UK) []
east west YZ618CD
October 1991
| No. | Name | Length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Silent All These Years" | 4:11 | ||
| 2. | "Upside Down" | 4:22 | ||
| 3. | "Me and a Gun" | 3:42 | ||
| 4. | "Thoughts" | 2:36 |
Me and a Gun (UK) []
12” vinyl single
east west YZ618T
October 1991
| No. | Name | Length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Silent All These Years" | 4:11 | ||
| 2. | "Upside Down" | 4:22 | ||
| 3. | "Me and a Gun" | 3:42 | ||
| 4. | "Thoughts" | 2:36 |
Personnel[]
Credits taken from Little Earthquakes liner notes.
- Vocals — Tori Amos
- Recorded by Ian Stanley