Album Anniversaries: 25 Years of Defiance with Fiona Apple’s “When the Pawn…”

The full 90-word album title might be hard to memorize, but Apple’s stance against complicated relationships and the music industry is unforgettable.

Written by Valeria Mota

Photo courtesy of VMP

Content warning: brief mentions of sexual assault

With the overnight success of her debut album Tidal and its hit single “Criminal,” 19-year-old Fiona Apple was living every young girl’s pop-star dreams. Yet, when awarded with Best New Artist at 1997’s VMAs, she did not seem excited about it. Instead, she took the opportunity to speak about the industry awarding her.

“Everybody out there that’s watching this world, this world is bullshit,” she announced while gripping her astronaut trophy. “You shouldn’t model your life about what you think we think is cool, and what we’re wearing and what we’re saying and everything, go with yourself.” She ended her public critique of the music industry by noting how ridiculous her position in it is: “It’s just stupid that I’m in this world,” and promptly walked off the stage.

Apple’s speech served as a call to authenticity and self-expression, but it was not viewed that way when it was delivered. Critics claimed that Fiona sounded “more insulted than grateful” as she accepted her award, and Rolling Stone even wrote that she reacted to accolades at the height of her acclaim with “unbridled fury.” Apple herself even admitted that there were people around her who said the speech made her look “really stupid.”

Despite these negative reactions, Apple’s stance against the music industry felt warranted in hindsight, especially considering her media perception during the release of Tidal. The singer wrote every song on the album, which was seeped with trauma underneath the impressive jazz fusion and alternative rock production. The most commercially successful track on the project, “Criminal,” has 19-year-old Apple begging for forgiveness after manipulating her lover, while more subdued tracks like “Sullen Girl” and “The Child is Gone” reminisce on childhood loss as Apple grapples with being raped as a young girl. Despite the project’s openness, the young artist still had a reputation for being “a bitch, a brat, a heroin-chic waif and possible anorexic.”

When released, it seemed that the media only focused on the sultriness of the album and not so much on its powerful vulnerability. An infamous cover story on Spin insisted that she was troubled, melodramatic, and traded her misery for “a dollop of fame.” The story centered more on Apple’s sensuality and was especially critical of the Criminal music video, which featured Apple at a messy house party with an exposed sweater. 

Spin’s cover story and the reactions to her VMA’s speech had a profound impact on the barely post-teenager, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, Apple took her rage and expressed it in her now-classic sophomore album, When the Pawn…. The full title, often shortened on streaming services and articles, is a 90-word poem that asserts Apple’s dignity over the music industry, defiantly announcing her dignified mentality:

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 nobody 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 'cause you'll know that you're right

The album’s title is a powerful statement by itself, but the ten tracks in the album only cement Apple’s point further. At first glance, the songs on When the Pawn…, deal with complicated relationships and romantic power dynamics. Yet, knowing what inspired the project, it is easy to tell how Apple is not only defending herself against manipulative lovers, but she is also playing directly into the media’s perception of her as a way of protest.

The opening track of the album, “On the Bound,” sets the scene for the album’s entire musical and lyrical landscape. Strong piano chords accentuated by drum fills establish a theatrical atmosphere. Apple clearly announces the dawn of a new era in her life: “All my life is on me now / hail the pages turning.” The singer is openly vulnerable with needing someone or something to comfort her, and as the song’s tempo slows down to allow a moment of reflection, it is immediately contrasted with the track’s driving instrumental outro, featuring dissonant sounds that mirror Apple’s distorted mental state — and may also allude to how the music industry distorted her image as well. 

Apple continues the album by portraying herself as “crazy,” just as the media has for years. Songs like “Fast As You Can,” her most commercially successful single at the time of the album’s release, implores lovers — and subsequently, the public — to run away from her insanity, all while patronizing them: “Oh darling, it’s so sweet / You think you know how crazy / How crazy I am.” The track’s quick tempo and expert percussion only reinforces the message that people should run away from her as “fast as [they] can.” Eventually, though, the singer does come to terms with how potential love interests and the media treat her with “The Way Things Are.” Paired with accentuating guitar chords and soft synths, Apple acknowledges that they will “keep on calling [her] names,” reinforcing the message that she is above the critics with her newfound sense of self-empowerment.

Yet, even if she knows that people, whether they are partners or critics, will always have something to judge her for, that does not keep the New York native from expressing her rage. Tracks with immaculate drums like “Limp” see her dare observers to call her whatever they want — even if their attempts make her “fingers turn to fists,” she knows that they’ll end up tired eventually, mentally or even sexually. Perhaps the most powerfully angry song on the album, however, is the penultimate track, “Get Gone.” With triumphant violins and pronounced piano chords, “Get Gone” serves as a moment of blunt realization for the young artist that toxic lovers, as well as the media, are not good for her, so she demands them to — well, “get gone.” The song’s theatrical instrumentals crescendo during the chorus, which highlights the singer’s realization that she finally “[knows] what’s good for [her]” and that this toxic counterpart “doesn’t give a shit” about her. The track exemplifies how Apple is using her rage to finally put herself first over the detrimental effects of daily misconduct.

The final track on the album, “I Know” is a somewhat unexpected turn from the loud power of “Get Gone,” but in its own quiet way, it subverts the media’s expectations of her perfectly. While media platforms called her fragile, melodramatic and sexually fraught, Apple delivers a potently melancholic ballad about being “the other woman” and suffering in silence. The song not only paints a harrowing picture of a love affair accompanied by soft percussion and a slow piano instrumental, but it shows how the post-teenage artist deals with it maturely and gracefully — no whining, no sexual undertones, and nothing else the media could call her out for. She will pretend not to know of her lover’s sins, but “all the time / [She’ll] know.” It is a simple acknowledgement, but Apple is openly showing her quiet strength as she deals with a difficult romance, even as the knowledge of it kills her. While some misogynistic critics may confirm preconceived biases about Apple, the singer’s gracious lyricism and crooning vocals still illustrates the New York native’s self-regard. Like the full album title suggests, she truly is holding her own hand as she faces unfavorable circumstances with dignity, something her critics can never take away from her.

Upon its 1999 release, When the Pawn… was met with generally warm reception. The project debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200, with critics praising its mature musical experimentation, creative time signatures, and vulnerable lyricism. Of course, many still found ways to criticize Apple, making fun of the project’s long title or its unconventional sound. Yet, as time went on, the album has become more beloved by critics and fans alike. Pitchfork even upped its original eight out of 10 score to an astounding 9.4 out of 10 in 2019, and Rolling Stone considers it one of the greatest albums of all time. 

After When the Pawn…, Apple became more of a musical enigma, receding into a private lifestyle and avoiding the media at all costs. Her following album, Extraordinary Machine, came out seven years after When the Pawn… and after a long struggle against her record label and fan protests. She has only released two other albums since; yet, they have all received remarkable critical acclaim. 

Besides Apple’s debut and her following projects, When the Pawn… still holds its own and remains a stand-out in her discography. Listeners everywhere relate to its attitude against troubling relationships and vulnerable portrayals of mental health, but the album also remains as a poignant stance against an industry that fed off a young artist’s insecurities. Most of all, the album reminds listeners to embrace their inherent strength and go deep to reach the greatest of heights. After all, it doesn’t matter if you fail — you’re the one who knows that you’re right.