"Criminal" is a song by American recording artist

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...

, the third single from her debut studio album, ''

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

'', released on June 2, 1997 through

Work Records The Work Label (stylized as The WORK Group) was an American record label. Its major album releases included '' Tidal'' (1996) by Fiona Apple and '' On the 6'' (1999) by Jennifer Lopez. History In July 1999, founders Jeff Ayeroff and Jordan H ...

and

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. Apple has stated that the song is about "feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality"."The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100"
''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

''. October 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2007. Apple's highest-charting single, it peaked at 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (her only entry to date), as well as No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

. The song won the

Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works (songs or albums) conta ...

at the

40th Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Performers * Will Smith – Men In Black/ Gettin' Jiggy Wit It * R. K ...

and was nominated for

Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

. "Criminal" was listed at No. 55 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s", and No. 71 on ''

'' magazine's 2005 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

was directed by

Mark Romanek Mark Lee Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American film, music video and commercial director and photographer. He is best known for directing the films ''One Hour Photo'' (2002) and ''Never Let Me Go (2010 film), Never Let Me Go'' (2010) ...

in May 1997 with cinematography by Harris Savides. It was released a month later in June 1997. Visual enhancements including the retroreflector in Fiona's eyes and additional lighting vignettes were created by visualist Ash Beck. The video features Apple sulking in various states of undress, and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' described her as "looking like an underfed

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

model",Frere-Jones, Sasha
"Extraordinary Measures"
. ''

''. October 10, 2005. Retrieved June 18, 2007. known as the "

heroin chic Heroin chic is a style popularized in early-1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, emaciated features, androgyny and stringy hair—all traits associated with abuse of heroin or other drugs. American sup ...

" look. It explores themes of

voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". ...

and

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

. In 1998, the video won an

MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography is a craft award given to both the artist as well as the cinematographer/director of photography of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the award's full name was Best Cinematography in a Video. Af ...

. The video was featured in the 1997

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

special " Beavis and Butt-Head Do Thanksgiving". Up until ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

s revival in 2011, it was the last to be critiqued by the duo among other videos in the special.

Track listings

* US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single # "Criminal" – 5:41 # " Sleep to Dream" – 4:10 * European CD single # "Criminal" (album version) # "Slow Like Honey" (live version) * Australian CD single # "Criminal" (radio edit) # "Slow Like Honey" (live) # "The Child Is Gone" (live) # "Never Is a Promise" (live)

Personnel

Personnel taken from '' Tidal'' liner notes *Fiona Apple - vocals *

Jon Brion Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established pro ...

Chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session drummer, record producer and songwriter. He has played with various artists, including Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, David Bowie, Tori Amos, Morrissey, The Wallflow ...

- drums *Rob Laufer - guitar *Dan Rothchild - bass *

Patrick Warren Patrick Warren (born March 26, 1957) is an American musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Magnolia'', ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Boogie Nights'' and ''Red State'', as well as the television series '' ...

- piano

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions

Singer

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

covered the song for her 20th studio album, ''Leavin (2006). Len Righi of ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...

'' wrote that she was surprised at Cole's ability to transform the "agonizing, brazen lament" into "a funky,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

-type, rump-shaker". In " Massacres and Matinees", the second episode of '' American Horror Story: Freak Show'', Bette and Dot Tattler (played by

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. In 2017, ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...

) perform a duet version of "Criminal".

Legacy

The music video for "Criminal" was the main inspiration for It Was Romance frontperson

Lane Moore Lane Moore is an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, musician, writer, and director, living in New York, New York. Career She is a former writer for ''The Onion'' and ''The Onion Book of Known Knowledge: A Definitive Encyclopaedia Of Exi ...

's music video to her song "Hooking Up with Girls", with many visuals as well as costumes inspired by the video. "Criminal" was ranked number 423 on ''Rolling Stone'''s 2021 list of the "Top 500 Songs of All Time".

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles 1997 songs Columbia Records singles Fiona Apple songs Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Music videos directed by Mark Romanek Songs written by Fiona Apple Songs about criminals