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Tori Amos — Strange Little Girl
Album: Strange Little Girl
Avg rating:
6.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1205









Released: 2001
Length: 3:46
Plays (last 30 days): 0
One day you see a strange little girl look at you
One day you see a strange little girl feeling blue

She'd run to the town one day
Leaving home and her country fair
Just beware, when you're there
Strange little girl

She didn't know how to live in a town that was rough
''(I'm done thanking you)''
It didn't take long before she knew she'd had enough
Walking home in her wrapped up world
She survived but she's feeling old
'Cause she found all things cold

Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl you really should be
Really should be going

''(I know you wish you would)''
''(I know you wish you would)''
I know, I know
''(I know you wish you would)''

One day you see a strange little girl look at you
''(I'm done thanking you)''
One day you see a strange little girl feeling blue
''(I'm done thanking you)''
Walking home in her wrapped up world
She survived but she's feeling old
'Cause she found all things cold

Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl you really should be
Really should be, really should be

Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl you really should be
Really should be, really should

Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl, where are you going?
Strange little girl you really should be
Really should be, really should be
Really should be going
Comments (141)add comment
 jacopo777 wrote:

Tori is your gay meter.  She was once quoted that only gay men care for here style. I do not care for her music.  Hooray for me, I passed the strait test, lol.



Bad news for you, jacopo: You failed the intelligence test.
The chorus of this song reminds me of something from Be Pop Deluxe..  (especially the original)
I'm not a huge TA fan, but I do like this cover! Have to give credit to a great production and performance. 
 Slickamoe wrote:

Who is the girl on the album cover? She's hot!


She's Tori!

"Amos created female personae for each track (one song featured twins) and was photographed as each, with makeup done by Kevyn Aucoin."

All the photographs can be seen on Discogs.
 ppopp wrote:

She is a genius.

This song is taken from an album of songs she covers written only by men.

She is your insecure with your masculinity meter.




Nicely put!! Totally agree. 
 Edweirdo wrote:

I am straight and I love Tori.  Anyway, shouldn't you be in class?


Hahaha! Funny comments on this one. FWIW I like Tori, always have.
 Slickamoe wrote:

Who is the girl on the album cover? She's hot!



Hahaha!
 SmackDaddy wrote:

Next Goal: Pass a spelling test.


Hahaha!
Very good version of this well crafted Stranglers song.
I rate this version as 8, the Stranglers version as 9.  Lots to like about either version. pxd
love this song - however the guitar thing - doesn’t really feel right to me?
Who is the girl on the album cover? She's hot!
awful.
Strange Little Girl was written by Hugh Cornwell and Hans Warmling, recorded as an early demo in 1975, submitted to and rejected by EMI before the band breaking big on UA in 1977. Fast forward to 1982, the band is on Liberty Records owned by EMI, and their recording contract having not been renewed by the recording company, they opted out for CBS. As a parting agreement, the band recorded SLG for EMI, which went straight in the Top 10. Cornwell nicknamed them "Every Mistake Imaginable".

That's the beloved perversity of The Stranglers.
I can't honestly hate on Tori...but the word that always comes to mind when I hear her is "contrived"...
This beats the crap out of the Stranglers. Rockier, with more feeling, and sung from a female gaze, not a creepy sleazy male one. 
The Stranglers!
 jacopo777 wrote:
Tori is your gay meter.  She was once quoted that only gay men care for here style. I do not care for her music.  Hooray for me, I passed the strait test, lol.
 
Next Goal: Pass a spelling test.
 Shesdifferent wrote:
Not a Tori fan at all, but seem OK with this song......then I find out its a cover...duh! No wonder!
 
Ah yes, that also explains why I, a Tori fan, find this song only so-so.
 jacopo777 wrote:
Tori is your gay meter.  She was once quoted that only gay men care for here style. I do not care for her music.  Hooray for me, I passed the strait test, lol.
 
I am straight and I love Tori.  Anyway, shouldn't you be in class?
What is this a Tori haters convention?
Hard to top the Stranglers version. This one is just okay for me dawg. 
 Shaggy27 wrote:
ruined a classic song..
 

Great tune but wasn't a Classic. and didn't Ruin it either.
Better luck next time.
 rhlrstn wrote:
 
 
Less Tori please
 Shesdifferent wrote:
Not a Tori fan at all, but seem OK with this song......then I find out its a cover...duh! No wonder!
 
Quite the opposite here, normally love Tori Amos, but this cover is really bad imo.
ruined a classic song..
I think Tori is utterly Wonderful!!!  Thank goodness the masters of RP agree.
She is a genius.

This song is taken from an album of songs she covers written only by men.

She is your insecure with your masculinity meter.
Definitely one of the better Tori Amos songs... 
 gdenny189 wrote:
I love radio paradise.  But there appears to be an affinity for Tori, which is amazing because her work is average at best.  Most of the time it is bordering on annoying 
 
Definitely agree. The Tori saturation point could afford to dip a little bit.
corn flakes not good with women...
 jacopo777 wrote:
Tori is your gay meter.  She was once quoted that only gay men care for here style. I do not care for her music.  Hooray for me, I passed the strait test, lol.
 
Isn't that cute.  "If you like Tori, you're gay."  It's like being back in middle school.
Tori is your gay meter.  She was once quoted that only gay men care for here style. I do not care for her music.  Hooray for me, I passed the strait test, lol.
 handyrae wrote:

I suspect Ms. Amos would be the first one to call you out on the inherent sexism of that statement. What on earth does have her physical attractiveness have to do with her music? 

 
recognizing someone's physical attractiveness is not sexism.
 gdenny189 wrote:
I love radio paradise.  But there appears to be an affinity for Tori, which is amazing because her work is average at best.  Most of the time it is bordering on annoying 
 

YES! Exactly!!!!
uggggg, more annoying Tori
 Spalted wrote:
Not a great cover.

 
No, it's a pretty good cover
This song was written by the English punk rock band The Stranglers and I suspect more specifically by the guitarist and singer Hugh Cornwell.

I say this because I watched him play it live on his solo tour when he opened for Blondie in their Concert in Belfast's Waterfront Hall a few years ago.

He sang it like the original Stranglers studio recorded version and it was obvious he 'owned' it. 

Elvis did not sing it and this Tori Amos cover is not bad - but just not to my taste.
I still prefer Elvis's rendition. 
 handyrae wrote:

I suspect Ms. Amos would be the first one to call you out on the inherent sexism of that statement. What on earth does have her physical attractiveness have to do with her music? 

 
I'm not disagreeing with you, but to answer your rhetorical question: marketing.
 itaish wrote:
Everybody in my synagogue loves this song but not in this version...
 
Everybody in my hotel room loves this song, especially this groovy version...  seriously, hope life is grand for you these days, itaish...
It really didn't need the over-busy bongos in the mix, but otherwise I like it well enough on first listen.
Tori is always perfection. 
This is my opinion, and I am sticking to it! :) 
Like this cover, and like the original, too.  {#Music}
Saw the Stranglers two weeks ago. Still GREAT!!  This version is perfect 👌 
Not a great cover.
Back in the day when alternative was still alternative, her little earthquakes were an awakening. But she has since lost her way. Hope she finds it again soon. 
 DavidS_UK wrote:
Sad Cafe did this so much better in the 80s, Stranglers then did a copy that was good too...  Tori obviously has her fans but she's not Kate Bush enough for me, it's just wailing and knashing of teeth and just a bit too whiny.

 
"Strange Little Girl" by Sad Cafe is an entirely different song from this one.  This song was written by The Stranglers. 
I like alot of her stuff but this is awful.    missed the point of the song altogether.

https://goo.gl/dXw4CN
Sad Cafe did this so much better in the 80s, Stranglers then did a copy that was good too...  Tori obviously has her fans but she's not Kate Bush enough for me, it's just wailing and knashing of teeth and just a bit too whiny.
is her wheezing and choking back tears supposed to be sexy? she grips the piano in mid-swoon..growling and keening...
strange little girl, that is some strange singing.
Not a Tori fan at all, but seem OK with this song......then I find out its a cover...duh! No wonder!
I SO love the newish PSD feature... {#Cool}
 Biscobret wrote:
I can't ever believe that I can detest the art of someone so attractive -- but I hate Tori's music so much, I wanna tear my ears off -- no matter how hot she is.  And she is hot -- the way she grinds her piano -- ya think it'd grow on me -- but alas, no, it stays in the sucko barfo.
   

                                                                           {#Skull}

 
I suspect Ms. Amos would be the first one to call you out on the inherent sexism of that statement. What on earth does have her physical attractiveness have to do with her music? 
 bb_matt wrote:
No, Tori, NO. 

Your far too talented to do such a crappy cover of a damn fine stranglers song. 

 
Interesting. I didn't realize this was a cover. I was thinking that for a Tori Amos song, I was fining it fairly enjoyable. Then I learn it's not really a Tori Amos song. 
Awesome segue from "Lunatic Fringe" to "Strange Little Girl". Nice work, RP!
No, Tori, NO. 

Your far too talented to do such a crappy cover of a damn fine stranglers song. 
This is my first listen, although I have seen it has been played a few times before.     A fantastic song, but this version looses all the sensitivity and heartfelt neuances the original has.    a poor cover which was probably contractually obligated to complete an album.  3
I love radio paradise.  But there appears to be an affinity for Tori, which is amazing because her work is average at best.  Most of the time it is bordering on annoying 
I can't ever believe that I can detest the art of someone so attractive -- but I hate Tori's music so much, I wanna tear my ears off -- no matter how hot she is.  And she is hot -- the way she grinds her piano -- ya think it'd grow on me -- but alas, no, it stays in the sucko barfo.
   

                                                                           {#Skull}
 itaish wrote:
Everybody in my synagogue loves this song but not in this version...
 

Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
 



 
Hmmm. I don't really like this cover, either. The Stranglers' version is so spooky, beautiful, and compelling. For me, this doesn't hold up by comparison.
 handyrae wrote:
After reading the comments, I see this is a cover. This is one of a small handful of songs by Ms Amos that I enjoy. I hate to think that's because it's not really her song, but I guess it is.

 
This is an entire album of covers.
After reading the comments, I see this is a cover. This is one of a small handful of songs by Ms Amos that I enjoy. I hate to think that's because it's not really her song, but I guess it is.
Everybody in my synagogue loves this song but not in this version...
 

Lazarus wrote:

Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
 



Everybody in my church loves this song...
 
Works for me.
Nothing like the original, in a bad way.
please, no more covers by tori amos...no more, please. why not originals instead? 
great song, i bought the single and its still on my playlist, and dissapointed they didnt play it when I saw them last year.
but im not sure on this one.   its not the same enough, not different enough.   still good song thou.
 
Tori's awesome!
Nice Job, I like her version.
Lunatic Fringe to Strange Little Girls.... Great combination from our expert DJ!
Very cool...renewed admiration for Tori.
 Stranglersfan wrote:
Its not exactly an Aural Sculpture for me, but its nice that someone chose to cover a track from my favorite band.
 
I wouldn't have known The Stranglers was your favorite.  I've always considered them one of my favorites as well.  While I prefer the original, this isn't a bad version.
Decent cover of the Strangler's version which Bill played last Friday I believe.

Tori Amos always has been angsty in a non-Seattle way, which I like. Sort of Feminangst.

All good...I like her version, but I love the original best.

Anton
S/V Meridian 
Its not exactly an Aural Sculpture for me, but its nice that someone chose to cover a track from my favorite band.
Pretty good tune. Kinda diggin' her as a brunette. 
Fun cover. I couldn't identify it until the next song - Golden Brown. Then it clicked into place. Yeah, I like the Stranglers more. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for a good cover version or two :)
 wenatchee wrote:
Where is she now?
 

Not far enough away yet.
Where is she now?
Sorry, but I prefer the Stranglers.  Period.

There are a hundred things she has tried to chase away the things she won't remember and that she can't even let herself think about because that's when the birds scream and the worms crawl and somewhere in her mind it's always raining a slow and endless drizzle.

You will hear that she has left the country, that there was a gift she wanted you to have, but it is lost before it reaches you. Late one night the telephone will sing, and a voice that might be hers will say something that you cannot interpret before the connection crackles and is broken.

Several years later, from a taxi, you will see someone in a doorway who looks like her, but she will be gone by the time you persuade the driver to stop. You will never see her again.

Whenever it rains you think of her.

— written by Neil Gaiman

"This is the little girl whose father killed her mother in Eminem's song, all grown up, having to deal with the fact that she was an accomplice to the murder. She's a dichotomy of things because shes divided — even when parents divorce, if they turn one child against one parent, you're dividing that child at the core"
— Tori; Alternative Press, Oct 2001


Lazy. I like a fair bit of her output, but this is not a good or worthwhile version of the song.
 babyjuice wrote:
Superficial crap. not even worth voting for just muting.
 

But worth commenting on?  Methinks the baby doth protest too much.  

She's Golden


 salice wrote:
not sure about the cover...

... but she looks cute on the album cover

bit shallow that comment I'm afraid
 
She looks like they have run her through some portrait fixing software like they use in fashion magazines. 

Arrangement seems a little upbeat for Tori. 
 mandolin wrote:
...nice flow going from lunatic fringe...
 
ooh! same playlist today.. uh-oh!

Nice rhythm, nice bass line... very tasty.  I'll give it an 8.
I like Tori's version but I really like the Stranglers version better...

...nice flow going from lunatic fringe...
Of course I like the original better, but this is an interesting remake.  Great drumming by Matt Chamberlain, I think.
not sure about the cover...

... but she looks cute on the album cover

bit shallow that comment I'm afraid

There is nothing about this song that is very signifying. The chorus is weak and the verses are weaker. She has a couple tunes that touch my soul deeply. This one doesn't touch anything but the mute button.
I love hearing Tori on RP!! It sure as hell makes up for the song they played before her, what was THAT about!?!?!?!
Thank God, wash the Tori gunk out of my ears.
Flying_Donut wrote:
How much do I have to donate to RP to NEVER HEAR TORI AMOS AGAIN?!? Please, Bill, tell me. I've got my checkbook out...
You'd better spend those bucks on a simple mute switch for your speakers or headphones. If you're both lazy and rich, you can buy a system that automatically recognizes all the songs you hate and auto-mutes!
I choose to ignore the anti-tori and just enjoy!!! brilliant cover! May 1, 2007 is right around the corner with a BRAND NEW Tori album of all new songs...yummy!
Superficial crap. not even worth voting for just muting.
I find it perfectly wonderful that RP plays Tori Amos. And not just the typical once-a-year play of "Cornflake Girl" that the mainstream alternative radio stations play. You play some of the weird stuff. And I love it. I also love how pissed off people get about it! It's hilarious! Doubly so that Bill and Rebecca don't appear to give a damn. HA!
Not heard this cover before, it ain't bad. I like the way she lets her voice crack on this. (Edit) Nicely timed post
Her vocal style on this one is really really pissing me off. Too intentionally tormented, like she's trying too hard. Get off it already. OK Tori fans, flame away.
Tori is so delightfully weird
Ugh. More Tori Amos. Oh joy.
this a great song choice for Tori to cover...it's like it was made for her
After a minute of this song I rated it a 6, then I had to revise that to a 4, and now I just want it to stop!
nothing against tori amos - but she didn't do me a favour with this enerving cover version...
Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally Posted by Flying_Donut: How much do I have to donate to RP to NEVER HEAR TORI AMOS AGAIN?!? Please, Bill, tell me. I've got my checkbook out... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've said this once before (on a Natalie Merchant song), but it bears repeating. Bill and Rebecca can't be bought or sold. This is why we love RP and not corporate radio. Capisce?
Originally Posted by sparklingdark: Excellent choice off that album...
I second this motion!
LOVE IT!
Originally Posted by Flying_Donut: How much do I have to donate to RP to NEVER HEAR TORI AMOS AGAIN?!? Please, Bill, tell me. I've got my checkbook out...
How much do we have to donate to keep people from whining about Tori Amos? Keep her coming, Bill!
How much do I have to donate to RP to NEVER HEAR TORI AMOS AGAIN?!? Please, Bill, tell me. I\'ve got my checkbook out...
I love this song\'s introduction. It realy moves me as it sweeps into your brain. Yeah it is got all the commercial hooks, but it works for me. :D
The only thing worse than listening to this crap would be listening to this crap while getting a root canal. Pass the novocaine!
Well, not the best song of her great cover album, but it\'s nice... If it maybe possible to hear her outstanding cover version of Eminem\'s \"\'97 Bonnie & Clyde\" here? ;)
Originally Posted by rhw: Whoops, forgot all about this. Yep, Johray63 is right, it's Lita Ford.
Feel a little guilty. Have to admit, I looked it up! (I was just curious) ;-) I remember the Runaways though. A funny band. I believe they were the first all woman hard-rock band(?) Quite good in my memory.
Originally Posted by soholot: More Tori Amos! I can stand as much as you ever can play it :D
I can't!!!! ;)
More Tori Amos! I can stand as much as you ever can play it :D
Whoops, forgot all about this. Yep, Johray63 is right, it\'s Lita Ford.
Originally Posted by rhw: Trivia: On the b-side of the "Strange Little Girl" single is yet another cover, "Only Women Bleed." Most of the old-school metalheads out there know it's an Alice Cooper song, but answer this little trivia question: what 80s metal/rock performer also covered this song in 1990?
Lita Ford.
Originally Posted by rhw: I liek this song...it's one of the better ones on her new album, aside from her Neil Young and Slayer covers...
I can't say that I care for her version of Heart of Gold at all. It's barely discernable that that's what she's playing.