"China" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

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

Little Earthquakes ''Little Earthquakes'' is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and "Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos bega ...

''. It was issued on January 20, 1992, by

EastWest Records East West Records (stylized as east''west'') is a record label formed in 1955, distributed and owned by Warner Music Group, headquartered in London, England. History Upon its creation in 1955 by Atlantic Records, the label had one hit with th ...

in the United Kingdom. It was the first song written for ''Little Earthquakes'' and was originally titled "Distance"; a recurring lyric and theme in the song. It was originally submitted to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

in 1987.

Background

The song is often cited as one of Amos's least abstruse and most traditional ballads. It is a lament about lost love with lyrics like, "Sometimes I think you want me to touch you/How can I when you build the great wall around you?" This particular lyric likely inspired the cover art of Amos standing at an upside-down teacup shaped wall. This visual theme also occurred in the music video, which showed Amos lamenting on a rocky beach in England. The single peaked at number 51 in the UK but did not chart in other countries. One of the

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

on the single, "Humpty Dumpty", is exclusive to this release. The B-side, "Sugar", was included on the Australian B-sides album, ''More Pink: The B-Sides'', in 1994 and a live version appeared on the single, ''

Hey Jupiter "Hey Jupiter" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It was released as the fourth single from her third studio album, '' Boys for Pele'' (1996), and was her first extended play (EP) since ''Crucify'' in 1992. T ...

'', in 1996. A live version of "Sugar" also appears on the live disc to Amos' 1999 2-CD album, ''

To Venus and Back ''To Venus and Back'' is a double album by American singer, songwriter and pianist Tori Amos. Released on September 21, 1999, it comprises her fifth studio album and first live album. The first disc, entitled ''Venus: Orbiting'', shows Amos i ...

''. Amos recalls that during the creation of ''Under The Pink'', she considered re-recording the song to put it on the album, but it was later deemed unnecessary because she had enough new material to work with.

Track listings

CD and 12-inch single # "China" – 5:01 # "Sugar" – 4:27 # "Flying Dutchman" – 6:31 # "

Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. ...

" – 2:52 7-inch and cassette single # "China" – 5:01 # "Sugar" – 4:27

Charts

References

{{Authority control Tori Amos songs 1991 songs 1992 singles East West Records singles Songs written by Tori Amos