''Piece by Piece'' is an autobiographical book by singer/songwriter

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 ...

and co-authored by rock music journalist

Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and pop music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also served as pop critic at ''The ...

. It was published in the U.S. on February 8, 2005 and in the U.K. in June 2005.

Synopsis

The book is told in a conversational style with questions posed by Ann and responded to by Tori. They compiled the material for the book through phone calls, e-mail conversations and in-person interviews. Along with details about Amos' career, music and personal life it also delves into

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

in a fashion often associated with Amos. The lyrics "piece by piece" feature in the song "Datura" on the 1999 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 ...

''.

Commercial and critical success

The book received mixed reviews from critics, who generally agreed that Amos' writing on the music industry and recording process was the stellar part of the book. ''Blender'' magazine cited the work as "no mere star memoir ... it's more like a soul-map of Amos' stride from pop tart to poet provocateur." Regardless of reviews, the book was more successful than expected and was published in conjunction with Amos' solo album ''

The Beekeeper ''The Beekeeper'' is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It deals with the topics of death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism from the ''Apocryphon of John''. Sonically, ...

'' (2005). The book peaked on the New York Times bestseller list at #12.

Content

The work consists of eight chapters, each of which includes "song canvases" explaining Amos' inspiration and process for developing particular songs. *Introduction: The Soul's Dance *Chapter 1: Corn Mother: Genealogies :Song canvases: "Ireland", "The Beekeeper", "Mother Revolution" *Chapter 2: Mary Magdalene: The Erotic Muse :Song canvases: "The Power of Orange Knickers", "God", "Marys of the Sea", "Lust", "I'm Not in Love" *Chapter 3: Saraswati: The Art of Composition :Song canvases: "Garlands", "Parasol", "Sweet the Sting", "Sleeps with Butterflies", "Cars and Guitars" *Chapter 4: Demeter: The Journey into Motherhood :Song canvases: "Pandora's Aquarium", "Muhammad, My Friend", and "Ribbons Undone" *Chapter 5: Dionysus: Bringing the Music Forth :Song canvases: "Wampum Prayer" and "Winter" *Chapter 6: Sane Satyrs and Balanced Bacchantes: The Touring Life's Gypsy Caravan :Song canvas: "Martha's Foolish Ginger" *Chapter 7: Venus: Creating a Public Self :Song canvas: "Goodbye Pisces" *Chapter 8: The Lioness: Surviving the Music Business :Song canvases: "Take to the Sky", "Hoochie Woman", "Witness", and "Barons of Suburbia" *Conclusion: Quan Yin: The Art of Compassion :Song canvas: "Jamaica Inn"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Piece By Piece (Book) 2005 non-fiction books Tori Amos Collaborative non-fiction books