"St. Teresa" is a song by American singer-songwriter Joan Osborne. Released in May 1996 by Blue Gorilla and

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

as the second single from her debut album, '' Relish'' (1995), it was written by Osborne as well as its producer Rick Chertoff and

the Hooters The Hooters are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band combines elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music to create its sound. The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-1980 ...

members Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman. It failed to chart in the US but had some minor international chart success.

Background and release

Written about a sex worker she witnessed openly engaging in

drug-dealing The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...

in her Manhattan neighbourhood, Osborne said that she penned the lyrics to "St. Teresa" while under hypnosis, in a desperate attempt to overcome writer's block. Alongside the simple fact that she found the words 'St. Teresa' to be rhythmically "singable," the singer further explained the song's connection to its namesake,

Saint Teresa of Jesus In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ort ...

, in an interview with '' The Irish Times'': "St. Teresa" received airplay on triple-A and modern rock radio stations, in late 1995, as a "warm-up" track to help the album gain exposure. It was also accompanied by a music video. Later given a proper commercial release, in 1996 (following the global success of "One of Us"), it was again promoted with another music video, this time directed by Osborne, herself. In it, she plays a hotel maid discovering bizarre and supernatural occurrences while cleaning, including goldfish living in a toilet and bathtub, as well as a

levitating Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...

woman. The re-release led to the song charting within the Top 50 in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Sweden. It also earned a nomination 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

38th Annual Grammy Awards The 38th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the main recipient, being awarded four trophies, inc ...

, but ultimately lost to

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...

's hugely successful " You Oughta Know."

Critical reception

Kevin Courtney from the '' Irish Times'' wrote: "In her follow up 'St Teresa' (

), Joan paints a gritty picture of a

drug-addicted Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

for whom canonisation would seem a remote possibility. It's not half as catchy or quirky as "

One of Us 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

", although the " Losing My Religion" style mandolins keep it jangling nicely along."

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the CD liner notes of '' Relish''. * Joan Osborne – lead vocals * Rick Chertoff – production * William Wittman – mixing, recording * Eric Bazilian – chant, guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

* Mark Egan – bass guitar * Rob Hyman – organ, synthesizer * Andy Kravitz – drums

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1995 songs 1996 singles Joan Osborne songs Mercury Records singles Song recordings produced by Rick Chertoff Songs written by Eric Bazilian Cultural depictions of Teresa of Ávila Songs with feminist themes Songs about prostitutes