"1000 Oceans" is a song by

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 second single from her 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 ...

''. It reached number 22 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales, though it did not chart on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. The song deals with issues of love and loss, and is based on the singer's personal experiences. It was released on September 7, 1999, and was generally well received by critics.

Background

Amos has explained that the idea for the song came to her in a dream. An old African woman was humming the melody to her, and she got up around 5:30 in the morning to record it. She describes writing the transition from the melody line around the words "I can't believe that I would keep, keep you from flying" to "and I would cry 1000 more" as particularly difficult, and what took the longest time. The inspiration for the lyrics came when her father-in-law died, and she claims the song helped her husband deal with the grieving process. The lyrics contain reference to

Silbury Hill Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site. At high, it is the tallest prehistoric man-made mound ...

, an ancient mound in Wiltshire, England. This is a place often visited by Amos and her husband.

Video

The video for the song was directed by Erick Ifergan and filmed by Toby Irwin, and it was shot in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot. It shows Amos singing inside a glass booth. The booth is in a busy street, and as people walk by some stop and stare. Others are engaged in everyday activities, and at one point a full-scale riot breaks out in the street, while Amos behaves like a mere distant observer. The video had its TV debut on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's '' 120 Minutes'' on October 24, 1999.

Reviews

Reviewers generally had a positive attitude towards "1000 Oceans", and many mentioned it among the better tracks on the album. VH1 said the song was "one of the most billowing songs she's written in a while". '' The Tech'' called the melody of this song and "Lust" "powerful ballads" and "some of Tori's finest". Others were less impressed though; '' Spin'' magazine called the album track "perhaps the most disappointing", and claimed Amos came across as a "

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

rip-off".

Track listing

Track listing for the various editions of the single: US (CD single, Cassette Single; September 7, 1999) # "1000 Oceans" – 4:18 # "Baker Baker" (Live) – 4:18 US (7" Vinyl Single) (Atlantic 7-84534) # "1000 Oceans" – 4:17 # "Baker Baker" (Live non LP version) – 3:56 US (Enhanced cd, includes "1000 Oceans" and "Bliss"video, September 28, 1999) # "1000 Oceans" (Album Version) – 4:18
Secretime # "Baker Baker" (Live Non LP Version) – 3:53 # "Winter" (Live Non LP Version) – 7:01 Australia (January 10, 2000) # "1000 Oceans" (Album Version) – 4:18
Secretime # "Baker Baker" (Live Non LP Version) – 3:53 # "Winter" (Live Non LP Version) – 7:01 France # "1000 Oceans" (radio edit) Germany # "1000 Oceans" # "Hey Jupiter" (live) # "Upside Down" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts

References

External links

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Extracts from interviews
with Tori Amos about the song {{authority control Tori Amos songs 1999 singles Songs inspired by deaths Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Tori Amos 1999 songs