"Criminal" is a song by American recording artist

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Apple has received numerous awards an ...

, released in September 1997 as the third single from her debut studio album, ''

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

''. Apple has stated that the song is about "feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality"."The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 51-100"
''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

''. October 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2007. Apple's highest-charting single, it peaked at 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (her only entry to date), as well as No. 4 on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

. The song won the

Grammy Award 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

40th Grammy Awards The 40th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Rock icon Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, and R. Kelly were the ...

and was nominated for

Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

. "Criminal" was listed at No. 55 on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s", and No. 71 on ''

'' magazine's 2005 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".

Music video

The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was directed by

Mark Romanek Mark Romanek (; born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker whose directing work includes feature films, television, music videos and commercials. Romanek wrote and directed the 2002 film ''One Hour Photo'' and directed the 2010 film '' Neve ...

in May 1997 with cinematography by

Harris Savides Harris Savides (; Greek: Χάρης Σαββίδης; September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012)Weber, BrucHarris Savides, Visual Poet, Dies at 55''New York Times'', October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012. was an American cinematographer. Not ...

. It was released a month later in June 1997. Visual enhancements including the retroreflector in Fiona's eyes and additional lighting vignettes were created by visualist Ash Beck. The video features Apple sulking in various states of undress, and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' described her as "looking like an underfed

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

model",Frere-Jones, Sasha
"Extraordinary Measures"
''

''. October 10, 2005. Retrieved June 18, 2007. known as the "

heroin chic Heroin chic is a style popularized in early-1990s fashion and characterized by pale skin, dark circles underneath the eyes, emaciated features, androgyny and stringy hair—all traits associated with abuse of heroin or other drugs. American sup ...

" look. It explores themes of

voyeurism Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...

and

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the t ...

. In 1998, the video won an

MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography The MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography is a craft award given to both the artist as well as the cinematographer/director of photography of the music video. From 1984 to 2006, the award's full name was Best Cinematography in a Video. Aft ...

. The video was featured in the 1997

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 ...

special " Beavis and Butt-Head Do Thanksgiving". Up until ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

s revival in 2011, it was the last to be critiqued by the duo, along with

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

's "

Long Hard Road Out of Hell "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson and British trip hop band Sneaker Pimps. It was released as a single from the soundtrack to the 1997 motion picture ''Spawn''. An arena rock and gothic rock song, "Long ...

" video, which was also featured in the special.

Track listings

* US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single # "Criminal" – 5:41 # "

Sleep to Dream "Sleep to Dream" is a song written and recorded by American alternative singer-songwriter Fiona Apple. It was released on April 14, 1997 by Work Records and Columbia Records as the second single from her debut studio album, ''Tidal''. The song's ...

" (live) – 4:35 * European CD single # "Criminal" (album version) # "Slow Like Honey" (live version) * Australian CD single # "Criminal" (radio edit) # "Slow Like Honey" (live) # "The Child Is Gone" (live) # "Never Is a Promise" (live)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Cover versions

Singer

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

covered the song for her 20th studio album, ''Leavin (2006). Len Righi of ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...

'' wrote that she was surprised at Cole's ability to transform the "agonizing, brazen lament" into "a funky,

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

-type, rump-shaker". In " Massacres and Matinees", the second episode of '' American Horror Story: Freak Show'',

Bette and Dot Tattler The fourth season of the American horror anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', subtitled ''Freak Show'', is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, telling the story of one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States and their ...

(played by

Sarah Paulson Sarah Catharine Paulson (born December 17, 1974) is an American actress. She began her acting career in New York City stage productions before starring in the short-lived television series '' American Gothic'' (1995–1996) and '' Jack & Jill' ...

) perform a duet version of "Criminal".

Legacy

The music video for "Criminal" was the main inspiration for It Was Romance frontperson

Lane Moore Lane Moore is an American stand-up comedian, author, writer, director, actor, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist living in New York, New York. Career She is a former writer for ''The Onion'' and ''The Onion Book of Known Knowledge: A ...

's music video to her song "Hooking Up with Girls", with many visuals as well as costumes inspired by the video. It was ranked at No. 423 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time" in 2021.

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles 1997 songs American alternative rock songs Columbia Records singles Fiona Apple songs Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Music videos directed by Mark Romanek Songs written by Fiona Apple