you for a while

Music and Lyrics by: Tori Amos

Instrumentation: Drums and “Sillies,” programming, bass, guitar, Kurtzweil, Bose, vocals

Brief Summary: Given Tori’s quote below, it appears that Raspberry Swirl was written for her long time best friend Nancy Shanks (i.e. Beanie), who Tori watched survive several bad relationships with men. Tori wrote Raspberry Swirl as a way to tell Beanie…”until you find the right man for you (and it’ll be a while because they are mostly little boys), I’ll provide that kind of support, protection, company, and attention you need.” And she’s telling all of Beanie’s would-be suitors that they better give this girl what she needs and what she wants if you want to take anything else from her.

Taken in a more general sense, Raspberry Swirl represents a wake-up call for those men out there who don’t understand how to treat their female partners. A kind of, “Look, guys, you all are so busy wrapped up in yourselves that you can’t be there for a woman the way she deserves. In the meantime, we (women) are having to provide that for each other. If you want back into our scene…you better learn to give more than you take.”

Tori’s Comments: (from Vh1 Storytellers) “So what I said was, uh, to Beenie (who’s the love of my life…my husband understands this) is that we’re married. We’re absolutely married. And I adore her with all my heart…and she’s dated some idiots. And I hope you’re watching. I want you to know what I think of you. And in another life, I’ll absolutely kick your ass. ”

Fan Comments/Interpretations: In addition to the above interpretations, some fans see a religious element to this song (i.e. In the garden I did no crime), suggesting that it also speaks to sexual liberation. Most fans find Raspberry Swirl to be Tori’s most descriptive, most visceral song. And although some are on the “this is about oral sex” side of the fence and others are on the “its more metaphorical than that” side, just about everyone agrees that it is a powerful song, with a fantastic dance beat that many of us (myself included) get up and dance to every now and again.

China2Ny’s Comments: Raspberry Swirl is my favorite car song. And I loved her performance of this song on Storytellers so much I must have rewound it 100 times. That, and Ieeee.