“They Screwed Me From the Beginning”: The Hate Mail That Inspired Fiona Apple’s 90-Word Album Title

In November 1999, Fiona Apple released her sophomore album When The Pawn…, and for those who wondered if the words written all over the cover were just part of the album art, think again. That’s the entire title of the album. The When The Pawn… title is actually 90 words long, resulting from a poem Apple wrote in response to an unfavorable SPIN article from 1997.

When the album came out, it broke the record for longest album title, coming in at 444 characters. The full poem is as follows: “When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king / What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight / And he’ll win the whole thing ‘fore he enters the ring / There’s no body to batter when your mind is your might / So when you go solo, you hold your own hand / And remember that depth is the greatest of heights / And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land / And if you fall it won’t matter, cuz you’ll know that you’re right.”

This album is widely regarded as one of Apple’s best. It has made several “Best Albums” lists from Rolling Stone, Slant, and even SPIN. It even won a GRAMMY for Best Alternative Album. Songs like “Paper Bag,” “Fast As You Can,” and “A Mistake” are definite stand-out tracks.

[RELATED: The Story Behind “Shameika” by Fiona Apple and Its Real-Life Sequel]

Why Did Fiona Apple Respond to SPIN with a 90-Word Album Title Anyway?

In 1997, SPIN wrote a profile on Fiona Apple partially titled “She’s Been a Bad, Bad Girl.” This, of course, referencing her breakout hit “Criminal.” The interview allegedly didn’t seem to grasp that Apple was genuine and that what came out in her music was truly her personality.

“Before she has fully become a person, she has become a persona. It’s taking her some time to decide which part of her is the image, and which part is real,” the article stated. This in itself didn’t sit well with Apple, but then things got worse.

“They screwed me from the beginning,” she told The Washington Post in 1999. “They knew what they were going to do with the story and it didn’t really matter what I said, but I said some things that they could very easily edit together and make me look like a moron. I was upset about it but thought, well, that’s just what they do to you.”

In Response to Angry Letters, Apple Wrote Poetry

However, when she picked up the next issue of SPIN, angry letters were featured in response to her interview. But the anger was directed at her. According to Apple, people were writing “‘She’s the most annoying thing in the world, etc.’” She then admitted, “And I got so upset, I was crying, and I didn’t know how to make myself go on, make myself feel like it was all going to be okay.”

In response, Fiona Apple wrote the poem that became When The Pawn…, exuding a more mature reaction and mindset. As Richard Harrington wrote for The Washington Post, “Writing has always been a lifeline for Apple, who worked out many of her adolescent obsessions and frustrations with youthful abandon on ‘Tidal.’ On the new album, she exhibits a more mature perspective, focusing on the complexities of establishing and maintaining relationships.”

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