Tori Amos became one of the ’90s’ most celebrated singer/songwriters thanks to her classically-inspired rock, provocative lyrics, and ability to mind-meld with the young women in her audience. But she also inspired a devoted male following. She could tackle highly personal topics with vocals and performances that ranged from a whisper to a scream and everything in between. And she could deliver highly unusual, low-key covers of raging songs like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and even Slayer’s “Raining Blood.”
[RELATED: Watch: Tori Amos Covers Two Early Sinéad O’Connor Songs]
Videos by American Songwriter
And once in awhile, she has duetted with someone whom you might not expect. But that’s Tori—she likes to keep us on our toes. Here are three dudes you didn’t know she duetted with. We hope someday Trent Reznor gets added to the list.
1. Maynard James Keenan, “Muhammad, My Friend” (live)
On January 23, 1997, Amos played New York City and invited Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan onstage for this vocal and piano number. While Keenan is known for often literally blending into the shadows of Tool shows, he still has a very powerful presence. When he sat down next to Tori on her piano bench for this song, he blended well with her singing, accompanying her throughout without stealing the spotlight. (At times, in fact, the screaming audience overwhelmed them.) Amos first introduced Keenan as her friend and said, “I call him when I’m feeling terrible, and he sings me lullabies. So I asked him to come sing tonight.” It was a smart choice.
2. Tom Jones, “I Wanna Get Back With You”
Jones is a vocal icon whose projection can be so powerful that he needs a larger backing band behind him. In this electric ballad from his 1995 album The Lead and How to Swing It, he restrains himself as much as possible, and Amos’ ethereal vocal harmonies waft in during the choruses for just the right balance.
As Keenan provided the right level of support in the previous track, Amos did the same thing here for Jones, providing another point-of-view for the song. What’s interesting to learn is that they did not record this together in the studio. Amos recorded her vocals while on tour in Oregon, and she reportedly made some people nervous by changing songwriter Diane Warren’s lyrics for her part. But it all worked out in the end.
Michael Stipe, “It Might Hurt A Bit”
What hurts a lot, actually, is that this duet has never officially been released. However, you can hear a snippet of it in the video clip below. Back in 1994, Amos and R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe recorded this song for the film Don Juan DeMarco starring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the duo joked that the song had little to do with the movie and was written after they watched a three-minute trailer. They described their collaboration thusly:
Stipe: “It’s like two satellites eclipsing each other.” Amos: “And a bit of shoe-trading.” Stipe: “And lots of snake oil.”
We’re hoping this song gets out there someday, considering it seems like nearly everything from Tori’s ‘90s vault has been released in one way or another.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images