Has Fiona Apple ever had a number one?
In many ways, the alternative scene in music is experiencing a full-circle moment. Sure, the mainstream heights of the industry will forever be dominated by men, but as far as the beats of revolution go, there is a powerful female force that existed both in the 1990s and is back today. Some 30 years ago, it was the likes of Kathleen Hanna or Shirley Manson leading the pack, but Fiona Apple has also always walked to the beat of her own drum.
Unlike many who made their way through the alternative and relatively underground scene, Apple was somewhat of an anomaly when she released her debut album Tidal in 1996, instantly whipping up a sonic firestorm which saw the record shift 2.7 million copies and be certified three times platinum. From there, there was largely no looking back, and Apple became an instant poster girl for the baroque pop brand on the shores of mainstream music.
Yet, for all the quintet of albums so far in her discography, Apple’s success is considered second to none for the genre of sonic output she creates. Combining dystopia with enigma, brutality with protest, what truly sets the singer apart in a landscape of overwrought introspection is her ability to transcend herself and stand up for what she believes, casting a sonic beam unlike anyone else in the business.
It was for this reason that Apple racked up a devoted following right from the beginning, with all five of her albums reaching the top 20 in the US charts, and her most successful being The Idler Wheel…, which was released in 2012 and peaked at number three. Despite this, however, none of Apple’s singles have ever hit the sweet nectar of the number one spot. As much as you can’t particularly imagine Apple as a commercial glutton, it does beg the question now, as she is making her long-awaited return, could the sixth time be the charm?
What’s the most successful song Fiona Apple made?
Indeed, as much as Apple’s albums have been fairly successful chart hits, her highest-climbing chart hit was ‘Criminal’, which peaked at number 21 in the US upon its release in 1996, and remains the singer’s only charting single so far. This may seem surprising for an artist whose music has become such a beacon for her times, and who is so critically loved, but the song in particular struck an especially resonant chord with the masses.
As much as Apple insists that the traumas she has experienced throughout her life are not a driving force in her music, the edgy, guttural appeal of ‘Criminal’ spoke to so many women at the time in terms of reclaiming their sexual agency and personae. Even though the singer wasn’t a direct influence on movements like riot grrrl, the time to seize the moment was evidently pertinent, which goes a long way in explaining how it became her biggest hit.
Of course, many years have rattled by since then, but it’s in songs like ‘Criminal’ that female artists of today find the most solace in from musicians like Apple, who blazed trails perhaps without ever fully meaning to at the time. Having worked with the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Sharon Van Etten in the time since, it’s clear that without Apple’s chart successes, other women making their way in alternative pop would not be able to climb the mountain without the foundations she laid.
