Benjamin

Album: Native Invaders (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In January 2017 Tori Amos' mother, Mary, suffered a stroke that left her unable to speak. The singer told Billboard that she experienced "a penny-drop moment" while driving to visit her, when it became clear that in the same way that her mother's body had been under attack, so also were such American ideals as freedom and liberty.

    This angry song in which Amos Tori Amos brands "the men on the hill" as "those pimps in Washington... selling the rape of America," became a central theme of Native Invader.

    "I'd been getting messages through people I know from people I don't know that were telling me that I needed to pay attention," Amos explained. "They wanted to know, did I know what as going on? Did I understand who was going to be appointed, for example, at the EPA? Those types of things. I call them the Benjamins, whether they're our lady Benjamins or the male Benjamins. That's the song 'Benjamin,' where I was getting pointed at and sent things to look at to make me aware of what was really going on. As I was sitting in the hospital with Mary, by her side for hours, I would be doing the research, and the album started to come fast and furious."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?