Tongues & Tails

Sophie B. Hawkins | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (April 7, 1992)
• Original Release Date: 1992
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027DX
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MiniDisc  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,815 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover

2. California, Here I Come

3. Mysteries We Understand

4. Saviour Child

5. Carry Me

6. I Want You

7. Before I Walk on Fire

8. We Are One Body

9. Listen

10. Live and Let Love

11. Don't Stop Swaying

Editorial Reviews

Tongues And Tails by Sophie B. Hawkins

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most complex and impressive albums of the 90s, May 24, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tongues And Tails (Audio CD)

One of the most overlooked musical artists of the 90s in Sophie B. Hawkins. Tongues and Tails is one of the most unusual, original, confusing, complex, and ultimately enjoyable debut albums I have ever heard. The huge splash Hawkins made on the pop charts with the hit Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover (one of the most memorable songs of the decade) offered only hints of the murky wonders to be found in the ocean of music and sensuality arising from the soul of this remarkable performer. Some of these songs can be quite eye-opening at first, pulsing with an uncommon type of sensuality which fits Hawkins' self-described omnisexuality. As for the music, it seems almost cosmic in a way, reflecting all manner of sounds and styles from pop to R&B to a touch of folk music bearing a strong Bob Dylan influence, just to name a few. The sound, though, is clearly her own amalgamation of the rhythms of life, and it is important to note that she wrote all of these songs herself. Interspersed throughout most of the songs are sounds of city streets and life going on elsewhere at the edge of hearing. As for the voice, it reminds me a good deal of Stevie Nicks, but Sophie sings with a passion all her own.

Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover was a huge hit that requires little explanation on my part. California Here I Come is an ode to change and an embrace of the future, culminating most interestingly with a recitation by Sophie of the Lord's Prayer. Mysteries We Understand is a rocking standout track pulsing with a funky beat, creating an energetic release not to be missed. This is followed by a sharp transition to the slow and quiet beginning of Savior Child, but Sophie's energy cannot be contained for very long; the chorus soon comes rushing in, bringing with its catchiness a rich fullness of sound that carries the song to its end. Carry Me is unquestionably the most unusual and thus compelling of the eleven tracks. Sophie begins rather calmly speaking and singing about loving her mother, then suddenly she is making the kinds of passionate sounds that don't seem to belong alongside thoughts of one's mother. The song concludes with a cacophony of organized chaos, marked by the soft insertion of the question "What are you doing?" in the background. These types of things lead some to label a couple of these songs as incestuous, but I believe that Sophie's musings are so cosmic in nature that real-life taboos have no meaning to her besides their usefulness in expanding the consciousness of herself and her listeners. At the mid-point of the album, Sophie acknowledges her connection with Bob Dylan by offering a cover version of I Want You that is completely her own. We Are One Body is an especially noteworthy track, offering thoughts which seem to sum up some of Sophie's personal philosophy: let's fill the whole world with desire, she says, come make love to exclusion. The tracks Live and Let Love and Don't Stop Swaying are natural adjuncts to this communication on her part. Listen is an amazing track; it starts with Sophie speaking very quietly, then suddenly she rises up with a promise to "turn you on," heavy guitar licks fill the air, and the resulting music is a sensuous and quite sexy tour de force.

If you only know Sophie B. Hawkins from her one hit single, the music of this album may well surprise if not shock you at first. After a few listens, though, you find yourself drawn into this strange world that Sophie is singing from and about, seeking the type of mind-expanding consciousness Sophie seems capable of offering. The music definitely gets even better over time, as I find myself appreciating and enjoying it more now than I did at the time of its release. There is real mystery, beauty, and unbridled passion in these songs.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars C-Jungle C-JungleGoJoinYerGangYeah! CityAllOverGoApeCrazy!, August 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tongues And Tails (Audio CD)

I first heard about this when I was a fool uncool in school. 1992...I didn't know nothing but what they had told me.

Then I discovered Sophie B.

New York City Girl, Sexual Omnivore, Urban Jungle Bunny, she moved and grooved and rocked my world.

Tongues and Tails, written by Sophie in her early twenties, is incredibly primal, tribal, sexual, spiritual, fiery, and passionate.

Let me stand next to her fire.

Dylan would be proud. Her Amazonian cover of 'I Want You' can make you forget the folky original.

Ignore the cynics, the critics who diss this as being lewd and lascivious. They are fools uncool from the old school.

'Carry Me' is a shocker. So free and wild. Don't take the lyrics literally. It's about emotional intimacy, not sex.

'Before I Walk...' very healing and soothing to all the wounded souls and broken hearts in this world.

'Listen' a raucous guitar rocker. In your face and shameless.

'Damn I Wish' is one of the best songs of the decade. Great throbbing roiling beat, lyrics can't be beat...when was the last time you heard someone use the word 'Shucks' in a song? So sweet

Don't stop swayin' Sophie...you can hang from my jungle gym anytime.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like no other, January 30, 2002

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tongues And Tails (Audio CD)

Reaction upon first listening to _Tongues and Tails_: "This album is weird. It's actually kind of embarrassing, even, listening to this. What's with the orgasmic moans on Carry Me? Why the implied incest, both in Carry Me and Don;t Stop Swaying? And why is she yelling instead of singing on some of these songs? I don't think I like this at all."

Upon listening for the second time: "Hmm...some of this incest stuff seems to be metaphorical. I don't mind the yelling and moaning nearly so much anymore either. And some of these songs are actually pretty good."

Third time: "Sophie rocks! This is the bomb!"

And Tongues and Tails hasn't collected any dust since. It takes a couple of listens to get used to, but now I love it. If I play it while getting ready for work, I feel transported to a languid summer's day, uplifted beyond the daily grind. And if I listen to it by night, I feel like a sensual goddess. Sophie dares to say things most songwriters merely imply, and the result is occasionally shocking and always memorable.