In Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman: Female Fans and the Music of Tori Amos, sociologist Adrienne Trier-Bieniek examines the myriad ways in which fans—particularly women–identify with female singer-songwriters like Amos and how these fans turn to her music for therapeutic purposes. Through her own interviews with more than 40 fans, critical analysis of Amos’ lyrics and examination of the life experiences that shaped the artist (and person) Amos is today, the author attempts to unravel this phenomenon. . . .The book focuses not just on the therapeutic uses of music, but also addresses the topics of gender, activism (such as Amos’ own involvement with RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the methods by which female performers navigate—and oppose—the many limiting stereotypes of women so prevalent in pop culture. Ultimately, Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman shines a spotlight on the motivation and experiences of female fans, an audience often overlooked in traditional studies of music and fandom.

Boxx

It's refreshing to come across a study of a genuine, modern day feminist icon that examines her relationship with her female fans. Sing Us a Song branches out into a wider exploration of female fan culture, the relationship between feminist music and activism, along with the stereotyping of women both performing and consuming music, but Tori remains a guiding light throughout. . . .Trier-Bienieck begins by dissecting the restrictive stereotypes of gender in pop culture - from 'cock rock' to 'teenybop' - which perpetuate themselves by constantly reminding young men and women of how they're expected to behave. She challenges the perception of many female pop stars as powerful, arguing that all too often they are silenced by the men who dominate the industry and who write, negotiate and profit on their behalf. . . .Sing Us a Song is a valuable contribution to pop music studies and will hopefully open the door for more examinations of female experiences.

The F Word

Any music history or women's studies library will be interested in acquiring Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman. It explores now only Tori's music, but how female fans bond with feminist musicians; and it examines and analyzes her lyrics and music with an eye to blending in issues of gender and activism. Social studies classes will appreciate the focus on cultural stereotypes and how Amos represented a type of fan that went beyond the image of the screaming teen to analyze more intellectual lyrics. The focus on women's emotions and a more mature musical style makes for a powerful survey recommended for any college-level collection looking for more than light biography.

Midwest Book Review

This study paves the way for future research on female singer-songwriters and their multifaceted relationships to fan culture. The text serves as a strong resource for fans of Amos, sociologists, feminists, and people investigating the role of women in music.

Journal of American Culture

Trier-Bieniek’s masterful blend of qualitative information with sociological theory and her focus exclusively on the fans of Tori Amos makes this contribution to female music fan research unique and valuable. She makes astute observations about the labels that female performers and fans often encounter, and she uses transparent methodology, insightful questions, and thorough observations, including notes about vocal inflection, body language, and emotional responses, to draw reasonable conclusions about the impact that Tori Amos has had on the women that she interviewed. Additionally, the many personal stories that Trier-Bieniek shares from her interviews highlight much of what makes music important to those who study it, including how these female fans bonded with Amos’s music and each other, how they used the music to heal themselves and others, and how they found their own voices. Trier-Bieniek’s book is recommended for any music library as well as any scholar who wishes to study popular music, Tori Amos, female musicians and their stereotypes, fans of female musicians and their stereotypes, feminism in music, and feminist activism in music.

ARSC Journal

What are female fans of popular music seeking and hearing when they listen to music and attend concerts? In an innovative and fascinating study entitled Sing Us a Song, Piano Woman: Female Fans and the Music of Tori Amos, Adrienne Trier-Bieniek goes inside the fan culture that surrounds Tori Amos and examines why her music appeals to her fans and how they make meaning of her music. Drawing on feminist standpoint theory and symbolic interaction theory, Trier-Bieniek helps us understand the diverse ways that fans interpret music and how music can have a very personal meaning.

New Books Network