{{Short description|1994 single by Tori Amos}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox song | name = Past the Mission | cover = Tori Amos Past the Mission UK US cover.jpg | alt = | caption = Standard cover art for most editions | type = single | artist = [[Tori Amos]] | album = [[Under the Pink]] | B-side = Black Swan | released = May 16, 1994 | recorded = | studio = The Fishhouse ([[Taos, New Mexico]])<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Under the Pink|title-link=Under the Pink|others=Tori Amos|year=1994|type=US CD album booklet|publisher=Atlantic Records|id=82567-2}}</ref> | venue = | genre = [[Pop music|Pop]]<ref name="MusicHound Rock">{{cite book|first= Thor|last= Christensen|editor1-first= Gary |editor1-last= Graff |editor2-first= Daniel |editor2-last= Durchholz |year= 1998 |title= MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |chapter= Tori Amos|publisher= [[Visible Ink Press]] |location= Detroit |page= 26}}</ref> | length = 4:05 | label = * [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] * [[East West Records|EastWest]] | writer = Tori Amos | producer = Tori Amos | prev_title = [[Pretty Good Year]] | prev_year = 1994 | next_title = [[Caught a Lite Sneeze]] | next_year = 1996 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|AdIgXD1-93U|"Past the Mission"}}}} }} "'''Past the Mission'''" is a song by American singer-songwriter and pianist [[Tori Amos]]. It was released as the third single from her second studio album, ''[[Under the Pink]]'' (1994), in Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "Past the Mission" was issued in May 1994 by [[East West Records|EastWest Records]] in the UK, in July 1994 in Australia, and in September 1994 by [[Atlantic Records]] in the U.S. Two different [[CD single]]s containing live [[A-side and B-side|B-side]]s were released in the UK, and the second of these was released in continental Europe and Australia. In the US, the single was only released commercially on cassette, although a promotional CD single was produced.
==Background== Regarding the origins of the song, Amos commented: {{cquote| "Past the Mission" refers to a personal experience with sexual violence, which I had a song about on ''Little Earthquakes'' also. So, the remark 'I once knew a hot girl' is painful. Where’s she gone? On this record there are songs about the healing from that experience, like "Baker Baker" ('Make me whole again'), "Past the Mission", "Yes, Anastasia". The idea is to rescue myself from the role of a victim. That I have a choice left. Though I can't change what has happened, I can choose how to react. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life being bitter and locked up. That’s also the thought behind the phrase 'past the mission/I smell the roses'.<ref>St Louis Dispatch - July 15, 1994</ref>}}
[[Trent Reznor]], founder of the industrial rock group [[Nine Inch Nails]], sings background vocals on this track. An alternate mix of "Past the Mission" appears on Amos's compilation box set ''[[A Piano: The Collection]]'' (2006).
==Critical reception== [[Larry Flick]] from ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine wrote, "Amos is an acquired taste that many are wisely beginning to indulge in. This haunting, piano-rooted tune gives her plenty of room to stretch her unique vocal style. Pleasing chord progressions have a sort of [[country-pop]] quality, which fits her piercing [[soprano]] quite nicely. Far more sophisticated than standard top 40 fare, but well worth the programming effort."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Larry|last=Flick|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1994/BB-1994-09-24.pdf#page=69|title=Single Reviews: Pop|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 24, 1994|page=73|access-date=May 30, 2025|author-link=Larry Flick}}</ref>
==Chart performance== "Past the Mission" reached the top 40 in both the UK and Ireland,<ref name=uk/><ref name=ire/> but it failed to chart on the [[Billboard Hot 100|US Hot 100]] and peaked outside the top 100 in Australia.<ref>http://www.hereinmyhead.com/collect/under/ptmuk.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718093938/http://www.hereinmyhead.com/collect/under/ptmuk.html |date=July 18, 2010 }} -- hereinmyhead.com</ref><ref name=aus/>
==Music video== The accompanying music video for "Past the Mission" begins with Amos holding hands with two young women, walking along a dirt road. As the three begin walking through a town named [[Arcos de la Frontera]], Spain, other women join them in their march until there is a large parade as the men look on. The women are eventually confronted by a male priest, who blocks their pathway. One by one the women move to the ground, laying flat as the priest walks around and steps over them. The priest is then joined by the rest of the men, who all walk away as the women stand up and continue their march, eventually finding themselves in the open field seen at the beginning of the video. The video ends with a young boy running to catch up with the ever advancing parade of women.
==Track listings== The UK CD single set was sold in two parts. The non-limited part (CD 2) comes in a slim jewel case and the disc features a photo-negative image of Amos playing a piano. The limited edition (CD 1) comes in a triple gatefold digipak case with two slots to house each CD in the set. In place of the second disc there is a cardboard cutout that looks like the CD. The owner can replace the cutout with the actual CD from the other half of the set. The second CD was also released in Germany and looks nearly identical excepting that the image on the disc is a positive image, not photo-negative.
* '''UK 7-inch single''' – EastWest A7257 * '''UK cassette single / Australian cassette single''' – EastWest A7257C # "Past the Mission" (Album version) – 4:05 # "Past the Mission" (Live) – 4:21
* '''UK CD 1''' (Limited Edition) – EastWest A7257CDX # "Upside Down" (Live) – 5:57 # "Past the Mission" (Live) – 4:21 # "Icicle" (Live) – 7:50 # "Flying Dutchman" (Live) – 6:31
* '''UK CD 2 / European CD / Australian CD''' – EastWest A7257CD # "Past the Mission" (Album version) – 4:05 # "Winter" (Live) – 6:37 # "The Waitress" (Live) – 3:29 # "Here. In My Head" (Live) – 6:05
* '''US cassette single''' – Atlantic 4-87206 # "Past the Mission" (Album version) – 4:05 # "Black Swan" – 4:04
==Charts== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1994) !Peak<br/>position |- !scope="row"|Australia ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref name=aus>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/9AQCjII.jpg|title=Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17|via=[[Imgur]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129020821/http://i.imgur.com/9AQCjII.jpg|archive-date=November 29, 2014|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> | 116 |- !scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=11|issue=24|page=12|date=June 11, 1994}}</ref> | 68 |- {{single chart|Ireland2|25|song=Past the Mission|rowheader=true|access-date=January 24, 2023|refname=ire}} |- {{single chart|UK|31|date=19940604|rowheader=true|access-date=January 24, 2023|refname=uk}} |}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"|Region !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Format(s) !scope="col"|Label(s) !scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|United Kingdom |May 16, 1994 |{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|CD1|cassette}} |rowspan="3"|[[East West Records|EastWest]] |{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} |- |May 23, 1994 |CD2 |<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/EMYFlOg.jpg|title=Tori Amos Past the Mission (UK promotional display flat)|via=Imgur|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Australia |July 4, 1994 |{{hlist|CD|cassette}} |<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/VvQNL8Y.jpg|title=New Release Summary – Product Available from: 04/07/1994 > Singles (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 229 – Week Ending 3rd July 1994)|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]]|access-date=April 9, 2016}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|United States |September 27, 1994 |Cassette |[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] |{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Tori Amos}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Past The Mission}} [[Category:Tori Amos songs]] [[Category:1993 songs]] [[Category:1994 singles]] [[Category:Atlantic Records singles]] [[Category:East West Records singles]] [[Category:Music videos directed by Jake Scott (director)]] [[Category:Songs written by Tori Amos]]