Boys for Pele is the third studio album by American singer and song-writer Tori Amos. Preceded by the first single, "Caught a Lite Sneeze", by three weeks, the album was released on 22 January, 1996, in the United Kingdom and on 23 January, in the United States. Despite the album being Amos’ least accessible material to radio to date, Boys for Pele debuted at # 2 in both the United Kingdom and the United States, making it her biggest simultaneous transatlantic debut, her first US Billboard Top 10 debut, and the highest-charting US debut of her career to date.
Boys for Pele was recorded in rural Ireland and Louisiana and features 18 songs that incorporate harpsichord, clavichord, harmonium, gospel choirs, brass bands and full orchestras. Amos wrote all of the tracks, and for the first time, she served as the producer for her own album. For Amos, the album was a step into a different direction, in terms of singing, songwriting, and recording, and was experimental in comparison to her previous work.
