Fiona Apple reveals 23-word album title

She's got a 23-word album title, and she's gonna use it! © Kelly Owen/ZUMA/Corbis

Fiona Apple is gearing up to release a new album, and she's got a whopper of a title to go with it. Packing 23 words in all, the record is called The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. (Upper and lower-case letters are intentional.)

While it's got a certain ring to it (and hey, it rhymes!), it's undoubtedly long - and from here on it, we'll probably refer to it as simply The Idle Wheel... Even so, the 23-word title is nowhere near her one-time Guinness Record-holding offering from 1999. That album was called the following:

When the pawn hits the conflicts he thinks like a king
What he knows throws the blows when he goes to the fight
And he'll win the whole thing 'fore he enters the ring
There's no body to batter when your mind is your might
So when you go solo, you hold your own hand
And remember that depth is the greatest of heights
And if you know where you stand, then you know where to land
And if you fall it won't matter, cause you'll know that you're right

Understandably, fans and journalists shortened that a tad, calling the record When The Pawn...

Although a firm release date for the new disc hasn't been set, word is that Epic is planning to issue it sometime in June. In the meantime, Apple will perform a number of theater dates later this month, including a stop at South By Southwest next week.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.