History Music / EmilieAutumn

Of Emilie's life, [[ShroudedInMyth very little is known at the moment.]] What we do know is that she [[ChildProdigy started playing violin at the age of four,]] a talent that she has continued to this day, and that she voluntarily stayed away from most of the mainstream music communities (both classical and commercial) due to bad experiences and clashes within them: In fact, most of her albums were self published by her own company. Her first album was ''On a Day...'' a classical album released in 2000, when she was 20 or 21. The following year she put out the ''Chambermaid'' and ''By the Sword'' [=EPs=]. In 2003 her first full vocal album was released: ''Enchant,'' an album filled with a number of songs inspired by fairy tales. Also contained in this CD was the Enchant Puzzle, which no one has ever solved. This was the ''Enchant'' era, when Emilie was a [[FairyCompanion faerie.]]

After going through an extremely awful period in her life that resulted in a suicide attempt and institutionalization, she was inspired to move in a different artistic direction. This began with the ''Opheliac EP,'' followed by the full album ''Opheliac.'' This album was far darker than ''Enchant,'' and a reflection of Emilie's mental state, as this album was released as an agreement with herself that she'd make the album instead of killing herself. The songs are mostly about madness and suicide, particularly in water. Much of the album is influenced by Creator/WilliamShakespeare, as is made obvious by the title. Many of the songs are not written from the perspective of Emilie, but from [[TheOphelia Ophelia]] herself, the Lady of Shalott, and others. Later in 2007, she re-released ''Enchant'' along with ''A Bit o' This & That,'' which was a collection of previously unheard songs, re-mixes, and tracks from older [=EPs=]. Also released that year was ''Laced / Unlaced.'' ''Laced'' was a re-release of ''On a Day...'' while ''Unlaced'' was an all-new collection of instrumental songs done in her newer style. In 2009 she was able to release her autobiography, ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls.'' She has also released ''The Opheliac Companion,'' which provides [[AllThereInTheManual information and background]] about the songs on ''Opheliac.''

In 2012 she released another album, ''Fight Like a Girl,'' which had been lingering in DevelopmentHell for several years. Despite her initial promises that it was going to be "more metal" than ''Opheliac'' was, it ended up being a theatrical concept album based around the fictionalized UsefulNotes/{{Victorian|Britain}} story that appeared in ''The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls.'' According to Emilie, she intends to use the album as part of the soundtrack to the play she's currently writing about the book. The album has created a BrokenBase in the fandom because of its differences from the highly popular ''Opheliac,'' and because the violin plays a much less significant role it in than it had in her previous music. Her current look and shows are generally referred to as the ''FLAG'' era by fans.

* PachelbelsCanon: Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilie_Autumn notes]] that as a child she would mentally play the piece each night to suppress her auditory hallucinations. The influence of it can be heard in several of her songs: "Save You" contains a few bars of the melody, and the ostinato from the piece is present in "Ancient Grounds" and "Let the Record Show."

* LolitaFashion: Her fashion style isn't exactly Lolita -- it leans more towards "neo-Victorian", but she does appreciate the style. She has developed a cult following among some Lolita circles, many of whom dress up for her live shows.

* {{Lolicon}}: Viciously deconstructed in "Gothic Lolita." In effect, she drew ire from the Lolita community for invoking the scene's biggest BerserkButton. It has since died down ever since she said that she was only referring to the book, but bringing up the song or its lyrical content around Lolita fashion fans is a very, very bad idea.

* PachelbelsCanon: TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilie_Autumn notes]] that as a child she would mentally play the piece each night to suppress her auditory hallucinations. The influence of it can be heard in several of her songs: "Save You" contains a few bars of the melody, and the ostinato from the piece is present in "Ancient Grounds" and "Let the Record Show."

In 2012 she released another album, ''Fight Like a Girl,'' which had been lingering in DevelopmentHell for several years. Despite her initial promises that it was going to be "more metal" than ''Opheliac'' was, it ended up being a theatrical concept album based around the fictionalized {{Victorian|Britain}} story that appeared in ''The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls.'' According to Emilie, she intends to use the album as part of the soundtrack to the play she's currently writing about the book. The album has created a BrokenBase in the fandom because of its differences from the highly popular ''Opheliac,'' and because the violin plays a much less significant role it in than it had in her previous music. Her current look and shows are generally referred to as the ''FLAG'' era by fans.

'''Emilie Autumn''' Liddell, born September 22 1979, is a {{Goth}}ic poet, singer / songwriter, violinist, harpsichordist, performance artist, feminist, and author. She's self described as that she sounds "[[MindScrew like the best cup of English Breakfast spiked with cyanide and smashed on your antique wallpaper.]]" Well, OK then.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: To date the only releases that have no re-release are the ''Chambermaid'' and ''By the Sword'' EPs (but the two are on ''A Bit o' This & That''). Most are just a limited edition digipack, and then a jewel case, but the re-release of ''Enchant'' has a story to bridge the gap between it and ''Opheliac'' and no ''Enchant'' puzzle. Then there is ''Opheliac''. Oh God, ''Opheliac''. First there was the two disc digipack. After it sold out, Emilie released a one disc jewel case version and after fans demanded the content from disc two of the limited edition a two disc digipack. Two years after the album was released in Europe, the album got a wide release in the [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates US]], with three more tracks exclusive to the issuing, and, finally, a third issuing with all tracks from the previous US edition, four songs recorded for that edition, excerpts from ''The Asylum'', live videos and a video with her and her friend, (Queen) fLee.

* BlessedWithSuck / CursedWithAwesome: "Thank God I'm Pretty."

* CoverVersion: She's done a fair share of covers. The covers that she has done are "I Don't Care Much" from Music/{{Cabert}}, "I Know It's Over" and "Asleep" originally by Music/TheSmiths, "All My Loving" by Music/TheBeatles, a harpsichord cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Music/CyndiLauper and Music/{{Queen}}'s "Bohemian Rhapsody" which she sings on tour, "Gloomy Sunday" (without the second ending [which she refers to in "The Art of Suicide"]) originally by Music/LaszloJavor and Music/RezsoSeress, and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by Music/TheFlamingLips.

** The WordSaladLyrics in "Swallow" ("Low tide and high tea, oyster's waiting for me...") refer to "Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland".
** The titles of "Syringe" and "Face the Wall" are likely a shout-out to the scene in ''Franchise/{{Terminator}} 2'' in which Sarah Connor escapes from the mental institution. She holds the doctor hostage with a syringe in his neck, and orders a guard to face the wall.

* VitriolicBestBuds / VitriolicCouple: Emilie and Veronica, on stage. In real life, they are both some of the sweetest people you will meet.

'''Emilie Autumn''' Liddell, born September 22 1979, is a {{goth}}ic poet, singer/songwriter, violinist, harpsichordist, performance artist, feminist, and author. She's self-described as that she sounds "[[MindScrew like the best cup of English Breakfast spiked with cyanide and smashed on your antique wallpaper]]." Well, OK then.

Of Emilie's life, [[ShroudedInMyth very little is known at the moment]]. What we do know is that she [[ChildProdigy started playing violin at the age of four]], a talent that she has continued to this day, and that she voluntarily stayed away from most of the mainstream music communities (both classical and commercial) due to bad experiences and clashes within them: In fact, most of her albums were self-published by her own company. Her first album was ''On a Day...'', a classical album released in 2000, when she was 20 or 21. The following year she put out the ''Chambermaid'' and ''By the Sword'' [=EPs=]. In 2003 her first full vocal album was released: ''Enchant'', an album filled with a number of songs inspired by fairy tales. Also contained in this CD was the Enchant Puzzle, which no one has ever solved. This was the Enchant era, when Emilie was a [[FairyCompanion faerie]].

After going through an extremely awful period in her life that resulted in a suicide attempt and institutionalization, she was inspired to move in a different artistic direction. This began with the ''Opheliac EP'', followed by full album ''Opheliac''. This album was far darker than ''Enchant'', and a reflection of Emilie's mental state, as this album was released as an agreement with herself that she'd make the album instead of killing herself. The songs are mostly about madness and suicide, particularly in water. Much of the album is influenced by Creator/WilliamShakespeare, as is made obvious by the title. Many of the songs are not written from the perspective of Emilie, but from [[TheOphelia Ophelia]] herself, the Lady of Shalott, and others. Later in 2007, she re-released ''Enchant'' along with ''A Bit o' This & That'', which was a collection of previously unheard songs, re-mixes and tracks from older [=EPs=]. Also released that year was ''Laced/Unlaced''. ''Laced'' was a re-release of ''On a Day'', while ''Unlaced'' was an all-new collection of instrumental songs done in her newer style. In 2009 she was able to release her autobiography, ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls''. She has also released ''The Opheliac Companion'', which provides [[AllThereInTheManual information and background]] about the songs on ''Opheliac''.

The Opheliac era is what Emilie is most well known for. And from gaining more [[FanCommunityNicknames muffins (fans)]], she was able to make more and more theatrical tours which gained more and more theatrics tour by tour. Joining her on stage in the Asylum are her Bloody Crumpets, a group of [[TheOphelia lovely mad girls]].

In 2012 she released another CD, ''Fight Like a Girl'', which had been lingering in DevelopmentHell for several years. Despite her initial promises that it was going to be "more metal" than ''Opheliac'' was, it ended up being a theatrical concept album based around the fictionalized [[VictorianBritain Victorian]] story that appeared in ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls''. According to Emilie, she intends to use the album as part of the soundtrack to the play she's currently writing about the book. The album has created a BrokenBase in the fandom because of its differences from the highly popular ''Opheliac'', and because the violin plays a much less significant role it in than it had in her previous music. Her current look and shows are generally referred to as the FLAG era by fans.

She appeared in "Film/TheDevilsCarnival", a short experimental film released in 2012 by the creators of Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera -- Creator/DarrenBousman and Creator/TerranceZdunich. Playing the Painted Doll, she starred alongside a ''very'' diverse cast, including Clown from Music/{{Slipnot}}, Creator/AlexaVega, Creator/PaulSorvino and two of her Crumpets, Captain Maggots and Contessa. With the success of the movie, she's due to reappear in subsequent sequels.

!!Releases:
'''Albums'''
* ''On a Day...'' (1997, re-released in ''Laced/Unlaced'' in 2007)

* ''Laced/Unlaced'' (2007)

'''Extended Plays and Official Singles'''

* ''Liar/Dead is the New Alive'' (2006)

* ''Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody'' (2008)

'''Books'''

!Emilie, her music and her writings contain examples of:

** The meanings of the songs off ''Opheliac'' are explained in the ''Opheliac Companion''.
** Meanings for various phrases and the finale of ''Fight Like a Girl'' is in ''Literature/TheAsylumForWayWardVictorianGirls''.
* AnachronismStew: The harpsichord, a [[BaroqueMusic baroque]] instrument, is not the most conventional choice to complement a Victorian theme. In ''The Opheliac Companion'', Emilie acknowledges and handwave[=s=] this by explaining that, just as present-day Emilie is "150 years retro," so too is her Victorian alter-ego, who would thus draw her inspiration from the early 1700's.

* AllJustADream: The "Fight Like a Girl" music video, except for the very beginning and the very end. The inmates being liberated and taking over the Ophelia Gallery turns out to be a fantasy of Emily's -- [[HopeSpot but there is a sliver of hope at the end]]. [[spoiler:Which, considering how the book ends, may just make it even sadder]].

* AwardBaitSong: "What Will I Remember," given a reprise as "Start Another Story." "What If" off ''Enchant'', and "Shallot" off ''Opheliac''...

** The Asylum book contains letters from a girl in one of these places. Likewise, the musical concept album ''Fight Like a Flag'' shares the same setting, as it's based on he book.

* BeYourself: ''What If'' and ''How Strange'' and arguably her empowerment/anti repression message.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: The whole premise of "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lm_qBFM_SY Gentlemen Aren't Nice]]."
* BittersweetEnding: "One Foot in Front of the Other" as the final track to ''Fight Like A Girl''. The war is won, but the liberated inmates [[SoWhatDoWeDoNow reflect on their lack of ability to function in the wider world]]. It's also implied from ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls'' that the girls are, in fact, [[spoiler:liberated ''[[DeathSeeker in]] [[SuicidePact death]]''.]]

** And then, in "Time for Tea"...

* WomanScorned: A major theme of ''Opheliac'' and ''Fight Like a Girl''.
* WordSaladLyrics: From "Swallow:" "Low tide and high tea, the oysters waiting for me, if I'm not there on time, I'll send my emissary". Might be a ShoutOut to ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'', though.

!'''Her concerts contain examples of:'''

* CoughSnarkCough: Emilie has a dislike of a certain church, which she coughs to be the [[UsefulNotes/Christianity Christian]] one, leading to...
* ChurchOfHappyology: Contessa's religion, Contessology to pray for [[strike:Veronica's virtue]] whatever's left of Veronica's virtue.

--->'''Contessa:''' But I am ''not'', I am not, I repeat, I repeat, I repeat, I am not insane!\\

* ClusterFBomb: '[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og6YiLXHs2M Not. Fucking. Funny. You do it, you fucking die! You see somebody do it, you fucking murder them!']] (See BerserkButton above for context.)

* GagBoobs: [[http://i.imgur.com/pMqJmq4.jpg Veronica's boobs can hold a teacup]].

--->'''Emilie:''' Veronica is... a very nice tea table.

** 'The show will not go on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW37riCwOAI unless someone fucking fixes the screen!']]
** 'Please, allow me to indulge in just one brief moment of rock star excess and ask you [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CExzvyvDqPk ARE YOU FUCKING READY?]]

* OnlySaneMan: Contessa likes to see herself as this. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kskeXrXUA-U The others don't seem to agree]].

'''Emilie:''' ''[after a well-timed pause]'' She ''eats'' people.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The present captain's name alternates between 'Captain Maggot' and 'Captain Maggots' depending on who you ask and when you ask them.

* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAT_YsRb8NI You're in MY house now, bitch!]]

* AllThereInTheManual: The meanings of the songs off ''Opheliac'' are explained in the ''Opheliac Companion''.

* BedlamHouse: The Asylum book contains letters from a girl in one of these places. Also her song "4 O'Clock" and "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches" are both about the girls in these places.
** "Fight Like a Girl" is the album which will serve as inspiration for either a movie or a stage show about her story, also set in a Bedlam House.

* BittersweetEnding: "One Foot in Front of the Other" as the final track to ''Fight Like A Girl''. The war is won, but the liberated inmates [[SoWhatDoWeDoNow reflect on their lack of ability to function in the wider world]].
** Making it even more bittersweet -- it's implied from [[''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls'' the context]] that the girls are, in fact, [[spoiler:liberated ''[[DeathSeeker in]] [[SuicidePact death]]''.]]

* CarefulWithThatAxe: Several songs feature this on ''Opheliac''. Examples include "I Want My Innocence Back," "Opheliac," "Misery Loves Company," and "I Know Where You Sleep." The last two featuring [[HarshVocals harsh yelling]] towards the end and "Liar" is practically made of this trope.
** The end of "Take the Pill:" "TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!!" SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!!"

** ''Fight Like a Girl'': RockOpera will feature this trope a lot.

* HopeSpot: "Hell is Empty" on ''Fight Like A Girl''.

* MadnessMantra: "God Help Me" 48 times in the end of a song counts.

* MadonnaWhoreComplex: {{Lampshaded}} in "Opheliac:"

* MoodWhiplash: The first minute or so "Opheliac" is nice [[Classical Music classical]]-esque instrumental work. Then she starts singing, lyrics are a bit off but it's still more or less pleasant. Then the chorus kicks in and [[CarefulWithThatAxe she starts]] ''[[HarshVocals screaming]]''.

* MotorMouth: Have you read her interviews...
** "I Know Where You Sleep," "The Key," and "Opheliac."

* NonAppearingTitle: Her instrumentals, as well as songs such as "Rapunzel," "Juliet," and "Shalott."

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: "I Know Where You Sleep" is just one long verbal bitchslap.

* SanitySlippageSong: All of ''Opheliac'', ''Unlaced'', and selections of ''Enchant''.

** She wears dreads, gothic clothing and puts out lots of songs related to bad things like death, rape and suicide. However, she has just as many happy classical violin solos and some genuinely light and happy love songs, in amongst the darkness.

* SelfBackingVocalist: Any voice heard on any of her songs is Emilie.
** With the exception of "Best Safety Lies in Fear," obviously. Then again, that's not so much a song as a remix of quotes from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.

* SurprisinglyGentleSong: "Shalott" and "The Art of Suicide" on ''Opheliac''. Still full of LyricalDissonance, though, considering that both are about death.
** "If I Burn," "What Will I Remember," "I Don't Understand," and "Gaslight" on ''Fight Like a Girl''.
*** "If I Burn" actually zig-zags wildly between being gentle ("But the softer I become, the harder your machines close over me.") and being outright violent ("When you sleep, you'll feel my icy fingers crawling down your back."), culminating in the "But it's never over!" part.

* TakeThatMe: The lyrics of "Shalott:" "And she cried out, 'So the story fits / but then, I could have guessed it all along / and now some drama queen is gonna write a song for me.'"

* TakingYouWithMe: Implied in "If I Burn," "Time for Tea," and "Fight Like a Girl."
** "Let The Record Show," as well.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Well, actually, there are, but they're terrible at their jobs. In Emilie's case, she was sexually abused during her institutionalisation, but no-one [[CassandraTruth would believe her]] because: "you're the crazy girl and he's the doctor with the million dollar education."

* OnlySaneMan: Contessa likes to see herself as this.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kskeXrXUA-U The others don't seem to agree]].

* VitriolicBestBuds / VitriolicCouple: Emilie and Veronica.
** Only on stage though, in real life, they are both some of the sweetest people you will meet.

* DoNotCallMePaul: [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial She insists that her name is not, nor has it ever been, Emily Fritzges]], [[BlatantLies despite fans receiving packages from her with this exact name on them.]] Mention this on her forum and you will be banned, but with use of the word filter Emily becomes Emilie and Fritzges becomes Liddell anyway. %% I am one of the aforementioned fans that has received a 4 O'Clock Ring from her; the return sender was 'Emily Fritzges'. Do NOT delete this again, please.

* ScunthorpeProblem: The word filter on her forum changes 'fans' to 'muffins'. This would be okay, except for when talking of, say, burlesque fans or anything similar.

** Meanings for various phrases and the finale of ''Fight Like a Girl'' is in Literature/TheAsylumForWayWardVictorianGirls.

** Making it even more bittersweet -- it's implied from [[TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls the context]] that the girls are, in fact, [[spoiler:liberated ''[[DeathSeeker in]] [[SuicidePact death]]''.]]

* CassandraTruth: A theme of her Fight Like a Girl / The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls projects.

* RockOpera: ''Fight Like a Girl'' is her retelling of ''TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls'' through a ConceptAlbum.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: "Girls! Girls! Girls!".
-->We've something here for everyone's enjoyment/I do this as a gift, not for employment/A portrait of insanity, approach with your humanity.
* SpotOfTea: Medicate With Tea, Tea Will Rock You and uses to be a signicant part of her Victorian style dinner theatre shows with her drinking it often. She also sells her own tea.

* TakeThatMe: The lyrics of "Shalott": "And she cried out, 'So the story fits/but then, I could have guessed it all along/and now some drama queen is gonna write a song for me.'"
** The lyrics of "Swallow": "I'll tell the truth/ all of my songs/ are pretty much/ the fucking same."

* TakeThat: Basically ''Opheliac'' with few exceptions. Basically "Fight Like A Girl" no exceptions.
* TakingYouWithMe: Implied in "If I Burn", "Time For Tea" and "Fight Like A Girl".
** "Let The Record Show", as well.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Well, actually, there are, but they're terrible at their jobs. In Emilie's case, she was sexually abused during her institutionalisation, but no-one [[CassandraTruth would believe her]] because "you're the crazy girl and he's the doctor with the million dollar education".
* TitleDrop: The title of Your Sugar Sits Untouched comes from her poem Ghost

will you have gone forever

* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe:
** Opheliac invokes this

--->''I am that little girl, I have that little curl/Right in the middle of my forehead...''
* TitleByNumber: "306"
* TitleOnlyChorus: "Liar"
* ThirdPersonPerson: Invoked in Opheliac
-->''She speaks in third person so that she can forget she's me''
* TruckDriversGearChange: Used in "Thank God I'm Pretty".

* VillainSong: "Scavenger".
* WomanScorned: A major theme of ''Opheliac'' and ''Fight Like A Girl''.
* WordSaladLyrics: From "Swallow": "Low tide and high tea, the oysters waiting for me, if I'm not there on time, I'll send my emissary". Might be a ShoutOut to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', though.
* {{Yandere}}: "Liar", "Opheliac", "Remember" (Change your name a thousand times)

* CoughSnarkCough: Emilie has a dislike of a certain church, which she coughs to be the Christian one, leading to...

* ClusterFBomb: '[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og6YiLXHs2M Not. Fucking. Funny. You do it, you fucking die! You see somebody do it, you fucking murder them!']] (see BerserkButton above for context)

* GagBoobs: [[http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/x_Emo_EMU_x/Emilie%20Autumn%20Chicago%20Nov%206/emilie172.jpg Veronica's boobs can hold a teacup]]
** [[http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs291.ash1/21835_277554230204_613445204_3495310_3162707_n.jpg Veronica's boobs can hold two teacups]]

** 'The show will not go on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW37riCwOAI&feature=related unless someone fucking fixes the screen!']]

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kskeXrXUA-U The others don't seem to agree.]]

''(the Crumpets laugh hysterically)''\\

* SweetPollyOliver: In the Fight Like A Girl tour, Emilie spends several songs dressed up as a boy. Not very convincingly, but there you are.

* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAT_YsRb8NI&feature=sub You're in MY house now, bitch!]]

--> '' I want your beautiful suffering, I want to see your'' ''''PAIN!!!''''

* CloudCuckoolander: She spends her time being an inmate in a Victorian Asylum and used to be a faerie. Seriously.

* {{Retraux}}: "Photographic Memory" is distinctly [[TheEighties 80s]] in its production.
* {{Retcon}}: In her updated 2014 web page she writes that OPHELIAC was the start of her career.
* RockOpera: ''Fight Like A Girl'' is her retelling of ''TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls'' through a ConceptAlbum.
* SanitySlippageSong: All of Opheliac, Unlaced and selections of Enchant.
** What Will I Remember?, Gaslight, Hell Is Empty, Take The Pill and various moments in Fight Like A Girl.
* ScaryMusicianHarmlessMusic / MeanCharacterNiceActor:
** She wears dreads, gothic clothing and puts out lots of songs related to bad things like death, rape and suicide. However, she has just as many happy classical violin solos and some genuinely light and happy love songs, in amongst the darkness.
** Emilie's stage persona is that of a violent, insane girl locked in a Victorian madhouse. In Real Life, Emilie actually is mentally ill, but she is also a quiet, sweet Cloud Cuckoolander, bookworm and apparently a huge Star Wars geek.

** With the exception of "Best Safety Lies In Fear", obviously. Then again, that's not so much a song as a remix of quotes from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.

** Everything from her BritneySpears mike to her "Hells Is Others" on Misery Loves Company, helped by her thoroughly studying everything she wants to do.
** The WordSaladLyrics in "Swallow" ("Low tide and high tea, oyster's waiting for me...") refer to "Literature/AliceInWonderland".

*** ''Opheliac'' is based on Ophelia from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', and the song of the same name directly quotes the play: "Doubt thou the stars are fire/Doubt thou the sun doth move..."
*** "Best Safety Lies In Fear" is a quote spoken by Laertes in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', as are all the other lines in that song.

* SeeYouInHell: "If I Burn, SO WILL YOU"
* SelfEmpowermentAnthem: Heard It All, What If, both of Enchant.
* SillyLoveSongs: "Remember", "Juliet", "Across the Sky", "Castle Down", "Crazy He Calls Me", "All My Loving".
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: "Thank God I'm Pretty".
* {{Sonnet}}: ''Your Sugar Sits Untouched'' contains several, although they are ten lines long instead of the more usual fourteen.
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: "One Foot In Front Of The Other" is a really, ''really'' [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] example. The Asylum characters ''literally'' have no idea what to do - not because they liked fighting, but because they have no lives outside of captivity, and are too unstable and broken to ever be able to function in normal society. "We've been committed - now to what do we all commit?" [[spoiler: They change the Asylum into a place where they can live in sanctuary from the outside world until the building collapses leading to the death of all of them.]]
* StudioChatter: "Let The Record Show" starts with a three-second conversation: "How was that?" "Good."

** "Remember", everything except for the drum machine cuts out in the third verse.
** "Fight Like A Girl".

** "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches", as an adaptation of "Miss Susie Had a Steamboat".

** "If I Burn", "What Will I Remember", "I Don't Understand", "Gaslight" on Fight Like A Girl.
*** "If I Burn" actually zig-zags wildly between being gentle ("but the softer I become, the harder your machines close over me") and being outright violent ("when you sleep, you'll feel my icy fingers crawling down your back"), culminating in the "but it's never over!" part.

* CoverVersion: She's done a fair share of covers. The covers that she has done are "I Don't Care Much" from Music/{{Cabert}}, "I Know It's Over" and "Asleep" originally by Music/TheSmiths, "All My Loving" by Music/TheBeatles, a harpsichord cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Music/CyndiLauper and Music/{{Queen}}'s "Bohemian Rhapsody" which she sings on tour, "Gloomy Sunday" (without the second ending [which she refers to in "The Art of Suicide"]) originally by Music/LászlóJávor and Rezső Seress, and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by Music/TheFlamingLips.

** "Don't Blame Me:" And HOW!

* NiceHat: [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/concertpicsnl/4405947199/in/set-72157623429178659/ She]] [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4159916220_1a1f30d7a2.jpg has]] [[http://gothicmoomin.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/emilieautumn.jpg quite]] [[http://www.bryanreesman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/EAWhite5jpgEAWhite5.jpg a]] [[http://twitpic.com/qeo3i few]].
* NightmareFetishist: As any depressive worth their salt would be, Emilie too preys on the stuff of nightmares and makes them into lovely harpsichord- and violin-backed songs.

** The sound of one is the beginning of her song ''Gothic Lolita''. The music-box starts to skip as the backing track gets more eerie.

* NonAppearingTitle: Her instrumentals, as well as songs such as "Rapunzel", "Juliet", and "Shalott".
** Her debut vocal album doesn't feature the world "Enchant".
* TheOphelia: Master trope of ''Opheliac'', and mentioned in "I Don't Understand" as a call back. In the ''Opheliac'' Companion, Autumn defines an Opheliac as someone who is predisposed towards self-destruction.
* ObsessionSong: ''Be Silent Be Still'', ''Opheliac'' and ''Liar'' has these under tones.

* OneWomanWail: Touched on in a few of her songs, like ''Rose Red'' and the Blackbird remix of ''What If''. In EA's case it's literally one woman, as she performs all of the main and backing vocals for her songs.
* PachelbelsCanon: TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilie_Autumn notes]] that as a child she would mentally play the piece each night to suppress her auditory hallucinations. The influence of it can be heard in several of her songs: "Save You" contains a few bars of the melody, and the ostinato from the piece is present in "Ancient Grounds" and "Let the Record Show".

* ProtestSong: Fight Like A Girl, Time For Tea, come to mind.

* PissTakeRap: The rapping section on "Opheliac" (the song), while not as bad as other examples, is still [[MoodWhiplash quite odd]].
* PointAndLaughShow: Heavily mocked in ''Girls! Girls! Girls!''. The twist? The "show" is an ''asylum''.
* PosthumousNarration: "Let The Record Show". The Asylum ghosts also sing in several songs on "Fight Like A Girl".

** ''Don't Blame Me'' and how.

After going through an extremely awful period in her life that resulted in a suicide attempt and institutionalization, she was inspired to move in a different artistic direction. This began with the ''Opheliac EP'', followed by full album ''Opheliac''. This album was far darker than ''Enchant'', and a reflection of Emilie's mental state, as this album was released as an agreement with herself that she'd make the album instead of killing herself. The songs are mostly about madness and suicide, particularly in water. Much of the album is influenced by Creator/WilliamShakespeare, as is made obvious by the title. Many of the songs are not written from the perspective of Emilie, but from [[TheOphelia Ophelia]] herself, the Lady of Shalott, and others. Later in 2007, she re-released ''Enchant'' along with ''A Bit o' This and That'', which was a collection of previously unheard songs, re-mixes and tracks from older [=EPs=]. Also released that year was ''Laced/Unlaced''. ''Laced'' was a re-release of ''On a Day'', while ''Unlaced'' was an all-new collection of instrumental songs done in her newer style. In 2009 she was able to release her autobiography, ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls''. She has also released ''The Opheliac Companion'', which provides [[AllThereInTheManual information and background]] about the songs on ''Opheliac''.

* EtherealChoir: ''A Bit o' This and That'' makes great use of this, with "Hollow Like My Soul," "Find Me a Man," and "O Mistress Mine" each having an elaborate vocal harmony. Emilie's "girls", as she calls her multiple vocal tracks, also appear numerously on "Goodnight, Sweet Ladies."

* HypocriticalHumor: "Gentlemen Aren't Nice", in which the singer complains about her lover's displeasure "just because I won't agree to take his arm/And I occasionally forget his name."
* HopeSpot: "Hell Is Empty" on "Fight Like A Girl".
** "Misery Loves Company" on Opheliac.

* ILoveTheDead: "Scavenger". The {{Squick}} is very intentional.

* IronicNurseryTune: "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches", "4 O Clock"
* InsaneEqualsViolent: In "I Don't Understand", [[WideEyedIdealist Thomson]] is surprised that soft-spoken, borderline subservient Emily is considered "insane" and has to be chained down in a BedlamHouse.

* ImAManICantHelpIt: She does ''not'' approve of this excuse at all ("Gothic Lolita", "Let The Record Show", "Scavenger", "Girls! Girls! Girls!")
* IfIHadANickel: in "God Help Me"
-->''If I had a dollar for every time/I repented the sin but commit the same crime\\
I'd be sitting on top of the world today''
* {{Instrumentals}}: Both discs of ''Laced/Unlaced'', as well as "Dominant", "Ancient Grounds", "Gaslight Reprise", "4 O clock reprise" and various others.
* LampshadedDoubleEntendre: The asylum host in "Girls! Girls! Girls!":
-->For a little extra on the side we can arrange for a slightly more "intimate" encounter... wink, wink...
* LampshadeHanging: Swallow and One Foot In Front Of The Other both lampshade how theatrical she is and how all her songs are about "pain and suffering".
* LastSecondWordSwap: A RunningGag in the ''Opheliac'' companion album involves her sound guy Inkydust having his tea with a bit of "gin... ger".
* LolitaFashion: Her fashion style isn't exactly Lolita - it leans more towards "neo-Victorian", but she does appreciate the style. She has developed a cult following among some Lolita circles, many of whom dress up for her live shows.
* {{Lolicon}}: Viciously deconstructed in "Gothic Lolita". In effect, she drew ire from the Lolita community for invoking the scene's biggest BerserkButton. It has since died down ever since she said that she was only referring to the book, but bringing up the song or its lyrical content around Lolita fashion fans is a very, very bad idea.
* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: To date the only releases that have no re-release are the ''Chambermaid'' and ''By the Sword'' EPs (but the two are on ''A Bit o' This and That''). Most are just a limited edition digipack, and then a jewel case, but the re-release of ''Enchant'' has a story to bridge the gap between it and ''Opheliac'' and no ''Enchant'' puzzle. Then there is ''Opheliac''. Oh God, ''Opheliac''. First there was the two disc digipack. After it sold out, Emilie released a one disc jewel case version and after fans demanded the content from disc two of the limited edition a two disc digipack. Two years after the album was released in Europe, the album got a wide release in the US, with three more tracks exclusive to the issuing, and, finally, a third issuing with all tracks from the previous US edition, four songs recorded for that edition, excerpts from ''The Asylum'', live videos and a video with her and her friend, fLee.
* LyricalDissonance: Lots and lots. "Marry Me", "The Art Of Suicide", "Shalott", "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches" and "My Fairweather Friend" are a few examples.
** ''Don't Blame Me'' And HOW!
** "Gaslight", "If I Burn", "What Will I Remember" in a similar way to "The Art Of Suicide/Shalott"

** "Girls! Girls! Girls" is an upbeat, Broadway-esque number about the horrific and dehumanising treatment of the girls in question.
* LyricalTic: She likes rolling her Rs. She also has her voice break intentionally a lot (like in "Liar" and "If I Burn"), usually when transitioning from normal singing to Careful With That Axe. (the voice break is a sign that she's going to scream at some point)

** "I Want It" in the Angelspit remix of "Liar" is pretty significant as it changes the focus of the song all the way around.

** "One Foot in front of the other" in many ways.
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: {{Lampshaded}} in Opheliac.

So she can forget that [[AndThatLittleGirlWasMe she's me]]
** Also discussed in "Two Masks".

* MeaningfulName: The last part of her stage name, "Liddell," is apparently taken from her maternal grandmother's maiden name. It seems oddly, and somewhat sadly, too, appropriate, considering the common characterisation of [[Literature/AliceInWonderland the world's most famous Liddell]]. She lampshades this fact in ''TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls''.
-->Emilie Autumn Liddell. Yes, THAT Liddell. You can see now why I don’t use that name.

* MisogynySong: "Girls! Girls! Girls!" is this - sarcastically, of course.

* MoodWhiplash: The first minute or so "Opheliac" is nice classical-esque instrumental work. Then she starts singing, lyrics are a bit off but it's still more or less pleasant. Then the chorus kicks in and [[CarefulWithThatAxe she starts]] ''[[HarshVocals screaming]]''.
** The violent, industrial/goth "Time For Tea" is followed by the ethereal DreamPop-esque instrumental "4 O'clock Reprise". Then comes the showtunes-inspired "What Will I Remember?" - which is then followed by the harsh, gothic, feminist, anti-ableist ProtestSong "Take The Pill".

** ''I Know Where You Sleep'', ''The Key'', ''Opheliac'',
* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: ''Enchant'' is already pretty difficult to describe, since it combines jazz, pop, and violins. For the time she released ''Opheliac'' she began to describe her music as "victoriandustrial" and "violindustrial". She's described as using elements of classical music, cabaret, electronica, industrial, glam rock with theatrics, and burlesque
* NewSoundAlbum: ''Enchant'', ''Opheliac'' and ''Fight Like A Girl'' are each very different in style to the other two.

** "Goodnight, Sweet Ladies" samples "4 O'Clock", "The Art of Suicide" and "If I Burn".

** "If I Burn" has a chant at the end which is the same style as "Let The Record Show" chant on "Opheliac"
** "4 O clock Reprise" refers explicitly to a song which came out before Fight Like A Girl.
** The various call backs within Fight Like A Girl Album. (What Will I Remember-Start Another Story, Gaslight-Gaslight reprise)
* CarefulWithThatAxe - several songs feature this on ''Opheliac''. Examples include "I Want My Innocence Back", "Opheliac", "Misery Loves Company" and "I Know Where You Sleep", both featuring [[HarshVocals harsh yelling]] towards the end and "Liar" is practically made of this trope.
** The end of "Take the Pill". "TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! TAKE IT!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!!" SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!! SWALLOW!!!"
** And the acoustic version of "Mad Girl".
** Fight Like A Girl album - rock opera will feature this trope a lot.
* ClockPunk / SteamPunk: Probably not intentionally, but her neo-Victorian style and persona from ''Unlaced'' and ''Opheliac'' came at the same time the SteamPunk style is becoming very popular in goth circles and among cosplayers. She's often listed as a steampunk music artist as a result. Her current style also includes a lot of clockwork motifs, especially live. She has also described things that she makes and sells on eBay as "steampunk".

* CloudCuckoolander: She spends her time being an inmate in a Victorian Asylum and used to be a faeire. Seriously.
* ChildProdigy: Basically came out of the womb playing the Violin. (Technically since the age of 4)
* CoverVersion: She's done a fair share of covers. The covers that she has done are "I Don't Care Much" from Cabert, "I Know It's Over" originally by The Smiths, "All My Loving" by The Beatles, a harpsichord cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" which she sings on tour, "Gloomy Sunday" (without the second ending [which she refers to in "The Art of Suicide"]) originally by László Jávor and Rezső Seress, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips, and "Asleep" by The Smiths.
* CassandraTruth: A theme of her Fight Like A Girl/The Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls projects.

** '''Opheliac''' ''disk 1'': Scorned Women, Ophelia, Anti Suicide, Escapism, and Sexism/Anti Misogyny
** '''Opheliac''' ''disk 2'': Sexism/Anti Misogyny, Escapism, Suicide, and Insanity.
** '''Fight Like A Girl''': The horrors of the asylum, variously from the points of view of the inmates, their family members and the doctors.
* ConversationalTroping: Tropes in general are discussed in the ''Opheliac'' companion; specifically, the way Shakespeare and Tennyson didn't create any of the archetypes they popularised, but instead compiled these archetypes into a (figurative) [[BooksOnTrope book]].

* CreepyMonotone: "I Want My Innocence Back", "Scavenger", "We Want Them Young".
* DarkAndTroubledPast: From just not fitting in anywhere in the musical stratosphere for years to various situations which lead to the song [[TearJerker Gothic Lolita]]...
* DistinctDoubleAlbum: Laced/Unlaced. first album filled with her favourite classical violin works and the second half being electronic violin works.

* DooWopProgression: "Find Me a Man"
* DrivenToSuicide: Suicide is a major theme of ''Opheliac'' (in case the name didn't clue you in), and ''Fight Like A Girl'' continues in the same vein.
* DoNotCallMePaul: [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial She insists that her name is not nor has it ever been Emily Fritzges,]] [[BlatantLies despite fans receiving packages from her with this exact name on them.]] Mention this on her forum and you will be banned, but with use of the word filter Emily becomes Emilie and Fritzges becomes Liddell anyway. %% I am one of the aforementioned fans that has received a 4 O'Clock Ring from her; the return sender was 'Emily Fritzges'. Do NOT delete this again, please.
* DoubleEntendre: From Marry Me: "And when dining on peacock, I know I won't swallow"
* EtherealChoir: ''A Bit o' This and That'' makes great use of this, with "Hollow Like My Soul", "Find Me a Man" and "O Mistress Mine" each having an elaborate vocal harmony. Emilie's "girls", as she calls her multiple vocal tracks, also appear numerously on "Goodnight, Sweet Ladies".

* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "We Want Them Young" fades into "If I Burn". The lyrics are even connected. ("We Want Them Young" ends with the line "when will they fall, when will they BURN?"
* TheFairFolk: Part of what inspired the "Enchant" album.
* FanGirl: For TheSmiths and Morrisey in particular.

* TheFourChordsOfPop: "What If"

'''Emilie Autumn''' Liddell, born September 22 1979, is a gothic poet, singer/songwriter, violinist, harpsichordist, performance artist, feminist, and author. She's self-described as that she sounds "[[MindScrew like the best cup of English Breakfast spiked with cyanide and smashed on your antique wallpaper]]." Well, OK then.

Of Emilie's life, [[ShroudedInMyth very little is known at the moment]]. What we do know is that she [[ChildProdigy started playing violin at the age of four]], a talent that she has continued to this day, and that she voluntarily stayed away from most of the mainstream music communities (both classical and commercial) due to bad experiences and clashes within them: in fact, most of her albums were self-published by her own company. Her first album was ''On a Day...'', a classical album released in 2000, when she was 20 or 21. The following year she put out the ''Chambermaid'' and ''By the Sword'' [=EPs=]. In 2003 her first full vocal album was released: ''Enchant'', an album filled with a number of songs inspired by fairy tales. Also contained in this CD was the Enchant Puzzle, which no one has ever solved. This was the Enchant era, when Emilie was a [[FairyCompanion faerie]].

In 2012 she released another CD, Fight Like a Girl, which had been lingering in DevelopmentHell for several years. Despite her initial promises that it was going to be "more metal" than Opheliac was, it ended up being a theatrical concept album based around the fictionalized Victorian story that appeared in ''Literature/TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls''. According to Emilie, she intends to use the album as part of the soundtrack to the play she's currently writing about the book. The album has created a BrokenBase in the fandom because of its differences from the highly popular Opheliac, and because the violin plays a much less significant role it in than it had in her previous music. Her current look and shows are generally referred to as the FLAG era by fans.

She appeared in "Film/TheDevilsCarnival", a short experimental film released in 2012 by the creators of RepoTheGeneticOpera- Darren Bousman and Terrance Zdunich. Playing the Painted Doll, she starred alongside a ''very'' diverse cast, including Clown from Slipnot, Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino and two of her Crumpets, Captain Maggots and Contessa. With the success of the movie, she's due to reappear in subsequent sequels.

* On a Day... (1997, re-released in Laced/Unlaced in 2007)
* Enchant (2003, re-released 2007)
* Your Sugar Sits Untouched (2005, CD and poetry book)
* Opheliac (2006, re-released 2009)
* Laced/Unlaced (2007)
* A Bit o' This & That (2007)
* Fight Like A Girl (2012)

* Chambermaid (2001)
* By the Sword (2001)
* Opheliac EP (2006, preview EP)
* Liar/Dead Is the New Alive (2006)
* 4 o'Clock (2008)
* Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody (2008)
* Fight Like A Girl/Time For Tea (2012)

* Across The Sky & Other Poems (2000)
* Your Sugar Sits Untouched (2005)
* TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls. (2009)

** Meanings for various phrases and the finale of "Fight Like A Girl" is in TheAsylumForWayWardVictorianGirls
* AnachronismStew: The harpsichord, a baroque instrument, is not the most conventional choice to complement a Victorian theme. In ''The Opheliac Companion'', Emilie acknowledges and {{hand wave}}s this by explaining that, just as present-day Emilie is "150 years retro", so too is her Victorian alter-ego, who would thus draw her inspiration from the early 1700s.

* AllJustADream: The ''Fight Like a Girl'' music video, except for the very beginning and the very end. The inmates being liberated and taking over the Ophelia Gallery turns out to be a fantasy of Emily's--[[HopeSpot but there is a sliver of hope at the end.]] [[spoiler:Which, considering how the book ends, may just make it even sadder.]]
* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: Suddenly starts rapping in "Opheliac".
* AnimateBodyParts: [[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emilie-Autumns-Pasties/113714145313125 Emilie's pasties have their own facebook page]]
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "And, by the way, your poetry sucks" from "I Know Where You Sleep".
* {{Asexuality}}: Emilie used to identify as asexual, but she recently revealed to the press that she "never disliked sex, [she had] just never been with anyone who was any good at it". It would appear that she confused enjoying sex with sexual attraction, which, sadly for many asexuals, is a common misconception.
* {{Aesop}}: Her one true message over her entire career has been one of Anti repression and taking control of your own life. (In a meta and in most of her songs sense)
* AxCrazy: "Time For Tea", "Fight Like A Girl", "I Know Where You Sleep", "Scavenger", "We Want Them Young"
* AlbumFiller: A common take away fans have from Fight Like A Girl is that it has many songs which are worth listening too and are very good, but at least 5 or 6 songs her fans could've lived not hearing.
* AwardBaitSong: "What Will I Remember", given a reprise as "Start Another Story". "What If" off Enchant, and "Shallot" off Opheliac...
* BattleCry: Lampshaded a few times in Fight Like A Girl, Time For Tea and If I Burn

** "Fight Like A Girl" is the album which will serve as inspiration for either a movie or a stage show about her story, also set in a Bedlam House.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Said verbatim in "I Know Where You Sleep"

* BitchInSheepsClothing: The whole premise of "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcANKEzSGKI Gentlemen Aren't Nice]]".

** Making it even more bittersweet - it's implied from [[TheAsylumForWaywardVictorianGirls the context]] that the girls are, in fact, [[spoiler:liberated ''[[DeathSeeker in]] [[SuicidePact death]]''.]]

* {{Bowdlerisation}}: For a televised performance of "Misery Loves Company", Emilie needed a more family-friendly word to replace "fuckers". After fans gave their suggestions, the word "muffins" was decided upon, and thus was born a FanCommunityNickname.
* BlessedWithSuck / CursedWithAwesome: "Thank God I'm Pretty"

* CallBack: She's gone out of her way to make sure Opheliac and Fight Like A Girl are two related concept albums.
** The middle eight of "Fight Like a Girl" is the same melody as the middle eight of "Misery Loves Company", albeit with different lyrics.

* DyeHard: Emilie's pink or red hair that changes shade from dye to dye or wig to wig was integral to her image. Nowadays she dyes her hair light blonde for The Devil's Carnival

* DyeHard: Emilie's pink or red hair that changes shade from dye to dye or wig to wig is integral to her image. Gel Hard she now wears a mohawk for her Fight Like A Girl tour shows.

** "4'Clock" definitely..

* CoverVersion: She's done a fair share of covers. The covers that she has done are "I Don't Care Much" from Cabert, "I Know It's Over" originally by The Smiths, "All My Loving" by The Beatles, a harpsichord cover of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" which she sings on tour, "Gloomy Sunday" (without the second ending [which she refers to in "The Art of Suicide"]) orignally by László Jávor and Rezső Seress, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips, and "Asleep" by The Smiths.