"Silent All These Years" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos, released as the second single from her debut studio album, Little Earthquakes (1992). It was originally released in the United Kingdom in November 1991 via EastWest Records. It was released in North America in 1992 by Atlantic Records and was later used to promote awareness of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). In the UK, the single was re-released on August 10, 1992. Origins Amos wrote "Silent All These Years" during a period of self-reflection and searching for solo album material after the failure of Y Kant Tori Read. According to VH1 Storytellers, she originally wrote this song with Al Stewart in mind to sing it. Eric Rosse, who was producing some other songs Amos had composed, heard it and told her, "You're out of your mind. That's your life story." In the Little Earthquakes songbook, Amos reveals that writing the song was a slow, evolving process and that the light piano riff during the verses came first. This "bumble bee piano tinkle," as she calls it, is one of the more emblematic and recognizable parts of the song. Lyrically, Amos was inspired by reading Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid story to her young niece, Cody. Releases "Silent All These Years" was initially a B-side of the first single, "Me and a Gun". The decision to release "Silent All These Years" came after UK station Radio One named it "Song of the Week". In the United Kingdom, it was released as the second single from Little Earthquakes in November 1991. Formats included a 12-inch and CD maxi single with the B-sides "Upside Down", "Me and a Gun" and "Thoughts" and a 7-inch backed with "Me and a Gun". It was re-released in August 1992 as the 6th and final single. The re-release included a CD maxi single Part 1 with the original track-listing and a "Limited Edition" Part 2 containing "Ode to the Banana King (Part One)", "Song for Eric", and a live version of "Happy Phantom". Part two was quite a limited edition release and is now a rare find at used record stores. The reissued 7-inch and cassette single replaced the original B-side with a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". In the United States, "Silent All These Years" was released on cassette as the first single, post-Y Kant Tori Read,