Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York) is an … Read Full Bio ↴Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. After rising to fame at the helm of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant enjoyed even greater success as a solo artist during the mid-'90s. Her literate, socially conscious songs established her among the preeminent women in pop music, while her solo debut -- 1995's Tigerlily -- helped pave the way for a number of female performers in a pre-Lilith Fair market. She continued releasing albums well into the 2000s, often examining specific genres or subjects, although Tigerlily remained her biggest-selling record.
In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.
In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.
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Retrospective 1990-2005
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Because I Could Not Stop for Death Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for…
Birds & Ships The birds are singing in your eyes today Sweet flowers blos…
Bread & Circuses Crowds gather round kneeling at the feet of common thieves …
Break Your Heart Oh people downcast in despair See the disillusion everywhe…
Build a Levee When I was just a little girl my mamma said…
But Not For Me They're writing songs of love But not for me. A lucky star…
Carnival Well, I've walked these streets A virtual stage, it seemed t…
Children Go Where I Send Thee Children go where I send thee How shall I send thee? Well,…
Come Take A Trip In My Airship Once, I loved a sailor Once, a sailor loved me But he…
Cowboy Romance It's a Saturday afternoon romance Between a cowboy and a…
I Know How To Do It Everybody needs practice in the art of love 20 years of…
Kind & Generous La la la la You've been so kind and generous I don't…
Life Is Sweet It's a pity It's a crying shame Who pulled you down again?…
Motherland Where in the hell can you go Far from the…
Not in This Life Lately I've been walking all alone Through the wind and…
One Fine Day One fine day, you'll look at me And you will know…
Owensboro Well, I lived in a town Way down south By the name…
Party of God In a busy street, a man sits down Oblivious to the…
Photograph I found this photograph Underneath the broken picture glass …
Sally Ann A woman of beauty A woman of pain In France or Jakarta Her…
San Andreas Fault Go west Paradise is there You'll have all that you…
She Devil Look out she's coming at ya Big dark eyes like Cleopatra The…
Tell Yourself I know what you tell yourself, You tell yourself Look in…
The Living What's it like there outside With the living with…
The Lowlands of Holland On the night that I was married And upon my marriage…
Thick As Thieves Remember how it all began The apple and the fall…