After dropping out of high school, Marshall started performing under the name Cat Power, while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Mark Moore, and others. She soon moved to New York City, New York, United States in 1992, then later opening for Liz Phair in 1994, she met Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, who encouraged her to record, and played on her first two albums, 1995's Dear Sir and 1996's Myra Lee. In 1996 she was signed to Matador Records, and released her third album, What Would the Community Think, which spawned a single and music video, "Nude as the News".
Shortly following the release of What Would the Community Think Marshall disappeared from the musical scene, initially working as a baby sitter in Portland, Oregon and then moving to a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina with boyfriend Bill Callahan (who performs under the name Smog). The plan was to permanently retire from music but during a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare, Marshall wrote several new songs. These songs would make up the bulk of Moon Pix. The album was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne in eleven days with backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three. The album was well-received by critics, and gained her recognition in the indie rock scene. However, during the subsequent tours she grew tired of her own material. This resulted in a series of shows during 1999 involving Marshall providing musical accompaniment to a series of screenings of the silent movie The Passion of Joan of Arc. The shows combined original material and many covers, many of which would later see release on The Covers Record, a collection of cover songs recorded at various sessions in 1998 and 1999. A selection of covers that didn't make it on to the album were recorded at Peel Acres, home of the highly influential and legendary British DJ John Peel. The session was broadcast on his BBC Radio 1 show and featured Marshall's own interpretations of Bob Dylan's "Hard Times in New York Town" amongst others.
In 2003 she resumed releasing original material with You Are Free, a diverse and critically acclaimed album that featured guest musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and the Dirty Three's Warren Ellis.
2004 saw the release of Speaking for Trees, a critically polarizing DVD which featured a single two-hour static shot of Marshall performing in a woodland. It was accompanied by an audio CD containing the 18-minute song "Willie Deadwilder", which featured M. Ward on guitar. 2005 found Cat Power out on the road again, touring the world and playing sold-out solo shows, including an Australian tour supporting Nick Cave. The shows largely consisted of material for her next album.
Cat Power's seventh record, The Greatest, was released in January, 2006. This was not a "Greatest Hits" record but rather a collaboration with Al Green's guitarist Teenie Hodges and many other well-known R&B musicians. A tour followed in the fall of 2006.
Early in 2006, Marshall announced the cancellation of her upcoming United States tour, citing "health-related issues". A few days later, Matador announced the cancellation of her two shows in London and Paris. She resumed touring in April 2006, playing some of the most well received shows of her career both with the Memphis Rhythm Band and as a solo performer.
In 2007, she played live music for the spring/ summer Chanel Haute Couture collection in Paris and appeared in Wong Kar Wai's film My Blueberry Nights as Katya. Also in 2007, she became the first female ever to win the Shortlist Music Prize when The Greatest was voted album of the year in June. Earlier in the year she was nominated in the Best International Female category at the annual Brit Awards, alongside more mainstream artists like Christina Aguilera and Nelly Furtado.
On January 22, 2008, Cat Power released a second collection of covers called Jukebox--her eighth LP overall. It included versions of songs by artists such as Hank Williams, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline and Janis Joplin.
Since then, she has released an EP called "The Dark End of the Street" on vinyl, only.
Cat Power released her first original song since 2008 just before Christmas 2011 when an MP3 of "King Rides By" was made available on her official site, in exchange for a donation of at least $0.99 to the Festival of Children Foundation and the Ali Forney Center charities. (King Rides By Songfacts).
In 2012, Cat Power released her 9th studio album, Sun which received generally positive reviews from critics. The album was included in several year-end lists by music critics and publications. Rolling Stone magazine, in their list of the "50 Best Albums of 2012", ranked it at sixteenth place, writing "the idea of the brilliantly morose Chan Marshall making a dance-rock record is almost absurd. Yet the groove-powered Sun is a perfect fit." The A.V. Club placed the album at number twenty-two on their list of the "Best Albums of 2012." Billboard also placed the album at number nine in their list of the "10 Best Albums of 2012."The L.A. Times and Filter magazine both placed the album at number six in their lists of the best albums of 2012. Sun was also included on two separate "Best Music of 2012" lists compiled by NPR, appearing at number five on the list compiled by Bob Boilen,while topping the list compiled by Robin Hilton. The album was also listed twenty-eighth on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2012. Thus, becoming Cat Power's most successful original album.
In April 2015, Marshall announced that she recently had a baby.
In February 2016, Marshall had to cancel her New Zealand shows due to health reasons. According to an official press release, this is the first time in Marshall's 18-year touring history she has been forced to postpone, but is "determined to make it back ASAP, and in good health".
Breathless
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And on the downs
Little white clouds
Like gamboling lambs
And I am breathless over you
And the red-breasted robin
Beats his wings
His throat it trembles
For he is helpless before you
The happy hooded bluebells bow
And bend their heads all a-down
Heavied by the early morning dew
At the whispering stream
At the bubbling brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
For they are breathless over you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face
Comes shining through
And all
The morning glows anew
Still your mind
Still your soul
For still
The fare of love is true
And I am breathless without you
The wind circles among the trees
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
For it is breathless without you
The fox chases the rabbit round
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
For he is defenseless without you
The sky of daytime dies away
And all the earthly things
They stop to play
For we are all breathless without you
I listen to my juddering bones
The blood in my veins
And the wind in my lungs
And I am breathless without you
Still your hands
And still your heart
For still your face
Comes shining through
And all
The morning glows anew
Still your soul
Still your mind
Still, the fire of love is true
And I am breathless without you
Cat Power's song Breathless is a beautiful and poetic representation of how much someone can love another person. The song begins with the imagery of a morning, where the little white clouds in the sky remind the singer of gamboling lambs. The singer is then described as being completely breathless over the person that they love. The red-breasted robin and happy hooded bluebells are both helpless before this person, while the fishes in the stream are also breathless over them.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to express their love, stating that their hands, heart, face, and soul are still (and breathless) when they think of this person. The wind in the trees and the fox chasing the rabbit are all similarly breathless without this person, and even the sky and earthly things stop to play when they are not around. The song concludes with a beautiful and powerful assertion that the singer is completely breathless without this person.
Overall, Breathless is a poignant and heartfelt song that captures the powerful emotions that come with falling deeply in love with someone. The lyrics are both beautiful and meaningful, and the imagery used throughout the song is evocative and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
It's up in the morning
The morning has arrived
And on the downs
The view is overlooking the downs
Little white clouds
Slim and average white clouds
Like gamboling lambs
These clouds resemble playful lambs
And I am breathless over you
I am deeply in love with you
And the red-breasted robin
Red-breasted bird
Beats his wings
Flapping its wings
His throat it trembles
The bird's throat shakes
When he sings
The bird is singing
For he is helpless before you
The bird is powerless in your presence
The happy hooded bluebells bow
The bluebells are joyful and bowing down
And bend their heads all a-down
They are leaning over with their heads down
Heavied by the early morning dew
Covered by the morning dew
At the whispering stream
By the peaceful flowing stream
At the bubbling brook
Next to the lively and chatty brook
The fishes leap up to take a look
The fish jump to see what's happening
For they are breathless over you
Even the fish are captivated by you
Still your hands
Stop doing what you're doing with your hands
And still your heart
Calm your emotions
For still your face
Your face is still shining and radiant
Comes shining through
It's still clearly visible
And all
Also
The morning glows anew
The morning sun is shining brightly
Still your mind
Find peace in your thoughts
Still your soul
Be at peace within yourself
For still
Because
The fare of love is true
The cost of love is sincere and genuine
And I am breathless without you
I feel incomplete without you
The wind circles among the trees
The wind is moving through the trees in a circular motion
And it bangs about the new-made leaves
The wind is knocking around the new leaves on the trees
For it is breathless without you
Even the wind is longing for you
The fox chases the rabbit round
The fox is hunting the rabbit
The rabbit hides beneath the ground
The rabbit is hiding underground
For he is defenseless without you
The rabbit is vulnerable without your protection
The sky of daytime dies away
The day sky is fading away into night
And all the earthly things
Everything on earth
They stop to play
They are ceasing their activities
For we are all breathless without you
Everyone is longing for you
I listen to my juddering bones
I can feel my bones shaking
The blood in my veins
The blood flowing through my veins
And the wind in my lungs
I can feel the wind filling up my lungs
And I am breathless without you
I am completely in love with you
Still your hands
Stop moving your hands
And still your heart
Calm your emotions
For still your face
Your face is still shining and radiant
Comes shining through
It's still clearly visible
And all
Also
The morning glows anew
The morning sun is shining brightly
Still your soul
Find peace within yourself
Still your mind
Take a moment to clear your thoughts
Still, the fire of love is true
The passion between us is real
And I am breathless without you
I am incomplete without you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats