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".
Dark End of the Street
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That is where we always meet
Hiding in shadows where we don't belong
Living in darkness, to right our wrong
You and me, at the dark end of the street
You and me
I know a time has gonna take it's toll
It's a sin and we know it's wrong
But, our love keeps going on strong
Steal away to the dark end of the street
They're gonna find us, they're gonna find us
Someday they may come along and find us love someday
You and me, at the dark end of the street
You and me
When the daylight hour rolls around
And if by chance we're both taken in taken down the town
But if we should leave before then and just walk on by
Oh sweet baby please don't you cry
Because tonight we'll share the same dream at the dark end of the street
You and me
You and me
You and me
At the dark end of the street
"Dark End of the Street" by Cat Power is a cover of a 1967 Track by James Carr. The song describes clandestine meetings between two lovers at the dark end of the street, where they feel hidden away from the world, and seek refuge from judgment and societal disapproval. The two lovers know what they share is a sin, and they will be punished for it. However, they are not willing to give up on their love, and remain united in secrecy.
The lyrics describe how the couple's love blossoms in the darkness where they feel safe and free of judgement. They are aware that their love is forbidden, and they believe that they will have to pay a price for their actions. The song is a poignant reflection on the struggles of forbidden love and the dark corners lovers find themselves in, as they try to hold onto love that they know will not be accepted by the world. The overlying message of the song is the power of love to overcome judgment, society and to triumph amidst the turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
At the dark end of the street
We always meet at the end of the street, away from the eyes of society
That is where we always meet
We choose to meet in the darkness, where no one can see us
Hiding in shadows where we don't belong
We’re hiding where it is not appropriate for us to be
Living in darkness, to right our wrong
We’re living in secrecy to fix our mistake
You and me, at the dark end of the street
Only the two of us know about our secret meetings
I know a time has gonna take it's toll
I know that we will eventually pay the price for our forbidden love
We have to pay for the love we stole
We will face consequences for our love that we took without permission
It's a sin and we know it's wrong
We know that our love is considered immoral and against the rules
But, our love keeps going on strong
Despite everything, our love is still powerful
Steal away to the dark end of the street
We will sneak away to meet at the end of the street
They're gonna find us, they're gonna find us
We know that eventually we will be discovered
Someday they may come along and find us love someday
Someday someone will find us and recognize our love for each other
When the daylight hour rolls around
When morning comes
And if by chance we're both taken in taken down the town
If we get caught by the authorities
But if we should leave before then and just walk on by
If we manage to escape unnoticed
Oh sweet baby please don't you cry
Please don't be sad
Because tonight we'll share the same dream at the dark end of the street
We’ll meet as usual and imagine a better future
You and me
It’s only us
You and me
No one else knows
You and me
Only our love is real
At the dark end of the street
Where we can be ourselves
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chips Moman, Dan Penn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats