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".
Empty Shell
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of my heart that is crushed
I don't never wanna see
What my mind has seen
When you loved me
Every night, every night alone with you
Every night alone now
Try to pretend to laugh
When she does stupid things
Just like I used to do
Do no hate her
Don't you even try
For to leave her is to love her
The same as you and I
I love you
And I miss you too
I really do love you
And I really miss you too
But I don't know you
And I don't need you
And I don't want you anymore
Every night, every night alone with you
Every night alone now
The song "Empty Shell" by Cat Power expresses the pain of a heartbreak and the aftermath of a failed relationship. The first line "All that is left is an empty shell" is a powerful metaphor for the emptiness that the singer feels after being left heartbroken. She is devastated and her heart feels crushed, leaving her feeling like she is just an empty shell of her former self. The repetition of the line "Every night, every night alone with you, every night alone now" emphasizes the loneliness and isolation she now feels after the relationship has ended.
The lyrics also touch on the difficulty of moving on from a past love. The verse "When she sits on your lap, try to pretend to laugh, when she does stupid things just like I used to do" shows that the singer is aware of her ex-partner's new relationship, and is struggling to cope with the thought of someone else taking her place. She advises against hating the new person, as leaving her would be just as difficult as their own relationship ended in heartbreak.
The final lines of the song show the singer accepting the reality of the situation and taking a step towards healing. She acknowledges her love and the pain of losing it, but also acknowledges her own strength and newfound independence by stating "But I don't know you, and I don't need you, and I don't want you anymore."
Overall, "Empty Shell" is a powerful ballad that portrays the complicated emotions experienced during a breakup, and the courage needed to move on and heal.
Line by Line Meaning
All that is left is an empty shell
The singer's heart has been completely broken and there is nothing left of it.
Of my heart that is crushed
The singer's heart has been emotionally devastated and has been reduced to a state of brokenness.
I don't never wanna see
The singer does not want to see again the things that were seen during the relationship.
What my mind has seen
The artist has experienced things that had a profound effect on their mental state.
When you loved me
The artist reflects back on the past relationship when they used to be loved.
Every night, every night alone with you
The singer spent many nights with the person they loved, but now they are alone.
Every night alone now
The singer is now alone every night after the relationship ended.
When she sits on your lap
The artist imagines the person they love being with someone else.
Try to pretend to laugh
The artist tells themselves to pretend to be okay with the situation, but it's difficult.
When she does stupid things
The artist notices actions of the new person that remind them of themselves with their ex.
Just like I used to do
The singer compares the new person's actions to their own when they were in love with their ex.
Do no hate her
The artist tries not to harbor negative feelings towards the new person in their ex's life.
Don't you even try
The singer advises people to not even try hating the new person, as it is a waste of emotional energy.
For to leave her is to love her
The singer suggests that the act of leaving someone you love is still an expression of love.
The same as you and I
This expression of love is something that the singer and their ex went through as well.
I love you
The artist still has feelings of love towards their ex.
And I miss you too
The artist misses the person they used to be in love with.
I really do love you
The singer reiterates their feelings of love towards their ex.
And I really miss you too
The singer continues to express their strong emotions of missing their ex.
But I don't know you
The artist acknowledges that they don't really know who their ex is anymore.
And I don't need you
The artist recognizes that they don't need their ex in their life anymore.
And I don't want you anymore
The artist has reached a point where they have no desire or longing for their ex.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: CHAN MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats