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".
He War
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were here, you were here, and you were here
Don't look back
I never meant to be the needle that broke your back
You were here, you were here, and you were here
Don't look back
He will kill for you
He war he war
He will kill for you
From who you can
You know you can
Hey hey heeeyyy x4
I'm not that hot new chick
And if you won't let me run with it
We're on to your same old trick
Get up and run away with it
I'm not that hot new chick
And if you won't let me run with it
We're on to your same old trick
Get up and run away with it
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
From who you can
Hey hey hey
You know you can
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
From who you can
Hey hey hey
You know you can
The song "He War" by Cat Power features a repetitive chorus that talks about someone who will kill for you. The first two stanzas of the verses say, "I never meant to be the needle that broke your back. You were here, you were here, and you were here. Don't look back." With these lines, Cat Power seems to be apologizing for the pain she may have caused someone in the past. The repetition of the lines "You were here, you were here, and you were here" could be interpreted in different ways, but it could mean that the person she's referring to was present in her life at different times in different ways.
The song title and the repeated refrain "He War" are not directly explained in the lyrics, but they could be interpreted as a warning about someone dangerous. The chorus is about someone who will kill for you, but it's not clear who that person is or what their motives are. The lines "from who you can, you know you can" could imply that the person is someone the singer knows, which adds another layer of tension to the lyrics. Overall, "He War" is a cryptic and intriguing song that leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
I never meant to be the needle that broke your back
I didn't intend to cause you pain and suffering
You were here, you were here, and you were here
You were present in my life and I valued your presence
Don't look back
Don't dwell on the past, move forward
He war he war
The battle, the conflict
He will kill for you
He will go to extreme lengths to protect and defend you
From who you can
Protecting you from those who may harm you
You know you can
You can trust in his willingness to defend you
Hey hey heeeyyy x4
Repetitive chant with no clear meaning
I'm not that hot new chick
I'm not the trendy, popular girl
And if you won't let me run with it
If you won't give me a chance to succeed
We're on to your same old trick
We're aware of your usual tactics
Get up and run away with it
Take control of your own destiny and don't let others hold you back
Lyrics Β© BEGGARS MUSIC, LTD.
Written by: CHAN MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@balera8387
I never meant to be the needle that broke your back
You were here, you were here, and you were here
Don't look back
I never meant to be the needle that broke your back
You were here, you were here, and you were here
Don't look back
He war he war
He will kill for you
He war he war
He will kill for you
From who you can
You know you can
Hey hey heeeyyy x4
I'm not that hot new chick
And if you won't let me run with it
We're on to your same old trick
Get up and run away with it
I'm not that hot new chick
And if you won't let me run with it
We're on to your same old trick
Get up and run away with it
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
He war he war
He will kill for you
Hey hey hey
From who you can
Hey hey hey
You know you can
@EverAppl14
This song is still so incredible. Even after two decades, once in a while the very beginning notes pop into my mind and I have to stop what Iβm doing and listen to it again - and every time I realize I forgot just how gorgeously balanced and timeless it is.
@jlouis4407
Itβs very indie
@turq1824
The guitar is so simple yet so brutal
@RUfromthe40s
the best guitar reefs werenΒ΄t played by people who studied guitar,but amateurs
@zzzs
did you just say, reefs?
@petepete9831
The Awakening fr
@Jussara1376
Right. β€
@Flux799
@Rui Cameira I have to fully agree.
@absentstars474
I used to go to company lunches in a pool hall and this would come on regularly. Holds a special place in my heart.
@Bigbahe2
That's beautiful.