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".
I Don't Blame You
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your hair was wild, your eyes were red
And you were in a rage
You were swinging your guitar around.
Cause they wanted to hear that sound
But you didn't want to play.
And I don't blame you.
Been around the world, in many situations
Been inside many heads in different positions
But you never wanted them that way.
What a cruel price you thought that you had to pay.
And that for all that shit on stage.
But it never made sense to them anyway,
Could you imagine if when they turned their backs
They were only scratching their heads.
Cause you simply deserve the best.
And I don't blame you
They said you were the best,
But then they were only kids
Then you would recall the deadly houses you grew up in
Just because they knew your name,
Doesn't mean they know from where you came
What a sad trick you thought that you had to play.
But I don't blame you
They never owned it
And you never owed it to them anyway.
I don't blame you.
In Cat Power's song "I Don't Blame You," the lyrics describe the struggle of being an artist and the pressure that comes with fame. In the first verse, the singer describes the last time they saw the subject of the song - on stage, wild hair and red eyes, swinging their guitar around. The subject was in a rage, not wanting to play, but feeling obligated to fulfill the audience's desire for a specific sound. The chorus emphasizes that the singer doesn't blame the subject for their feelings and actions.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges the subject's experience of being in various situations and inside different people's heads, but ultimately feeling like they had to pay a cruel price. Despite the attention and applause received on stage, it never made sense to them, and the audience may have been scratching their heads as to why. The singer continues to reinforce that the subject deserves the best, and they don't blame them for feeling the way they do.
In the final verse, the subject's fame is examined - being considered "the best" by their fans, but feeling like they had to perform a sad trick to maintain that status. The subject's childhood experiences and the houses they grew up in are mentioned, emphasizing that fame doesn't erase the past. The final repetition of the chorus reinforces the theme that the subject is not to be blamed for their feelings and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Last time I saw you, you were on stage
The last encounter shared was watching the person perform in front of an audience.
Your hair was wild, your eyes were red
The performer's disheveled appearance suggested he was under distress.
And you were in a rage
The performer was wildly emotional.
You were swinging your guitar around.
The performer was using the guitar in a way that suggested he was frustrated or venting pent-up emotion.
Cause they wanted to hear that sound
The audience wanted the performer to produce a particular sound/musical style.
But you didn't want to play.
Despite the audience's expectations, the performer didn't feel like playing that day.
And I don't blame you.
The listener doesn't hold the performer responsible for not playing the sound the audience wanted to hear.
Been around the world, in many situations
The performer has traveled extensively and experienced many different scenarios.
Been inside many heads in different positions
The performer has had varying perspectives while interacting with people.
But you never wanted them that way.
The performer didn't want to be in those situations or have those perspectives forced upon him.
What a cruel price you thought that you had to pay.
The performer felt like he had to pay a harsh price to experience different scenarios and perspectives.
And that for all that shit on stage.
Performing on stage came with its own set of challenges and difficulties.
But it never made sense to them anyway,
Despite the performer's struggles, the audience may not have fully understood or appreciated his music.
Could you imagine if when they turned their backs
If the audience had turned their backs on the performer, it would have added to his struggles.
They were only scratching their heads.
The audience would have been confused about his music.
Cause you simply deserve the best.
Despite everything, the performer believes he deserves the best.
And I don't blame you
The listener agrees with the performer and doesn't fault him for his struggles or feelings.
They said you were the best,
The audience described the performer as the best.
But then they were only kids
However, the audience was young and inexperienced.
Then you would recall the deadly houses you grew up in
The performer was reminded of his difficult upbringing, which could have contributed to his current struggles.
Just because they knew your name,
The audience recognized the performer's name and fame.
Doesn't mean they know from where you came
However, they don't truly know or understand the performer's origins or struggles.
What a sad trick you thought that you had to play.
The performer felt like he had to put on a facade of being the best despite his struggles and hardships.
But I don't blame you
The listener doesn't blame the performer for putting on the facade and agreeing to perform for the audience despite his struggles.
They never owned it
The audience never truly owned or understood the performer's music or struggles.
And you never owed it to them anyway.
Despite everything, the performer wasn't obligated to perform or cater to the audience's expectations of his music.
I don't blame you.
The listener stands by the performer's actions and doesn't blame him for his struggles or choices.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: COREY LATIF WILLIAMS, ANTHONY RYAN LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats