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".
Kingsport Town
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is blowing so strong
My hands have got
No gloves
Wish to my sole
That I could have
The boy I`m dreaming of
Don`t you remember me, babe
I remember you quite well
Caused me to leave
All of New York town
With a high sheriff on my tail
A high sheriff on my tail, boys,
High sheriff on my trail.
All because I've fallen for
A curly headed dark-eyed boy
Who`s gonna stroke
Your coal black hair
And your sandy colored skin
Who`s gonna walk you side by side
And tell you everything is alright
Who`s gonna look
You straight in the eye
And hold your bad luck hand
Who`s gonna walk you
Who`s gonna talk to you
And who`s gonna be your woman
The winter wind
Is blowing so strong
My hands have got
No gloves
Don`t you remember me, babe
I remember you quite well
In "Kingsport Town", Cat Power sings about a love that's so strong, that it has caused the singer to leave behind all she knows, including New York town, with a high sheriff chasing her. The winter wind is blowing so strong, leaving her hands with no gloves. She is wishing to have the boy she's dreaming of, who can stroke her coal-black hair and tell her everything is going to be alright.
The lyrics reflect a sense of desperation, as the singer is willing to do anything to be with the one she loves. The repetition of lines like "don't you remember me, babe, I remember you quite well" and "who's gonna walk you, who's gonna talk to you, and who's gonna be your woman" emphasizes her longing for the love that she's left behind.
The singer's decision to leave everything behind shows the power of love and how it can make us do things we never thought possible. The mention of the high sheriff shows that such love often comes with risks and consequences. The song paints a bleak picture of a person in desperate need of love and companionship, fighting against the harsh winter winds with little protection.
Line by Line Meaning
The winter wind
The wintry breeze
Is blowing so strong
Is blowing with so much force
My hands have got
I have
No gloves
No protective covering for my hands
Wish to my sole
Desire from the bottom of my heart
That I could have
That I could possess
The boy I'm dreaming of
The male person I wish to be with
Don't you remember me, babe
Do you not recall me, darling
I remember you quite well
I recollect you vividly
Caused me to leave
Forced me to depart
All of New York town
The entire city of New York
With a high sheriff on my tail
Pursued by a lawman of high rank
A high sheriff on my tail, boys,
A law enforcement leader following me, friends,
High sheriff on my trail.
Law enforcer chasing me.
All because I've fallen for
Entirely due to my love for
A curly headed dark-eyed boy
A male with wavy locks and dark eyes
Who's gonna stroke
Who will gently caress
Your coal black hair
Your extremely dark hair
And your sandy colored skin
And your skin that is the color of sand
Who's gonna walk you side by side
Who will accompany you with every step
And tell you everything is alright
And assure you that everything is fine
Who's gonna look
Who will gaze
You straight in the eye
Directly into your eyes
And hold your bad luck hand
And support you through difficult times
Who's gonna walk you
Who will accompany you
Who's gonna talk to you
Who will converse with you
And who's gonna be your woman
And who will be your partner
Lyrics © BEGGARS MUSIC, LTD.
Written by: MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats