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".
Living Proof
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or the color of your hair
Or the sound of your voice, my dear
That's got me dragged in here
It's the ice in the seam, the scheme of you
You're supposed to have the answer
You're supposed to have living proof
Yes, I was jealous
Because you are sworn
How could you come undone to a word so strong?
My beating heart the anchor to a ship so warm
You're supposed to have the answer
You're supposed to have living proof
Well, I am your answer
I am living
Will you terrorize this
With your perfect lips?
I watch you eat and feed this mess
To the running wind
But I know you from before and after until then
Do you have your answer?
Do you have living proof?
Well, I am your answer
I am living
You're supposed to have an answer
You're supposed to have living proof
Well, do you have your answer?
Do you have your answer?
Well, I am your answer
I am living
The lyrics to Cat Power’s song Living Proof are open to interpretation, but many believe it to be about the complicated feelings that come with jealousy and insecurity in a relationship. The first stanza suggests that it’s not physical appearance or even the way a person speaks that’s drawing the singer in, but rather a certain quality or energy that’s difficult to describe. This quality is reflected in the line “It’s the ice in the seam, the scheme of you”, suggesting that there’s something hidden beneath the surface that the singer is attracted to. The reference to “living proof” carries with it an expectation - perhaps this person is expected to have it all together, to have it all figured out, and the singer is drawn to this idea.
The second verse, however, suggests that there’s some tension in the relationship, perhaps due to jealousy on the singer’s part. There’s a reference to someone being “sworn” - perhaps committed to someone or something else - and the singer is struggling to understand how they could be so moved by someone else’s words. The last two lines - “You’re supposed to have the answer / You’re supposed to have living proof” - suggest that there’s an expectation that this person should be beyond reproach, and the singer begins to doubt whether or not they’re up to the task.
The chorus serves as a sort of response to these doubts. The singer declares that they are the answer, that they are living proof. There’s a sense of defiance in this declaration, as if the singer is challenging anyone who doubted them to reconsider. The final stanza serves as a sort of reckoning. The singer wonders if this person, with their “perfect lips”, can truly understand their mess, their complicated feelings. The repetition of “Do you have your answer?” suggests that the singer is looking for validation - maybe even an admission that this person doesn’t have it all figured out, after all.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not your face
The physical features of the person are not what draws the singer to them.
Or the color of your hair
The color of the person's hair is not a factor that makes them attractive.
Or the sound of your voice, my dear
Even though the person's voice is pleasant, that's not what draws the singer to them.
That's got me dragged in here
The artist feels compelled to be with the person for another reason.
It's the ice in the seam, the scheme of you
It's the complex and intriguing nature of the person that draws the artist.
You're supposed to have the answer
The person is expected to know the solution to a problem or difficult situation.
You're supposed to have living proof
The person is expected to have evidence that supports their claims or beliefs.
Yes, I was jealous
The artist felt envy towards the person.
Because you are sworn
The person is committed or obligated to something.
How could you come undone to a word so strong?
How could the person be influenced so strongly by something someone else said?
My beating heart the anchor to a ship so warm
The person's heart is the stable force in a loving relationship.
Well, I am your answer
The artist is the solution to the person's problems.
I am living
The singer is alive and present.
Will you terrorize this
The singer asks if the person will cause trouble or distress in the relationship.
With your perfect lips?
The person's physical features are reaffirmed and appreciated by the singer.
I watch you eat and feed this mess
The artist observes the person's actions, and how they are trying to handle a difficult situation.
To the running wind
The person is trying to let go of their problems, as if letting them go into the wind.
But I know you from before and after until then
The singer knows the person well, and has seen them at their best and worst.
Do you have your answer?
The singer questions whether the person knows the solution to their problems.
Do you have living proof?
The artist questions whether the person has any evidence to back up their beliefs.
Well, I am your answer
The artist re-affirms that they are the solution to the person's problems.
I am living
Again, the artist confirms that they are alive and present.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats