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".
Paths of Victory
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The road is kinda rough
But the clearer road up yonder
With the cinders on the side.
Trails of troubles
And your roads of battle,
They lead paths of victory
I walked down to the valley
Turned my head up high.
Seen that silver linin`
That was hangin` in the sky
Trails of troubles
And your roads of battle,
They lead paths of victory
We shall walk
The mountain was a movin`
The hummin` of its wheels,
Told me of the new day
It was coming across the fields
Trails of troubles
And your roads of battle,
They lead paths of victory
We shall walk
The gravel road is bumpy,
It`s a hard old road to ride,
But the good road is a-waitin`
And the boys it ain`t far off.
Trails of troubles
And your roads of battle,
They lead paths of victory
We shall walk
The lyrics to Cat Power's song Paths of Victory describes a journey that is filled with difficulty and hard work. The first stanza talks about the rough and dusty trail ahead, but also paints a picture of a clearer road that can be seen up ahead. The second stanza gives us a sense of hope and determination, as the hardships we face in life will ultimately lead us to victory. As we walk our trails of troubles and our roads of battle, we shall walk paths of victory.
The third stanza talks about the singer walking down to the valley and looking up at the sky, where they see a silver lining. It is a metaphor for seeing hope and good things coming, even in the midst of trying times. The last stanza describes the road ahead as bumpy and hard, but reminds us that a good road is waiting and it is not far off.
Overall, Paths of Victory is a song about persevering through hard times and keeping faith that we will emerge victorious. It encourages us to stay strong and keep walking, even when the journey is tough.
Line by Line Meaning
The trail is dark and dusty
The path we must follow is unclear and challenging
The road is kinda rough
The journey ahead will not be smooth and easy
But the clearer road up yonder
With the cinders on the side.
However, there is a clearer path in the distance that will make the journey easier
Trails of troubles
And your roads of battle,
They lead paths of victory
We shall walk
Despite the obstacles we encounter and the battles we fight, they will ultimately lead us to triumph if we persist
I walked down to the valley
Turned my head up high.
Seen that silver linin`
That was hangin` in the sky
I looked down at the difficult path ahead but saw hope and promise for a brighter future
The mountain was a movin`
The hummin` of its wheels,
Told me of the new day
It was coming across the fields
The obstacles and struggles we face are not insurmountable, and positive change is on the horizon
The gravel road is bumpy,
It`s a hard old road to ride,
But the good road is a-waitin`
And the boys it ain`t far off.
The journey may be tough, but a smoother path lies ahead, and success is within reach
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats