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".
Peking Saint
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a son who
Is much greater
Than you want to be
Carnival arms have
A medical wonder
Who would of guessed that
In Peking
There is a mother
Who is laden
With who she has to be
Carnival arms have
A medical wonder
Who would of guessed that
It was not a real body part
In Peking there is someone who
Is who they should exactly be.
The lyrics to Cat Power's song Peking Saint suggest that there is a person in Peking who is admired and considered great, perhaps greater than the listener wants to be. The reference to carnival arms having a medical wonder hints at the idea that this person's greatness might be artificial or manufactured in some way, rather than naturally occurring. The song goes on to suggest that there is also a mother in Peking who is burdened by expectations and societal pressures, but there is someone else in Peking who is exactly who they should be.
Overall, the song seems to be about the struggle to find one's place in the world and to live up to societal expectations, while also highlighting the deception and artifice that can sometimes exist behind the surface of greatness. The contrast between the manufactured greatness of the carnival arms and the natural authenticity of the person who is exactly who they should be suggests that true greatness comes from within and cannot be artificially created or imposed from outside.
Line by Line Meaning
In Peking
The focus of the song is on Peking (now known as Beijing).
There is a son who
There’s a person in Peking who holds a position of power and influence.
Is much greater
This person is considered to be superior in some way.
Than you want to be
The artist is suggesting that they don’t necessarily desire the same level of greatness.
Carnival arms have
The song mentions 'carnival arms' which is likely a reference to something unusual or unexpected.
A medical wonder
This unusual thing is referred to as a 'medical wonder', which could mean that it has some kind of medical significance or is related in some way to the body or medicine.
Who would of guessed that
The next line suggests that whatever this unusual thing is, it’s not immediately noticeable.
It was not a real body part
Finally, the line reveals that the 'medical wonder' is not actually a real body part.
There is a mother
Moving on, the song mentions a mother in Peking.
Who is laden
This mother is carrying a heavy burden or responsibility.
With who she has to be
This burden is related to her identity or role in society in some way.
In Peking there is someone who
The song concludes with a statement about a person in Peking.
Is who they should exactly be
This person is completely comfortable with who they are and don’t feel any pressure to change or conform to society’s expectations.
Lyrics © BEGGARS MUSIC, LTD.
Written by: CHAN MARSHALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats