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".
Song to Bobby
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've always wanted to tell you
But I never had the chance to say
What I feel in my heart from the beginning til my dying day
I was fifteen, sixteen maybe
In the park I was waving my arms
You were waved this way
I wanted you to
Another time was in South Carolina
It's always been the third encore
Whose wind came roaring in
Can you tell me who were you singing for
Oh my God, can you tell me who you were singing to
A phone call from your New York City office
You were supposedly asking to see me
And how I wanted to tell you
That I was just only four hundred miles away
Who could believe that you were calling I was in DC
I was four hundred miles behind
Backstage pass in my hand
Giving you my heart was my plan I wish I could tell you
My chance
In the middle of the stadium in Paris, France
Can I finally tell you
Can I finally tell you
To be my man
April in Paris, can I see you
Can you please be my man
Cat Power's Song To Bobby is a tribute to the legendary musician Bob Dylan. The song is filled with nostalgia and longing for a time when the singer was younger, and Bob Dylan's music meant everything to her. The lyrics begin with the singer expressing how she has always wanted to tell Bob Dylan how she feels about him, but has never had the chance. She goes on to recount several occasions when she came close to meeting him or expressing her love for him, but circumstances got in the way. The song ends with a plea to Dylan to be her man, emphasizing how much he means to her.
The first verse describes the first time the singer heard Bob Dylan's music. She was in a park at around fifteen or sixteen years old, waving her arms and singing along to one of his songs when she saw him walking by. He waved at her, and she was overwhelmed with emotion that he had seen her singing his song. The second verse describes a specific concert in South Carolina, where the crowd was asking for an encore. The wind picked up, and Dylan played a song that seemed to resonate with the singer, wondering who he was singing for. The third verse recounts the time when she almost met Dylan in New York City but couldn't make the trip due to distance. The song ends with a plea to Dylan to be her man, but also acknowledging that she knows they will never meet.
Overall, Song To Bobby is a sentimental and personal tribute to Bob Dylan, celebrating his music and the impact he had on the singer's life. It's a reflection on the moments when music is more than just a song, and when the connection between the artist and the listener is intimate and powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna tell you
The singer desires to express something to someone they care about.
I've always wanted to tell you
This has been a long-held desire that the singer has harboured.
But, I never had the chance to say
Unforeseen circumstances have conspired against the singer when it comes to speaking to the intended recipient of the message.
What I feel in my heart from the beginning til my dying day
The emotion being felt is true and complete - from the very beginning of the artist's experience, and through to the end of it.
I was fifteen, sixteen maybe
This autobiographical detail serves to situate the artist's memories at a point in time in the past.
In the park I was waving my arms
An image is being painted by the singer to help set the stage for the following lines.
You were waved this way
The singer remembers the recipient of the message from the beginning of the story, and is addressing them directly, allowing for singularity of meaning.
And you sang the song I was screaming
A moment of recognition - the recipient of the message has interacted with the artist in some way, at some point in time.
I wanted you to
A repetition of the artist's desire from the first part of the poem.
Another time was in South Carolina
The narrative moves away from the earlier moment and jumps forward in time to another event.
It's always been the third encore
This detail means that this is a specific concert that both the singer and the recipient of the message were present at.
Whose wind came roaring in
The presence of the wind serves to create an additional emotional backdrop to the events.
Can you tell me who were you singing for
A question that tries to express feelings of confusion about the recipient of the message's actions and attentions.
Oh my God, can you tell me who you were singing to
Repetition of the question, escalating the singer's desperation and emotion.
A phone call from your New York City office
The setting is changed and the narrative jumps again in time and scene.
You were supposedly asking to see me
The recipient of the message is attempting to make a connection with the artist in some way.
And how I wanted to tell you
The artist is voicing an inner feeling again - a strong desire to express something to the recipient of the message.
That I was just only four hundred miles away
Another layer of frustration is added to the narrative - proximity would have allowed the interaction to happen, but geography has conspired to prevent it.
Who could believe that you were calling I was in DC
The singer is expressing disbelief at the heightening of circumstances in the situation.
I was four hundred miles behind
The distance between the artist and the recipient of the message is emphasised again.
Backstage pass in my hand
The artist is detailing a specific event that happened around the phone call.
Giving you my heart was my plan I wish I could tell you
The artist's desires become more desperate and urgently expressed towards the end of the piece.
My chance
The idea of this being the only opportunity comes to the forefront.
In the middle of the stadium in Paris, France
This momentous occasion is meant to evoke a grand sense of scale and epic emotionality.
Can I finally tell you
The singer's desire is made clear again.
Can I finally tell you
Repetition emphasises desire, but also suggests a wavering or hesitant mindset.
To be my man
The exact nature of the desire is finally made clear in this line - and it is quite candid.
April in Paris, can I see you
Another autobiographical detail helps to ground the poem once more in a cohesive setting.
Can you please be my man
The narrative finally comes to a close with an outright request for meaningful connection and communication.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: CHAN MARSHALL, ERIK PAPAROZZI, GREGG FOREMAN, JIM WHITE, JUDAH BAUER, MATT SWEENEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats