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".
The party
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The party is about to begin
We can wrestle down to the floor
Throw empty bottles out the door
They'll smash and we will laugh
What a guess we have had
The light from the window
Music from the back room
Is an old song we all know
Through shining eyes and smiling faces
We all sing along
(It's) been so long since I've seen you
My good friends
This memory daydream
Is good enough for me
If you were here today
We'd be getting into frisky business
Maybe some of the daydream memory
The Party by Cat Power is a song that captures the spirit of having a good time with dear friends. The opening lines of "Good friends come out now, the party is about to begin" signal the start of a wild and random celebration. The lyrics continue to describe how they can all wrestle down to the floor, throw empty bottles out the door, and smash them with laughter. The imagery invites the listener to imagine a loud and unforgettable time with friends. The light from the window and the music from the back room set the scene for a lively and buzzing atmosphere. The chorus, "been so long since I've seen you, my good friends, this memory daydream is good enough for me," reveals that the memory of the party and the friends is powerful enough to be a source of joy and comfort. The song paints a picture of a reunion with friends, filled with nostalgia and excitement.
The lyrics of The Party inspired a lot of interpretations from fans and critics alike. Some see it as expressing Chan Marshall's (the artist behind Cat Power) unrequited desire for a wild and free life. Others take it as a commentary on the longing for fun and genuine connections—something that becomes harder to find as we grow older. One thing that is certain, however, is that the song is evocative and invites one's imagination to ponder the many ways it can be interpreted.
Line by Line Meaning
Good friends come out now
Inviting the singer's good friends to come to the party
The party is about to begin
The singer announces that the party is starting
We can wrestle down to the floor
The singer suggests that they can wrestle on the floor
Throw empty bottles out the door
The singer suggests throwing empty bottles out of the door
They'll smash and we will laugh
The singer predicts that the bottles will break and everyone will laugh
What a guess we have had
The singer reflects on how much fun they have had so far and how much more fun they will have
The light from the window
The singer describes the light coming in from the window
Look as of dancing shadows
The singer notes that the light from the window creates dancing shadows
Music from the back room
The singer hears music coming from the back room
Is an old song we all know
The singer recognizes that the music is an old song that they all know and love
Through shining eyes and smiling faces
The singer observes that everyone is happy and enjoying themselves
We all sing along
The singer and everyone else join in and sing along with the music
(It's) been so long since I've seen you
The singer expresses how long it has been since they last saw their good friends
My good friends
The singer addresses their good friends
This memory daydream
The singer reflects on their good memories and how they feel like a daydream
Is good enough for me
The singer doesn't need anything else, as their memories are enough to make them happy
If you were here today
The singer thinks about how much better it would be if their friends were here with them today
We'd be getting into frisky business
The singer suggests that they would be getting up to some mischievous activities if their friends were there
Maybe some of the daydream memory
The singer suggests that their memories might include some wild and crazy moments
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY LLOYD JOHN MARSHALL, EMMANUEL JAL JAK GATWITCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats