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".
wonderwall
Cat Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now, you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
And I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
Backbeat the word is on the street
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me
After all, you're my wonderwall
The opening lines of Cat Power's interpretation of "Wonderwall," originally released by Oasis, set the stage for the story of the song. The "they" refers to the people in the singer's life who have something to say about his relationship with someone he cares deeply about. The singer is frustrated because he feels that they just don't understand the connection he shares with this person, and he's confident in his feelings for them. The phrase "throw it back to you" implies a sense of responsibility and accountability for the singer's actions and feelings towards the other person.
As the song continues, there's a shift in tone. The singer starts to address the person he cares about directly, acknowledging that they've probably heard criticisms of their relationship before but hoping that they never really doubted how he felt. The possibility that the person might not have realized something important about the relationship or what they're supposed to do, however, puts a bit of urgency into the song. The singer doesn't want to lose this person and believes that their connection is worth fighting for.
The chorus is where the emotion of the song really comes into focus. The phrase "wonderwall" is a term coined by Oasis member Noel Gallagher that refers to a person who can save you in difficult circumstances. The singer sees the person he cares about as his "wonderwall," someone who can rescue him and keep him safe from the world. It's a powerful statement about the depth of feelings he has for this person.
Line by Line Meaning
Today is gonna be the day
Today is the day when something significant is going to happen.
That they're gonna throw it back to you
People will soon give you something back in return.
By now, you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
At this point in time, you ought to have understood what actions you need to take.
And I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
I genuinely believe that nobody else feels the same way about you as I do.
Backbeat the word is on the street
That the fire in your heart is out
People are going around spreading rumors that your passion and enthusiasm have vanished.
I'm sure you've heard it all before
But you never really had a doubt
You may have already heard these rumors, but you've always been certain of your true feelings.
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
I continue to believe there is nobody that has these same feelings towards you as I do in the present.
Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
Today could have been a significant day, but others won't return the favor for something you've done.
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
At this point in time, you should understand what actions to avoid.
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do about you now
I still believe that my feelings towards you are unique in comparison to anyone else's.
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me
After all, you're my wonderwall
Perhaps, you are the one who will come through for me when I need it the most. Ultimately, you are the one I intensely admire.
Contributed by Jonathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter Pumkinghead
on He-War
i love the cats