Before her days in Ash, Hatherley was playing in the obscure punk rock band, Nightnurse, from the age of 16. They received moderate success, and Ash frontman Tim Wheeler was present at one of their gigs. She was later recruited as the fourth and final member. Her first album with the group was 1998s Nu Clear Sounds where she provided lead guitar for all tracks and also wrote the song WildSurf which appears on the album.
Apart from this, Hatherley mainly contributed to Ash with soulful guitar and some backing vocals, co-writing the odd song with Wheeler. The title track from Hatherley's first solo album, Grey Will Fade had previously been featured as a B-side to one of Ash's singles. The rest of the band had liked the song, yet felt it wasn't consistent with Ash's sound, and supported Hatherley when she decided to record her own album. This debut album, relased in 2004, has more than proved her songwriting ability. The three singles, Bastardo, Kim Wilde and Summer all received high praise from critics, as well as the album itself.
The videos to the tracks Bastardo and Summer were directed by her ex-boyfriend, Edgar Wright, who is best known as the director of the film "Shaun Of The Dead", which incidentally featured two tracks from Ash's fourth album proper Meltdown, the title track and Orpheus.
On January 20th 2006, she announced her departure from Ash, to pursue her solo career further.
Her first material since her departure from Ash came in the form of the Behave EP which featured tracks from her second album and was released on December 18 2006 on two formats - 7" vinyl and digital download. The EP featured the title track Behave as well as other tracks from her second album including Cousteau and Mr Ed.
Her second album, The Deep Blue, was released in March 2007 on her own label Little Sister Records which was founded by Charlotte together with her manager Ann-Marie Shields. Between this and the release of her 2009 third solo effort, New Worlds, she played with Bat for Lashes as a touring guitarist, and has played bass with Client since December 2007.
Be Thankful
Charlotte Hatherley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a wilderness you made joy on
where everything was alright
and passed into a haze
Where nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
for all the time in the wild
It's pretty late in the game
but now you see what it's good for
a nucleus to the last
and that will never change
But nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
for all your time in the wild
Don't be sorry no more entry
to the woods alone
Walk away from where
your leaves have grown
And I'll know everything
and never will erase it from my mind
So darling you should be thankful
Darling you should be thankful
Ring the wilderness dry
raining in events say goodbye
getting blood from a stone
never was the way
But nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
for all your time in the wild
Don't be sorry no more entry
to the woods alone
Walk away from where
your leaves have grown
And I'll know everything
and never will erase it from my mind
Darling you should be thankful
You were in the wild
but now you're free to go
No longer a child
oh there's much more to know
Made it out alive you are now free to go, go
Must have been a reason why you were there at all
Must have been a reason why you answered the call
Must be for a reason you are now free to go, go, go
Go, go
Darling you should be so thankful, thankful
Darling you should be so thankful, thankful
Darling you should be so thankful, thankful
Go, go, go
The song Be Thankful by Charlotte Hatherley is an ode to the beauty of the wilderness and the importance of being grateful for the experiences we have had. The song opens with the lines "You thought you were in two folds, a wilderness you made joy on, where everything was alright and passed into a haze" which suggests that the singer had found solace in the wild, even though it was an uncertain and undefined terrain. The verse reflects on the singer's sense of displacement and how they struggled to fit in with others, but found comfort in being in nature.
The chorus is both uplifting and poignant, with the repeated message that they should be grateful for their time in the wild, despite it being a difficult and trying experience. The singer is encouraged to take the lessons they have learnt and move on, but also to be proud of the fact that they have come through this experience stronger and wiser. The song ends with the lines "Must have been a reason why you were there at all, must have been a reason why you answered the call, must be for a reason you are now free to go, go, go" which suggests that there was a greater purpose for their time in the wilderness, and they are now able to move on and embrace new opportunities.
Overall, Be Thankful is a song about resilience and embracing the challenges that life throws at us. It is an uplifting and inspiring song that encourages us to be grateful for the experiences we have had, no matter how difficult they may seem at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
You thought you were in two folds
You believed you were split between two different worlds
a wilderness you made joy on
You found happiness in the wild unknown
where everything was alright
In that place, everything felt okay
and passed into a haze
But that time became blurry and indistinct
Where nobody wants you to stay
That place is not one where anyone wants you to remain
Darling you should be thankful
Despite this, you should still express gratitude
for all the time in the wild
For the time that you had in the unknown place
Don't you have to swing
You don't have to struggle or remain trapped there
It's pretty late in the game
It may seem like time has already run out
but now you see what it's good for
But you now realize its positive purpose
a nucleus to the last
As something that forms the core and center of you
and that will never change
And that integral part of you will always remain the same
But nobody wants you to stay
Despite this, no one wants you to remain in that place
Don't be sorry no more entry
Don't feel regret about leaving and not being able to return
to the woods alone
To that place by yourself
Walk away from where your leaves have grown
Move on from the place where you once found comfort
And I'll know everything
Despite this change, I will still understand everything about you
and never will erase it from my mind
And I'll never forget or disregard that part of you
Ring the wilderness dry
Purge that wild place of all that remains
raining in events say goodbye
Let any outstanding issues or occurrences come to a close
getting blood from a stone
Even if it's hard to do so
never was the way
It was never meant to be like that
You were in the wild
You were once lost in the wilderness
but now you're free to go
But now you are liberated and can move on
No longer a child
You are no longer powerless or naïve
oh there's much more to know
There's still so much more to uncover and discover
Must have been a reason why you were there at all
There must have been a purpose for your time in the wilderness
Must have been a reason why you answered the call
You had a reason for responding to that call of the unknown
Must be for a reason you are now free to go, go, go
And there must also be a reason why you are now able to depart
Go, go
So go now, and move forward
Darling you should be so thankful, thankful
And despite it all, you should express gratitude and appreciation
Go, go, go
So go now, and don't look back
Contributed by Camden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-lk9re6qy8h
You fought your way into the folds
A wilderness you made your own
Where everything was a ride
And passed into a haze
When nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
For all your time in the wild
Taught you how to swim
It's pretty late in the game
But now you see what it stood for
A nucleus to the last
And that will never change
When nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
For all your time in the wild
Don't be sorry
No more entry to the woods alone
Walk away from where your leaves have grown
So you say I'll remember everything
And never will erase it from my mind
So darling you should be thankful
Darling you should be thankful
Wring the wilderness dry
Rein it in and then say goodbye
Getting blood from a stone
Never was the way
When nobody wants you to stay
Darling you should be thankful
For all your time in the wild
Don't be sorry
No more entry to the woods alone
Walk away from where your leaves have grown
So you say I'll remember everything
And never will erase it from my mind
Darling you should be thankful
You were in the wild
But now you're free to go
No lnger a child
Oh there's much more to know
Made it out alive
You are now free to go
Must have been a reason why you were there at all
Must have been a reason why you answered the call
Must be for a reason you are now free to go
Darling you should be so thankful thankful
Darling you should be so thankful thankful
Darling you should be so thankful
@Alex_19XC
this is such a great song
@kelloggcerealxoxo
i wanna marry her i wanna mary her!