Hannah has been writing music since her second year of high school and also began teaching herself to play piano during that time. She continued to write for several years before building a studio and recording her debut EP, Soul Poison (1998).
Since then, Hannah's output has been erratic in quantity but consistent in quality. She has released two full-length albums as well as a handful of singles and EPs, all receiving high praise from the music press. Hannah's now-out-of-print album The Thing That Feels (2000) featured several songs inspired by Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. (Pre-dating the Broadway musical by several years.) The Thing That Feels also included "The Vampire Waltz," which is the first song Hannah ever wrote, as well as other songs all linked by the theme revealed in the title.
A few years later, as a result of a generous donation by an anonymous listener, Hannah made a video for her song "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II." The video, directed by Chris Ohlson, featured puppets created by renowned Ohio artist, puppetmaster and sculptor Scott Radke. The video appeared on the Subterfuge EP (2005).
Hannah's covers of other artists' songs have also been well-received. The Meathook EP (2001) featured what one reviewer called a "soul-shredded" version of ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All," as well as Hannah's versions of Berlin's "The Metro" and Daniel Johnston's "True Love WIll Find You in the End." Hannah also collaborated with The Synthetic Dream Foundation to create "Trapeze" -- the music was composed by TSDF, with vocals, lyrics and vocal melody by Hannah.
Hannah's most recent release is Through the Gash (2007), an album that has been called "a masterwork in minimalism and stark beauty" (Absolute Punk) and "seductive and breathtaking from the start" (Gothic Beauty). Hannah writes, produces, engineers, and performs everything on her CDs. And, contrary to popular opinion, she uses no sequencing whatsoever. With the exception of drum tracks, all of the instruments and vocals are recorded and layered in real time, not looped or electronically generated or duplicated. Even the drum tracks, which are programmed using a drum machine, are painstakingly hand-altered, with some beats being dropped and others reversed in entirely specific ways.
Hannah is known for her intensely layered production and complex vocal arrangements. Her vocals, which have been likened to "wraiths filling the screen of a Tim Burton film" (High Bias), often move from clearly sung phrases and high, tremulous keening to whispered and spoken words, to vicious hisses and screams -- sometimes within the confines of a single song. The subjects and lyrics in Hannah's songs have a tendency to be obscure and metaphorical, often causing listeners to mistake her work for being fictional. In fact, Hannah classifies her music as entirely autobiographical, although not overtly so, and insists that it is actually magical realism, not fantasy, and definitely not theater. Hannah has said that she uses music to transform troubling feelings and experiences into something positive and hopeful, and that writing has served as a mechanism to work through and mend things in her life. It may take careful listening to hear all the various layers of sound and meaning, but devout listeners consistently claim that it is worth the trouble.
Hannah loves flowers, rap music and snow days, and is often distracted by bright and/or shiny objects and the perceived scarcity of cotton candy, but she says that the only thing that actually inspires her to create music is love.
Since 2020 Hannah has been releasing new digital-only music on her Bandcamp page.
Hannah has been interviewed here:
http://www.muruch.com/2007/08/interview-hannah-fury.html
http://www.adequacy.net/2008/05/interview-with-hannah-fury/
http://www.mellowtraumatic.com/images/the_mick_40_hfury_excerpt.pdf
http://vmunderground2.podomatic.com/entry/2007-08-21T00_31_49-07_00
Hannah's offical web sites are http://www.mellowtraumatic.com, http://www.antoinettesrevenge.com, and her MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/hannahfury
Hannah's Bandcamp page, with a name-your-price download of her 2015 single 'Not Sad' and all her new music since 2020 https://hannahfury.bandcamp.com
For more "information," go to:
http://www.mellowtraumatic.com/diversions_HannahBio.html
Carnival Justice Part II
Hannah Fury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the Gash
Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II
Step right up and get what you deserve
Oh, what a prize!
Yeah, it's her
And if you think you scored your vision must be blurred
Welcome one and all to the Theater of the Absurd
All lit up in subterfuge
But pain is something I can use
But what about you? What's your excuse?
You won't know I'm coming until it's too late
You won't know that I'm around
The only thing that you will hear is scarlet satin hitting the ground
The gloves are off
Too bad you got soft
The gloves are off
Too bad you're so lost
Je suis en coeur
Je disparais
You are a blur as I walk away
So you love her? That little stain?
I'm out of here, but my words remain
So step right up and take a drag on your cigarette
You're just something that got snagged on the hook of Antoinette
And you can call it Carnival Justice
It's just my own breed of armistice
You can say I'm crazy like Alice
You can call it Carnival Justice
It's just my own breed of armistice
You can say I'm crazy like Alice
But I'll never blow you a real kiss
The gloves are off
In "Carnival Justice (The Gloves Are Off) Part II," Hannah Fury presents a twisted carnival game where the audience "gets what they deserve," and she is the prize. She invites everyone to the "Theater of the Absurd" where her heart is like the famous Moulin Rouge, lit up in subterfuge. She dares her opponents to face her in a battle where she can use pain as her weapon. They won't even know what's coming until it's too late. Fury sings about the gloves being off, a clear declaration that she intends to fight until the end.
The lyrics speak to a feeling of being wronged and seeking revenge. Fury is in control in this song, manipulating those who have hurt her into getting what's coming to them. She warns them that they won't be able to handle her fury and that they are already lost. She plays on their weaknesses, taunting them with the lure of a prize only to reveal she is the trophy.
The song's dark carnival theme draws from the idea of a twisted circus or carnival, a place where the macabre and grotesque take center stage. Fury uses this imagery to create a world where she is in charge and can exact revenge on those who cross her. It's a powerful, haunting song that taps into a primal desire for justice and revenge.
Line by Line Meaning
Step right up and get what you deserve
Come forward and face the consequences of your actions.
Oh, what a prize! Yeah, it's her
The reward is a woman, likely the object of desire or the cause of the conflict.
And if you think you scored your vision must be blurred
If you believe you have won, you are mistaken and misinformed.
Welcome one and all to the Theater of the Absurd
You have entered a strange and nonsensical world where anything can happen.
Mmmmmy heart is like the Moulin Rouge
My heart is like a dance hall, full of life and energy.
All lit up in subterfuge
But there is deception involved, perhaps in the form of secret plans or hidden motives.
But pain is something I can use
I have the ability to inflict pain and will use it as a tool or weapon.
But what about you? What's your excuse?
What is your reason for your actions? What justification do you have?
You won't know I'm coming until it's too late
My approach will be subtle, and you will not realize my intentions until it is too late.
You won't know that I'm around
I will remain unseen and unheard, lurking in the shadows.
The only thing that you will hear is scarlet satin hitting the ground
The only sound that you will perceive is the cloth of my clothing falling to the ground.
The gloves are off
This is a declaration of readiness for conflict - a signal that the artist is no longer holding back.
Too bad you got soft
You have become weak and vulnerable, making you an easy target.
Too bad you're so lost
You have become misguided and confused, making you an easy target.
Je suis en coeur, Je disparais
I am in the heart, I disappear. (This phrase may be symbolic or metaphorical and is open to interpretation.)
You are a blur as I walk away
As I depart, you become unclear and fading in my memory.
So you love her? That little stain?
Do you really love her? This woman who is seen as insignificant or flawed?
I'm out of here, but my words remain
I am leaving, but my message will persist and linger.
So step right up and take a drag on your cigarette
In one final challenge, take a deliberate inhale on a cigarette as a bravado gesture.
You're just something that got snagged on the hook of Antoinette
You are like a fish that has been caught on the hook of a famous woman like Marie Antoinette. You are nothing special, just a trivial catch.
And you can call it Carnival Justice, It's just my own breed of armistice
This is a form of justice that may seem chaotic and bizarre, but serves to bring peace and resolution to the conflict.
You can say I'm crazy like Alice
You may believe the artist to be insane, like Alice from Alice in Wonderland who enters a fantastical world.
But I'll never blow you a real kiss
The singer is not offering a genuine romantic gesture or affection, but instead, is taunting or mocking the recipient.
Contributed by Lucas F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.