The daughter of Philip M. Hatfield (a radiologist) and The Boston Globe fashion critic Julie Hatfield, Hatfield was born in Maine and grew up in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. She acquired a love of rock music during the 1970s, having been introduced by a babysitter to the music of the seminal Los Angeles punk rock band X, which proved a life-changing experience. She was also attracted to the music of more mainstream artists like Olivia Newton-John and The Police, perhaps explaining the dialectic in her later music between sweet, melodic "pop" songs and more hard rock oriented material. Visualizing herself as a singer since her high school years, Hatfield sang in school choirs and briefly played in a cover band called The Squids, which played Queen and Rush songs.
Hatfield began her solo career following the Blake Babies' breakup in 1991, releasing her first solo album Hey Babe in 1992. The album was one of the highest selling independent albums of 1992. Hatfield recruited a rhythm section comprised of former Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta drummer Todd Phillips, and Thudpucker bassist Dean Fisher, and thus becoming The Juliana Hatfield Three.
Hatfield achieved alterna-rock stardom with the release of 1993's Become What You Are (recorded under the group name The Juliana Hatfield Three). Several songs from the album received regular airplay on major North American rock stations, with Hatfield's song "My Sister" becoming the biggest hit of her career with the video becoming an MTV staple. Another one of her songs ("Spin the Bottle") was used in the soundtrack of the Hollywood film Reality Bites (1994). Hatfield also made the cover of Spin magazine. Hatfield's popularity coincided with the success, in the mid-1990s, of many other female musicians (such as Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Belly, Letters to Cleo, Velocity Girl, The Breeders, Hole, Veruca Salt, Poe, Throwing Muses, Magnapop, Bettie Serveert). Although she has always maintained that her gender is of only incidental importance to her music, Hatfield was pleased to have been invited, in 1997, to tour with the first Lilith Fair, a prominent all-female rock festival founded by singer Sarah McLachlan. Hatfield was profiled in a number of girls' magazines at this time and was embraced by many pre-teen and teenage girls as a role model due to the positive way she addressed serious issues faced by young women in her songs and interviews. About this period she says: "I was never comfortable with the attention. I thought it had come too soon. I hadn’t earned it yet." She gained notoriety in 1992 for saying that she was still a virgin in her mid-twenties in Interview magazine. In a 1994 interview for the magazine Vox she said she was surprised by the effect 'outing' herself had: "I think there are a lot of people out there who don't care about sex, but who you never hear from, so I thought I should say it. The magazine I did the interview for is full of beef-cake hunky guys and scantily-clad models, so I thought it would be really funny to say that I didn't care about sex in a magazine that's full of sex and beauty - but no one really got the joke."
In 1995, following the success of Become What You Are she released her followup album, Only Everything, in which she "turned up the volume and the distortion and had a lot of fun". One reviewer describes it as "a fun, engaging pop album". The album spawned another alternative radio hit for Hatfield in Universal Heart-Beat. The video featured Hatfield as an overly demanding aerobics instructor. Prior to the tour for 'Only Everything', Hatfield released Phillips and brought on Jason Sutter (American Hi-Fi, Chris Cornell, Jack Drag), as well as Ed Slanker (Thudpucker, Tinsel) on 2nd guitar, and Lisa Mednick on keyboards. Two weeks into the tour, Hatfield canceled the tour citing exhaustion, and took a month long break. Sutter was replaced by once again drummer Phillips, and touring resumed with Jeff Buckley as the opening act.
In 1996 she traveled to Woodstock, New York where she recorded tracks for God's Foot, which was to be her fourth solo album (third if not counting Become What You Are, which was recorded with the Juliana Hatfield Three), intended for 1997 release. Containing some of Hatfield's finest work to date, the album was unfortunately put on indefinite hold by her record company due to a disagreement with Hatfield. Only substandard bootleg versions of these songs (which do not meet Hatfield's approval) have surfaced and she has rarely featured them in her subsequent live performances.
During this time Hatfield left Atlantic Records and ventured back into indie-world. She recorded a six song EP titled Please Do Not Disturb, along with Todd Phillips and Ed Slanker, and with new bass player Mikey Welsh (Weezer). The EP produced by Hatfield features a tender song "Trying Not To Think About It" which is a tribute to the deceased musician Jeff Buckley who was a friend of Hatfield's. The EP was released on Bar/None Records in 1997.
Following the traumatic experiences surrounding God's Foot and her departure from Atlantic Records, Hatfield recorded the album Bed in 1998 in six days, about which she says on her website: "It sounds as raw as I felt. It has no pretty sheen. The mistakes and unattractive parts were left in, not erased. Just like my career. Just like life."
In 2000, she released Beautiful Creature, an album which was among the most critically well-received of her career. This album left the rockier side of Hatfield's musical personality unexpressed, however, so at the same time she also recorded Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure with Zephan Courtney and Mikey Welsh, which she describes as "a loud release of tension", with "lots of long sloppy guitar solos. And no love songs...a not-at-all attractive reaction to the ugly side of humanity, specifically American culture" The two albums were initially released in a set as a pair. Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure was however received very badly by the critics, who much preferred the acoustic songwriting on Beautiful Creature. On Beautiful Creature Hatfield worked with Austin-based musician Davíd Garza who co-produced much of the album. Wally Gagel a producer for Sebadoh and Tanya Donelly helped Hatfield record her most electronica influenced songs "Cool Rock Boy" and "Don't Rush Me" which added texture to the otherwise acoustic album.
2002 saw the release of Hatfield's first "best-of" album. The album, titled Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection, featured the singles from her solo albums. It also contained two of the songs from the previously unreleased God's Foot, a cover of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart, as well as four new recordings.
In 2004 Hatfield released In Exile Deo, which was arguably an attempt at a more commercial sound, with input from producers and engineers who'd worked with Pink and Avril Lavigne. Hatfield did however produce the album herself with David Leanord receiving co-production credits on "Jamie's In Town" and the bright rocker "Sunshine'. The critics loved it, with a couple calling it her best work since the start of her solo career.
By contrast, the 2005 album Made in China was released on her own new record label, Ye Olde Records, and has a much rawer feel. John Doe of the band X described the disc as "A frighteningly dark & beautiful record filled w/ stark, angular, truly brutal songs & guitars. This is surely a 'Woman Under the Influence', though I'm not sure of what". Reviews were very mixed, with some liking the lo-fi sound, but others seeing it as slackness.
In December 2005 Hatfield toured the United States with the band X, whom she idolized during her teenage years.
In 2006, Hatfield released her first live album. Titled The White Broken Line: Live Recordings, the album featured performances from her tour with X. This was Hatfield's third release for her record label.
Hatfield's 9th studio album, How To Walk Away was released on August 19, 2008 on Ye Olde Records. The album's heartfelt subject on the break-up of a relationship resonated with critics, who gave the album largely positive reviews, with some hailing it as her best album since In Exile Deo.
On September 29, 2008 it was followed by her memoir, When I Grow Up.
Hatfield returned 2 years later as her 10th studio album Peace & Love was released on Ye Olde Records, February 16, 2010. The album's composition, arrangement, performance, production, engineering and mixing was solely credited to Hatfield.
There's Always Another Girl was released on August 30, 2011 again independently on her Ye Olde Records label.
In 2013, she joined with Matthew Caws (of Nada Surf) to form the duo Minor Alps.
In 2014, The Juliana Hatfield Three reunited two decades after it disbanded. Hatfield, drummer Todd Philips, and bassist Dean Fisher began practicing new material for an album, which would be their first together since Become What You Are in 1993.
In 2015, Hatfield and American musician Paul Westerberg formed the duo The I Don't Cares.
http://www.julianahatfield.com/
Close Your Eyes
Juliana Hatfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately you've been so low
You were a friend of mine
And baby you already know
If you'd ask I would try to stop all the rain
And lightning and heat waves
Your world's not over yet
Don't let the dark side bring you down
It's only a dream
Don't be afraid to fall asleep
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
I can see it on your face
Somebody let you down
You're all alone again
You're stuck in this small town
Scary monsters
They may haunt you in your times of sadness
If you could just let her go
Don't believe in bad dreams
Don't let the darkness make you cry
It's only a dream
Don't be afraid to fall asleep
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
Don't believe in bad dreams
Don't let the darkness make you cry
It's only a dream
Don't be afraid to fall asleep
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
Close your eyes
The song "Close Your Eyes" by Juliana Hatfield touches on themes of sadness, loneliness, and fear while also providing a message of hope and positivity. The lyrics are encouraging the listener to not let their bad dreams or the dark side bring them down, and to close their eyes to overcome their fears and anxieties.
The first verse of the song refers to someone who is going through a difficult time and has been feeling down lately. The singer is offering to try and help them by stopping the rain, lightning and heat waves, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for the troubles and hardships they are facing. The singer goes on to say that their world is not over yet, providing a message of hope that things will get better.
The second verse talks about someone who has been let down and is feeling alone and stuck in a small town. The scary monsters mentioned in the lyrics could be a representation of the person's fears and anxieties that are preventing them from moving forward. However, the singer encourages them to let go and not believe in bad dreams, suggesting that the monsters are only real in their minds.
Overall, the message conveyed in the song is one of hope and assurance. The singer is offering a helping hand to those who are struggling and urging them to let go of their fears and embrace positivity.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get you out of my mind
I'm constantly thinking about you and can't stop.
Lately you've been so low
You seem really down and sad lately.
You were a friend of mine
We used to be friends.
And baby you already know
I'm sure you're aware of how I feel about you.
If you'd ask I would try to stop all the rain
I want to help you and try to make things better for you.
And lightning and heat waves
I will do my best to change anything that's causing you pain and discomfort.
Your world's not over yet
You still have a lot of good things to experience in your life.
Don't believe in bad dreams
Don't let your fears and anxieties get the best of you.
Don't let the dark side bring you down
Don't let negative thoughts take over and make you feel worse.
It's only a dream
Whatever is causing you stress is not real and will pass.
Don't be afraid to fall asleep
Don't avoid sleeping because of your bad dreams or anxiety, it's a temporary mental state.
Close your eyes
Stop thinking really hard and allow yourself to relax.
I can see it on your face
I can tell that you're going through a hard time just by looking at you.
Somebody let you down
You were disappointed or betrayed by someone and it's affecting you.
You're all alone again
You feel isolated and like you don't have anyone to turn to.
You're stuck in this small town
You feel trapped or limited because of where you live or your current situation.
Scary monsters
There might be something that you're afraid of and it's overwhelming you.
They may haunt you in your times of sadness
Your fears can become more intense when you're already feeling down.
If you could just let her go
If you could move on from this person or situation, it could relieve some of your stress and pain.
Close your eyes
Relax and let yourself rest.
Close your eyes
Let go of your stress and allow yourself to be at peace.
Don't believe in bad dreams
Don't let your fears and negative thoughts control you.
Don't let the darkness make you cry
Don't let negative emotions overwhelm you.
Close your eyes
Focus on your inner self and let go of your emotions before sleeping.
Close your eyes
Focus on your inner self and let go of your emotions before sleeping.
Close your eyes
Focus on your inner self and let go of your emotions before sleeping.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JULIANA HATFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind