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/
Down on Me
Juliana Hatfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got me thinking that I'm wasting my time
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You wanna stay out with your fancy friends
I'm telling you, it's gotta be the end
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down
What happened to the girl I used to know?
You let your mind out somewhere down the road
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You're always talking 'bout your crazy nights
One of these days, you're gonna get it right
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down, Groos
Don't bring me down
You're looking good, just like a snake in the grass
One of these days, you're gonna break your glass
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
You got me shaking, got me running away
You got me crawling up to you everyday
Don't bring me down
No, no, no, no, no
Ooh-ooh-hoo
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down, down, down, down, down, down
I'll tell you once more before I get off the floor
Don't bring me down
The song "Down on Me" by Juliana Hatfield portrays the feelings of frustration and confusion towards someone who is constantly criticizing and judging the singer. The lyrics reveal the singer's sense of being stuck in a situation that feels suffocating as she tries to connect with this person who seems to be uninterested in meeting her halfway.
The opening lines, "You won't meet me in the middle, push me off the dividing line," suggest an unwillingness to negotiate or compromise, and the singer feels caught in the middle of a battle where there can be no peace. The frustration escalates as the singer realizes that this person is not willing to make any effort to understand her, and there is no justification for their sudden change of behavior. The phrase "You left the inside out" reinforces this idea that something has changed, and the singer feels lost and trapped in this person's inconsistency.
The lyrics also reveal a sense of hopelessness or helplessness, with the line "A ceiling of clouds, the tall buildings are walls, I'm walking around and I can't get out." The singer feels trapped as if she cannot escape from this situation. The line "The general fatigue of a private person trying to talk to you" suggests that the singer is making an effort to communicate, but it is met with dismissiveness. Hatfield's wordplay is evident in the line "You saw the movie, you don't need to read the book, a masterpiece or a piece of shit." This could mean that the person is quick to judge the situation without considering all the facts, and this leads to misunderstandings.
Overall, "Down on Me" reveals how it feels to be on the receiving end of constant criticism and judgment. Juliana Hatfield's lyrics convey the sense of being stuck in a situation where there is no resolution, and the frustration that comes with trying to communicate with someone who won't listen.
Line by Line Meaning
You won't meet me in the middle
You are not willing to compromise with me.
Push me off the dividing line
You are actively pushing me away.
You won't give a little
You refuse to make any concessions.
What good graces?
There's no goodwill or kindness in your actions.
No explanation for your change of heart
You have not explained why you suddenly changed your attitude towards me.
You left the inside out
You exposed my vulnerabilities and secrets.
You get a little or a lot
Your behavior and feelings towards me are either extreme or non-existent.
You're either cold or you're hot
Your attitude towards me is either indifferent or passionate.
A ceiling of clouds
I feel trapped and unable to escape.
The tall buildings are walls
I feel confined and like there's no way out.
I'm walking around and I can't get out
I feel stuck and trapped.
The general fatigue of a private person trying to talk to you
Trying to communicate with you is exhausting and unproductive.
You saw the movie, you don't need to read the book
You think you know everything and do not need to learn more.
A masterpiece or a piece of shit.
Your opinion of something is either extremely positive or negative.
You're either stealing or you're taken.
You believe that in any relationship, one person is always taking advantage of the other.
You're so down on me
You are extremely critical of me.
I think it is a fad so I don't feel so bad anymore.
I believe your criticism is just a temporary trend, so I am not affected by it as much.
You buy the pound just to burn it down
You waste valuable resources and destroy things that are useful.
And watch the sleeping dogs die
You enjoy watching others suffer or fail.
Walk away unscathed
You leave situations without being affected by them, while others are hurt.
I'm going to take you off my thank-you list
I will no longer express gratitude for your actions towards me.
Will you ever get your shit together?
I am questioning whether you will ever become responsible and reliable.
Hookers and virgins, sluts and nuns
People are often labeled and judged based on their sexual behavior, regardless of accuracy.
What if I am neither one?
What if I do not fit into your narrow categories and expectations?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jeff Lynne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@braulioml
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@chrisszymczyk1629
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@jefferyweigand1337
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