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/
Law of Nature
Juliana Hatfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's transparent in the light
You could crush it with a finger
And you'll do it just to watch it die
Flies are feeding on someone?s blood
Isn't it kind of just like love
Do they ever get enough?
And I'm heading your way
Into your burning flame
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
I take what I need
Spit out the bones and seeds
Curl up with your skin to keep me warm
Reason has no chance in this selfish world
I don't listen to the preachers
I don't listen to the doctors
I don't listen to the leaders
Reason has no chance in this selfish world
And I'm heading your way
Into your burning flame
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
I live and breath
Always hungry for that heat, ooh, ooh, ooh
Reason has no chance in this selfish world
Reason has no chance in this vicious world
And I'm heading your way
Into your burning flame
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
Reason has no chance in this selfish world
Reason has no place in this selfish world
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
The song "Law of Nature" by Juliana Hatfield is an exploration of the darker side of human nature. The opening lines, "It comes around at night, It's transparent in the light, You could crush it with a finger, And you'll do it just to watch it die" set the tone for the rest of the song. Hatfield is singing about something that is fragile and easily destroyed, and our instinct to destroy it for our own amusement.
The next verses of the song describe flies feeding on someone's blood, and the comparison to love. Hatfield seems to be making the point that, like flies feeding on blood, we often take what we need from others without a thought for their well-being. She repeats the idea that reason has no place in this world, suggesting that our base, animal instincts often overwhelm our rational minds.
The chorus of the song, "It's the law of nature" is a kind of resignation to this darker aspect of humanity. Hatfield acknowledges that this is just the way things are, that we are all subject to these impulses, and that there is no escaping them. The final lyrics of the song, "Reason has no chance in this selfish world, Reason has no place in this selfish world" suggest a kind of hopelessness, that despite our best efforts at rational thought, we will always be subject to our base desires.
Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the darker aspects of human nature, and a warning against giving in to these impulses.
Line by Line Meaning
It comes around at night
The thing being described is something that appears at night.
It's transparent in the light
In the light, the thing is transparent.
You could crush it with a finger
The thing is so small and fragile that it can be easily crushed with a finger.
And you'll do it just to watch it die
Someone might crush the thing to see it die, or cause harm for their own amusement.
Flies are feeding on someone's blood
The scene transitions to flies feeding on someone's blood.
Isn't it kind of just like love
The comparison is made between the flies feeding on blood and love being consuming and destructive.
Do they ever get enough?
The singer wonders if the flies ever get enough blood, leaving it up to interpretation whether this parallels or contrasts aspects of love.
Reason has no place in this vicious world
Reason, or logical thinking, is not valued in a violent, brutal society.
And I'm heading your way
The artist is moving towards someone or something.
Into your burning flame
The artist is putting themselves into a potentially dangerous or destructive situation.
It's the law of nature
This dangerous and destructive behavior is seen as inevitable and simply a part of the natural world.
I take what I need
The artist takes what they need for survival, regardless of any negative consequences for others.
Spit out the bones and seeds
The singer discards whatever is not useful to them.
Curl up with your skin to keep me warm
The singer is using someone else's skin to keep themselves warm, possibly suggesting a lack of empathy towards others.
I don't listen to the preachers
The singer ignores religious or moral leaders.
I don't listen to the doctors
The artist ignores medical advice or authority.
I don't listen to the leaders
The artist ignores political or societal leaders.
And I'm heading your way
Repetition of the line earlier in the song, reaffirming the singer's movement towards a potentially dangerous or destructive situation.
It's the law of nature
The inevitable, dangerous, and destructive behavior is reinforced as being a part of the natural world and its laws.
I live and breathe
The artist's survival is paramount.
Always hungry for that heat, ooh, ooh, ooh
The artist desires warmth or something that brings a sense of passion and excitement, possibly at the expense of others.
Reason has no place in this selfish world
Repetition of an earlier line that reinforces the idea that logical thinking or empathy may be ignored in a self-centered, violent world.
Reason has no chance in this vicious world
The odds of rational thinking surviving or being valued in such a violent world are low.
It's the law of nature
Repetition of the same line multiple times throughout the song underscores the idea that the cycle of destructive behavior is inevitable and a part of nature.
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
It's the law of nature
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JULIANA HATFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind