Kay Hanley (born September 11, 1968) is an American alternative rock musici… Read Full Bio ↴Kay Hanley (born September 11, 1968) is an American alternative rock musician. She is known as the vocalist for the band Letters to Cleo.

Hanley was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She was a member of Letters to Cleo from 1990 to 2000 (the length of the band's existence). She came up with the band's name (she had a pen pal named Cleo when she was younger). In 1997, she started to work on other projects than the band, starting with a role in the Boston Rock Opera's performance of Jesus Christ Superstar as Mary Magdalene.

In 1999, Hanley made a cameo as herself in the film 10 Things I Hate about You, singing a cover version of Nick Lowe's "Cruel to be Kind" at the movie characters' high school prom. Towards the end of Letters to Cleo's career, she began performing with her husband and fellow Letters to Cleo member Michael Eisenstein outside of the band. Around the same time, she gave birth to their daughter, Zoe.

Starting her own solo career, Hanley started doing music for the cartoon Generation O. She also provided the singing voice for Rachael Leigh Cook's character Josie in the movie Josie and the Pussycats. In 2002, she released her first solo album, Cherry Marmalade. That same year, she appeared on the Dropkick Murphys/Face to Face split cd, providing guest vocals on the original version of the Dropkick Murphys song "The Dirty Glass". She also performed the song "Follow Me" for the video game Sonic Heroes in 2003. In 2004 she released a follow up to Cherry Marmalade, The Babydoll EP. She is very involved with the Boston based charity "Hot Stove, Cool Music." She is currently in the Los Angeles-based girl band, The Dilettantes, with New York native Michelle Lewis. In 2004, she and her husband Michael Eisenstein had their second child, Henry Aaron, the name given in honor of baseball player Hank Aaron and their love for baseball.

In August 2005, Hanley announced on her website's message board that she would be recording a cover of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" for the soundtrack of the Reese Witherspoon film Just Like Heaven In September 2005, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as part of a pretaped man-on-the-street segment, singing a song about falling in love at Starbucks.

The internet radio station KGRL featured her as their Flower-Powered Artist for September of 2006. The feature includes an exclusive interview, CD Review of Cherry Marmalade, Review of Babydoll EP, and an on-demand video stream of the whole Hotel Cafe performance last July 2006.

She's also quite popular with fans of the New England Patriots, as every time she has sung the National Anthem for them at Gillette Stadium the Patriots have won. She has sung eight times as of January 2007 with as many wins, including the only home playoff games for the Patriots in 2006 and 2007.

She sings the main theme song for My Friends Tigger and Pooh, a half-hour Disney Channel TV show that premiered on Playhouse Disney on May 12, 2007 and "We Are The Care Bears" from Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!.

On Thanksgiving Day 2007, Hanley sang a song called "Caring Changes The World" in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Care Bears Float. Hanley toured as a back up singer with Miley Cyrus on her Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus : Best of Both Worlds Tour.

Chady Saves the Day
Kay Hanley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said its only worth doing
To bother you
And he said well you must be tripping
Yes that was true but I came here to rescue you
Now I'm a stone on a lake
And I'm skipping
Chady lights the way
Chady saves the day

We were at best with a drink
And a cigarette
And we darkened a fine line
I was busy ignoring his litany
Of regrets
It was by grand design
Chady lights the way
Chady saves the day
All those photographs
Pulled from gilded frames
All the breaking glass
I want it back
Now you're so pure
Propped up by your ghost
All the cheap allure
I want it back
But memory fades and lies
I just want a life
I don't want to hurt anyone
But sometimes you have to
I just want a life
I don't want to hurt anyone

But sometimes
Chady saves the day

Overall Meaning

The song "Chady Saves the Day" by Kay Hanley seems to be about a person who sees the world in a certain way and feels that their actions are only worthwhile if they can make an impact on another individual, in this case, the person they are speaking to. The opening lines of the song, "I said it's only worth doing to bother you, and he said well you must be tripping," suggest that the person being addressed thinks that the singer is not being serious or is perhaps even a little crazy. However, the singer goes on to state that they came to "rescue" the person, implying that they feel the other person needs saving.

The imagery in the song is vivid, with lines like "Now I'm a stone on a lake and I'm skipping" suggesting a sense of lightness and freedom. The chorus of the song, "Chady lights the way, Chady saves the day" seems to refer to someone who is guiding the singer and helping them to see things more clearly. The lyrics also speak of regrets, memories, and the desire to hold onto what has been lost. The repeated line "I just want a life, I don't want to hurt anyone, but sometimes you have to" implies a certain level of resignation and acceptance of the struggles that come with living.

In conclusion, "Chady Saves the Day" seems to be a song about the human desire to make a connection with others and to be understood, even if it means risking rejection or being seen as crazy. The song is a poignant reminder that we all need someone to light the way and help us when we feel lost or alone.

Line by Line Meaning

I said its only worth doing
I spoke and expressed the idea that performing an action is only valuable if it involves bothering you

To bother you
The only purpose of my actions is to irritate you

And he said well you must be tripping
He responded to my previous statement with the suggestion that I must be under the influence of drugs and hallucinating

Yes that was true but I came here to rescue you
Although his statement had some truth to it, my true intention was to save or help you in some way

Now I'm a stone on a lake
I feel as though I am a stone that has been thrown onto a body of water, bouncing and skimming across the surface

And I'm skipping
I am moving quickly and effortlessly, like a flat rock being thrown across the water

Chady lights the way
Chady is showing the path or direction that should be taken

Chady saves the day
Chady is rescuing or solving the problem at hand

We were at best with a drink
The most productive we ever were involved drinking alcohol

And a cigarette
Smoking cigarettes was another activity we engaged in during our time together

And we darkened a fine line
We blurred or crossed a boundary that was not meant to be crossed

I was busy ignoring his litany of regrets
I purposely disregarded or paid no attention to his long list of mistakes or things he wished he had done differently

It was by grand design
Everything that had happened or would happen was planned or intended in some way

All those photographs
The many pictures we had taken and kept from the past

Pulled from gilded frames
The pictures were being taken out of ornate gold frames, indicating their age or importance

All the breaking glass
The sound of breaking glass, likely indicating something bad or chaotic happening

I want it back
I yearn for the past and wish I could return to it

Now you're so pure
You are now innocent or naive in some way

Propped up by your ghost
Your memory or past experiences are supporting or influencing your current state

All the cheap allure
The easily obtainable or fake attractiveness of something or someone

But memory fades and lies
Our recollections of the past can be unreliable and untrue over time

I just want a life
All I desire is a simple and fulfilling existence

I don't want to hurt anyone
I do not wish to cause harm or pain to others

But sometimes you have to
Despite my best intentions, there may be situations where causing harm is unavoidable or necessary