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.

Happy to Be Here
Kay Hanley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to go to the show
Can you buy us a ticket
Then let's wrap me up
In a red velvet blanket

First the perfect light
Then somebody else's life reappears
And I'm so happy to be here

The lights go down

I just can't wait to meet her
So I hold on tight to my seat
At the theater
She's my celluloid hero

Across a silhouette veneer
And I'm so happy to be here
And I think you sink so deep
You come and wake me from my sleep

And it's good
So good so far
So I dream of you beneath
Red velvet stars

And I think you sink so deep
You come and wake me from my sleep
You must be my lucky star
'Cause baby I'm the luckiest by far

I want to go to the show
Can you buy us a ticket
Then let's wrap me up
In a red velvet blanket

I'm alive and breathing

And this will be my greatest year
I'm so happy to be here

Overall Meaning

In Kay Hanley's song, "Happy to Be Here," the singer expresses a strong desire to go to a show and asks someone to buy them a ticket. They imagine being wrapped up in a red velvet blanket, creating a sense of comfort and luxury surrounding the event. The singer then describes the anticipation of sitting in the theater, waiting for the show to start, and feeling excited to meet the person they came to see. They describe this person as their "celluloid hero," someone admired from afar who exists on the big screen.

As the lights go down and the show begins, the singer reflects on their happiness to be there, surrounded by others who share the same excitement and appreciation for the art. The singer seems to be in a state of awe, describing the experience as sinking "so deep" that it creates a feeling of being woken up from a dreamlike state. The singer imagines dreaming of the person they came to see, being surrounded by "red velvet stars" and feeling lucky to be alive in that moment.

Overall, the lyrics in "Happy to Be Here" capture the feeling of euphoria one can experience when attending a live performance or being a part of a shared experience with others who appreciate the same art. The singer seems to be filled with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the chance to experience this moment, making it a truly special one.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to go to the show
I desire to attend the show

Can you buy us a ticket
Would you please purchase a ticket for us?

Then let's wrap me up in a red velvet blanket
Once we have a ticket, let's snuggle in a cozy red velvet blanket

First the perfect light
First, the ideal lighting must be set

Then somebody else's life reappears
Suddenly, another person's existence becomes visible

And I'm so happy to be here
Despite the unexpected interruption, I'm ecstatic to be present

The lights go down
The lighting dims

I just can't wait to meet her
I'm excited to encounter someone

So I hold on tight to my seat at the theater
I grip my seat firmly during the performance

She's my celluloid hero
The person I'm eager to see is my movie heroine

Across a silhouette veneer
Through a superficial, shadowy appearance