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.
Made in the Shade
Kay Hanley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn around
Pick up the phone
Put it down
Your voice gets so disappointed
And I don't want to hear that sound
Said the queen bee
And trampoline me to the right track
I said I'm sorry
And I can't say it any better than that
Every moment gets replayed
And recreated in my head
I go back to all the perfect things
I wish I would have said
I'd be made in the shade
Fantastical sweet surprise
Maniacal was my demise
It left me standing
With a solar landing in my eyes
Said the queen bee
Everything's wrong
So go ahead
And get along
But first do your worst
I got my best happy ending face on
Every moment gets replayed...
If you're having trouble understanding what I mean
What I've been meaning to say
Is we've got to call our own armistice day
And if it's all a circle
Everything to me's a circle
I'll just cover my eyes
And when I cover my eyes
I miss the parade
Said the queen bee
Take it back
Every moment gets replayed...
The lyrics to Kay Hanley's song "Made in the Shade" speak about a relationship that has gone awry. The lyrics start with the singer suggesting that they are walking out of the door, but they turn around and pick up the phone, only to put it down after hearing the disappointment in the other person's voice. The other person, who is referred to as the "queen bee", tries to bring the singer back to the right track but does so by trampolining them, indicating that they are being bounced around with no clear direction. The singer apologizes, but they cannot express themselves any better than that.
The chorus talks about how every moment of the relationship is being replayed and recreated in the singer's head, and they wish they could go back and say all the perfect things they wished they had said. The last line of the chorus speaks to the hope that the singer could have been made in the shade, meaning that they could have had an easy and relaxed life if things had worked out differently.
The second verse uses vivid language to describe the singer's feelings. They describe their emotions as a solar landing in their eyes, indicating that they have been blindsided by something unexpected. The queen bee tells the singer that everything is wrong, but they should still try to get along. The final verse suggests that the relationship is going around in circles and that the singer needs to take a step back and call their own armistice day, meaning that they need to declare a truce and end the conflict. The song ends with the queen bee telling the singer to take it back, and the chorus stating once again that every moment gets replayed.
Line by Line Meaning
Walk out the door
Leave the place where you are currently at.
Turn around
Face the opposite direction from which you were previously facing.
Pick up the phone
Take hold of the telephone receiver.
Put it down
Release your grip on the telephone receiver.
Your voice gets so disappointed
When you speak, you sound disheartened.
And I don't want to hear that sound
I would prefer not to listen to your despondent tone.
Said the queen bee
The boss or leader said
Get thee back
Return to where you came from.
And trampoline me to the right track
Assist me in getting back on track to where I should be.
I said I'm sorry
I expressed regret for my actions or words.
And I can't say it any better than that
I have no further words or actions that can better express my remorse.
Every moment gets replayed
I constantly recall and replay past situations.
And recreated in my head
I reconstruct these memories mentally.
I go back to all the perfect things
I revisit and remember all the things I could have said or done better.
I wish I would have said
I regret not having said or done something.
I'd be made in the shade
I would have an easy time or comfortable situation.
Fantastical sweet surprise
An unexpected and delightful occurrence.
Maniacal was my demise
My downfall was caused by insanity or craziness.
It left me standing
It ended up with me standing alone.
With a solar landing in my eyes
I was blinded by the bright light like that from the sun.
Said the queen bee
The boss or leader said
Everything's wrong
Everything is a mess or not working as it should.
So go ahead
Proceed with what you were doing.
And get along
Start to cooperate or work together.
But first do your worst
Try the hardest you can and give it your all.
I got my best happy ending face on
I am putting on a happy front despite the difficulties.
If you're having trouble understanding what I mean
If you are having difficulty comprehending what I am trying to say.
What I've been meaning to say
What I have been attempting to express.
Is we've got to call our own armistice day
We must declare a truce or ceasefire to our ongoing conflict.
And if it's all a circle
If everything is a never-ending cycle.
Everything to me's a circle
From my perspective, everything is circular.
I'll just cover my eyes
I will figuratively or literally shield myself from the situation.
And when I cover my eyes
At the moment when I take cover from the situation.
I miss the parade
I feel excluded or left out from what is happening around me.
Take it back
Retract what you said or did.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DANIEL PETTY, MICHELLE ROBIN LEWIS, KAY HANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind