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.

Sheltering Sky
Kay Hanley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It was a gift to forget what I said
'Cause what you heard
Those were just empty words
Like a blast it's a telling telegraph from the past
Was it the empty things
That are gonna last?
And it made me free
The way I want to fly

In your sheltering sky
Redemption was like
A ticker tape parade
Keep my mouth shut smile and wave
With a fistful of luck this is a stickup
So now you now the world is saved
From lipstick boobs and babes
And it made me free
So the words hurt and my head said
You got the fire lit

So now I get it
I'll live for you if you live for me too

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kay Hanley's "Sheltering Sky" appear to be exploration of the nature of memory and communication, as well as the difficulty of true understanding in a world where words are often just "empty." The singer suggests that the things we say, especially in the past, can become distorted and meaningless as they pass through the filters of memory and the limitations of language. This is represented by the image of a "telling telegraph from the past" - a message that may arrive loudly, but is ultimately incomplete and difficult to decode.

The chorus of the song offers a kind of release from this uncertainty, as the "sheltering sky" is presented as a space of freedom and peace. It is not entirely clear what this sky represents, but it could be interpreted as a state of elevated consciousness or a relationship of unconditional love and support. There is a sense that the sky is a place where redemption is possible, where one can "keep [their] mouth shut smile and wave" and be celebrated simply for existing.

The third verse of the song adds a layer of complexity, as the singer seems to be addressing someone directly and suggesting that true understanding requires mutual effort. The phrase "I'll live for you if you live for me too" implies a desire for reciprocation and shared experience, perhaps even a kind of symbiosis. It could be seen as a call to engage with the world in a more active and intentional way, rather than relying on memories or empty words to convey meaning.

Line by Line Meaning

It was a gift to forget what I said
Forgetting the words I said was a relief

'Cause what you heard
The words you heard were not true

Those were just empty words
The words I spoke had no real meaning

Like a blast it's a telling telegraph from the past
The words I said were like a message from my past

Was it the empty things that are gonna last?
I wonder if the meaningless things will endure over time

And it made me free
Forgetting those words made me feel liberated

The way I want to fly
I want to soar high in the sky

In your sheltering sky
I feel safe and protected under your wing

Redemption was like a ticker tape parade
Finding redemption felt like a grand celebration

Keep my mouth shut smile and wave
I'll keep quiet and put on a pleasant facade

With a fistful of luck this is a stickup
I feel fortunate and empowered in this moment