Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automatic Dlamini as a vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist. The band's frontman, John Parish, became her long-term collaborator. In 1991, she formed an eponymous trio called PJ Harvey and subsequently began her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two studio albums called Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993) before disbanding, after which Harvey continued as a solo artist. Since 1995, she has released a further nine studio albums with collaborations from various musicians including Parish, former bandmate Rob Ellis, Mick Harvey and Eric Drew Feldman, and has also worked extensively with record producer Flood.
Among the accolades Harvey has received are both the 2001 and 2011 Mercury Prize for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011), respectively, making her the only artist to have been awarded the prize twice. She has also garnered eight Brit Award nominations, seven Grammy Award nominations and two further Mercury Prize nominations. Rolling Stone awarded her three accolades: 1992's Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, and 1995's Artist of the Year. Rolling Stone also listed Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea on its list of their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution To Music at the NME Awards. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
50ft Queenie
PJ Harvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one can stop me
Red light, red green
Sat back, I'm watchin'
I'm number one
Second to no one
No sweat I'm clean
Nothin' can touch me
I'll tell you my name
F-U-C-K
Fifty foot queenie
Force ten hurricane
Biggest woman
I could have ten sons
Ten Gods
Ten queens
Ten foot and risin'
Hey I'm the king of the world
You ought to hear my song
Ah come on measure me
I'm twenty inches long
Glory glory
Lay it all on me
Fifty foot Queenie
Fifty and rising
You can bend over
Cassanova
No sweat I'm clean
Nothing can stop me
Hey I'm the king of the world
You better to hear my song
You come on measure me
I'm twenty inches long
Hey I'm king of the world
(Fifty foot queenie)
You ought to hear my song
(Fifty foot queenie)
You come on measure me
(Fifty foot queenie)
I'm thirty inches long
(Fifty foot queenie)
Hey I'm king of the world
(Fifty foot queenie)
You ought to hear my song
(Fifty foot queenie)
You come on measure me
(Fifty foot queenie)
I'm forty inches long
(Fifty foot queenie)
Hey I'm king of the world
(Fifty foot queenie)
You ought to hear my song
(Fifty foot queenie)
You come on measure me
(Fifty foot queenie)
I'm fifty inches long
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
(Fifty foot queenie)
The song "50ft Queenie" by PJ Harvey is a high-energy, anthemic ode to female power and dominance. The opening lines, "Hey I'm one big queen, no one can stop me" establish the unshakeable confidence and pride of the singer. The repetition of "fifty foot queenie," with increasing measurements of her power and size, emphasize her superiority and unbridled sexuality. The inclusion of "F-U-C-K" and "Cassanova" further suggest her in-your-face sexuality and her willingness to take on anyone who tries to challenge her.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey I'm one big queen
I am confident and powerful
No one can stop me
I am unstoppable
Red light, red green
I am in control
Sat back, I'm watchin'
I observe and analyze everything
I'm number one
I am the best
Second to no one
No one is better than me
No sweat I'm clean
I am pure and perfect
Nothin' can touch me
No one can harm or defeat me
I'll tell you my name
I am confident and proud of myself
F-U-C-K
My name is not important, just know that I am powerful
Fifty foot queenie
I am a magnificent and towering woman
Force ten hurricane
I am a powerful and unstoppable force
Biggest woman
I am larger than life
I could have ten sons
I am capable of creating greatness
Ten Gods
I have the power and strength of many gods
Ten queens
I have the grace and beauty of ten queens
Ten foot and risin'
My power and strength continue to grow
Hey I'm the king of the world
I am in control and have no limits
You ought to hear my song
I have a great story to tell
Ah come on measure me
I am larger than life and unstoppable
I'm twenty inches long
I am powerful, impressive, and larger than life
Glory glory
I am triumphant and victorious
Lay it all on me
I can handle anything and everything
Fifty and rising
My power and strength continue to grow
You can bend over
You may try to defeat me, but I will not break
Cassanova
A man who may try to seduce me, but I am not vulnerable to his charms
I'm thirty inches long
I am even more powerful and impressive than before
I'm forty inches long
I am even more powerful and unstoppable than ever
I'm fifty inches long
I am the most powerful being in the world
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
(Fifty foot queenie)
I am the powerful and unstoppable queen
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: POLLY HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kittykait
Hey I'm one big queen
No one can stop me
Red light red green
Sat back and watching
I'm your new one
Second to no one
No sweat I'm clean
Nothing can touch me
Tell you my name
F U and C K
50ft queenie
Force ten hurricane
Biggest woman
I could have ten sons
Ten gods ten queens
Ten foot and rising
Hey I'm the king of the world
You oughta hear my song
You come on and measure me
I'm twenty inches long
Glory, glory
Lay it all on me
50ft queenie
50 and rising
You bend over
Casanova
No sweat I'm clean
Nothing can touch me
Hey I'm the king of the world
You oughta hear my song
You come on and measure me
I'm twenty inches long
Hey I'm king of the world
You oughta hear my song
You come on and measure me
I'm thirty inches long
Hey I'm king of the world
You oughta hear my song
You come on and measure me
I'm forty inches long
Hey I'm king of the world
You oughta hear my song
You come on and measure me
I'm fifty inches long
50ft queenie [X7]
Trainy
I cant think of many mainstream artists as varied or talented as PJ Harvey. She cannot be overrated
Joshua Stephens
Facts
d7sfblab
There's no such thing as "mainstream". It's a marketing term for suckers.
#MediaILiteracy
Trainy
@d7sfblab Mainstream is a synonym for major label
d7sfblab
@Trainy "Major label" has long since ceased to be a standard.
DJ
Sheās a video star. Thereās nothing appealing about this song. Just noise.
Disco/Secret
Back in my day, we had tons of empowered, accomplished, independent women who could rock as hard as the boys. PJ Harvey is at the top of that list.
Trainy
She's a complete badass. Her stage presence is just fearless, as well as her ability to experiment with her music constantly. Her stuff now sounds nothing like her 90's and early 2000's output
anonamatron
But.... I keep hearing about the patriarchy! Surely women never did anything before now, the age of "the first x to do.."
melodic virginia
She rocked better than the boys.