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.
Dress
PJ Harvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going out dancing
Starting off red
Clean and sparkling, he'll see me
Music play, make it dreamy for dancing
Must be a way that I can dress to please him
It's hard to walk in the dress, it's not easy
I'm swinging over like a heavy loaded fruit tree
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
It's sad to see
Lonely, all this lonely
Close up my eyes
Dreamy, dreamy music, make it be alright
Music play, make it good for romacing
Must be a way I can dress to please him
Swing and sway, everything will be alright
But it's feeling so damn tight tonight
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
"You pretty thing" my man says
"But I bought you beautiful dresses"
"You pretty thing" my man says
"But I bought you beautiful dresses"
Filthy tight, the dress is filthy
I'm falling flat and my arms are empty
Clear the way, better get it out of this room
A fallen woman in dancing costume
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
The lyrics to PJ Harvey's song "Dress" are a complex portrayal of femininity and the expectations surrounding it. The song can be read as a commentary on how women are often pressured to dress in a certain way in order to please men, and how this pressure can be both physically and emotionally suffocating. The opening lines, "Put on that dress / I'm going out dancing / Starting off red / Clean and sparkling, he'll see me," suggest a woman getting ready to go out and hoping to impress her partner with her appearance. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the act of dressing up is less about feeling good and more about meeting someone else's expectations.
The lines "It's hard to walk in the dress, it's not easy / I'm swinging over like a heavy loaded fruit tree" illustrate the physical strain that comes with conforming to traditional notions of femininity. The woman in the song is wearing a dress that is uncomfortable and difficult to move in, which underlines the fact that she's putting herself through this discomfort in order to please someone else. Similarly, the repeated refrain "If you put it on" seems to suggest that the woman is being coerced into wearing the dress, that it's not really her choice at all. The line "Filthy tight, the dress is filthy / I'm falling flat and my arms are empty" reinforces the idea that the pressure to conform can be emotionally damaging as well, leaving the woman feeling empty and unfulfilled.
Overall, "Dress" is a searing indictment of the gender norms that operate within society, and the ways in which women are expected to perform femininity in order to meet male expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Put on that dress
Calling on someone to put on an elegant dress.
I'm going out dancing
Going out to the club to dance.
Starting off red
Starting off in a striking red dress.
Clean and sparkling, he'll see me
Her dress is clean and will glisten in the light, catching the attention of the man she is trying to impress.
Music play, make it dreamy for dancing
As music plays, creating a dreamy atmosphere for dancing.
Must be a way that I can dress to please him
She feels the need to dress in a way that he would admire.
It's hard to walk in the dress, it's not easy
The dress is tight and makes it difficult to move.
I'm swinging over like a heavy loaded fruit tree
Her movement / dance is reminiscent of the movement of a heavy fruit tree branch swaying with the weight of fruit.
It's sad to see
It's a sad thing to see.
Lonely, all this lonely
She feels lonely in her situation.
Close up my eyes
She closes her eyes in an attempt to escape reality.
Dreamy, dreamy music, make it be alright
She calls for the music to create a dreamy world where everything is peaceful.
Music play, make it good for romacing
The music is expected to create a romantic ambiance
Swing and sway, everything will be alright
As she and her partner dance to the music, everything will feel okay.
But it's feeling so damn tight tonight
Despite the good feeling of dancing, the dress still feels tight on her body.
"You pretty thing" my man says
Her man compliments her by calling her pretty.
"But I bought you beautiful dresses"
Her man has given her beautiful dresses.
Filthy tight, the dress is filthy
The dress is too tight and uncomfortable. It is dirty / embarrassing to wear.
I'm falling flat and my arms are empty
She feels hopeless in this situation and desperately wants to leave.
Clear the way, better get it out of this room
She wants to remove the dress and change out of it.
A fallen woman in dancing costume
She feels exposed, like a fallen woman in a provocative costume.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: POLLY HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
King Kook
Can't believe how unbelievably brilliant this still sounds and how much it still resonates! She still knocks all competition into a cocked hat! Pun intended.... Superb.
Japan Silent Walk
This song and video never get old. They keep producing special vibes. 👍👍🌹
Palmo
It's a BOP! The whole album is amazing, such grunge vibes
Google Home1
Dry was a journey through music and emotion that I still return to regularly. Eternal thanks PJ.
rockmosstree
😊
Bigtimecharliepotatoes
I thought I was the only one 🥰
𝑗𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑠
I love, love this video ♥️ And this song is just perfect
Lente Winrrett
pj, fulmina multiuniversos, su musica, voz, presencia, video estallado en vanguardia. hermosa en todas las dimensiones!!
Maxim Popov
Masterpiece 💙
MonsterGuyX
Not gonna lie, I spent most of the 90s getting people to listen to PJ Harvey.