Juliana Hatfield
Encyclopedia
Juliana Hatfield is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter and author from the Boston
area, formerly of the indie rock
bands Blake Babies
and Some Girls
. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
fashion critic Julie Hatfield, Juliana was born in Maine and grew up in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. She acquired a love of rock music during the 1970s, having been introduced by a babysitter to the music of the Los Angeles punk rock
band X, which proved a life-changing experience.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_mm93.htm She was also attracted to the music of more mainstream artists like Olivia Newton-John
and The Police
,http://www.julianahatfield.com/background/goldstarsnotes.html perhaps explaining the contrast in her later music between sweet, melodic "pop" songs and more hard rock
oriented material. Visualizing herself as a singer since her high school years, Hatfield sang in school choirs and briefly played in a cover band called The Squids, which played (though not exclusively) Rush
songs.
, Hatfield attended Boston University
for a semester. She then transferred as a piano student to the Berklee College of Music
in Boston, in the hope of finding a band with which to sing.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/everett.htm There she soon met Freda Boner (now Freda Love) and John Strohm, forming the Blake Babies
with them in 1986, at the age of 19. The band, with which she sang and played bass guitar (as well as some guitar and piano), was signed to North Carolina's Mammoth Records
and received a fair amount of airplay on college radio
through the early 1990s. The group toured the United States several times, performed in Europe, and made several music videos. Hatfield eventually earned a degree in songwriting from Berklee.
Although Hatfield shared vocal duties with Strohm in the group, she quickly stood out due to her unique vocal quality; her somewhat thin, girlish voice gave the group a youthful, innocent sound that was nevertheless belied by often-caustic lyrics and a vocal delivery punctuated frequently by harsh, distorted screams (in live performances more so than on recordings). Although the group's early work was essentially punk
-oriented, they quickly settled into a sunny, melodic, and slightly jangly pop style reminiscent in style of early R.E.M.
and Neil Young
. Hatfield and Strohm shared songwriting credits and often sang together in harmony or octaves, creating a memorable "boy-girl" sound rarely encountered in rock (except in the work of X and a few later indie bands such as Velocity Girl
, Hazel
, Quasi
, Low
, Mates of State
, and Rainer Maria
).
The group formally disbanded in 1991 but, largely due to the persistent efforts of Freda, reunited briefly in late 1999, performing a few shows in 1999 and 2000 and embarking on one last U.S. tour in 2001. Coinciding with the tour, the Blake Babies
recorded and released a new album titled God Bless The Blake Babies
which received strong reviews. The album featured new original songs as well as renditions of songs by Ben Lee
and Madder Rose
. Frequent collaborator Evan Dando
also made a guest appearance on the album. After the tour, Hatfield released a Blake Babies
EP titled Epilogue
at her live shows featuring the band covering Fleetwood Mac
, The Ramones
and MC5
.
' breakup in 1991, releasing her first solo album (Hey Babe
) in 1992. The album was one of the highest selling independent albums of 1992. Hatfield recruited a rhythm section consisting of former Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta drummer Todd Phillips, and Thudpucker bassist Dean Fisher, and thus becoming The Juliana Hatfield Three.
Hatfield achieved alterna-rock stardom with the release of 1993's Become What You Are
(recorded under the group name The Juliana Hatfield Three). Several songs from the album received regular airplay on major North American rock stations, with Hatfield's song "My Sister" becoming the biggest hit of her career, with a #1 placing on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart, and the video becoming an MTV staple. Another one of her songs ("Spin the Bottle") was used in the soundtrack of the Hollywood film Reality Bites
(1994). Hatfield also made the cover of Spin
magazine. Hatfield's popularity coincided with the success, in the mid-1990s, of many other female alternative rock musicians. Although she has always maintained that her gender is of only incidental importance to her music, Hatfield was pleased to have been invited, in 1997, to tour with the first Lilith Fair
, a prominent all-female rock festival founded by singer Sarah McLachlan
.http://www.some-girls.com/archive/080102.htm Hatfield was profiled in a number of girls' magazines at this time and was embraced by many pre-teen and teenage girls as a role model due to the positive way she addressed serious issues faced by young women in her songs and interviews. About this period she says: "I was never comfortable with the attention. I thought it had come too soon. I hadn’t earned it yet." She gained notoriety in 1992 for saying that she was still a virgin in her mid-twenties in Interview
magazine. In a 1994 interview for the magazine Vox, she said she was surprised by the effect 'outing' herself had: "I think there are a lot of people out there who don't care about sex, but who you never hear from, so I thought I should say it. The magazine I did the interview for is full of beef-cake hunky guys and scantily-clad models, so I thought it would be really funny to say that I didn't care about sex in a magazine that's full of sex and beauty – but no one really got the joke."
In 1995, following the success of Become What You Are
she released her followup album, Only Everything
, in which she "turned up the volume and the distortion and had a lot of fun". One reviewer describes it as "a fun, engaging pop album". The album spawned another alternative radio hit for Hatfield in "Universal Heartbeat". The video featured Hatfield as an overly demanding aerobics instructor. Prior to the tour for Only Everything, Hatfield released Phillips and brought on Jason Sutter (American Hi-Fi, Chris Cornell, Jack Drag), as well as Ed Slanker (Thudpucker, Tinsel) on 2nd guitar, and Lisa Mednick on keyboards. Two weeks into the tour, Hatfield canceled the tour, which her publicist explained as due to "nervous exhaustion," and took a month long break. In her memoir, Hatfield writes that in truth she was suffering from depression severe enough to the point of being suicidal. Hatfield disagreed with the decision not to be upfront about her depression. The drummer was, once again, replaced, this time by Phillips, and touring resumed with Jeff Buckley
as the opening act.
In 1996, she traveled to Woodstock
, New York where she recorded tracks for God's Foot, which was to be her fourth solo album (third if not counting Become What You Are
, which was recorded with the Juliana Hatfield Three), intended for 1997 release. After three failed attempts to satisfy requests from Atlantic Records to come up with a "single" that the label could release, Juliana requested she be released from her contract. The label obliged, but kept the rights to the songs produced during these sessions (Atlantic had reportedly paid $180,000 to that point on the recordings). Two tracks – "Mountains of Love" and "Fade Away" – were eventually released on a greatest hits collection entitled Gold Stars, while still another, "Can't Kill Myself," was available for download from Hatfield's official website. The remaining tracks have surfaced only as substandard bootleg versions (which do not meet Hatfield's approval) and she has rarely featured them in her subsequent live performances.
Following the traumatic experiences surrounding God's Foot, and now freed from her major label obligations, Hatfield recorded a six-song EP for indie label Bar/None in 1997 titled Please Do Not Disturb
. Produced by Hatfield herself, the album featured several different musicians, including drummer Todd Phillips, guitarists Ed Slanker and Mike Leahy, and new bass player Mikey Welsh (Weezer) among others. The EP features a particularly tender song, "Trying Not To Think About It," which is a tribute to the deceased musician Jeff Buckley, who was a friend of Hatfield's.
Almost as a reaction to the seemingly endless studio sessions surrounding God's Foot, Hatfield recorded the album Bed
in 1998 in six days, about which she says on her website: "It sounds as raw as I felt. It has no pretty sheen. The mistakes and unattractive parts were left in, not erased. Just like my career. Just like life."
In 2000, she released Beautiful Creature
, an album which was among the most critically well-received of her career. This album left the rockier side of Hatfield's musical personality unexpressed, however, so at the same time she also recorded Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
with Zephan Courtney and Mikey Welsh, which she describes as "a loud release of tension", with "lots of long sloppy guitar solos. And no love songs...a not-at-all attractive reaction to the ugly side of humanity, specifically American culture." The two albums were initially released in a set as a pair; however, Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure was received badly by the critics, who preferred the acoustic songwriting on Beautiful Creature. On Beautiful Creature, Hatfield worked with Austin-based musician Davíd Garza
who co-produced much of the album. Wally Gagel, a producer for Sebadoh
and Tanya Donelly
, helped Hatfield record her most electronica-influenced songs, "Cool Rock Boy" and "Don't Rush Me", which added texture to the otherwise acoustic album.
2002 saw the release of Hatfield's first "best-of" album. The album, titled Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection
, featured the singles from her solo albums. It also contained two of the songs from the previously unreleased God's Foot, a cover of Neil Young
's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart
", as well as four new recordings.
In 2004, Hatfield released In Exile Deo
, which was arguably an attempt at a more commercial sound, with input from producers and engineers who'd worked with Pink
and Avril Lavigne
. Hatfield did, however, produce the album herself with David Leonard, receiving co-production credits on "Jamie's In Town" and the bright rocker "Sunshine." The critics loved it, with a couple calling it her best work since the start of her solo career.
By contrast, the 2005 album Made in China
was released on her own new record label, Ye Olde Records, and has a much rawer feel. John Doe
of the band X described the disc as "A frighteningly dark & beautiful record filled w/ stark, angular, truly brutal songs & guitars. This is surely a 'Woman Under the Influence', though I'm not sure of what." Reviews were mixed, with some liking the lo-fi sound, but others seeing it as slackness.
In December 2005, Hatfield toured the United States with the band X, whom she idolized during her teenage years.
In 2006, Hatfield released her first live album. Titled The White Broken Line: Live Recordings
, the album featured performances from her tour with X. This was Hatfield's third release for her record label.
Hatfield's 9th studio album, How To Walk Away
, was released on August 19, 2008 on Ye Olde Records. The album's heartfelt subject on the break-up of a relationship resonated with critics, whom gave the album largely positive reviews, with some hailing it as her best album since In Exile Deo
.
Hatfield returned 2 years later as her 10th studio album Peace & Love was released on Ye Olde Records, February 16, 2010. The album's composition, arrangement, performance, production, engineering and mixing was solely credited to Hatfield. The album received mixed reviews, with several complaining the album's low-key moody nature working against the potential of the songs.
Hatfield offered, via her website, to write custom songs in order to fund a couple of projects; one of which was to release archive material. About halfway through the project Hatfield stated that it had "completely re-energized and inspired" her again.
During October 2010 Hatfield and Evan Dando
played two sell-out acoustic live shows together at The Mercury Lounge
in New York. The following month the duo played sell out shows in Allston, a neighborhood of Boston. This tour was followed, in January 2011, by five dates on the American east coast; Hoboken, Brooklyn, Arlington, Milford and Philadelphia.
On April 2011, Hatfield announced her intention to work on a new album via fan-funding platform website Pledgemusic
, from which she asked for her fans to help fund the project in exchange for personal artwork and memorabilia ranging from posters, CDs, demos, one of Juliana's First Act guitars (used during the recording sessions) and even locks of her hair. The project also included donations for the Save a Sato foundation to which Hatfield is a major contributor. Fan response was enthusiastic, going over 400% from the original project cost. The album was originally going to be titled "Speeches Delivered to Animals and Plants", in reference to a passage in the John Irving
novel The World According to Garp
, but later Hatfield herself changed it for the title "There's Always Another Girl" , in reference to a song in the album of the same name she'd written as a defense for Lindsay Lohan
after watching her flop I Know Who Killed Me
.
Juliana's new album There's Always Another Girl
was released on August 30th, 2011 again independently on her Ye Olde Records label, though a downloadable version was made available to contributors a month before on July 27th, which was Juliana's birthday. The album has received mostly positive reviews from critics.
vocal harmonies that feature prominently on most of her albums. Christina Kelly wrote in Sassy Magazine
that Hatfield's frail girlish voice "gives hope to everyone trying to sing."
Hatfield's musical influences are diverse, ranging from punk groups like X, The Stooges
, and The Replacements to more folk-oriented rock artists like Neil Young
, whose songs the Blake Babies frequently covered in live shows. Her work has also cross-fertilized with some other contemporaneous indie rock
bands such as Dinosaur Jr
and Lemonheads
, whose musicians are also friends of Hatfield's. From an early age, she has also had a special love for pretty-sounding pop music. In a 1998 interview, she stated, "I just always liked pop music and really good melodies and major chords. That's just the type of music that comes naturally to me".http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_aquarian.htm In a 1993 interview in Melody Maker magazine, Hatfield stated that her enthusiasm for the music of the pop group Wilson Phillips
apparently led, at least in part, to the breakup of the Blake Babies.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_mm93.htm
Hatfield has been based in the northeastern United States for most of her life, although she tried living for a short time (1999) in Los Angeles, an experience that left her disenchanted with that city's scene, which she found artificial and soulless.
and the The Del Fuegos
) are real events from her life. A recurrent theme in her songs has been a skewering of figures in society that she finds ridiculous: self-important men ("I'm Not Your Mother"), groupies ("Rider"), fashion models ("Supermodel"), and men who make tragic fashion choices ("Leather Pants"). Other songs have dealt with more serious issues such as body image ("Ugly" and "Feed Me") as well as the failure to connect fully with other people or achieve meaningful and lasting relationships ("How Would You Know" and "Perfection"). Some of her songs deal more or less explicitly with her anger towards people she sees as not taking responsibility for their actions ("Stay Awake
", several of the songs from the album "Total System Failure", notably "The Victim"). A few songs ("Let's Blow it All," "Give Me Some of That") are more lighthearted in tone. Her quieter, more acoustic songs often deal with relationships ("When You Loved Me") and particular places ("Trying Not To Think About It"). Sometimes they have a wistful melancholy, a sense of struggling to carry on, trying to find some meaning in life ("Backseat", "Feelin' Massachusetts"). Since the mid-1990s songs such as "Sellout" have dealt in a more or less overtly sarcastic way with the demands the music industry places on artists (particularly female ones) in order to ensure their "success."
Although much of Hatfield's output is exuberant and hard-rocking, Hatfield nonetheless describes herself as very shy and somewhat of a loner, and has said that "happy lyrics don't come naturally to me."http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_aquarian.htm She has also described her music and songwriting as a form of therapy, an outlet that helps her to overcome rough periods and depression.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_globe0793.htm
and Sunburn
as well as throughout the Lemonheads' It's A Shame About Ray
. Unusually for the instrument, she plays melodically and harmonically rather than simply holding down a bass line. She often plays on two strings simultaneously, using expressive sliding tones on the upper string to add another melodic voice to the group's sound. Since her work with the Blake Babies she has gravitated more towards the guitar and has largely lost interest in the bass, generally assigning parts for the instrument to other band members, and not playing as melodically when overdubbing with it in recordings. She has periodically also played piano, electric piano
, and organ
on her releases, and on her album Made in China (2005) she played drums for the first time.
, living for a time with Evan Dando
in the college student ghetto
neighborhood of Allston
in Boston, and contributed backing vocals to recordings by Belly
, Giant Sand
, Susanna Hoffs
, Aimee Mann
, and Mary Lou Lord
. She teamed up with Dando in 1999 to record Gram Parsons
's song "$1,000 Wedding" on the compilation, Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
.
In 2001, she joined with Freda Love and Heidi Gluck (of The Pieces and The Only Children) to form the trio Some Girls
, with which she performs in addition to her solo work; the group has toured the United States twice and has released two albums. The trio is another outlet for Hatfield's more lighthearted material. Their first album, entitled Feel It
, was released by Koch Records
in 2003. The lead single "Necessito" is a funky affirmation of the power of music, sung in a mixture of English and Spanish. Some Girls' second album, Crushing Love
, was released in July 2006.
In 2007 Hatfield signed the Boston (now Austin
)-based band Frank Smith to her record label, Ye Olde Records. Along with releasing their 2007 album Heavy Handed Peace and Love Hatfield also recorded an EP with the band titled Sittin' In A Tree
. The EP, produced by Frank Smith's Aaron Sinclair
, features banjo
s, pedal steel
, and other instruments normally associated with country music
.
as a lunch lady
and on the cult classic
My So-Called Life
's Christmas episode as the ghost of a deceased homeless girl. During the mid-1990s she was a staple on MTV's 120 Minutes
alternative music program, and she performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
in 1995.
On March 25, 2008, Hatfield began her own blog through her website titled An Arm and A Leg. The blogs lasted about a year before being removed. Each week, or thereabouts, she'd revealed the influences behind one of her songs.
Hatfield briefly appeared on an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast
named "Surprise," which aired on June 19, 1996. Instead of being interviewed, she simply said "uhh" and then was zapped by Zorak
.
Hatfield released the book When I Grow up: A Memoir on September 22, 2008.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area, formerly of the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
bands Blake Babies
Blake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
and Some Girls
Some Girls (band)
Some Girls is an American indie rock trio composed of Juliana Hatfield , Heidi Gluck and Freda Love Smith . The group's songs are generally melodic, upbeat, and lighthearted.The group released first album, Feel It, in 2003 and toured the United States...
. She currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Background
The daughter of Philip M. Hatfield (a radiologist) and The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
fashion critic Julie Hatfield, Juliana was born in Maine and grew up in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. She acquired a love of rock music during the 1970s, having been introduced by a babysitter to the music of the Los Angeles punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band X, which proved a life-changing experience.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_mm93.htm She was also attracted to the music of more mainstream artists like Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
and The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
,http://www.julianahatfield.com/background/goldstarsnotes.html perhaps explaining the contrast in her later music between sweet, melodic "pop" songs and more hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
oriented material. Visualizing herself as a singer since her high school years, Hatfield sang in school choirs and briefly played in a cover band called The Squids, which played (though not exclusively) Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
songs.
Blake Babies
Following her graduation from Duxbury High SchoolDuxbury High School
Duxbury High School is a public high school in New England, located in Duxbury, Massachusetts a small sea-side town. The superintendent of the district is Dr. Benedict Tantillo, III...
, Hatfield attended Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
for a semester. She then transferred as a piano student to the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston, in the hope of finding a band with which to sing.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/everett.htm There she soon met Freda Boner (now Freda Love) and John Strohm, forming the Blake Babies
Blake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
with them in 1986, at the age of 19. The band, with which she sang and played bass guitar (as well as some guitar and piano), was signed to North Carolina's Mammoth Records
Mammoth Records
Founded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu...
and received a fair amount of airplay on college radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
through the early 1990s. The group toured the United States several times, performed in Europe, and made several music videos. Hatfield eventually earned a degree in songwriting from Berklee.
Although Hatfield shared vocal duties with Strohm in the group, she quickly stood out due to her unique vocal quality; her somewhat thin, girlish voice gave the group a youthful, innocent sound that was nevertheless belied by often-caustic lyrics and a vocal delivery punctuated frequently by harsh, distorted screams (in live performances more so than on recordings). Although the group's early work was essentially punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-oriented, they quickly settled into a sunny, melodic, and slightly jangly pop style reminiscent in style of early R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. Hatfield and Strohm shared songwriting credits and often sang together in harmony or octaves, creating a memorable "boy-girl" sound rarely encountered in rock (except in the work of X and a few later indie bands such as Velocity Girl
Velocity Girl
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, although it was generally known as a Washington, DC-area band...
, Hazel
Hazel (band)
Hazel was an United States alternative rock band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was a quartet, consisting of Jody Bleyle , Pete Krebs , Brady Smith , and Fred Nemo ....
, Quasi
Quasi
Quasi is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by ex-husband and wife Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss . Since 2007 the group has been a trio, following the addition of bassist Joanna Bolme.-History:In 1990 , Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat...
, Low
Low (band)
Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
, Mates of State
Mates of State
Mates of State are an American indie pop duo, active since 1997. The group is composed of the husband-and-wife team of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel .Over the course of the band's fourteen year career, they've released three EPs and six full-length, studio...
, and Rainer Maria
Rainer Maria
Rainer Maria was an indie rock/emo band originally from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York. Named after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke, they formed in the late summer of 1995 and released five full length albums, a live DVD, numerous live recordings, and EPs...
).
The group formally disbanded in 1991 but, largely due to the persistent efforts of Freda, reunited briefly in late 1999, performing a few shows in 1999 and 2000 and embarking on one last U.S. tour in 2001. Coinciding with the tour, the Blake Babies
Blake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
recorded and released a new album titled God Bless The Blake Babies
God Bless the Blake Babies
God Bless The Blake Babies is the fourth full length album by the Blake Babies, released in 2001 . This album was recorded during the Blake Babies brief reunion.-Track listing:#"Disappear" – 2:42...
which received strong reviews. The album featured new original songs as well as renditions of songs by Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
and Madder Rose
Madder Rose
Madder Rose was a New York City-based alternative rock band who recorded in the 1990s. The band was fronted by Mary Lorson, who shared songwriting duties with guitarist Billy Coté. The two singer/songwriters continued their collaboration, Cote as guest producer on Lorson's three discs with Saint...
. Frequent collaborator Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
also made a guest appearance on the album. After the tour, Hatfield released a Blake Babies
Blake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
EP titled Epilogue
Epilogue (Blake Babies album)
Epilogue is an EP recording by the Blake Babies, released in 2002 . This is the final release from the band before their break up.-Track listing:#"Walk A Thin Line" - 3:16...
at her live shows featuring the band covering Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
and MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
.
Solo career
Hatfield began her solo career following the Blake BabiesBlake Babies
Blake Babies was an alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The three primary members were John Strohm, Freda Love , and Juliana Hatfield, with Evan Dando, Andrew Mayer, Seth White, Anthony DeLuca , and Mike Leahy each also performing as members of the band at...
' breakup in 1991, releasing her first solo album (Hey Babe
Hey Babe
Hey Babe is the debut album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1992.-Track listing:All tracks by Hatfield unless otherwise noted#"Everybody Loves Me But You" – 3:38#"Lost and Saved" – 4:00#"I See You" – 3:34#"The Lights" – 5:22...
) in 1992. The album was one of the highest selling independent albums of 1992. Hatfield recruited a rhythm section consisting of former Moving Targets and Bullet LaVolta drummer Todd Phillips, and Thudpucker bassist Dean Fisher, and thus becoming The Juliana Hatfield Three.
Hatfield achieved alterna-rock stardom with the release of 1993's Become What You Are
Become What You Are
Become What You Are is the debut album by The Juliana Hatfield Three, released in 1993.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield unless otherwise stated.#"Supermodel" – 2:52#"My Sister" – 3:22#"This Is the Sound" – 3:01#"For the Birds" – 4:14...
(recorded under the group name The Juliana Hatfield Three). Several songs from the album received regular airplay on major North American rock stations, with Hatfield's song "My Sister" becoming the biggest hit of her career, with a #1 placing on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart, and the video becoming an MTV staple. Another one of her songs ("Spin the Bottle") was used in the soundtrack of the Hollywood film Reality Bites
Reality Bites
Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film was shot on location in Austin...
(1994). Hatfield also made the cover of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine. Hatfield's popularity coincided with the success, in the mid-1990s, of many other female alternative rock musicians. Although she has always maintained that her gender is of only incidental importance to her music, Hatfield was pleased to have been invited, in 1997, to tour with the first Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
, a prominent all-female rock festival founded by singer Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
.http://www.some-girls.com/archive/080102.htm Hatfield was profiled in a number of girls' magazines at this time and was embraced by many pre-teen and teenage girls as a role model due to the positive way she addressed serious issues faced by young women in her songs and interviews. About this period she says: "I was never comfortable with the attention. I thought it had come too soon. I hadn’t earned it yet." She gained notoriety in 1992 for saying that she was still a virgin in her mid-twenties in Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine. In a 1994 interview for the magazine Vox, she said she was surprised by the effect 'outing' herself had: "I think there are a lot of people out there who don't care about sex, but who you never hear from, so I thought I should say it. The magazine I did the interview for is full of beef-cake hunky guys and scantily-clad models, so I thought it would be really funny to say that I didn't care about sex in a magazine that's full of sex and beauty – but no one really got the joke."
In 1995, following the success of Become What You Are
Become What You Are
Become What You Are is the debut album by The Juliana Hatfield Three, released in 1993.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield unless otherwise stated.#"Supermodel" – 2:52#"My Sister" – 3:22#"This Is the Sound" – 3:01#"For the Birds" – 4:14...
she released her followup album, Only Everything
Only Everything
Only Everything is the second solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1995.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield.#"What a Life" – 3:22#"Fleur de Lys" – 3:45#"Universal Heart-Beat" – 3:25#"Dumb Fun" – 3:26#"Live on Tomorrow" – 2:59...
, in which she "turned up the volume and the distortion and had a lot of fun". One reviewer describes it as "a fun, engaging pop album". The album spawned another alternative radio hit for Hatfield in "Universal Heartbeat". The video featured Hatfield as an overly demanding aerobics instructor. Prior to the tour for Only Everything, Hatfield released Phillips and brought on Jason Sutter (American Hi-Fi, Chris Cornell, Jack Drag), as well as Ed Slanker (Thudpucker, Tinsel) on 2nd guitar, and Lisa Mednick on keyboards. Two weeks into the tour, Hatfield canceled the tour, which her publicist explained as due to "nervous exhaustion," and took a month long break. In her memoir, Hatfield writes that in truth she was suffering from depression severe enough to the point of being suicidal. Hatfield disagreed with the decision not to be upfront about her depression. The drummer was, once again, replaced, this time by Phillips, and touring resumed with Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
as the opening act.
In 1996, she traveled to Woodstock
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, New York where she recorded tracks for God's Foot, which was to be her fourth solo album (third if not counting Become What You Are
Become What You Are
Become What You Are is the debut album by The Juliana Hatfield Three, released in 1993.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield unless otherwise stated.#"Supermodel" – 2:52#"My Sister" – 3:22#"This Is the Sound" – 3:01#"For the Birds" – 4:14...
, which was recorded with the Juliana Hatfield Three), intended for 1997 release. After three failed attempts to satisfy requests from Atlantic Records to come up with a "single" that the label could release, Juliana requested she be released from her contract. The label obliged, but kept the rights to the songs produced during these sessions (Atlantic had reportedly paid $180,000 to that point on the recordings). Two tracks – "Mountains of Love" and "Fade Away" – were eventually released on a greatest hits collection entitled Gold Stars, while still another, "Can't Kill Myself," was available for download from Hatfield's official website. The remaining tracks have surfaced only as substandard bootleg versions (which do not meet Hatfield's approval) and she has rarely featured them in her subsequent live performances.
Following the traumatic experiences surrounding God's Foot, and now freed from her major label obligations, Hatfield recorded a six-song EP for indie label Bar/None in 1997 titled Please Do Not Disturb
Please Do Not Disturb (album)
Please Do Not Disturb is an EP recording by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1997 .-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield#"Sellout" - 3:58#"Trying Not to Think About It" - 3:03#"As If Your Life Depended on It" - 4:50...
. Produced by Hatfield herself, the album featured several different musicians, including drummer Todd Phillips, guitarists Ed Slanker and Mike Leahy, and new bass player Mikey Welsh (Weezer) among others. The EP features a particularly tender song, "Trying Not To Think About It," which is a tribute to the deceased musician Jeff Buckley, who was a friend of Hatfield's.
Almost as a reaction to the seemingly endless studio sessions surrounding God's Foot, Hatfield recorded the album Bed
Bed (album)
Bed is the third solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1998.-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield#"Down on Me" – 2:56#"I Want to Want You" – 4:08#"Swan Song" – 3:32#"Sneaking Around" – 4:15#"Backseat" – 6:05#"Live It Up" – 3:37...
in 1998 in six days, about which she says on her website: "It sounds as raw as I felt. It has no pretty sheen. The mistakes and unattractive parts were left in, not erased. Just like my career. Just like life."
In 2000, she released Beautiful Creature
Beautiful Creature
Beautiful Creature is the fourth solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Daniel" – 4:31#"Close Your Eyes" – 3:21#"Choose Drugs" – 3:41#"Cool Rock Boy" – 4:00...
, an album which was among the most critically well-received of her career. This album left the rockier side of Hatfield's musical personality unexpressed, however, so at the same time she also recorded Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure
Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure is the fifth album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2000. Of note about this album is that the songs "Total System Failure" and "Leather Pants" use the same music with different lyrics...
with Zephan Courtney and Mikey Welsh, which she describes as "a loud release of tension", with "lots of long sloppy guitar solos. And no love songs...a not-at-all attractive reaction to the ugly side of humanity, specifically American culture." The two albums were initially released in a set as a pair; however, Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure was received badly by the critics, who preferred the acoustic songwriting on Beautiful Creature. On Beautiful Creature, Hatfield worked with Austin-based musician Davíd Garza
Davíd Garza
Davíd Garza is an Austin-based, American singer-songwriter who infuses rock and pop with a Latin feel and whose vocal style draws comparisons to Freddie Mercury, Jeff Buckley, Donovan and Robert Plant.-Biography:...
who co-produced much of the album. Wally Gagel, a producer for Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
and Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly is an American Grammy-nominated singer songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded Throwing Muses with her stepsister Kristin Hersh. She then went on to work in The Breeders and Belly in the 1990s...
, helped Hatfield record her most electronica-influenced songs, "Cool Rock Boy" and "Don't Rush Me", which added texture to the otherwise acoustic album.
2002 saw the release of Hatfield's first "best-of" album. The album, titled Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection
Gold Stars 1992-2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection
Gold Stars 1992–2002: The Juliana Hatfield Collection is Juliana Hatfield's first collection of greatest hits and also includes previously unreleased recordings, released in 2002.- Track listing :All songs written by Juliana Hatfield except where noted...
, featured the singles from her solo albums. It also contained two of the songs from the previously unreleased God's Foot, a cover of Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" is a song written by Neil Young.-Genesis and recording:The song is the third track on Neil Young's album After the Gold Rush. The song was supposedly written for Graham Nash after Nash's split from Joni Mitchell, though Young in interviews has been somewhat...
", as well as four new recordings.
In 2004, Hatfield released In Exile Deo
In Exile Deo
In Exile Deo is the sixth album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2004.-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted#"Get in Line" – 3:38#"Jamie's in Town" – 3:58#"Tourist" – 2:39#"Some Rainy Sunday" – 3:11...
, which was arguably an attempt at a more commercial sound, with input from producers and engineers who'd worked with Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
. Hatfield did, however, produce the album herself with David Leonard, receiving co-production credits on "Jamie's In Town" and the bright rocker "Sunshine." The critics loved it, with a couple calling it her best work since the start of her solo career.
By contrast, the 2005 album Made in China
Made in China (album)
Made in China is the seventh album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2005.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield except as noted#"New Waif" – 2:10#"What Do I Care" – 2:39#"Stay Awake" – 2:22...
was released on her own new record label, Ye Olde Records, and has a much rawer feel. John Doe
John Doe (musician)
John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres...
of the band X described the disc as "A frighteningly dark & beautiful record filled w/ stark, angular, truly brutal songs & guitars. This is surely a 'Woman Under the Influence', though I'm not sure of what." Reviews were mixed, with some liking the lo-fi sound, but others seeing it as slackness.
In December 2005, Hatfield toured the United States with the band X, whom she idolized during her teenage years.
In 2006, Hatfield released her first live album. Titled The White Broken Line: Live Recordings
The White Broken Line: Live Recordings
The White Broken Line: Live Recordings is a live album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2006.-Track listing:all songs written by Juliana Hatfield# "Hotels" – 5:02# "Get In Line" – 3:19# "Oh" – 3:14# "Necessito" – 3:11...
, the album featured performances from her tour with X. This was Hatfield's third release for her record label.
Hatfield's 9th studio album, How To Walk Away
How To Walk Away
How to Walk Away is the eighth solo album by singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield. It was released in North America on August 19, 2008. On September 29, 2008 it was followed by her memoir, When I Grow Up...
, was released on August 19, 2008 on Ye Olde Records. The album's heartfelt subject on the break-up of a relationship resonated with critics, whom gave the album largely positive reviews, with some hailing it as her best album since In Exile Deo
In Exile Deo
In Exile Deo is the sixth album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2004.-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted#"Get in Line" – 3:38#"Jamie's in Town" – 3:58#"Tourist" – 2:39#"Some Rainy Sunday" – 3:11...
.
Hatfield returned 2 years later as her 10th studio album Peace & Love was released on Ye Olde Records, February 16, 2010. The album's composition, arrangement, performance, production, engineering and mixing was solely credited to Hatfield. The album received mixed reviews, with several complaining the album's low-key moody nature working against the potential of the songs.
Hatfield offered, via her website, to write custom songs in order to fund a couple of projects; one of which was to release archive material. About halfway through the project Hatfield stated that it had "completely re-energized and inspired" her again.
During October 2010 Hatfield and Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
played two sell-out acoustic live shows together at The Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
in New York. The following month the duo played sell out shows in Allston, a neighborhood of Boston. This tour was followed, in January 2011, by five dates on the American east coast; Hoboken, Brooklyn, Arlington, Milford and Philadelphia.
On April 2011, Hatfield announced her intention to work on a new album via fan-funding platform website Pledgemusic
Pledgemusic
PledgeMusic is an online Direct-to-Fan / Fan-funded music platform utilising a Threshold Pledge System / Provision Point Mechanism, launched in August 2009, that facilitates musicians reaching out to their fan-base to financially contribute to upcoming recordings or other musical projects...
, from which she asked for her fans to help fund the project in exchange for personal artwork and memorabilia ranging from posters, CDs, demos, one of Juliana's First Act guitars (used during the recording sessions) and even locks of her hair. The project also included donations for the Save a Sato foundation to which Hatfield is a major contributor. Fan response was enthusiastic, going over 400% from the original project cost. The album was originally going to be titled "Speeches Delivered to Animals and Plants", in reference to a passage in the John Irving
John Irving
John Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
novel The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp
The World According to Garp is John Irving's fourth novel. Published in 1978, the book was a bestseller for several years.A movie adaptation of the novel starring Robin Williams was released in 1982, with a screenplay written by Steve Tesich....
, but later Hatfield herself changed it for the title "There's Always Another Girl" , in reference to a song in the album of the same name she'd written as a defense for Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
after watching her flop I Know Who Killed Me
I Know Who Killed Me
I Know Who Killed Me is a 2007 American horror-thriller film directed by Chris Sivertson and starring Lindsay Lohan.-Plot:The quiet suburb of New Salem is being terrorized by a serial killer who abducts and tortures young women, holding them captive for weeks before murdering them...
.
Juliana's new album There's Always Another Girl
There's Always Another Girl
There's Always Another Girl is the 11th solo studio album by Juliana Hatfield, released August 30, 2011. It was created with the monetary contribution of Hatfield's fans through Pledgemusic and those who supported the project received the album a month early on July 27, 2011...
was released on August 30th, 2011 again independently on her Ye Olde Records label, though a downloadable version was made available to contributors a month before on July 27th, which was Juliana's birthday. The album has received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Style and influences
From her work with the Blake Babies to the present, Hatfield's output has been characterized by an alternation between heavy, rocking tunes and songs written in a gentler, more melodic or folk-oriented style. Hatfield has stated that in the 1990s she tried smoking cigarettes for a short time in the hope of giving her voice a rougher quality, but eventually reconciled herself with her distinctive vocal instrument. A survey of her releases shows her voice to be remarkably agile, with little vibrato but capable of both forcefulness and sensitivity, making it well suited to the multitrackedMultitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
vocal harmonies that feature prominently on most of her albums. Christina Kelly wrote in Sassy Magazine
Sassy Magazine
Sassy magazine is a defunct teen magazine, aimed at teenage female fans of alternative and indie rock music. It was founded in March 1988 by an Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, CEO of Matilda Publications, who based it on the teen magazine Dolly, which is still in publication in...
that Hatfield's frail girlish voice "gives hope to everyone trying to sing."
Hatfield's musical influences are diverse, ranging from punk groups like X, The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, and The Replacements to more folk-oriented rock artists like Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, whose songs the Blake Babies frequently covered in live shows. Her work has also cross-fertilized with some other contemporaneous indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
bands such as Dinosaur Jr
Dinosaur Jr
Dinosaur Jr. is an American alternative rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, prior to legal issues that forced the group to change their name, the band disbanded in 1997 until reuniting in 2005...
and Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, whose musicians are also friends of Hatfield's. From an early age, she has also had a special love for pretty-sounding pop music. In a 1998 interview, she stated, "I just always liked pop music and really good melodies and major chords. That's just the type of music that comes naturally to me".http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_aquarian.htm In a 1993 interview in Melody Maker magazine, Hatfield stated that her enthusiasm for the music of the pop group Wilson Phillips
Wilson Phillips
-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Other charted songs:-Awards and nominations:...
apparently led, at least in part, to the breakup of the Blake Babies.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_mm93.htm
Hatfield has been based in the northeastern United States for most of her life, although she tried living for a short time (1999) in Los Angeles, an experience that left her disenchanted with that city's scene, which she found artificial and soulless.
Lyrics
Although Hatfield's lyrics are often autobiographical, some listeners have sometimes mistakenly interpreted fictional songs as representing her own experience. Her "My Sister"—one of her best known songs—is not about a real sister; Hatfield does not have one. The song, however, comes across as convincing because other details (including the mention of her first rock concert, featuring the Violent FemmesViolent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
and the The Del Fuegos
The Del Fuegos
-History:Formed in 1980, the Boston-based band gained success in 1984 due to success of their songs "Don't Run Wild" and "I Still Want You" and appearing in a widely-seen television commercial for a beer company...
) are real events from her life. A recurrent theme in her songs has been a skewering of figures in society that she finds ridiculous: self-important men ("I'm Not Your Mother"), groupies ("Rider"), fashion models ("Supermodel"), and men who make tragic fashion choices ("Leather Pants"). Other songs have dealt with more serious issues such as body image ("Ugly" and "Feed Me") as well as the failure to connect fully with other people or achieve meaningful and lasting relationships ("How Would You Know" and "Perfection"). Some of her songs deal more or less explicitly with her anger towards people she sees as not taking responsibility for their actions ("Stay Awake
", several of the songs from the album "Total System Failure", notably "The Victim"). A few songs ("Let's Blow it All," "Give Me Some of That") are more lighthearted in tone. Her quieter, more acoustic songs often deal with relationships ("When You Loved Me") and particular places ("Trying Not To Think About It"). Sometimes they have a wistful melancholy, a sense of struggling to carry on, trying to find some meaning in life ("Backseat", "Feelin' Massachusetts"). Since the mid-1990s songs such as "Sellout" have dealt in a more or less overtly sarcastic way with the demands the music industry places on artists (particularly female ones) in order to ensure their "success."
Although much of Hatfield's output is exuberant and hard-rocking, Hatfield nonetheless describes herself as very shy and somewhat of a loner, and has said that "happy lyrics don't come naturally to me."http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_aquarian.htm She has also described her music and songwriting as a form of therapy, an outlet that helps her to overcome rough periods and depression.http://www.blakebabies.com/archive/jul_globe0793.htm
Instruments
The guitar (both electric and acoustic) is Hatfield's primary instrument, and she is a highly proficient technician, her work often featuring alternate tunings and intricate, unusual voicings executed high on the neck. She has not received as much acknowledgement for her imaginative bass playing, which can be best heard on the Blake Babies albums EarwigEarwig (album)
Earwig is the second album by the Blake Babies, released in 1989 .-Track listing:#"Cesspool" – 3:16 #"Dead and Gone" – 3:47 #"Grateful" – 3:07...
and Sunburn
Sunburn (Blake Babies album)
Sunburn is the third album by the Blake Babies, released in 1990 .-Track listing:#"I'm Not Your Mother" – 3:12 #"Out There" – 2:46 #"Star" – 2:59...
as well as throughout the Lemonheads' It's A Shame About Ray
It's a Shame about Ray
It's a Shame about Ray is the fifth album by The Lemonheads. It was released on June 2, 1992 . Tom Morgan of Australian band Smudge helped author the album, while Juliana Hatfield played bass and sang backing vocals on some songs....
. Unusually for the instrument, she plays melodically and harmonically rather than simply holding down a bass line. She often plays on two strings simultaneously, using expressive sliding tones on the upper string to add another melodic voice to the group's sound. Since her work with the Blake Babies she has gravitated more towards the guitar and has largely lost interest in the bass, generally assigning parts for the instrument to other band members, and not playing as melodically when overdubbing with it in recordings. She has periodically also played piano, electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
on her releases, and on her album Made in China (2005) she played drums for the first time.
Collaborations
Hatfield has also performed with The LemonheadsThe Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, living for a time with Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
in the college student ghetto
Student ghetto
A student quarter or a student ghetto is a residential area, usually in proximity to a college or university, that houses mostly students. Due to the youth and relative low income of the students, most of the housing is rented, with some cooperatives. Landlords have little incentive to properly...
neighborhood of Allston
Allston
-People:* Aaron Allston , an American novelist* Johanna Allston , an Australian orienteer* Robert Francis Withers Allston , a Governor of South Carolina...
in Boston, and contributed backing vocals to recordings by Belly
Belly (band)
Belly was an alternative rock band formed in 1991 by former Throwing Muses members Tanya Donelly and Fred Abong. The band was based in Boston, Massachusetts, though all of the original members grew up in Newport, Rhode Island. The band consisted of Donelly on lead vocals and guitar, Abong on bass,...
, Giant Sand
Giant Sand
Giant Sand is an American rock band, based in Tucson, Arizona, USA. The name is shortened from the original Giant Sandworms, a reference to the creatures in the Dune books. Overseen by singer-songwriter Howe Gelb, its membership has shifted over the years—at times with each album...
, Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Hoffs
Susanna Lee Hoffs is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a member of the all-female pop band The Bangles.-Early life:...
, Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist.-Early life:Aimee Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes...
, and Mary Lou Lord
Mary Lou Lord
Mary Lou Lord is an indie folk musician, busker and recording artist.-Biography:Mary Lou Lord first gained notice playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston's subway stations Lord became friends with...
. She teamed up with Dando in 1999 to record Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
's song "$1,000 Wedding" on the compilation, Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons is a 1999 tribute album to pioneering country-rock musician Gram Parsons, co-produced by his one-time singing partner, Emmylou Harris and featuring cover versions of songs written/co-written by or popularized by Parsons, performed by Harris,...
.
In 2001, she joined with Freda Love and Heidi Gluck (of The Pieces and The Only Children) to form the trio Some Girls
Some Girls (band)
Some Girls is an American indie rock trio composed of Juliana Hatfield , Heidi Gluck and Freda Love Smith . The group's songs are generally melodic, upbeat, and lighthearted.The group released first album, Feel It, in 2003 and toured the United States...
, with which she performs in addition to her solo work; the group has toured the United States twice and has released two albums. The trio is another outlet for Hatfield's more lighthearted material. Their first album, entitled Feel It
Feel It (album)
Feel It is the debut album by Some Girls, released in 2003 .-Track listing:#"Feel It" – 4:13 #"The Prettiest Girl" – 3:14 #"Necessito" – 2:55...
, was released by Koch Records
Koch Records
E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
in 2003. The lead single "Necessito" is a funky affirmation of the power of music, sung in a mixture of English and Spanish. Some Girls' second album, Crushing Love
Crushing Love
Crushing Love is the second album by Some Girls, released in 2006 .-Track listing:#"Is This What I've Been Waiting For?" – 3:53 #"Poor Man's You" – 2:52...
, was released in July 2006.
In 2007 Hatfield signed the Boston (now Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
)-based band Frank Smith to her record label, Ye Olde Records. Along with releasing their 2007 album Heavy Handed Peace and Love Hatfield also recorded an EP with the band titled Sittin' In A Tree
Sittin' In A Tree
Sittin' In A Tree is an EP recording by Juliana Hatfield and Frank Smith, released in 2007.-Track listing:all songs written by Juliana Hatfield except where noted#"364" - 4:21 #"Don't Wanna Be The One" - 3:36...
. The EP, produced by Frank Smith's Aaron Sinclair
Aaron Sinclair
Aaron Sinclair is a professional footballer currently playing for Partick Thistle in the Scottish First Division.-Montrose:...
, features banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
s, pedal steel
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, and other instruments normally associated with country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Outside projects
Beyond her musical accomplishments, Hatfield has also guest-starred on several television shows, including The Adventures of Pete & PeteThe Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various...
as a lunch lady
Lunch Lady
Lunch lady is an American slang term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria; the equivalent British English term is "dinner lady". In Britain, a dinner lady also patrols the school playgrounds during the lunch breaks to maintain order amongst the children...
and on the cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
's Christmas episode as the ghost of a deceased homeless girl. During the mid-1990s she was a staple on MTV's 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
alternative music program, and she performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
in 1995.
On March 25, 2008, Hatfield began her own blog through her website titled An Arm and A Leg. The blogs lasted about a year before being removed. Each week, or thereabouts, she'd revealed the influences behind one of her songs.
Hatfield briefly appeared on an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
named "Surprise," which aired on June 19, 1996. Instead of being interviewed, she simply said "uhh" and then was zapped by Zorak
Zorak
Zorak is a fictional character who first appeared in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Space Ghost. Zorak appeared as a 7 foot tall green mantis and is a foe of the show's titular superhero.-Space Ghost:...
.
Hatfield released the book When I Grow up: A Memoir on September 22, 2008.
Studio Albums
- 1992 – Hey BabeHey BabeHey Babe is the debut album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1992.-Track listing:All tracks by Hatfield unless otherwise noted#"Everybody Loves Me But You" – 3:38#"Lost and Saved" – 4:00#"I See You" – 3:34#"The Lights" – 5:22...
- 1993 – Become What You AreBecome What You AreBecome What You Are is the debut album by The Juliana Hatfield Three, released in 1993.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield unless otherwise stated.#"Supermodel" – 2:52#"My Sister" – 3:22#"This Is the Sound" – 3:01#"For the Birds" – 4:14...
- 1995 – Only EverythingOnly EverythingOnly Everything is the second solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1995.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield.#"What a Life" – 3:22#"Fleur de Lys" – 3:45#"Universal Heart-Beat" – 3:25#"Dumb Fun" – 3:26#"Live on Tomorrow" – 2:59...
- 1996 – God's Foot (not released – this was slated for a Spring 1997 release)
- 1998 – BedBed (album)Bed is the third solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 1998.-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield#"Down on Me" – 2:56#"I Want to Want You" – 4:08#"Swan Song" – 3:32#"Sneaking Around" – 4:15#"Backseat" – 6:05#"Live It Up" – 3:37...
- 2000 – Beautiful CreatureBeautiful CreatureBeautiful Creature is the fourth solo album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2000.-Track listing:#"Daniel" – 4:31#"Close Your Eyes" – 3:21#"Choose Drugs" – 3:41#"Cool Rock Boy" – 4:00...
- 2000 – Juliana's Pony: Total System FailureJuliana's Pony: Total System FailureJuliana's Pony: Total System Failure is the fifth album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2000. Of note about this album is that the songs "Total System Failure" and "Leather Pants" use the same music with different lyrics...
- 2004 – In Exile DeoIn Exile DeoIn Exile Deo is the sixth album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2004.-Track listing:all songs by Juliana Hatfield, except where noted#"Get in Line" – 3:38#"Jamie's in Town" – 3:58#"Tourist" – 2:39#"Some Rainy Sunday" – 3:11...
- 2005 – Made in ChinaMade in China (album)Made in China is the seventh album by Juliana Hatfield, released in 2005.-Track listing:All songs by Juliana Hatfield except as noted#"New Waif" – 2:10#"What Do I Care" – 2:39#"Stay Awake" – 2:22...
- 2008 – How To Walk AwayHow To Walk AwayHow to Walk Away is the eighth solo album by singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield. It was released in North America on August 19, 2008. On September 29, 2008 it was followed by her memoir, When I Grow Up...
- 2010 – Peace & Love
- 2011 – There's Always Another GirlThere's Always Another GirlThere's Always Another Girl is the 11th solo studio album by Juliana Hatfield, released August 30, 2011. It was created with the monetary contribution of Hatfield's fans through Pledgemusic and those who supported the project received the album a month early on July 27, 2011...
Studio Albums
- 1987 – Nicely, NicelyNicely, NicelyNicely, Nicely is the debut album by the Blake Babies, released in 1987 .-Track listing:all songs written by the Blake Babies#"Wipe It Up" – 2:57#"Her" – 2:16#"Tom and Bob" – 1:55#"A Sweet Burger LP" – 2:16...
- 1989 – EarwigEarwig (album)Earwig is the second album by the Blake Babies, released in 1989 .-Track listing:#"Cesspool" – 3:16 #"Dead and Gone" – 3:47 #"Grateful" – 3:07...
- 1990 – Sunburn
- 2001 – God Bless The Blake BabiesGod Bless the Blake BabiesGod Bless The Blake Babies is the fourth full length album by the Blake Babies, released in 2001 . This album was recorded during the Blake Babies brief reunion.-Track listing:#"Disappear" – 2:42...
Book
- Juliana Hatfield. When I Grow Up: A Memoir. Wiley Publishing, September 22, 2008. ISBN 0470189592. 336 pp.