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Pussycat

by Juliana Hatfield

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tabbycatt
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tabbycatt It's in the time and place of need that artists can do the most good. Juliana brings the fury and heart. Favorite track: Heartless.
jdkoerner
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jdkoerner So JH is sitting around painting her toe nails and 45 is elected and she rushes to the studio and in two weeks she records this? that she dreams of infecting him with something horrible [i know what sickness i'd be, and btw congrats on being the first artist to use that title]; ditties about kellyanne conway's head catching fire and you building a sex robot 45 could molest so he would leave human women alone? really? you maybe huffing that nail polish, girl? i say whatever it takes. Favorite track: I Wanna Be Your Disease.
Dan Leithauser
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Dan Leithauser New Juliana Hatfield! Crunchy guitars, relevant lyrics, continually awesome. That is all! Favorite track: Sex Machine.
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1.
I want to be your disease force you down hard to your knees to pray to a God you thought you’d never need and never took seriously there’ll be no technology no cure you can buy to defeat me I want to be your disease lighten and disrupt your sleep pull bitter tears from your arrogant eyes salty like humility I want you to listen to me I want to make you sorry sorry for all of the people you hurt cheated and lied to and worse I want to be your disease a catalyst for reckoning with all of the harm you have done to the earth and all of your vile and hateful words you had every advantage and took it all for granted silencing anyone who questioned your worth maybe now you will listen I want to be your disease draw it out painfully plenty of time for the truth to sink in that this is one deal you can’t win
2.
you think you’re right i think you’re wrong can we find some little thing in common to agree on maybe we could try harder maybe it would be smarter to recognize our shared humanity what if we tried to get along sing an impossible song figure it out later on i believe it’s true you’re convinced it’s false what the evidence is pointing toward i wanna blow my top these contentious times bring out the very worst in me i don’t like what i’m becoming what if we tried to get along sing an impossible song na na na na figure it out later on because you might need my help someday as i might need you to be kind i could go deaf and you could go blind what if we tried to get along sing an impossible song figure it out later on what if we tried to get along just for a four-minute song it’ll be all right if we harmonize on this line what if we tried to get along na na na na na na na
3.
in another world on another plane i might have believed what happened to you how did everything get so ugly you’re breaking my heart you’re breaking my heart i slept so well down my quiet street knowing we all cared about the same things now there’s a line like a climbing wall high and rising it’s clearly drawn and it cuts across and through everything through right and wrong pride and pity through truth and lies and now you and me you’re breaking my heart you’re breaking my heart there are no more heroes and no limit to how low we go now you’ve shut all your doors without a reason you’ve been taken in it’s a collusion you’re breaking my heart sadly you’re taken away you’re breaking my heart sorry to hear what you say you’re breaking my heart
4.
you can have any girl come up to your room and if she won’t lie still just slip her a quaalude she won’t remember a thing and even if she did the law is on your side they never prosecute your kind do what you want whatever you want to do when you’re a star they let you it’s so much more fun under the gun it’s a challenge for you to be done before she comes to there’s never any backlash you make a face and everyone laughs you’re still america’s dad whatever you want to do when you’re a star they let you do what you want whatever the fuck you want to do when you’re a star they let you do what you want whatever the fuck you want to do when you’re a star they let you do what you want buy the silence of your many tragic victims do what you want you’re protected by your sycophants and hench men so grab another girl against her will maybe she will be the one you kill
5.
he takes medicine from the ill and he can’t spell very well but he knows how to read and he has never killed anybody personally he exaggerates and whines but hey i’m no prize i’m no genius i tend to believe his lies he’s good enough for me why would i reach for the sky when the sky is so far away the shelf’s the limit and the plates don’t complain when they break now i’m set up on this hill once in a while he’ll pay a bill and on some sundays i pray i really can’t complain it’s good enough for me he’s not a psychopath he’s just a little mad the standard is set i’ll take what i can get it’s good enough for me he’s good enough for me
6.
he’s sweating heavily but she can’t feel the heat no electricity his ego’s so deflated his manhood’s so D-rated she’s so bored she falls asleep short-fingered man can’t get her off short-fingered man best give it up he claims he’s all the way in but she can’t feel anything he must be lying and with the business end it feels like nothing is he even trying short-fingered man can’t get her off short-fingered man best give it up he’s easily hurt he’s very insecure you have to talk gently to him like a little girl in a long dress shirt you can’t find his hands now they’re lost in the pockets of his pants short-fingered man can’t get her off short-fingered man best give it up
7.
he’s never gonna make you afraid he’s never gonna call you names you’re never gonna be accused of things you didn’t do you’ll never be a victim of jealous delusions never put into bad positions he’s never gonna touch you again he’s never gonna touch you again he’s never gonna own you never gonna show you off like a shiny object that he bought you’ll never be subject to insane projections never reduced to defending any truth he’s never gonna touch you again he’s never gonna touch you again under your clothes and inside your head that information is privileged yeah you can give it away if you ever want to but it’s not something he can take from you yeah he’s never gonna touch you never prey on you never gonna paw you like a dog never gonna make you afraid he’s never gonna make you ashamed you’re never gonna be accused of anything you didn’t do he’s never gonna touch you again never gonna touch you again what’s under your clothes and inside your head that information is privileged yeah you can give it away if you ever want to but it’s not something he can take from you yeah
8.
Sex Machine 03:08
i’m gonna build you a sex machine to satisfy every single need any time of day or night you can turn it on and have a good time it’s all for you i’ll make it do all of the things you want a girl to put your hands on the sex machine put your lips on the sex machine put your dick in the sex machine it’s got countless functions and multiple speeds it’s all for you you can make it do all of the things you want a girl to love it hate it demean and debase it sober or wasted control and manipulate it pound it berate it if you’re frustrated kick it break it you can replace it and finally i’ll be free left alone to sleep in peace through the night with my dreams left alone unbothered and free yeah
9.
Wonder Why 03:02
the living room and the curly sheepskin rug we called “the furry” and sometimes i wonder why the plastic clock, the macrame owl, and the butcher block couch are on my mind i wonder why my parents chose a brown and orange scheme and why that seemed okay to me i wonder why the kitchen was an avocado green and the upstairs bathroom was peach the northern lights we saw them in vermont one night from the car but only once i wonder why the aliens who landed on the roof left me there and didn’t take me to the sky i’ve escaped into my childhood memories tonight i wonder why my corduroys were always light blue and i never had a TV in my bedroom just a flame from an electric candle on my windowsill and i dreamed of my melodies touching you i wonder why the marimekko fabric on the wall was ever taken down i wonder how a transistor radio held up to my ear brought me to heaven and it’s still leading me here
10.
there is a dark grey cloud over this whole damn town it’s gotta be sunny somewhere i’m in a toxic fog and i think it’s worse than i thought i wanna be sunny somewhere where the air is clear will there be any people there it feels like i’m breathing smoke but a thought gives me hope it’s probably sunny somewhere but here it’s still cold and bleak i need some vitamin D isn’t it sunny somewhere i can’t look and i can’t breathe crosses are burning dirty i’ll find my way to the maldives or the great barrier reef the seychelles or the island of capri corfu or somewhere in bali it’s so scary to see all of the darkness reflecting but it’s gotta be sunny somewhere
11.
Kellyanne 03:45
kellyanne i don’t understand the way you make me feel the way you turn me upside down the way my heart sinks when you come around like suddenly i don’t know who i am kellyanne the effect you have you make me feel like animal all my good sense goes out the window and it tears me up to see you so composed kellyanne you make me mad you’re so hard like a rock in my shoe like every bitch in high school do you love do you feel did you used to be real is there any blood underneath your steely mask kellyanne you‘re on fire in my dreams your straw hair catches instantly your painted plastic face is melting and you end up in a puddle at my feet kellyanne you’re a telegraph of vicious grace and pride turning truth into lies kellyanne are you ever sad i wanna be the first one to make you cry i wanna make you cry wanna make you cry i can’t take it anymore kellyanne i light the match in my dreams you burn i watch you burn but you don’t even squirm imperturbable until the end you’re smiling as your face is melting and sliding off your skull down to the ground
12.
Heartless 02:20
how can you care if you have no empathy how can you judge if you have no authority how can you tell the truth without honesty and how can you apologize if you’re not sorry how can you see if you’re not looking how can you hear if you’re not listening how can you preach without believing and how can you teach if you haven’t learned anything you’re so heartless you’re so heartless you’re so heartless how do you forgive if there’s no mercy and how do you fix if nothing’s working and how can you choose without first thinking and how can you grieve without remembering how can you give with no generosity how can you lead with no ideology ho can you be real without sincerity and how can you be fair without any decency you’re so heartless you’re so heartless you’re so heartless how do you expect to win the respect of anyone with a conscience how can you cheat without misgivings and how can you love if you have no feelings and how can you know without understanding that only a fool can take you seriously you’re so heartless you’re so heartless you’re so heartless
13.
Rhinoceros 03:36
he climbs on top in the dark and pushes your legs apart you grit your teeth try not to breathe because he reeks of rotting meat he’s crushing you, he’s fucking huge his thick tongue slobbers across your face you wouldn’t call it a warm embrace it’s like being on a waterboard sometimes you feel like such a whore just close your eyes, try not to cry give it up for the rhinoceros guess who’s getting fucked by the rhinoceros her name’s melania she’s from slovenia an illegal immigrant he paid to sneak her in he likes them young, and compliant he rolls over and off of you and he lumbers across the room you go to the gilded bidet to wash the shit away just close your eyes, honey, and try not to cry gve it up for the rhinoceros guess who’s getting fucked by the rhinoceros this is a golden age when anyone can get away with almost anything but be careful what you say everyone is watching you and nobody cares about the truth give it up for the rhinoceros guess who’s getting fucked by the rhinoceros america give it up for the rhinoceros, america guess who’s getting fucked by the rhinoceros
14.
this is what happens when you let the people speak he’s a fucking animal and i’m a piece of meat god will forgive me for the things in my head that’s what they said that i can get away with anything if i just repent i told him everything but it wasn’t enough so then i started to make shit up god will forgive me for the things in my head that’s what they said that i can get away with anything all i gotta do is repent god will forgive me for my anger and hatred and bloody, vengeful violence god, forgive me please for all the things i’m gonna do to him ‘cause i’m not gonna die a victim

about

“I wasn’t planning on making a record,” says Juliana Hatfield, of her new “Pussycat” album. In fact, she thought her songwriting career was on hiatus, and that she had nothing left to say in song form; that she had finally said it all after two decades as a recording artist.

But then the presidential election happened. “All of these songs just started pouring out of me. And I felt an urgency to record them, to get them down, and get them out there.” She booked some time at Q Division studios in Somerville, Massachusetts near her home in Cambridge and went in with a drummer (Pete Caldes), an engineer (Pat DiCenso) and fourteen brand-new songs. Hatfield produced and played every instrument other than drums—bass, keyboards, guitars, vocals. From start to finish—recording through mixing—the whole thing took a total of just twelve and a half days to complete.

“It was a blur. It was cathartic,” says Hatfield. “I almost don’t even understand what happened in there, or how it came together so smoothly, so quickly. I was there, directing it all, managing it, getting it all done, but I was being swept along by some force that was driving me. The songs had a will, they forced themselves on me, or out of me, and I did what they told me to do. Even my hands—it felt like they were not my hands. I played bass differently-- looser, more confident, better.”

“Pussycat” comes on the heels of last year’s Hatfield collaboration with Paul Westerberg, the I Don’t Cares’ “Wild Stab” album, and before that, 2015’s Juliana Hatfield Three (“My Sister”, “Spin The Bottle”) reunion/reformation album, “Whatever, My Love”.

“I’ve always been prolific and productive and I have a good solid work ethic but this one happened so fast, I didn’t have time to think or plan,” says Hatfield. “I just went with it, rode the wave. And now it is out of my hands. It feels a little scary.”

”Pussycat” is being released into a very tense, divided and inflamed America. The songs are reflective of that atmosphere—angry (“When You’re A Star”), defiant (“Touch You Again”), disgusted (“Rhinoceros”), but also funny (“Short-Fingered Man”), reflective (“Wonder Why”), righteous (“Heartless”) and even hopeful (“Impossible Song”, with its chorus of ‘What if we tried to get along/and sing an impossible song’).

credits

released April 28, 2017

Produced by Juliana Hatfield
Engineered by Pat DiCenso
Recorded and mixed at Q Division, Somerville, MA
Mastered by Sean Glonek at SRG Studios, Hamilton, NJ
Drums by Pete Caldes, all other instruments by Juliana Hatfield
All songs written by Juliana Hatfield
(c) 2017 Juliana Hatfield Music (BMI)
Distributed exclusively by American Laundromat Records

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Juliana Hatfield Boston, Massachusetts

singer/guitarist/songwriter; co-founder of Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield Three, Some Girls; ½ of Minor Alps, ½ of the I Don't Cares; quasi Lemonhead

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