Natalie Merchant is an award-winning singer and songwriter from upstate New York. She was the lead singer of the band 10,000 Maniacs until she left in 1993. And then, as a solo artist, she’s put out nine albums over the last 30 years. Between 10,000 Maniacs and her solo work, she’s had multiple multi-platinum records.
In April 2023, Natalie put out her first album of new songs in nine years. It’s called Keep Your Courage. And for this episode, she talked to me about the song “Sister Tilly." It’s a eulogy for a fictional character – a woman who represents the generation of women who influenced her. Women who were activists in the 1960s and 70s, when she was growing up.
For more, visit songexploder.net/natalie-merchant.
Meek Mill - Trauma
Bat for Lashes - Kids in the Dark
Jay Som - Tenderness
Slipknot - Unsainted
Raphael Saadiq - Kings Fall
Clairo - Alewife
Brittany Howard - Stay High
Robyn - Honey
Bon Iver - Holyfields,
Sleater-Kinney - The Future Is Here
Denzel Curry - RICKY
Jamila Woods - BALDWIN
Big Thief - Cattails
Sheryl Crow - Redemption Day (feat. Johnny Cash)
Raleigh Ritchie - Time in a Tree
The Mountain Goats - Cadaver Sniffing Dog
The Cranberries - All Over Now
Panda Bear - Dolphin
Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen
Nakhane - New Brighton (feat. Anohni)
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