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Cross Bones Style
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Wikipedia article
"'Cross Bones Style'" is a song by the American singer/songwriter Cat Power, also known as Chan Marshall. It is the 10th song on her fourth album, 'Moon Pix', released in September 1998.
Origin and recording
"Cross Bones Style," along with five other songs from 'Moon Pix', was written by Marshall one night in the fall of 1997, after awaking from a hallucinatory nightmare while alone in the South Carolina farmhouse she shared with then-boyfriend, Bill Callahan. "My nightmare was surrounding my house like a tornado," she explained. "So I just ran and got my guitar because I was trying to distract myself. I had to turn on the lights and sing to God. I got a tape recorder and recorded the next sixty minutes. And I played these long changes, into six different songs. That's where I got the record."
Composition and lyrics
In a 2018 interview with 'The Guardian', Marshall explain that the song was inspired by two children she met while in Africa, who slept in trees at night after their parents were killed. "A lot of kids slept in the trees in the park," Marshall recalled.
Release and reception
In 2008, the song was included in Pitchfork Media's 'The Pitchfork 500'. In 2010, it was ranked #129 in 'Pitchfork's' "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s"
In 2006, the music video was ranked #44 in 'Stylus' top 100 music videos of all-time list.
Music video
"Cross Bones Style" was never released as a single, but a music video directed by Brett Vapnek was released for the song. Marshall has cited the video for Madonna's 'Lucky Star' as an influence on the video. In a 1998 interview with 'Index', she explained, "I'm thinking of making that the single and doing a full-on "Lucky Star" style video. Like Madonna, dancing in a white room. I'm sure I'll chicken out though."References
Category:1998 songs
Category:Cat Power songs
Category:Songs written by Cat Power
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