Cross Bones Style

"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.

"Cross Bones Style"
Song by Cat Power
from the album Moon Pix
Published	September 22, 1998 (1998-09-22)
Recorded	January 1998
Genre	Indie rock
Length	4:32
Label	Matador
Songwriter(s)	Chan Marshall
Producer(s)	Matt Voigt

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." [1]

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.[2]

Release and reception

In 2008, the song was included in Pitchfork Media's The Pitchfork 500.[3] In 2010, it was ranked #129 in Pitchfork's "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s" [4]

In 2006, the music video was ranked #44 in Stylus' top 100 music videos of all-time list.[5]

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." [6]

References

1. Goodman, Elizabeth (2009). Cat Power: A Good Woman. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-39636-5.
2. Hennessy, Kate (6 February 2019). "Cat Power on Moon Pix: 'I'm alive today because of those songs'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
3. Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
4. "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150-101". Pitchfork. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
5. "Stylus Magazine's Top 100 Music Videos of All Time - Article". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
6. "Index Magazine". Index Magazine. Retrieved 2010-12-10.