By Fraser Robinson
Juliana Hatfield has reached what she considers her artistic ideal–for now. The 27-year-old has taken the success of her previous album, Become What You Are, and used it as a stepping stone to introduce a heavier brand of music, reminiscent of her days with the Blake Babies. Only Everything‘s denser sound stems from Hatfield’s own tastes.
“I really only listen to heavy and strong stuff, but all the music I’ve been making up until this point has been much lighter, so I decided to start making music like the stuff I’ve been listening to,” she says over the phone. This doesn’t mean pop has been removed from her music, it’s just a little more camoflaged under this new and more aggressive instrumentation. This is by far her favorite of her three albums. “The record was just handed to me as a payoff for all the creative frustration I’ve had. After eight years of waiting it finally happened.”
Following Hatfield’s work with the Blake Babies she went solo with the 1992 release of Hey Babe. This provided a foothold for her next offering with the Juliana Hatfield 3, Become What You Are, in 1993. Only Everything is being credited as just Hatfield’s album, with a variety of backup musicians including Hatfield 3 bassist Dean Fisher. She plays both the bass and the guitar, but has been playing the guitar on her past three albums because, she observes, “Guitar players get noticed. Nobody ever seems to see the bass player.”
Hatfield’s lyrics are often perceived to be autobiographical, due to their heartfelt nature, but much of her material is derived from hypothetical situations or sometimes from just a word or incident. Inspirations on Only Everything include a song inspired by a photograph, and another one about a fight that Hatfield imagined between a fictional couple. The first single off the album “Universal Heartbeat” tells the listener that a ‘heart that hurts is a heart that works,’ implying that people need some pain in their lives to carry on living. But Juliana is a hard nut to crack, and she isn’t going to give up anything to those who try and analyze her lyrics.
Hatfield herself is guarded, answering questions and giving subdued replies: yes or no answers, ummms and ahhhs, never speaking when not spoken to. Hatfield’s apprehension is understandable, considering that she is one of the most misquoted people in the music industry. She has been victim to speculation on many topics ranging from her virginity to her relationship with Lemonhead leader Evan Dando. Her reticence was best demonstrated during our interview:
“I read somewhere that you said Suede sucks. Why don’t you like them?”
“I never said that Suede sucks…I never said that.”
“Oh…so you like them then?”
“Well…no. But I never said that they suck.”
This month she heads out on the European leg of her tour and will most likely fall victim to the scheming hands of the British press, a lot she finds particularly bullish. “They make England such a bad atmosphere for making music. They’re so obnoxious.”
The personal information she does reveal seems painfully normal. She has left Boston for Manhattan’s West Village, staying in the northeast so that she can return home every now and then. Like many devoted music fans her band obsessions change every week, but she says “I really like Sunny Day Real Estate right now. Have you heard their album? It’s really great.” When asked about the current ‘re-birth’ of ‘punk,’ she sighs before answering. “Yeah, I like punk. But I think it’s really become irrelevant. It’s already happened. that’s not to say it wasn’t a wonderful thing, because it was. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for punk.”
As a celebrity she seems to be weathering the publicity well. She’s acceptd her role as an indie poster girl. “I’ll never be able to shun that image, so why sorry about it?” She maintains the same attitude towards people labelling her music: “I don’t let it bother me. I can’t describe my music myself, but if people want to then there’s nothing I can do to stop it from happening.” She’s even able to handle her reviews, no matter how much pain they might cause.
It looks like Juliana is growing up. But not all the way, not just yet. When asked who her favorite Sesame Street character was, there was no holding her back. “That brown, furry elephant guy that they could never see…what was his name?”
“Mr. Snuffleupagus?”
“Yeah, Mr. Snuffleupagus. I really like him.”
“Before or after the adults found out about him?”
“The adults found out about him?”
“Oh yeah…a couple years ago now.”
“Well, definitely before.”
Juliana will be in Toronto with her new five-piece ensemble May 26 at the Music Hall.
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