Not really underrated. Upon release, every music critic and fans embraced the album as a grand achievement for the band over their promising debut. And the subsequent tour was among their most successful. That tour was the first time I've seen them live.
Natalie is such a talented writer/singer. This song touches my childhood. I was that kid. My Mom's yelling, "Slap you silly" and "Don't think I won't beat you with my belt" still ring in my ears....
Singer extrodinair, amazing song writer, just freaking awesome beautiful, intellectual, studied, considerate but truly the most amazing stage dancer ever, no real choreographed shows, u could tour 20 cities and she would nvr dance the same to any of the songs, but it always looked like it was rehearsed a trillion times.. sooo appreciate the amazing talent and humanity of this woman.. love u always Nat, c u when this craziness is over..
Many kids burst into tears upon hearing the words of this song. It was groundbreaking. Child Abuse had not been dealt with by any major artist until she came out with this song. She is my hero for doing this. God bless her.
How come when someone is unusual or exceptional in ways you DO like, it's amazing, fantastic, all that... and when that same person is different in ways that you decide to have issue with, suddenly she's a drug addict or whatever? She sings the way she ALWAYS does, and she was dancing. So what? Still one of the best songs EVER on the subject, one of the few to EVER address the issue. CUDOS, Natalie & 10,000 Maniacs, and thanks from all the kids that people stick up for these days. You matter.
My favourite 10,000 Maniacs song - and I am so chuffed to witness it via this fab clip. Top guitar solo from Buck (RIP), jaunty (yet rather sexy) dancing from Natalie - and an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. Hearing her voice break towards the end of the song just reminds me how real and wonderful she was being part of this great band.
As the world exploded into a carnival of post 70s rock and young rock-and-roll party bands exesed in the Hollywood rock scene, this Band was a refuge for aristocrats and pre star bucks friends watching geniuses alike......still paying attention in 2025...
you get musicians, you get singers, you get songwriters and you get performers...every once in a while you get an artist that is two or three of these....and then once in a blue moon you get one that is all four.... Natalie is one
Oh, so full of passion and intensity and intelligence here - such a moving performance by Natalie - she just blows me away - always wondered how she can sing this song without bursting into tears and now I get it - every movement of her body is an echo of the raw emotion of her breath - she is *out* of breath - and her voice is full of breath so powerful - she is an *amazing* authentic performer. Sorry for my grammar, but Natalie moves me here beyond what any words and sentences can do.
Great song. Sad lyrics disguised with an upbeat melody (a la "I Don't Like Mondays", "Modern Love"). Nicely layered arrangement and of course Natalie's unique, rich vocals. She's still beautiful. Thanks for sharing this video.
No puedo describir lo que siento cuando la escucho cantar, tuve el privilegio de verlos en concierto y su inteligencia, madurez, interpretacion y tesitura de su voz me marcaron para siempre. Verdaderos musicos. i love natalie.
they played this song in my highschool. The girl n front of me started bawlin and ran out of class. Turns out she was abused by her father. nobody had a clue. we were all just naive and shocked.
Alanis Morriset can only wish in her the wildest dreams to be a fraction of what this remarkable artist accomplished, I say this because Alanis extracted every ounce of creativity from this artist and made it her own not that their is anthin wrong with it, a coordinating to Picasso...but the rest is history
See if you can find their Saturday Night Live performance of this song (the host was Judge Reinhold). Natalie got so into this song that during the climax of the song (the drum roll toward the end) she slammed the mic stand into the stage and bent the shaft. I was a fan from that moment on ;)
Heartbreaking song with an upbeat melody. It's truly horrible what some parents put little children through just cause they can't stand that they're still very little and know little to nothing about how to do things right. Patience is needed to be a parent
i interviewed Natalie long ago -80's --- met her 2x's///i liked her alot..shes small! - i think she somewhat set the standard for female modern singers .......
She has a vocal range no wider than her mic stand, but there is something undeniably charming and utterly unaffected about Natalie Merchant. We rushed to buy "The Wishing Chair" when it came out, and we flocked to see 10,000 Maniacs at Rick's American Cafe in East Lansing, MI on Jan. 28, 1986. It was the night of the day that the Challenger space shuttle exploded. Between the first and second song of their set, Natalie, eyes closed, sang very softly into the microphone: "They built the ship Titanic, to sail the ocean blue, and they thought they'd built a ship that the water couldn't get through...." Only I and the others at my table in front of the stage heard it and got to appreciate her subtle memorial of the tragedy. I got their set list from the date.
I'd argue her range is fine - it's just that as with a lot of self-taught singers, Natalie went on tour in the early years of the band with no training in how to preserve her voice. By the time she was touring her solo stuff in the mid-late '90s she'd come a long way vocally...
I am surprised to hear you say that. I have never heard anyone dispute her vocal talent. She has quite the vocal range. This performance she was not yet in touch with her true range. She doesn't have the range that Minnie Ripperton had, or Cyndi Lauper?, Patti LaBelle, or Gaga, but those women are extraordinary. But when I think of a vocal range no wider than a mic stand, I think of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Selena Gomes, and such. But I have seen her live three times with the band, and three times on her own. In the lid to late 80s, she eventually found her voice, and by the mid 90s, she nailed it. Later in the mid 2000's, she was incredible. :)
Her music brings joy to people everywhere. I am three years younger than her. Alternative music filled a void during the 1980's and 1990's when pop music was controlled by big hair bands who wore make up and really tight pants.
Natalie Merchant's needs revisiting. Her music's fabulous and this one's a fave at a time when Guns N' Roses and Bon Jovi were knocking into the music scene.
Seen him run outside looking for a place to hide from his father, the kid half naked and said to myself "O, what's the matter here?" I'm tired of the excuses everbody uses, he's their kid I stay out of it, but who gave you the right to do this? We live on Morgan Street; just ten feet between and his mother, I never see her, but her screams and cussing, I hear them every day.
...Answer me and take your time,what could be the awful crime he could do at so young in age?if i can only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out of what i see and what i hear.oh,this cold and rude things that you do i suppose you do because he belongs to you.and instead of love and feel the warmth,you've given him these cuts and sores that dont heal in time or with age...and i want to say whats the matter here?but i dont dare say...
Threats like: "If you don't mind I will beat on your behind," "Slap you, slap you silly." made me say, "O, what's the matter here?" I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's your kid, do as you see fit, but get this through that I don't approve of what you did to you own flesh and blood. "If you don't sit on this chair straight I'll take this belt from around my waist and don't think that I won't use it!"
Very late in the day (about three decades) I've just discovered this band and I am exploring their output. Is there an album later in Natalie's stint with them where they had the kind of augmented line-up that they appear to have had under Mary? Using fiddle and nice clean piano playing to contrast with the guitars? It doesn't surprise me that they were on Elektra and were produced by Joe Boyd. In the late 6os Elektra had acts as diverse as Fairport Convention, Butterfield Blues Band and Arthur Lee's Love. The jingly-jangly sound that pulses away behinds Natalie's vocals reminds me very much of that 60s era, particularly of course The Byrds. At 76 I still get misty eyed thinking of that era. Peace and love. And death to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.
Answer me and take your time, what could be the awful crime he could do at such young an age? If I'm the only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out what I see and what I hear. All these cold and rude things that you do I suppose you do because he belongs to you and instead of love, the feel of warmth you've given him these cuts and sores won't heal with time or age. I want to say "What's the Matter here?" But I don't dare say.
Man, she used to be so cute. I was madly in love with her when she was with 10,000 Maniacs. As soon as she went solo and did that Tiger Lilly crap, I completely lost interest in her. Such a shame. 10,000 Maniacs were in their prime -- they had so many great albums left in them.
This is truly one of the most underrated albums of the '80s. This song is beautiful and it means a lot to me.
Not really underrated. Upon release, every music critic and fans embraced the album as a grand achievement for the band over their promising debut. And the subsequent tour was among their most successful. That tour was the first time I've seen them live.
@@marka.5135 i think it is also their best selling album and the point Natalie knew she could make it on her own if she wanted
2022 and still listen to this on repeat. Her voice has so much angst and so is the guitar. So good!
We should never forget just how good Natalie Merchant is !
Natalie is such a talented writer/singer. This song touches my childhood. I was that kid. My Mom's yelling, "Slap you silly" and "Don't think I won't beat you with my belt" still ring in my ears....
Singer extrodinair, amazing song writer, just freaking awesome beautiful, intellectual, studied, considerate but truly the most amazing stage dancer ever, no real choreographed shows, u could tour 20 cities and she would nvr dance the same to any of the songs, but it always looked like it was rehearsed a trillion times.. sooo appreciate the amazing talent and humanity of this woman.. love u always Nat, c u when this craziness is over..
ROBERT BUCK genius guitarist exrtordinaire
Rest In Peace
Many kids burst into tears upon hearing the words of this song. It was groundbreaking. Child Abuse had not been dealt with by any major artist until she came out with this song. She is my hero for doing this. God bless her.
I was one of those kids. I love Natalie Merchant, and 10,000 Maniacs to this day.
Pat Benatar - Hell is for Children tackled the subject several years earlier.
Luka by Suzanne Vega...the same year as this
Um.. pretty sure her brother wrote this..
A situation that he witnessed for 6 months and took 6 years to finish writing
Natalie is someone who fudges the truth from time to time
I've always enjoyed this particular live cut. Great song, great singer, awesome album!
How come when someone is unusual or exceptional in ways you DO like, it's amazing, fantastic, all that... and when that same person is different in ways that you decide to have issue with, suddenly she's a drug addict or whatever? She sings the way she ALWAYS does, and she was dancing. So what? Still one of the best songs EVER on the subject, one of the few to EVER address the issue. CUDOS, Natalie & 10,000 Maniacs, and thanks from all the kids that people stick up for these days. You matter.
My favourite 10,000 Maniacs song - and I am so chuffed to witness it via this fab clip. Top guitar solo from Buck (RIP), jaunty (yet rather sexy) dancing from Natalie - and an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. Hearing her voice break towards the end of the song just reminds me how real and wonderful she was being part of this great band.
2018. Still listening. Love her
I just love how much feeling and passion she exhibits while performing. Her love for her work is very evident.
onemaidennut yes.
As the world exploded into a carnival of post 70s rock and young rock-and-roll party bands exesed in the Hollywood rock scene, this Band was a refuge for aristocrats and pre star bucks friends watching geniuses alike......still paying attention in 2025...
just discovered her in a toronto concert i'm over 60 and i just adore her talent
I'm 68 and found her and the band in my late thirties. Got to see them in Manchester, England c.1990.Brilliant.
you get musicians, you get singers, you get songwriters and you get performers...every once in a while you get an artist that is two or three of these....and then once in a blue moon you get one that is all four.... Natalie is one
Oh, so full of passion and intensity and intelligence here - such a moving performance by Natalie - she just blows me away - always wondered how she can sing this song without bursting into tears and now I get it - every movement of her body is an echo of the raw emotion of her breath - she is *out* of breath - and her voice is full of breath so powerful - she is an *amazing* authentic performer. Sorry for my grammar, but Natalie moves me here beyond what any words and sentences can do.
Great song. Sad lyrics disguised with an upbeat melody (a la "I Don't Like Mondays", "Modern Love"). Nicely layered arrangement and of course Natalie's unique, rich vocals. She's still beautiful. Thanks for sharing this video.
One free spirit on stage.
Loved from very first listen.
I never get sick of hearing miss Natalie. Till this day thank you
No puedo describir lo que siento cuando la escucho cantar, tuve el privilegio de verlos en concierto y su inteligencia, madurez, interpretacion y tesitura de su voz me marcaron para siempre. Verdaderos musicos. i love natalie.
I remember when they broke up. I’ve always thought that was a huge mistake. They made some great music together!
Buck was so AWESOME, RIP brotha!!!
they played this song in my highschool. The girl n front of me started bawlin and ran out of class. Turns out she was abused by her father. nobody had a clue. we were all just naive and shocked.
“To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair, and that there will be wonderful surprises.”
- Ugo Betti
Wow, the audio quality is really great on this! Thanks for posting.
That young boy without a name I'd know his face.
In this city the kid's my favorite.
I've seen him. I see him every day
What a great song.....Natalie Merchant has such a haunting voice....great NRG and presence......thanks......
Beautiful performance
FOREVER BEAUTIFUL GIRL AND VOICE
This is a lot better than 95% of the music in the 80's.
Beautiful voice! I love her so much
i almost cry when i hear this
I really love this woman!
Great band, musically!
Saw them in the mid 80’s at the University of NH, free concert at Lundholm Gym. Great night!
Alanis Morriset can only wish in her the wildest dreams to be a fraction of what this remarkable artist accomplished, I say this because Alanis extracted every ounce of creativity from this artist and made it her own not that their is anthin wrong with it, a coordinating to Picasso...but the rest is history
There can not bet a better live version on the Maniacs.. Please prove me wrong!!
See if you can find their Saturday Night Live performance of this song (the host was Judge Reinhold). Natalie got so into this song that during the climax of the song (the drum roll toward the end) she slammed the mic stand into the stage and bent the shaft. I was a fan from that moment on ;)
Heartbreaking song with an upbeat melody. It's truly horrible what some parents put little children through just cause they can't stand that they're still very little and know little to nothing about how to do things right. Patience is needed to be a parent
The first time I heard this song I thought it was about me as it hit so close to home.
Stunning!
I threw my hat on stage for the beautiful Natalie. (Birmingham UK circa '88) She ignored it...
I'll always love her though...
Sparkhill Des Mc
Well ladies it me feel good about the talent back in the day but still today
awesome
The prosecutor in the Shanda Vander Ark case made reference to this song in his opening statement.
i interviewed Natalie long ago -80's --- met her 2x's///i liked her alot..shes small! - i think she somewhat set the standard for female modern singers .......
hey! lol sold the interview for $200 !
Love her voice..very unique.
She has a vocal range no wider than her mic stand, but there is something undeniably charming and utterly unaffected about Natalie Merchant.
We rushed to buy "The Wishing Chair" when it came out, and we flocked to see 10,000 Maniacs at Rick's American Cafe in East Lansing, MI on Jan. 28, 1986. It was the night of the day that the Challenger space shuttle exploded. Between the first and second song of their set, Natalie, eyes closed, sang very softly into the microphone: "They built the ship Titanic, to sail the ocean blue, and they thought they'd built a ship that the water couldn't get through...." Only I and the others at my table in front of the stage heard it and got to appreciate her subtle memorial of the tragedy.
I got their set list from the date.
I'd argue her range is fine - it's just that as with a lot of self-taught singers, Natalie went on tour in the early years of the band with no training in how to preserve her voice. By the time she was touring her solo stuff in the mid-late '90s she'd come a long way vocally...
I used to go to Rick's a lot from my State days living at the Montie House on MAC Ave.
She's a beautiful singer. God gave her a such a voice.
I know. They knew at 6 years old in December of 69 she was special
I am surprised to hear you say that. I have never heard anyone dispute her vocal talent. She has quite the vocal range. This performance she was not yet in touch with her true range. She doesn't have the range that Minnie Ripperton had, or Cyndi Lauper?, Patti LaBelle, or Gaga, but those women are extraordinary. But when I think of a vocal range no wider than a mic stand, I think of Madonna, Janet Jackson, Selena Gomes, and such. But I have seen her live three times with the band, and three times on her own. In the lid to late 80s, she eventually found her voice, and by the mid 90s, she nailed it. Later in the mid 2000's, she was incredible. :)
Too Damn Good!
She is our whirling dirvish
I know you wrote this
They can’t possibly exist
I feel like I am 21 years old again. Great video of an interesting song about child abuse.
This was my thought - I'm 21! True about the meaning, but I'm mesmerized by the way she's tugging on her dress and the guitar solo.
Her music brings joy to people everywhere. I am three years younger than her. Alternative music filled a void during the 1980's and 1990's when pop music was controlled by big hair bands who wore make up and really tight pants.
They were a great band rip rob buck
Natalie Merchant's needs revisiting. Her music's fabulous and this one's a fave at a time when Guns N' Roses and Bon Jovi were knocking into the music scene.
Unbelieveable
formidable.
Seen him run outside looking for a place to hide from his father,
the kid half naked and said to myself "O, what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everbody uses, he's their kid I stay out of it,
but who gave you the right to do this?
We live on Morgan Street;
just ten feet between and his mother, I never see her,
but her screams and cussing, I hear them every day.
Thanks for posting; had never seen this before.
incredible. Thank you for posting.
Dear Emily R: my sentiments exactly!!!
Lord have mercy!
Exelent
she's like a whirling dervish :)
Oh I'm sure she was flattered and humbled, Hey she was busy and no doubt wishing to do her best to not be distracted.
🤟🏼
I agree.
Check out her and Michael Stipe.
Jam man jam...
...Answer me and take your time,what could be the awful crime he could do at so young in age?if i can only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out of what i see and what i hear.oh,this cold and rude things that you do i suppose you do because he belongs to you.and instead of love and feel the warmth,you've given him these cuts and sores that dont heal in time or with age...and i want to say whats the matter here?but i dont dare say...
May I speak my name is scott
RIP Rob Buck. Anybody know the session guitar player who did the solo in the studio version of the song?
Why do you think it wasnt Rob ?
Poignant song, and Natalie looking good enough to eat.
Please. Natalie Merchant never did heroin. The dumb stuff people come up with ...
Is that Rick Santorum on lead guitar.
Do you like Duran Duran next yes or no
Threats like: "If you don't mind I will beat on your behind,"
"Slap you, slap you silly."
made me say, "O, what's the matter here?"
I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses, he's your kid, do as you see fit,
but get this through that I don't approve of what you did to you own flesh and blood.
"If you don't sit on this chair straight
I'll take this belt from around my waist and don't think that I won't use it!"
how can i get a copy of this great video?
i love this song. I can not find it in karaoke no where.
damn natalie looks sooo young in here.
Ma veramente sono stati al rolling stone a milano?
Che peccato non ci sia piu...anche i rem ci sono stati
@jonned1000 wow, nice
Very late in the day (about three decades) I've just discovered this band and I am exploring their output. Is there an album later in Natalie's stint with them where they had the kind of augmented line-up that they appear to have had under Mary? Using fiddle and nice clean piano playing to contrast with the guitars? It doesn't surprise me that they were on Elektra and were produced by Joe Boyd. In the late 6os Elektra had acts as diverse as Fairport Convention, Butterfield Blues Band and Arthur Lee's Love. The jingly-jangly sound that pulses away behinds Natalie's vocals reminds me very much of that 60s era, particularly of course The Byrds. At 76 I still get misty eyed thinking of that era. Peace and love. And death to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson.
I think I can answer my own question. Having found the Unplugged sessions these sound to be what I was looking for.
Peakin'...
Answer me and take your time,
what could be the awful crime he could do at such young an age?
If I'm the only witness to your madness offer me some words to balance out what I see and what I hear.
All these cold and rude things that you do I suppose you do because he belongs to you
and instead of love, the feel of warmth you've given him these cuts and sores won't heal with time or age.
I want to say "What's the Matter here?"
But I don't dare say.
Whom am I speaking with I just want too tallk
So early
The matter is private investigations
Dire dtraits that you ignore.
Adi shimon alon elkeles israel
Don't look into the camera Mr. Gustafson!
Looks like she is sans bra. Nice!
lol Jerome has hair.
Man, she used to be so cute. I was madly in love with her when she was with 10,000 Maniacs. As soon as she went solo and did that Tiger Lilly crap, I completely lost interest in her. Such a shame. 10,000 Maniacs were in their prime -- they had so many great albums left in them.
haha
We are so right Wright back if you would like