My own introduction to the music of Natalie Merchant is probably familiar to many. In the '90s every woman on the planet seemed to own a copy of The 10,000 maniacs MTV, Unplugged acoustic live album, hell I think they were posting them out to every single female in suburbia. For those too young to know, MTV once actually just played music and in its heyday launched several live albums of popular artists playing intimate, acoustic concerts. As a young man constantly chasing these young ladies, I was curious about this phenomenon. I bought the album to see if it would give me some insight into the world of those strange exotic creatures, that I pursued but eluded me (Spoilers: It didn't). I'm glad I did, as it began a musical journey with the singer in the group at the time, the one and only Natalie Merchant.

I grew up in Ireland in the middle of nowhere, just outside of Dublin. My parents would go out on Sunday mornings and I would play an American rock station program that broadcast for an hour on Irish radio at a volume that shook the heavens. This was the extent of "excitement" for me. One artist that was spun constantly was Natalie Merchant. I discovered the Tiger Lily album from this program and when I got old enough to have a part-time job and a little expendable income this debut work and the follow-up Ophelia became part of my record collection.

Why isn't Natalie Merchant as recognized as a part of the canon of American songwriters? Is there a reason she isn't spoken of in the same hushed tones of awe as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Waits? The maleness of the names I've just mentioned might hint at a possible reason. Intuitively, I don't want to believe that the reason is simply machismo. It seems too simple a reason and in my experience, those simple explanations are usually lazily accepted. Besides if we can learn anything from the music business is that female artists have quickly begun to dominate the charts and demand as much respect and power as men. Of course in the span of her forty-year career, this might not always have been the case.

I'm also very aware of the self-centered aspect of my question. I assume that an artist like Natalie Merchant isn't very concerned with fame and recognition. I'm sure not winning Grammys doesn't keep her up at night, but music probably does. I want others to recognize her greatness like all fans do I guess. A way of sharing the beauty of the world by enjoying the beauty of the same art.