When I Grow Up - Hardcover

by Juliana Hatfield (Author)

By the early nineties, singer-songwriter and former Blake Babies member Juliana Hatfield's solo career was taking off: She was on the cover of Spin and Sassy. Ben Stiller directed the video for her song ""Spin the Bottle"" from the Reality Bites film soundtrack. Then, after canceling a European tour to treat severe depression and failing to produce another ""hit,"" she spent a decade releasing well reviewed albums on indie labels and performing in ever-smaller clubs. A few years ago, she found herself reading the New Yorker on a filthy couch in the tiny dressing room of a punk club and asked, ""Why am I still doing this?"" By turns wryly funny and woundingly sincere, When I Grow Up takes you behind the scenes of rock life as Hatfield recounts her best and worst days, the origins of her songs, the source of her woes, and her quest to find a new purpose in life.

Front Jacket

Ask a young girl what she wants to be when she grows up, and there's a good chance she'll say "a rock star." Ask a rock star what she wants to be when she grows up, and it gets a bit more complicated . . .

By the early nineties, singer-songwriter and former Blake Babies member Juliana Hatfield was in a position most aspiring alternative rockers only dream of: Her solo career was taking off. She was on the cover of Spin and Sassy. Ben Stiller directed the video for her song "Spin the Bottle" from the Reality Bites film soundtrack. She was a featured guest on My So-Called Life. Then, after canceling a European tour to treat severe depression and failing to produce another "hit," she spent a decade releasing well reviewed albums on indie labels and performing in ever-smaller clubs. A few years ago, then in her thirties, she found herself quietly reading the New Yorker on a filthy couch in the tiny dressing room of a punk club, and asked herself, "Why am I still doing this?"

By turns wryly funny and woundingly sincere, When I Grow Up takes readers behind the scenes of rock life as Hatfield recounts her best and worst days, the origins of her songs, the source of her woes, and her quest to find a new purpose in life.

No longer willing to play a kid's game by kid's rules, Hatfield resolved to take a year off and experiment with being a civilian. No performing or songwriting, and lots of everything else. When the year had gone by, rather than making her decide to pack it in and retire to a life of anonymous respectability, it reawakened her creative passion. She resolved to take charge of her career like a grown-up and write the great, untapped songs that she knew were still in her. This newfound determination led directly to her eagerly awaited new album, aptly named How to Walk Away, the most energetic, polished, and creative work of her music career.

When I Grow Up is more than a musician's memoir; it is a rich and revealing tour through an extraordinary mind. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes somber, and always insightful, it is rewarding reading not only for her fans, but for anyone who enjoys a truthful, beautifully written, real-life story of success, struggle, and rebirth.

Back Jacket

Advance Praise for When I Grow Up

"An unusually candid and revealing portrait of an artist and unlikely rock star. In this thoughtful, highly readable, and sometimes painful memoir, Juliana Hatfield evokes both the everyday trials of the touring musician and the occasional moments of transcendence and connection that make it all worthwhile. Anyone interested in pop music, or curious about the pressures placed on women rockers, should read this book ."--Tom Perrotta, author of "Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher"

"Well written and heartfelt, "When I Grow Up" is a real pleasure. I have always loved Juliana Hatfield's music, and I've been intellectually curious about the woman behind the songs. I was thrilled to read more about her in her own words."--Janeane Garofalo

"There has never been a book like this. Juliana Hatfield reveals, with a unique emotional honesty and precision, the inner world of a rock artist. She writes like a dream and has a remarkable ability to convey details of the road, the muse, and the heart."--Danny Goldberg, author of "Bumping Into Geniuses"

"A candid and mordantly funny peek backstage at the true life of a passionate artist."--Janice Erlbaum, author of "Girlbomb" and "Have You Found Her: A Memoir"

Author Biography

Juliana Hatfield is a singer-songwriter who came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the band Blake Babies. Her vocals have been praised as "bewitching" by the New York Times. Her latest album, How to Walk Away, was released in August 2008.