# The Strange Magic of: PJ Harvey



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Continuing with our series on English artists, we turn now to the estimable Polly Jean Harvey. Ms. Harvey and I have had a close relationship ever since her first PJH album. Her partial resemblance to the young Georgia O'Keeffe immediately attracted my eye, and I was bemused by her interesting song subjects and lyrics. Also interesting to see parallels, real or imaginary, with Patti Smith and U2 in her work. I am very much song-oriented rather than album-oriented, being particularly picky in my tastes, but PJH has put together an exceptional string of exceptional albums, putting her easily into my list of five favorite female rock/pop artists. There aren't many popular albums as good as Let England Shake. Here, from another of her very best albums, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, is _Good Fortune_.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I like her a lot. There is plenty of her music I haven't listened to yet, as I've discovered her fairly recently. Already though like yourself I would easily place her in my top 5 female pop/rock artists. Stylistically she reminds me almost of a female Mick Jagger, yet I find her style more diverse and dynamic.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

The hallmarks of my five favorite female artists are their often fiercely idiosyncratic choices of both topic and means. Sometimes the songs renew their relevance, or never lose it, years after first hearing. As the USA becomes increasingly a nation of scorpions under a peculiar reading of the Constitution's 2nd Amendment, where the goal is to secure public and private safety by having every citizen armed to the teeth with weapons both openly carried and concealed, PJ Harvey's _Big Exit_ seems especially germane today.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Cool song. The guitar riff sounds a little bit influenced by Queens of the Stone Age maybe (or who influenced who?).

Either way I like both of them.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Found another live gem. _Black Hearted Love_

(Music starts at 0:47 seconds)


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

tdc, some very fine choices!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

We revisit the superlative Polly Jean Harvey. Here is _On Battleship Hill_, live, from Let England Shake, her most compelling album. She is a phenomenon.


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

She's very interesting. I have listened to her album "Let England Shake" and I really enjoyed it. So many good songs! Apart from that I am not very familiar with her, except some hits like "Down by the water".

My favorite song:


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Her most songful albums for me are _Dry; To Bring You My Love; Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea_ and _Let England Shake_, though there are gems here and there amongst her other albums.


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