Dry is the 1992 debut album by PJ Harvey. It is widely received positive acclaim among critics and quickly became a cult hit in the Alternative Rock circuit, thanks to hit singles like "Dress" and "Sheela-Na-Gig".
Kurt Cobain placed it at #16 in his personal list of his 50 favorite albums of all time.
Tracklist:
- "Oh My Lover" (3:57)
- "O Stella" (2:36)
- "Dress" (3:16)
- "Victory" (3:16)
- "Happy and Bleeding" (4:50)
- "Sheela-Na-Gig" (3:11)
- "Hair" (3:45)
- "Joe" (2:33)
- "Plants and Rags" (4:09)
- "Fountain" (3:52)
- "Water" (4:32)
Gonna take my tropes to anyone who cares:
- Added Alliterative Appeal:Look at these my ruby-red ruby lips
- As the Good Book Says...:
- "Heaven" refers to Adam and Eve.
She burst, dropped offPicked the fruit and realize I'm naked tooSo cover my body- "Victory"
Angel at my table, God in my car- "Water"
Walking on water for years- "Hair" refers to Samson and Delilah.
Samson the strength that's in your armsOh, to be your stunning brideSamson, your hair glistening(...) He said: "Wait, Delilah, my babe"You lied in my face, you cut off my hair, you lied in my bed- "O Stella" namedrops "Stella Maris", which is Latin for "Star of the Sea" and refers to the Virgin Mary.
O stella maris, you're my star - Break-Up Song: "Sheela-na-Gig"Better wash that man right out of my hairJust like the first time, said you didn't careGonna take my hips to a man who cares
- But Now I Must Go: Which may be a Break Up Song, but the lyrics are too vague for that.He's my big manStays with me, some forty daysNo wordsThen goes awayI cry again
- Deliberately Monochrome: The music video for "Dress" was so low-budget that it had to be shot in black-and-white and had to repeat several scenes and play them backwards.
- Dirty Old Woman: The "Sheela-Na-Gig" statues referred to in the song.
- Face on the Cover: An extreme close-up of P.J.'s lips and chin.
- Hemo Erotic: "Happy And Bleeding"I'm happy and bleeding for you
- Limited Lyrics Song: "Hair" and "Plants And Rags".
- Mundane Made Awesome:
- "Dress", a tongue-in-cheek song about dressing up to go out.
The dress is filthyAnd my arms are emptyClear the way, better get it out of this roomA fallen woman in dancing costume- "Plants & Rags" was inspired by a photography book with a double-page spread showing extreme images on each page, like light and dark.
- Naked People Are Funny: "Sheela-na-Gig"Sheela-na-Gig, Sheela-na-GigYou exhibitionist!
- One-Man Song: "Joe".
- One-Woman Song: "O Stella"
- One-Word Title: "Dry". The tracks "Dress", "Victory", "Hair", "Fountain" and "Water".
- Real Life Writes the Plot: "Joe" is about P.J.'s then partner, but they didn't stay together.Joe, ain't you my buddy thee?Stay with me, when I fall and dieAlways thought you'd come rushing inTo clear the shit out of my eye
- Record Producer: Mark Vernon, Rob Ellis and P.J. Harvey.
- Reference Overdosed: "Sheela-Na-Gig" refers to a specific erotic Celtic statue, but the explanation behind the line "put money in your idle hole" is really obscure. It refers to a theory that the language of the medieval witch-cult was Basque and the term "sheela-na-gig" actually derives from the Basque "Chilo-nagi" ("the idle hole").
- Say My Name: "Oh My Lover"Oh my lover, why don't you just say my name and all of it is alright!
- Self-Backing Vocalist: "Victory" and "Sheela-Na-Gig" have P.J. doing this.
- Shout-Out:
- "Sheela-na-gig" refers to breasts as "dirty pillows", a confirmed reference to Carrie, where the prudent Christian fundamentalist mother also uses this oud-dated term to describe that particular part of female anatomy. The line "gonna wash that man right outta my hair" is a line from South Pacific (1958).
- Slut-Shaming: "Sheela-na-Gig" is about being slut-shamed by a would-be suitor.
- Stock Rhymes: "Sheela-na-Gig" has the word "ruby-red lips" rhyme with "hips".
- Their First Time: "Happy And Bleeding" strongly implies a woman losing her virginity.I'm happy and I'm bleeding for you
- Uncommon Time: "Water" is effectively a march in 5/4.
- Unrequited Love: The protagonist in "Oh My Lover" goes to extreme lengths to make the man of her desire love her:You can love her, you can love me at the same time