When the damage is done, you're damaged goods.

Yesterday I heard on the radio that it was Juliana Hatfield's birthday. She's 38. The first time I heard one of her songs was on MTV when the video for Universal Heartbeat was a frequent spin on the station. Great song, and the video had a workout/gym feel to it. Juliana has an incredibly sweet, girlie voice, even when she's singing, "I hate my sister, she's such a bitch." I've always been impressed with her songs and how prolific she is as a songwriter. Whether it's with one of her bands (The Juliana Hatfield Three, Blake Babies, or Some Girls) or solo, she's had a great career so far.

Juliana has been compared to other female rockers like Liz Phair, Tanya Donnelly and Nina Gordon. But I think that there's this wonderful sincerity that comes through all of Juliana's songs, no matter what she's singing about. When I was younger, I only had one of her cds, Only Everything. I mostly bought it for the track Universal Heartbeat, but was thrilled when I discovered that the rest of the record was just as good. I always wanted to see her whenever she came to town, but she'd always play 18 and up venues, so I never got the chance to go. However, I'm happy to say that a few years ago, she played the Caledonia in Athens and I was lucky enough to see her. She played lots of great stuff including, Spin the Bottle (which you may remember from the Reality Bites Soundtrack) and the whole show was just awesome. I talked to her for a little bit afterwards, and told her that one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar was Make It Home. It felt so great getting the chance to tell her that, especially considering how much I loved that song when I was younger. She said that when she was growing up, she was a big R.E.M. fan, and it surprised her that she could actually learn to play songs that they had written. And when you think about it, it is pretty cool, actually having the opportunity to learn how to play a song that you love so much.

Juliana still records and still tours pretty frequently. So if you get the chance, go and see her. Here are a few of her songs that I love listening to. Happy Birthday Juliana!

Juliana Hatfield- Nirvana (from Hey Babe)
Juliana Hatfield- Universal Heartbeat (from Only Everything)
Juliana Hatfield- Make It Home (from My So-Called Life Soundtrack)
The Juliana Hatfield 3- Spin the Bottle (from the Reality Bites Soundtrack)
The Juliana Hatfield 3- My Sister (from Become What You Are)
Juliana Hatfield- My Enemy (from In Exile Deo)