Natalie Merchant VH1 Before They Were Rock Stars

[@kareltuin3627]

Saw her some 10 years ago at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. After a great concert, she gave her flowers to the audience.

[@rickthompson2520]

She has to be The Top female vocalist of all time , she's an Angel

[@danneumann3274]

one of the finest voices. I feel that She is the greatest female songwriter of all time. There are many great female voices like Delores o' riordan but no female has ever written like Natalie , ever

[@lkgrave4959]

Saw her in Anchorage over 20 years ago. Awesome show.

[@uncbbfblives]

great talent! the way she carried her self and she was pretty nice looking helped!

[@brianmosse]

One of rocks leading ladies: That she is, and utterly timeless.

[@ProfessorChomsky]

Interesting wee film there...........Natalie Merchant has written some of the best songs ever, an absolute poet and has written stuff that reduces politics and what is happening to the utter truth and essentials - an absolute artist of the highest order x

[@bleish.]

I will forever 💞💞💞 Natalie Merchant.

[@luvsilly60]

I am impressed that she sings with so many different artists.

[@olafweinzer5746]

I saw her once at Miami Airport, she is a classy woman, with fine gestures. 😍😍

[@karenjadlowski4317]

I WAS LUCKY TO MEET NATALIE AFTER A SHOW SHE WAS VERY SWEET BUT ALSO SHY I CAN TELL SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN FANS TOLD HER HOW GREAT SHE IS SO I WAS TALKING ABOUT LEANRD COHN THEN SHE STARTED TALKING ABOUT HIM AS WE WERE BOTH FANS THIS WAS WHEN SHE WAS ON THE OPHILLIA TOUR BEST SHOW EVER

[@gjclxvi]

She is very lovely...

[@joeyclemenza7339]

i've heard her being mentioned as "the female morrissey". as much as i love morrissey, that's really short changing her....natalie is the ONLY natalie merchant.

[@user-gh8wt2zi2n]

Morrissey has nothing on Natalie Merchant. Plus he whines, Natalie doesn't whine at all...

[@brucespeck2325]

I grew up in the same town as Natalie. Unfortunately, never met her, but love her music and style.

[@davidchristner7291]

I love it , Thank you😊

[@sleepypoodle]

She's adorable!

[@rockabilly95]

Natalie Merchant, WOW what a woman, I'd love to meet her some day.

[@nycnj6167]

SO WOULD I JEFFREY S. SIMON BOSTON,MA.

[@yankeegirl3380]

Me too. I love her voice. And her cover of Because the night is amazing!

[@darklorddisco]

She was also in a really cool electronic new wave/post punk band called Evening in Torpor. Little known fact!

[@jademorgan1096]

Thanks for posting. I regret not having a mentor growing up. I think I lacked direction and encouragement that every kid longs for. This video makes me laugh. I always loved music more than anything but I never pictured myself on a stage. I hope that one day I can recall who got me into this...

[@angelikkax6353]

Picture yourself! Don't give up! You have the talent for a purpose.

[@doz161]

True star

[@seanwalsh4569]

2:25 So many teachers are SAINTS walking among us.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Funny thing about Natalie is that after she finishes playing her tin whistle, she initially thought of releasing her solo album in 1987! And she hadn't played that tin whistle since!

[@bryansandiego]

She’s literally the most perfect woman ever

[@copyrightcharacter1166]

She was very ahead of her time. She was doing the 90s grungey style and image and soft-rocky music that became popular in the early 90s

[@johnhll2539]

Sweet

[@lkgrave4959]

3 Women of the 90s Music I can spend all day listening to: 1. Natalie Merchant 2. Tanya Donnelly 3. Hope Sandoval What are yours?

[@dcwaddy123]

Add Aimee Mann to that list.

[@aliasdyln33]

Natalie remains my number uno too. After that - I'll go with Sandy Denny and Eva Cassidy. Do listen to either lady's version of "Who Knows Where the Time Goes", and you might be smitten too.

[@singalongwrudy8690]

The Elvis Brothers and 10,000 Maniacs opened for REM at Elliot Music Hall in the late '80s. My friend got so excited he tried to crash the stage. We talked Security into letting him back in...the guy said "Put a seatbelt on him" I said " that was the problem ....NO dance floor"

[@weso4135]

Thanks ¡¡¡¡

[@BrianEdwardCollins]

Funny, I don't remember Natalie actually being in the Stage Band -- I think she might've just crashed the photo (I was one of the sax players). We could've used the help though, we were pretty crummy! Let's just say Rick Lundquist was no Marcella Sternisha!

[@TheCatalunya]

i hope you did contact her natalie she did a good job .....

[@Stumper716]

This is just a guess, but maybe the Maniacs aren't reuniting with Natalie Merchant because they are currently active with their current front woman, singer, the lovely Mary Ramsey. No disrespect, of course, to Natalie, whose music and artistry I adore, but I also have great appreciation for the Maniacs in their current form.

[@10KMTV]

We're active now. 55 shows in 2017. 50 in 2018. 4 records since 2013. Ms. Merchant has no desire to reunite with us.

[@xoxb2]

@@10KMTV Ms Merchant? You guys are clearly on friendly terms! No bad blood there ... ;)

[@rudihendricks757]

@@10KMTV in my opinion, Ms. Merchant was better with the Maniacs than solo. Her music has become very boring, but that voice...

[@Jim1971a]

When 10,000 maniacs formed just for fun, little did they know they hit the jackpot when they chose 17 year old Natalie as the singer.

[@TheChenny73]

actually 16 year old.

[@rudihendricks757]

@@TheChenny73 actually, from her own mouth, she was 17

[@Materialgirl_3]

@@TheChenny73I’m sure that Natalie knows how old she was when it happened and she said 17 not 16

[@TheChenny73]

@@Materialgirl_3 oh really? Where’s your reference? She clearly said a few months before her 17th birthday.

[@finvandewall2445]

1:43 so cute!!!!!!!!!!!

[@montanahaven5823]

I went to the same school as her. I'm surprised she had a female teacher in chorus. I asked mr B (Beau?) if he remembered her ( he had been there for years) he didn't and asked for her name again to recall her.

[@BookClubDisaster]

She has beautiful hair. Why has she always wanted to cut it??

[@cynthiacorcoran9389]

Those pictures are not me Connie. Cynthia Corcoran

[@juanrivera3635]

Teachers pets are the best

[@michaelcarinelli6785]

Yep. However she left a band that had rare talent behind her and after the edginess of the 90’s Lilith posse as said here it was never the same. Left a band which was exactly right for her.

[@marcstevens8576]

Saw them at a benefit in '97 & had a long talk with John about home recording studios. Hell of a nice guy. Nothing against Natalie, however, her unique library-inspired songwriting style fell apart after What's The Matter Here became a hit. Instead of writing the creative songs as she did in earlier years, she was pretty much writing similar depressing ones intended for Junior-High girls.

[@gregrhodes2171]

When she struck out on her on is when it fell apart. One good album.

[@arthurconrad5648]

Greg Rhodes Im Natalie's biggest fan !!How can I contact her.? I live in 🇲🇽

[@gregrhodes2171]

@@arthurconrad5648 ?

[@briancockrell1794]

Bah, Ophelia was even better than Tigerlilly. Motherland wasnt bad, either. After that, though...

[@portcullis5622]

Fell apart? Absolute nonsense. Several very good albums and one great album 'Ophelia'.

[@mikewoodson6930]

Greg Rhodes pop / rock and most other singers / performers have a shelf life. Natalie extended her shelf life a long damn way. Very talented. Groups like The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles are very uncommon. Natalie did very well. While I agree the album sales slowed down, We the people evolved and so did what we were drawn to and ultimately bought. Be it clothes or records. Bravo Miss Natalie!

[@jaddison1112]

I bet their ex school classmates sure were surprised by her huge success at an indioe rock star.

[@andrewblack7852]

She was a nerd and socially awkward. Probably felt anxiety and felt she didn’t fit in. So many young people do.

[@dookdawg214]

I was so in love with Natalie in the early 90s. It's a shame she left the group just when they were starting to get known. Her solo stuff was such crap, and 10KM could never do the same stuff with Mary Ramsey. I wonder how much great music they could've kept making had she stayed with them.

[@televisiondevil5235]

She outgrew them. They are basically nothing without her. They couldn’t find a better singer than Mary Ramsey? She’s horrible. Natalie’s 1st two solo albums are superior to the best of 10k maniacs.

[@joeyclemenza7339]

nobody really knows exactly WHY natalie and "the maniacs" refuse to reunite. i'm guessing A LOT of it had to do with their break out hit "these are days". fame changes everything, right? regardless, mary and oskar had their share of brilliance (singing wise). best not count them out. still, the maniacs would've gone the way of "the bauhaus" had it not been for natalie. with all do respect, i LOVE "the bauhaus", but natalie made the maniacs bigger than that. she made them timeless.

[@rosskstar]

In hindsight she should have reunited with them after Ophelia.

[@windonwest2898]

Shy just the opposite

[@evanhughes1510]

No, very shy actually

[@paultynan8705]

makes me miss my ex. Looks like Natalie's twin.

[@markantinozzi8657]

My favorite part is when she plays the skin flute

[@wovokanarchy]

Rich snob

[@misterporcupinesimon2257]

HEY WOVOKANARCHY..... YOU CALL HER A RICH SNOB? YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!!!! HAVE YOU EVER MET HER IN PERSON? IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE ABOUT HER, THEN KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT! JEFFREY S. SIMON BOSTON, MA.

[@sjladuke75]

She's in actually, anything but. She's down to earth & very approachable.

[@huskyfaninmass1042]

She comes across as pretentious.

[@evanhughes1510]

Husky Fan in Mass pretentious how?

[@evanhughes1510]

wovokanarchy she’s not all that rich, believe it or not