Shut The Catflap

Album: not on an album (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Baskery is the Swedish trio of sisters Stella, Greta and Sunniva Bondesson. "Catflap" is a British term for a hinged or covered opening in a door that allows an animal (hopefully one that lives there) to come and go as it pleases. Americans know it as a "doggy door" and Swedes call it a "cat door," but the sisters heard "catflap" in the UK and decided to use it in a song.
  • In this song, the Bondesson sisters take a feline role, looking for a catflap that will let them inside. It's a feminist message and one of determination. In a Songfacts interview with Sunniva, she explained: "We wrote it when we lived in a little area in Nashville which is not the best area. It was the southwest area, and not the best neighborhood. We had a lot of stray cats around, and we were inspired by them because they're adventurous creatures. So, we used that to describe the feeling of how we found it so hard to crack the music industry. But there's always a way in, and the way in could be the smallest hole, such as the cat door."
  • There is some wordplay going on here, and it's intentional. The title is meant to sound like "shut the f--k up."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Todd Rundgren

Todd RundgrenSongwriter Interviews

Todd Rundgren explains why he avoids "Hello It's Me," and what it was like producing Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album.

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.