“They’d say, ‘I guess you’ll be retiring? There won’t be any more tours?’ I’d write it down and bite my lip”: The Anchoress had a baby, not a lobotomy, and wrote a satirical song about it
The Anchoress (Catherine Anne Davies) has released a satirical single, I Had A Baby, Not A Lobotomy, inspired by the dismissive comments she received from others after becoming a mother. The song forms the lead track of her new album As We Once Were and reflects her frustration at assumptions that motherhood would end her music career, a topic that speaks to wider attitudes about women artists balancing parenthood with creative work.
Davies has said the lyrics were drawn directly from real remarks made to her after her daughter's birth five years ago, including people suggesting she would "retire" and that there would be "no more tours". Rather than respond angrily, she noted down these comments on her phone whenever they annoyed her, turning the collected "litany" into song material, which she describes as a humorous rather than furious response, and one she found therapeutic to write.
- The Anchoress wrote a satirical song about motherhood assumptions.
- Lyrics quote real remarks implying her career would end after having a baby.
- The track leads her new album, As We Once Were.