# Frances Quinlan

Frances Quinlan (born May 7, 1986) is an American musician and visual artist, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and lyricist of the American indie rock band Hop Along.

## Quotes

* I love bands that have thrown the book out the window and do exactly what feels right to them.
** Interviewed by DIY (magazine)
* I cannot stress enough how imperative it is to encourage children, even if they stink. I wasn't good, I've seen my drawings from when I was little and despite my mom's strong opinions, I think they look like a kid's drawing. I'm not going to get down on myself, but they certainly weren't those of a prodigy by any means. She told me, "You are an artist." She didn't try to turn me into a prodigy, she just encouraged me and I was very lucky to get that.
** Interviewed by Billboard
* I'm basically a rhythm guitarist at the end of the day, but I play odd forms of chords, and only in the last three years started using a pick. I wanted something kind of thick but somehow still angular and capable of dimension. I'm still figuring it out, but as I get better it gets more fun.
** Interviewed by Reverb.com
* I don’t ever want to get away from talking about death. I don’t want to be a drag either but I think the only way you can speak honestly is to have it in your mind.
* There's an anger at realizing the language that I lacked, the tools that I lacked to express myself and see value and power in my expression, rather than deferring to men for my value and worth.
** NPR
* I’ve come to understand (better) why I felt so compelled to start going by my middle name when I turned 18 and went away to college. I needed distance from a role that I have never understood or felt agency within. Sixteen years later, it still confounds me. I know this, because for so long I thought I had to be desired to gain true worth as a person. Perhaps a lot of us have felt this way. For so long I thought I had to be a “correct” version of a woman. This is a falsehood I no longer buy. Honestly, I STILL don’t know what being a woman is. No one has been able to tell me. [...] I am embarrassed to say I did not realize how much space there has always been. It’s humans who have created these roles and strange rules. I am inspired and humbled witnessing so many who’ve taken great risk to be their true selves outside of these uneasy, fearful constructs.

## Song lyrics

* Think I should stop checking myself out in the windows of cars When I could see my future in pictures of relatives
** "How Simple," Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2019) as quoted by Olivia Horn of Pitchfork
* Don’t worry, we will both find out, just not together
** "How Simple," Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2019) as quoted by Olivia Horn of Pitchfork
* We were covered in each other’s snot in my childhood bed
** "How Simple," Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2019)
* 8:45 a.m. The dream just escaped me again.
** "The Knock," Painted Shut (2015) as quoted by Grantland
* At the door came a knock The witness just wants to talk to you
** "The Knock," Painted Shut (2015) as quoted by NME
* Remember seeing Shirley dancing in the oil fountain? [...] We have a great wanting in common but none of this is gonna happen to me within my lifetime
** "Texas Funeral," Painted Shut (2015) as quoted by James Rettig of Stereogum
* Father gets up at 4AM to post a motivational video on Youtube again: ‘People of the world, nobody loves you half as much as I am trying to.'
** "Happy to See Me," Painted Shut (2015) as quoted by James Rettig of Stereogum
* The world’s gotten so small and embarrassing
** "Waitress," Painted Shut (2015) as quoted by James Rettig of Stereogum
* I don’t know why I’m so mean each time I come to visit.
** "Somewhere A Judge," Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2019) as quoted by DIY (magazine)
* Strange to be shaped by such strange men
** "What the Writer Meant," Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2019) as quoted by Amanda Hatfield of BrooklynVegan

## Quotes about Quinlan

* Any conversation about Hop Along that doesn’t center on Frances Quinlan’s vocals would seem to be fooling itself. Frances’ voice can climb from a whisper to a playful croon to a raspy splinter within a minute. Even better, [they're] not afraid to go for it, often singing outside of [their] range, like [they're] throwing a ball into the air to see where it lands, convinced that whatever the result is, it will be worth hearing.
** Philip Cosores of Consequence

## External links

* ↑ Duncan, Tess. [“I Never Want to Get Away from Talking About Death”: Q&A with Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan ""I Never Want to Get Away from Talking About Death": Q&A with Hop Along's Frances Quinlan"]. Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2024.