Natalie Merchant shares the video for “Sister Tilly,” from her 2023 album, Keep Your Courage. The track is dedicated to Joan Didion and pays homage to the generation of women who influenced Merchant in the 1960s and ’70s when she was growing up and the video, directed by Matthew Shattuck, features archival footage from the era. “This song holds a very dear place on the album,” says Merchant. “It celebrates the life of a woman I created to embody traits of several beloved female friends of mine who have passed away. These were all beloved mother, auntie, and sister figures that I owe so much for all the nurturing love and care they gave me throughout my life. You may recognize Tilly qualities in a cherished adopted or blood relative or friend who was part of that generation of women who came of age during the mid 1960s-mid 1970s. As happens with songs, ‘Sister Tilly’ has already grown to signify a generation of women–more than just one woman. When I have performed it live over the past six months, I can feel the song’s resonance with the audience. I can tell that I’m not the only one who feels an urgency to give these women their due respect. We owe them so much more.”