Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Nile came from a musical family—his grandfather was a vaudeville pianist who played with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Eddie Cantor; his uncles played boogie-woogie. His listened to the music of Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Fats Domino, brought home by his older brothers. Nile himself began playing piano at age eight and took classical music lessons until he was a teenager, when he taught himself his first rock & roll song. He soon began to compose short songs and continued the habit into his college years, when during the summers he made trips into New York City to frequent hootenanny clubs like Folk City and the Gaslight.
Nile studied philosophy at the University at Buffalo where he received a BA in 1971, before heading for Greenwich Village. After graduation, Nile took an apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village; however, during his first winter in New York, he contracted pneumonia, which put him out of commission for about a year. He continued writing songs while recuperating, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour. That he did throughout the ’70s, becoming a fixture in the Village folk and rock scenes and getting tabbed as the next big thing to come out of that long-thriving artistic community.
He began hanging out at clubs like CBGB's, where he would see bands like Patti Smith, Television, the Ramones and Talking Heads.
EARLY CAREER
Establishing residency at the Village club Kenny's Castaways on Bleecker St., Nile began drawing ever-growing crowds, which in turn led to his first record deal. In a glowing review in The New York Times, rock critic Robert Palmer wrote of Nile; "Every once in awhile the times seems to produce an artist who is at once an iconoclast and near-perfect expression of contemporary currents. He is one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in a long time."
Following a flurry of critical acclaim, he found himself courted by representatives from close to a dozen record companies; he chose Arista Records, and went into the studio with a band that included Jay Dee Daugherty from the Patti Smith Group. More rave reviews compared the singer to Bob Dylan and Buddy Holly, and called him "a one-man Clash." The excitement surrounding his self-titled debut album, Willie Nile, prompted Pete Townshend to request Willie's presence on the Who 's summer tour. Nile and his band were soon on the road with The Who, only a few months after Willie's first experience playing with a band. After two acclaimed albums, the self-titled 1980 debut and 1981's Golden Down, Nile fell prey to protracted legal problems which derailed his career for a number of years.
RE-EMERGENCE
Although he continued to write, Nile did not perform live or record again until a 1987 performance in Oslo, Norway, with Eric Andersen. A videotape of Nile’s performance in Norway prompted a Columbia talent scout to sign him to the label in 1988, but production on his album didn't start for two more years. Issued in 1991, His Columbia Records CD Places I Have Never Been contained the songs "Everybody Needs A Hammer" and "Heaven Help The Lonely." Places I Have Never Been featured appearances by backing musicians including Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Roger McGuinn, and members of the Hooters and the Roches. His 1992 EP release, Hard Times in America, became a favorite among some listeners in Europe.
Nile has recorded and performed with many musicians, including Ringo Starr, Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Ian Hunter, and Barenaked Ladies. A live Central Park concert album, Willie Nile-Archive Alive, was released on Archive Recordings, and Nile was one of the vocalists on the ensemble album Largo, along with Joan Osborne, Cyndi Lauper, Levon Helm, The Chieftains, Taj Mahal and Carole King. Another project found Nile writing and performing most of the songs for the soundtrack to the Kevin McLaughlin film Pinch Me!
In the fall of 2003, Nile was invited to share the stage at three concerts with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, including the two final Giants Stadium shows.
“Nile’s defining quality is his charismatic spirit. It’s a passion and enthusiasm that is infectious and earned Nile the admiration of fans and peers alike.” From Shea to the clubs and concert halls of Europe, "his live performances are legendary.
Studio albums
* 1980 - Willie Nile
* 1981 - Golden Down
* 1991 - Places I Have Never Been
* 1999 - Beautiful Wreck of the World
* 2006 - Streets of New York
* 2009 - House Of A Thousand Guitars
* 2010 - The Innocent Ones
Live albums
* 1997 - Live in Central Park - Archive Alive!
* 2007 - Live at Turning Point
* 2008 - Live From the Streets of New York
Gathering together his resources over time, he put out his first self-released album, Beautiful Wreck of the World, in 1999. It was chosen as one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year by critics at Billboard Magazine, The Village Voice and Stereo Review. Lucinda Williams called "On the Road to Calvary," Nile's song for Jeff Buckley, "One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard." The album reached the finals of the Independent Music Awards for Best Rock Album of the Year.
In 2006, Nile released Streets of New York, which some consider to be his best work to date, due to quality production and clever songwriting. Former Time magazine music critic and Academy Award winning screenwriter Jay Cocks writes of Streets of New York, "The tunes he writes and plays with such blowtorch vibrancy get the myth and magic and danger and sadness and love in this town--of this town--truer, and righter, than anything I've heard since Dion. This record is a head-twister and heart-wrencher. It's rock and roll at its best. It's New York at its best. And there's nothing better than that."[citation needed]
House Of A Thousand Guitars was released on April 14, 2009.
On September 30, 2009, at his show at Giants Stadium in E. Rutherford, NJ, Bruce Springsteen invited Nile on stage to play with the E Street Band.
In addition, on November 22, 2009 Bruce Springsteen again invited him onstage to play the second last song of Springsteen's final concert of his tour, which was in Willie's hometown of Buffalo at HSBC Arena. Nile joined Springsteen and the E Street Band for the cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher".
Vagabond Moon
Willie Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
under the covers maybe we can play
the nasty old reaper don't give you no warning
ride to my window baby, come by today
Ride to my window baby, come in the evening
the afternoon sun is going down soon
why be waiting there, hiding and grieving
when we could be rolling neath the vagabond moon
It glows and thrills as it rides in the hills
and rolls through the dregs of the night
it shines and beams down the back alley streams
and it fills a poor heart with delight
Ride to my window baby, come in the daytime
my arms and my blankets would keep you so warm
the cold wind is blowing, you know this is the right time
to take up shelter from the upcoming storm
Ride thru my window babe and I'll ride thru yours
we should be singing such a merry old tune
open your shutters, I'll open my doors
and we can go howling neath the vagabond moon
It glows and thrills as it rides in the hills
and rolls through the dregs of the night
it shines and beams down the back alley streams
and it fills a poor heart with delight
Ride to my window baby, come after midnight
no one in my street is awake or alive
we can pass time here kissing in the monlight
what a fine thing to make love and survive
It glows and thrills as it rides in the hills
and rolls through the dregs of the night
it shines and beams down the back alley streams
and it fills a poor heart with delight
In Willie Nile's song "Vagabond Moon," the singer is inviting their love interest to come and spend time with them under the cover of night. The lyrics give a sense of urgency and desire to be together, regardless of the time of day. The main theme of the song is the freedom and thrill of living a transient, unconventional existence, represented by the "vagabond moon."
The first verse emphasizes the fleeting nature of life, with the idea that the "nasty old reaper" could appear at any time. The singer is urging their love interest to come and spend time with them, despite the risks. The second verse describes the thrill of being under the "vagabond moon," with its ability to bring delight and excitement to those who seek it out. The third verse paints a picture of the couple seeking shelter from an upcoming storm, physically and metaphorically. In the final verse, they are taking advantage of the peaceful and quiet midnight hour to be together and enjoy each other's company.
Overall, "Vagabond Moon" is a song about carpe diem - seizing the day and enjoying the moment with the ones you love. It's a celebration of life's fleeting beauty and the thrill of living on the edge.
Line by Line Meaning
Ride to my window baby, come in the morning
Come to my window in the morning, let's spend time together
under the covers maybe we can play
We could snuggle up under the covers and be intimate
the nasty old reaper don't give you no warning
Death can come suddenly and unexpectedly
ride to my window baby, come by today
Come visit me today, let's hang out
Ride to my window baby, come in the evening
Come see me in the evening, enjoy the sunset
the afternoon sun is going down soon
The day is ending, and night will be upon us soon
why be waiting there, hiding and grieving
Don't wait alone, come enjoy life with me
when we could be rolling neath the vagabond moon
We could be out, exploring and experiencing life under the moon's light
It glows and thrills as it rides in the hills
The moon's light is beautiful and exciting as it shines in the hills
and rolls through the dregs of the night
It illuminates even the darkest and roughest times of the night
it shines and beams down the back alley streams
It lights up the hidden and forgotten parts of the city
and it fills a poor heart with delight
It can bring joy and happiness even to those who have little
Ride to my window baby, come in the daytime
Come see me during the day, we can relax indoors
my arms and my blankets would keep you so warm
I can offer comfort and security to you
the cold wind is blowing, you know this is the right time
The weather is harsh out there, it's best to stay inside
to take up shelter from the upcoming storm
Let's stay safe and cozy until the bad weather passes
Ride thru my window babe and I'll ride thru yours
We can visit each other through our windows
we should be singing such a merry old tune
We should be enjoying life and making the most of our time together
open your shutters, I'll open my doors
We can open up to each other and share our lives
and we can go howling neath the vagabond moon
We can have a wild and free night, living life to the fullest under the moon's light
Ride to my window baby, come after midnight
You can come see me even after everyone else is asleep
no one in my street is awake or alive
It's quiet and peaceful, perfect for spending intimate time together
we can pass time here kissing in the monlight
We can enjoy each other's company and be romantic under the moon's light
what a fine thing to make love and survive
It's a wonderful thing to experience love and feel alive
It glows and thrills as it rides in the hills
The moon's light is still beautiful and exciting, even in the darkest of night
and rolls through the dregs of the night
It illuminates even the bleakest parts of the night, bringing light where there was once only darkness
it shines and beams down the back alley streams
It can help light the way through the alleyways and hidden parts of the city
and it fills a poor heart with delight
It's amazing how much joy and wonder a simple thing like the moon's glow can bring
Writer(s): Willie Nile
Contributed by Alex B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.