Though best known for their instrumental hit "Pick Up the Pieces," the band's strength lies in their consistently accomplished songwriting, stretching across several gold-selling albums and multi-Grammy nominations for Atlantic Records. Despite their Scottish roots, the six-piece band developed their own "authentic" sound influenced by R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Donny Hathaway, which was eagerly adopted by black audiences in the US and elsewhere.
Many of the band's cuts, such as "Cut The Cake" and "Let's Go 'Round Again," attracted chart action as hit singles, while album tracks like "Schoolboy Crush" and "Person to Person" became much-sampled "rare" grooves. Other tunes like "Cloudy," "A Love Of Your Own," and "Nothing You Can Do" stand alongside some of the finest soul album tracks ever recorded.
The current lineup of the band, with noted US musicians alongside founding members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre, continues to delight audiences and critics alike in its wide-ranging touring. The musical energy and trademark sound are remarkably true to the original, and with constant revisitation and re-workings of AWB's, and others' classics in the mix, it is no surprise that the Average White Band is now a multi-generational attraction and a perennial fixture with many of the top music venues.
Big City Lights
Average White Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They won't shine tonight for me
It's raining I'm walking the streets
My heart is way down down in my shoes
Talking, talking to myself
There's nobody else who can hear me
Your love put me on the corner
Tonight I feel the city won't
let me come home
Hey (look at) those big city lights
They used to be so friendly to me
I came to New York to make it our home
Now you've gone and left me here here on my own
East side, West side who's on my side
If I could find where you are I might know
Laughing and drinking
with bad weather friends
Makes me forget for a while
But every time I drain my glass
all I can see is your smile
Hey (look at) those big city lights
Buildings closing in on me
Hey (look at) those big city lights
Only make it harder to see
I can't believe you really left me
All this time you said I was your man
But I'm gonna find you
and I know that I can
know that I can
Hey
Tell me what about those big city lights
The lyrics of "Big City Lights" by Average White Band paint a picture of a man walking the streets of the city at night, feeling lost and alone after being abandoned by a lover. The song opens with the singer gazing up at the city lights, realizing that they no longer hold the same magic and wonder for him now that he is without his partner. He walks in the rain, talking to himself because there is no one else to hear him. He is consumed by his thoughts of the person who left him, and he is struggling to come to terms with the fact that they are gone.
The chorus of the song emphasizes his feeling of alienation from the city he has come to call home, as if the lights themselves are mocking him for being alone. He reflects on how he came to the city to make a life with this person who has left him, and how he feels adrift without them. Even when he tries to distract himself by drinking and being with friends, all he can think of is the one who got away. The final verse shows that despite everything, he is determined to find this person and make it right.
Overall, "Big City Lights" is a song about heartbreak, loneliness, and the emotional toll of being alone in a big city. The lyrics capture the feeling of being lost and abandoned, while the music, with its slow, mournful melody, adds to the sense of melancholy and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey (look at) those big city lights
The singer comments on the bright lights of the city
They won't shine tonight for me
The lights hold no meaning or comfort for the singer
It's raining I'm walking the streets
The weather reflects the sad mood of the singer
My heart is way down down in my shoes
The artist is deeply unhappy and feels defeated
Talking, talking to myself
The artist feels alone and isolated
There's nobody else who can hear me
The singer has no one to talk to
Your love put me on the corner
The singer was rejected and left without a direction
When I came back and found you were gone
The artist's lover left without warning or explanation
Tonight I feel the city won't let me come home
The artist feels unwelcome and out of place in the city, which represents their former home
They used to be so friendly to me
The city used to offer the artist comfort and happiness
I came to New York to make it our home
The singer moved to the city with their lover to build a future together
Now you've gone and left me here here on my own
The artist's lover left them behind
East side, West side who's on my side
The singer is lost and confused and has no one to turn to
If I could find where you are I might know
The singer is desperate to find their lover and understand why they left
Laughing and drinking with bad weather friends
The singer is trying to forget their troubles by hanging out with negative influences
Makes me forget for a while
The artist is able to push their pain aside for a moment
But every time I drain my glass all I can see is your smile
Despite the temporary relief, the artist is unable to fully forget their lover
Buildings closing in on me
The city feels suffocating and oppressive to the singer
Only make it harder to see
The city and its distractions make it harder for the singer to focus on finding their lover
I can't believe you really left me
The artist is still in disbelief and struggling to accept the reality of their situation
All this time you said I was your man
The artist believed they had a secure and committed relationship with their lover
But I'm gonna find you and I know that I can know that I can
The artist is determined to find their lover and hopes to rebuild their relationship
Tell me what about those big city lights
The singer questions the significance of the city's lights and what they truly represent for their journey
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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