1) a Br… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists by the name of David Gray, including:
1) a British singer-songwriter
2) an Italian disco musician
3) an American singer-songwriter
4) drummer for the British blackened death metal band Akercocke
5) a musician from South Africa
6) a British classical hornist
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1) David Gray is a British singer-songwriter born on June 13, 1968 in Sale, United Kingdom. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later in 1999.
Gray moved to Wales at age 9 and later returned to the north-west of England to attend the University of Liverpool. His musical career got early support from a dedicated Irish fan base. After a few marginally-successful releases through the 1990s, Gray's breakthrough came with the worldwide release in 1999 of his fourth album, White Ladder; this was a critical and commercial success and included his best-known songs, "This Years Love" and "Babylon". In the United States, the album received a boost from jam-band leader Dave Matthews, who made it the first release by the record company he co-founded, ATO Records.
On August 11, 2001 White Ladder at last reached the top of the UK charts, having been selling steadily since its reissue the previous May, thereby setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted climb to No. 1. The follow-up, A New Day At Midnight, also hit No. 1, and Gray's seventh album, Life in Slow Motion was released on September 12, 2005.
Gray's early music was in a contemporary folk-rock, singer-songwriter mode; his primary instrument was acoustic guitar, with occasional piano. 1996's Sell Sell Sell featured some rock arrangements and electric instrumentation. Starting with the release of White Ladder in 1999, Gray began to make significant use of computer-generated music to accompany his voice and acoustic instrumentation, a technique which differentiates him from many of his peers. Despite the move to more complex music, Gray has used small-scale, often home-based, recording methods and equipment and espoused a "do it yourself" approach to music production. However, Life in Slow Motion is a collaboration with noted producer Marius De Vries.
David Gray's brothers-in-law are Paul and Phillip Hartnoll, formerly of the Techno/Rave band Orbital. Because of this relationship, Gray performed guest vocals on the Orbital single Illuminate, while Paul Hartnoll produced a breakbeat remix of Gray's song "Please Forgive Me".
His successful single "January Rain" was included in the original soundtrack of the movie Serendipity, starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.
Pictures and additional information can be found on his website, www.DavidGray.com.
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2) David Gray was an Italian disco musician who had a hit with "Dead in the Water"
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3) David Gray is an American singer-songwriter
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4) David Gray is drummer for the British blackened death metal band Akercocke
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5) David Gray is a musician from South Africa
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6) British classical hornist, originally from London, England, UK, residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Studied at the Curtis Institute Of Music. Former Principal Horn with The London Symphony Orchestra (1964-1972). Member of The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
4 A.M.
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moon on the sea
The night is rattling
With burglar alarms, oh yeah
The night is blue
The night is blue
Flowers by your window side
I'm laden with memory
And the wind has died
7 o'clock in the evening
Watching the TV show
Tears from your dark eyes
Your head against the sunset
And the harbour below
It's the cruellest thing
The cruellest thing
That I've ever known
It's time and circumstance
Taking their toll
There's no stones being thrown
Your bed was a warm bed
A warm bed in a cold room
Always the same pictures on the wall
And some love in the morning
With your dog at your pillow
And a half empty bottle of baby oil
7 o'clock in the evening
Moon on the sea
Oh, the night is rattling
With burglar alarms
Oh, they're ringing for me
It's the cruellest thing
The cruellest thing
That I've ever known
It's just time and circumstance
Taking their toll
There's no stones being thrown
David Gray's "4 A.M." seems to be a song about nostalgia and loss, with the singer reflecting on two different times in his life. The first verse takes place at 4 a.m., with the moon on the sea and burglar alarms rattling in the night. The use of the burglar alarms creates a sense of danger and unease, but it's clear that the singer is alone and seemingly safe. However, the image of the moon on the sea is romantic and reflective, evoking a sense of peace despite the alarms. The night is blue, a color often associated with sadness, but it's also graceful, suggesting that the singer is able to see the beauty in the mundane.
The second verse takes place at 7 p.m., with the singer watching TV with someone they care about. However, the person is crying and their head is against the sunset, the end of the day. The harbor below suggests that they're near the water, evoking a sense of finality and departure. The flip side of the moon on the sea from the first verse is the moon on the sea here, bringing the two moments together. The singer seems to be grappling with something difficult and painful - perhaps a loss of a loved one or a relationship coming to an end. He reflects that it's the cruellest thing he's ever known, and that time and circumstance are taking their toll. There's a sense of inevitability here, that no matter how much love or warmth one might have in the moment, things will ultimately change.
The final verse adds more detail to the singer's memories of being in bed with someone they care about. The pictures on the wall are always the same, and there's a sense of routine to the mornings with the dog and the bottle of baby oil. Even though it appears comforting, there's an undercurrent of sadness and nostalgia here. The verse ends with the return of 7 p.m., with the singer alone and burglar alarms ringing for him. It's unclear why they're ringing specifically for him - perhaps they're imagined, perhaps they're symbolic. Either way, they signal a sense of danger and an uncertain future.
Overall, "4 A.M." is a song that beautifully captures the emotional weight of nostalgia and loss. It's about realizing that no matter how much we try to hold onto moments, they'll inevitably slip away. The use of vivid imagery, like the moon on the sea and the burglar alarms, adds to the richness of the song's themes.
Line by Line Meaning
4 o'clock in the morning
It's four in the morning
Moon on the sea
The moon is shining on the sea
The night is rattling
With burglar alarms, oh yeah
The night is noisy with burglar alarms going off
The night is blue
The night is blue
The night is dark blue
Flowers by your window side
Autumn is graceful
I'm laden with memory
And the wind has died
There are flowers by your window, autumn is beautiful, I'm filled with memories and the wind has stopped blowing
7 o'clock in the evening
Watching the TV show
Tears from your dark eyes
Your head against the sunset
And the harbour below
It's seven in the evening, you're watching TV and crying tears from dark eyes as you look at the sunset and the harbour
It's the cruellest thing
The cruellest thing
That I've ever known
It's time and circumstance
Taking their toll
There's no stones being thrown
It's the worst thing I've ever experienced, just time and circumstance taking a toll on me, there's no one else to blame
Your bed was a warm bed
A warm bed in a cold room
Always the same pictures on the wall
And some love in the morning
With your dog at your pillow
And a half empty bottle of baby oil
Your bed was warm in a cold room, the same pictures hung on the wall and we made love in the morning with your dog by your pillow and a half empty bottle of baby oil
7 o'clock in the evening
Moon on the sea
Oh, the night is rattling
With burglar alarms
Oh, they're ringing for me
It's seven in the evening, the moon is shining on the sea, the night is noisy with burglar alarms going off and they're ringing for me
It's the cruellest thing
The cruellest thing
That I've ever known
It's just time and circumstance
Taking their toll
There's no stones being thrown
It's the worst thing I've ever experienced, just time and circumstance taking a toll on me, there's no one else to blame
Contributed by Evan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.