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.
Mansion On The Hill
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Risin' above the factories and the fields
Now, ever since I was a child, I can remember
That mansion on the hill
In the day you can see the children playing
On the road that leads to those gates of hardened steel
Steel gates that completely surround, sir,
The mansion on the hill
At night my daddy'd take me and we'd ride
Through the streets of a town so silent and still
Park on a back road along the highway side
Look up at that mansion on the hill
In the summer all the lights would shine
There'd be music playin', people laughin' all the time
Me and my sister, we'd hide out in the tall cornfields
Sit and listen to the mansion on the hill
Tonight down here in Linden Town
I watch the cars rushin' by, home from the mill
There's a beautiful full moon rising
Above the mansion on the hill
David Gray's "Mansion On The Hill" evokes a sense of longing for a place that is both familiar and distant at the same time. The song describes a mansion that overlooks a small town, rising above the factories and fields that surround it. The singer has known about the mansion since childhood, and he remembers how he and his sister would hide in the cornfields and listen to the music coming from the mansion during the summer months. He describes how, at night, his father would take him on drives to see the mansion, which was surrounded by steel gates that completely enclosed it.
The singer's memories of the mansion are mixed with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy. He watches the cars rushing by in Linden Town, knowing that he will never be able to enter the world of the mansion on the hill. He sees the beautiful full moon rising above the mansion and is reminded of the distance between himself and the people who live there. The lyrics suggest that the mansion is a symbol of a life of privilege and luxury that is out of reach for the working-class people who live in the town below.
Overall, "Mansion On The Hill" is a poignant and evocative song that explores themes of nostalgia, class, and aspiration. The singer's memories of the mansion on the hill are vivid and powerful, and the song offers a poignant reflection on the challenges of achieving a better life in a world where wealth and privilege are often out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place out on the edge of town, sir,
The song describes a mansion located on the outskirts of the town.
Risin' above the factories and the fields
The mansion stands tall and overlooks the industrial and agricultural region.
Now, ever since I was a child, I can remember
The singer recalls the mansion's existence as far back as their early childhood.
That mansion on the hill
The song regularly refers to the mansion as the main subject.
In the day you can see the children playing
There's a road leading up to the mansion gates, where kids can be seen playing during the day.
On the road that leads to those gates of hardened steel
The road to the mansion has steel gates that lead up to it on either side.
Steel gates that completely surround, sir,
The steel gates surround the mansion entirely and restrict entry from the outside.
At night my daddy'd take me and we'd ride
The artist's father would often take them on car rides at night.
Through the streets of a town so silent and still
The artist's father would drive through the town's quiet streets.
Park on a back road along the highway side
They would park their car on a back road beside the highway.
Look up at that mansion on the hill
They would gaze up at the mansion on the hill from their parked car.
In the summer all the lights would shine
During summertime, the mansion's lights would be visible, shining brightly.
There'd be music playin', people laughin' all the time
Music and the sounds of people laughing can be heard emanating from the mansion.
Me and my sister, we'd hide out in the tall cornfields
The singer and their sister would hide in the tall cornfields, covertly observing the mansion.
Sit and listen to the mansion on the hill
They would sit and listen to the sounds and music from the mansion.
Tonight down here in Linden Town
The song transitions to the present moment, where the artist is in Linden Town during the evening.
I watch the cars rushin' by, home from the mill
They observe cars speeding by, with workers heading home from the nearby factory.
There's a beautiful full moon rising
The night sky has a lovely full moon that's gradually rising up.
Above the mansion on the hill
The full moon is specifically visible above the mansion on the hill.
Contributed by Austin E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Toxic Todd
Sound is so perfect here that engineer or team deserves a lot of praise
Pragmatic Cynicism
Got goosebumps!
jenny Newman
True talent he's voice is like a Angel nice tone
Tyler Coogan
Pure joy, thanks very much
SRP Parachute
What a talent. Thank you for this.
Erin Karpinec
🎶♥️
Perry Escobar
Outstanding
Ozkrow
David gray is an amazing artist. Saw this summer. What a performer and talent.
mrcali68
HUGE HUGE talent.
hack169
david gray is a beast