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.
Nemesis
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Soft as moss
I'm a creeping-in, intangible sense of loss
I'm the memory you can't get out your head
If I leave you now
You'll wish you were somewhere else instead
I'm the manta ray
I am the photograph
They found in your burned down house
I'm the sound of money washing down the drain
I am the pack of lies
The baby that keeps you sane, hey
Gates of heaven are open wide
God help me baby I'm trapped inside
Feel like I'm buried alive
I'm, I'm the bottom line
Of the joke
I'm in ecstasy
Spilling like bright egg-yolk
I'm the thoughts you're too ashamed to ever share
And I am the smell of it
You're trying to wash out of your hair
Gates of heaven are open wide
God help me baby I'm lost inside
Feels like I'm buried alive
The possibilities limitless
Just give me something that's more than this
One shot and I'll never miss
Yes
I'm the babe that sleeps
Through the Blitz
I am a sudden and quite unexpected twist
I am your one true love who sleeps with someone else
I am your nemesis
Baby I'm life sweet life itself, yeah, yeah (yeah)
In the song Nemesis by David Gray, he describes himself as the creeping sense of loss that one cannot shake off. This loss is not only physical but also mental and emotional, as expressed by his comparison to a photograph found in a burned-down house, a pack of lies, and the baby that keeps you sane. Gray notes that his existence is often met with shame and guilt, leading people to try and shake off the smell of it from their hair, trying desperately to gain some semblance of control over their life.
Gray's lyricism is highly introspective, as he deals with themes of betrayal, heartaches, and overwhelming emotions. He sings of himself as the bottom line of the joke, in ecstasy, and true love that sleeps with someone else, highlighting the necessary but often painful intricacies of life. The song's chorus, "Gates of heaven are open wide, God help me, baby, I'm trapped inside, Feels like I'm buried alive," emphasizes Gray's state of mind, highlighting how one can feel overwhelmed and suffocated by the complexities of life, and begs for divine intervention to break free.
Line by Line Meaning
Neath an avalanche Soft as moss
I'm a looming sense of loss, slowly creeping in like the soft moss covering an avalanche.
I'm a creeping-in, intangible sense of loss
I'm the intangible feeling of emptiness that creeps slowly into your mind and heart.
I'm the memory you can't get out your head
I'm the memory that keeps haunting you and you can't seem to shake it off.
If I leave you now You'll wish you were somewhere else instead
If you try to escape from me now, you'll realize that being with me was better than being without me.
I'm the manta ray I'm the louse I am the photograph They found in your burned down house
I'm like a strange creature that you can't understand, I'm also like something insignificant that you try to ignore, and I'm like a photograph that survived a fire that destroyed everything else.
I'm the sound of money washing down the drain I am the pack of lies The baby that keeps you sane, hey
I'm like the sound of your hard-earned money going down the drain, I'm also the lies you tell yourself to stay sane, and I'm like the baby you hold onto to keep yourself composed.
Gates of heaven are open wide God help me baby I'm trapped inside Feel like I'm buried alive
I feel like I'm trapped in a place that should be heavenly, but instead, it's suffocating me like being buried alive.
I'm, I'm the bottom line Of the joke I'm in ecstasy Spilling like bright egg-yolk
I'm like the punchline of a joke, the final straw that breaks your back. I'm also like the feeling of pure ecstasy that's so overwhelming it's like spilling out of you like bright, runny egg-yolk.
I'm the thoughts you're too ashamed to ever share And I am the smell of it You're trying to wash out of your hair
I'm like the thoughts that you're too embarrassed to share with anyone, and I'm also like an unpleasant smell that you can't seem to wash out of your hair.
The possibilities limitless Just give me something that's more than this One shot and I'll never miss Yes
I'm like limitless possibilities, but I'm always craving something more than what I have. Give me a chance and I promise I won't let you down.
I'm the babe that sleeps Through the Blitz I am a sudden and quite unexpected twist I am your one true love who sleeps with someone else I am your nemesis Baby I'm life sweet life itself, yeah, yeah (yeah)
I'm like a baby who can sleep soundly through chaos, I'm also like a sudden and unexpected change in your life, and I'm also like the love of your life who chooses to cheat on you with someone else. I'm life itself and I could be the best thing that ever happened to you or your worst enemy.
Lyrics © DELLA BLUE MUSIC LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID GRAY, NEILL MACCOLL, ROBBIE MALONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind