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.
Only the Lonely
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the walls and to the sky
It seeks no explanation
It waits for no reply
Really it is nothing
Just a cry to the wilds
I'm delirious with chaos
In my soul I'm dreaming only
Of your velvet shore
When I'm walking there my face
Untangles like a child
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
I've been talking all night long
There's nothing more to say
So I'm searching every mirror
For a trace of yesterday
But the air it holds no traces
Where the eagles were flying
I'm haunted by the skyline
The concrete and the rain
The window speaks of winter
So I'll set my heart again
Somewhere in the dust
A curlew is crying
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
I'm talking all night long
Talking all night
There's a copper moon that's buried
Where solitude expands
And distant planets moving
They're weighing on my hands
They're darkening my pages
And there's daylight in my fingers
But it's snowing in my bones
Been sucking on the echo
Of a thousand telephones
And when we meet again
We will be strangers
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
David Gray's song "Only The Lonely" is a poetic and haunting exploration of loneliness, isolation and the yearning for connection. The lyrics speak of raising up one's voice to the walls and the sky, seeking no explanation or reply, emphasizing the futility of trying to communicate with the world. The singer expresses a sense of delirium, being wonderstruck with awe, yet dreaming only of a "velvet shore" where he can find solace. In this imagined place, his face "untangles like a child", representing the freedom and release from the burdens of adult life.
The singer also talks about searching for traces of the past in mirrors, while acknowledging that there is nothing more to say. He is haunted by the buildings, the rain, and the winter. He is weighed down by the darkness that comes with the distant planets moving and darkening his pages. His fingers feel daylight, but his bones feel snow. He has been sucked into the echo of a thousand telephones, a metaphor for the impersonal nature of our modern communication. And in the end, he realizes that only the lonely truly know him.
The song is a powerful reflection on the human condition, particularly during times of loneliness and isolation. Gray's lyrics capture the feelings of frustration, despair, and yearning that we all experience at some point in our lives. It reminds us that despite our attempts to connect with others, sometimes the only understanding we can find comes from within ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm raising up my voice
I am screaming at the top of my lungs
To the walls and to the sky
I am shouting at the surrounding environment
It seeks no explanation
I am not looking for a reason to scream
It waits for no reply
I do not expect anyone to respond to my shout
Really it is nothing
My scream is meaningless
Just a cry to the wilds
My scream is for nature
I'm delirious with chaos
I am lost in a state of confusion
I'm wonder struck with awe
I am filled with amazement and shock
In my soul I'm dreaming only
My subconscious is occupied with thoughts of
Of your velvet shore
the idea of being in a comfortable and safe place
When I'm walking there my face
When I am there, I look
Untangles like a child
Like a child who is free of worry.
And only the lonely
People who are lonely
Only the lonely
Those who lack companionship
Lonely could know me
can understand my situation
I've been talking all night long
I have been speaking constantly throughout the night
There's nothing more to say
There is nothing left to discuss
So I'm searching every mirror
I am examining every reflective surface
For a trace of yesterday
In search of something that reminds me of the past
But the air it holds no traces
The environment is unable to provide the connection with the past that I am seeking
Where the eagles were flying
The place where memories were made
I'm haunted by the skyline
The city's skyline is constantly on my mind
The concrete and the rain
The urban landscape and rainy weather
The window speaks of winter
The cold that the window emanates reminds me of winter
So I'll set my heart again
I will attempt to refocus my mindset
Somewhere in the dust
Buried in the past
A curlew is crying
Birds are singing
There's a copper moon that's buried
Memories are hidden
Where solitude expands
In places where I am alone
And distant planets moving
The universe is constantly in motion
They're weighing on my hands
I feel the weight of the universe on me
They're darkening my pages
The darkness of my thoughts is affecting my creativity
And there's daylight in my fingers
I can create despite feeling heavy
But it's snowing in my bones
I still feel weighed down by past experiences
Been sucking on the echo
I am dwelling on memories
Of a thousand telephones
The idea of constant communication
And when we meet again
The next time we see each other
We will be strangers
We will no longer be close due to distance and time spent apart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ruth Bainbridge
He reaches deep inside and mines the emeralds lodged in the soul.
TheWorldsWorstMan
I listened to a lot of David Gray's music in the early 00s when I was desperately unhappy with life. I'm in a much, much better place now and am trying to listen with a fresh set of ears and to enjoy it all in a different way.
Regina Zamora
I'm raising up my voice
To the walls and to the sky
It seeks no explanation
It waits for no reply
Really it is nothing
Just a cry to the wilds
I'm delirious with chaos
I'm wonder struck with awe
In my soul I'm dreaming only
Of your velvet shore
When I'm walking there my face
Untangles like a child
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
I've been talking all night long
There's nothing more to say
So I'm searching every mirror
For a trace of yesterday
But the air it holds no traces
Where the eagles were flying
I'm haunted by the skyline
The concrete and the rain
The window speaks of winter
So I'll set my heart again
Somewhere in the dust
A curlew is crying
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
I'm talking all night long
Talking all night
There's a copper moon that's buried
Where solitude expands
And distant planets moving
They're weighing on my hands
They're darkening my pages
And there's daylight in my fingers
But it's snowing in my bones
Been sucking on the echo
Of a thousand telephones
And when we meet again
We will be strangers
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
And only the lonely
Only the lonely
Lonely could know me
Mr. Angry Dude GRRRRR
Regina Zamora I always knew this song was obviously quite melancholy, but reading the lyrics it’s a little more than I thought.
Craig Owston
I do forget at times: what a raw talent this man once was!
Tiziano Bolpin
"It's a perfect song" said Ale
TheMastakilla4201
Up the motherfucking regs