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.
the light
David Gray Lyrics
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And the dark sucks on the embers of the fire.
My heart smolders in the night,
And these tumbling boulders of desire
Come rolling out the shadows at me,
Rolling out the shadows at me,
Rolling out the shadows at me.
You say, "I thought time was meant to take away the hurting?"
As your lonely silhouette closes the curtain.
We're back on the road, destination uncertain,
So let's get in this car and drive.
And this feeling I feel is so strong,
So powerful, it can't be wrong;
And now the whole frosted night is just a song,
A song for you,
A song for you,
A song for you.
Now the moon is splashed right over the street
Like my tears on your thighs so pale.
It's just you and me and the sheets,
And the whole, the whole wide world is just a jail,
When you're away from me,
You're away from me,
You're away from me.
And it's rollin' on by,
Here come the night.
You turn out the light
And the dark sucks on the embers of the fire;
My heart smolders in the night
And these tumbling boulders of desire
Come rolling,
Come rolling,
Rolling, rolling,
Rolling, rolling,
Rolling, rolling,
Rolling, rolling,
Rolling, rolling,
Rolling, rolling out the shadows at me
You turn out the light.
David Gray’s song “The Light” explores the feeling of desire and the pain of separation from a loved one. The song begins as the singer is left in the dark as his love turns off the light. As he sits in the dark, he feels the burning desire for his partner. The tumbling boulders of desire roll out of the shadow and engulf him. His partner expresses her confusion about how time has not seemed to lessen the pain of their separation. She closes the curtains on the night as they prepare to hit the road with an uncertain destination.
The singer is overwhelmed by the feeling of desire, and he cannot be denied that intense passion for his partner. He feels that the passion is so right, and nothing can make it wrong. The whole frosted night just blends out in a song, a song that is just for her. The moon illuminates the streets, similar to how tears stain her pale thighs. When they are away from each other, it’s like they are in a jail, and the world feels like it is rolling on by.
The song goes back to the beginning as the light goes off, and the dark sucks on the embers of the fire. The heart smolders in the night, and the tumbling boulders of desire come rolling out of the shadows again.
Line by Line Meaning
You turn off the light,
The act of turning off the light extinguishes the fire which cast shadows in the space, but more importantly, it symbolizes a lack of awareness of the emotions at play.
And the dark sucks on the embers of the fire.
The darkness that follows the extinguished light emphasizes the shadows of the heart and memories of love that the person is coming to terms with.
My heart smolders in the night,
The singer's heart is still full of the embers of love that is being rekindled.
And these tumbling boulders of desire
The artist describes his feelings towards the woman he is with in the form of heavy, tumbling boulders that he is unable to ignore.
Come rolling out the shadows at me,
The artist is not in control of his emotions and is overwhelmed by the powerful feelings he has towards the woman he is with.
You say, "I thought time was meant to take away the hurting?"
The woman is questioning the validity of the continued presence of the singer's emotions as she perceives it to be expired and long gone.
As your lonely silhouette closes the curtain.
The woman is preparing to address and explore the relationship through symbolism, closing the curtain on a previous chapter in their lives.
We're back on the road, destination uncertain,
The artist and woman are embarking on a new chapter of unknown destination.
So let's get in this car and drive.
The artist is proposing that the two work together to build a future and embark on unfamiliar paths together.
And this feeling I feel is so strong,
The artist's emotions are so intense and undeniable they are almost an entity in themselves.
So powerful, it can't be wrong;
The singer is confident in the strength of his emotions for the woman.
And now the whole frosted night is just a song,
The artist has completely refocused his attention on the woman, and nothing else matters.
A song for you,
The singer has created an ode to the woman, acknowledging her as a significant entity in his life.
A song for you,
The repetition of the line emphasizes the strength of the singer's devotion to the woman.
A song for you.
The final repetition again cements the singer's dedication to the woman.
Now the moon is splashed right over the street
The visual of the moon over the street gives the setting for the resumption of their romance.
Like my tears on your thighs so pale.
The comparison of the moonlight reflecting down to the woman's thighs indicates the sexual side of the artist's feelings while also symbolizing honesty and vulnerability.
It's just you and me and the sheets,
The singer is emphasizing that the two of them are the most important facets in the moment they are sharing together.
And the whole, the whole wide world is just a jail,
In the moment, all that exists is the two of them while the past and future are inescapable.
When you're away from me,
The poet concedes that without the woman by his side, he is incomplete.
You're away from me,
The repetition of this line lists the different ways he can get away from her.
You're away from me.
The final repetition emphasizes his intense desire for the woman and his need to always have her close.
And it's rollin' on by,
The passage of time is unceasing.
Here come the night.
The night symbolizes a continuation of romantic and sexual pleasure while also implying the time for the artist and the woman to be together.
Come rolling
The reemergence of the tumbling boulders from earlier shows that emotions can't always be controlled.
Come rolling,
The repetitions of these line reflect a flow of unstoppable and intense emotions.
Rolling, rolling,
The repetition emphasizes the powerlessness of the singer's emotions.
Rolling, rolling,
The line is repeated to emphasize the overwhelming nature of the artist's feelings.
Rolling, rolling,
The repetition of the line amplifies the intensity of the longing the artist feels for the woman he loves.
Rolling, rolling, out the shadows at me
The final repetition of the line highlights the unstoppable nature of the emotions that overwhelm and push him towards her.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: AARON MALCOLMSON, SHAUN GIONIS, STACEY GRAY, TIM MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind