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.
what am i doing wrong
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bird with metal wings
Ghost on the highway
Bird with metal wings
Crowd all around me
Just don't hear a thing
Ghost on the highway
Bird with metal wings
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing tell me
You don't telephone
You don't telephone
You don't telephone
You don't telephone me
Stand in the doorway
There in yellow light
Down in the doorway
Bathed in morning light
Saw you before me
Thought maybe it might
Down in the doorway
Under yellow light
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing tell me
You don't telephone
You don't telephone
You don't telephone
You don't telephone me
You never spoke a word
But its over
I saw the way you turned your head
You never spoke a word
But its understood
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing tell me
She don't telephone
She don't telephone
She don't telephone
She don't telephone me
Sitting here late at night
Sitting here late at night
My heart is aching
Heard it all before
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing wrong
What am I doing tell me
The lyrics of David Gray's "What Am I Doing Wrong?" present a speaker who is troubled about a loss or rejection, seeking answers to what went wrong with a particular person. The lyrics use imagery of a "ghost on the highway" and a "bird with metal wings" to evoke a sense of eerie emptiness, suggesting that the singer is lost and alone in his confusion. They also express his sense of being ignored, as he says that the crowd "just don't hear a thing." The question "what am I doing wrong?" appears repeatedly throughout the song, emphasizing his need for clarity and insight.
Line by Line Meaning
Ghost on the highway
Feeling invisible and isolated like a ghost on a busy highway
bird with metal wings
Feeling heavy and unable to fly, like a bird with metallic wings
crowd all around me
Surrounded by people, but feeling ignored and unheard
just don't hear a thing
Unable to connect with others and feeling ignored
What am I doing wrong
Expressing confusion and desperation to understand where things went wrong
you don't telephone
Feeling abandoned and ignored by someone who used to be close
Stand in the doorway
Pausing in a moment of uncertainty and conflict
there in yellow light
Reflecting on the moment, bathed in the softness of sunrise or sunset light
saw you before me
Thinking deeply about the past and what could have been
thought maybe it might
Hoping that the feelings were mutual and that the relationship could work
you never spoke a word
Not receiving any clear communication or closure from the other person
but its over
Accepting the fact that the relationship has ended
I saw the way you turned your head
Picking up on nonverbal cues that the other person has moved on
but its understood
Acknowledging and accepting the end of the relationship without further communication
she don't telephone
Feeling abandoned and ignored by someone who used to be close, but now it is a woman
sitting here late at night
Feeling alone and introspective in the darkness of the night
my heart is aching
Experiencing deep emotional pain from the loss of the relationship
heard it all before
Feeling like this pain and heartache is familiar and will never end
what am I doing, tell me
Asking for guidance and insight on how to move on and find answers
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind