For singer-songwriter Nail, it was a history-making moment -- small town boy decides to chase a big city dream -- and a theme that has informed his music ever since. On his first album from MCA Nashville, he neatly bridges the divide, laying claim to his hometown roots while keeping a firm grip on the future, and all the deeply emotional territory in between.
“I feel like regardless of where you grew up, city, small town, east coast, west coast or whatever, there’s something in this music that you can relate to,” he says. “They might not all be exactly the same, but everyone has those moments; the first time you left home, falling in love, losing love. That’s what moves me, what I can dig into.”
Nail, son of a former high school band director, cut his musical teeth on a record collection that included Stevie Wonder, Elton John and the Beatles. “Elton John was one of the main reasons I started singing, and is still a tremendous influence,” he says. “I think he and the Beatles are probably two of the greatest melody makers of all time.” Then he moved on to country: “I ‘discovered’ country music in the early 90’s along with everyone else my age,” he says, “but I guess I kind of got more obsessive than everybody else. I found myself looking back as far as the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, exposing myself to some of the biggest stars of that era. It was then that I fell in love with Glen Campbell, who is still one of my all-time favorites.”
Drawn to Music City after high school, Nail took that first step on his long and winding road, following the music. “I had been to Nashville as a small child but I had no memories of what it was like and obviously had no idea what the music business was like,” he says. “I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.” Overwhelmed, he ended up moving back to Missouri in less than a year.
Returning to Nashville two years later, Nail became frustrated once again in early 2005 with the lack of movement with his music career. David spent the next two summers helping an old college buddy coach the Twitty City Knights, a select group of some of Nashville’s best baseball talent. “I did it just to get away from the reality of what my career had become at that time, and it was being around those kids that recharged my batteries. It reminded me how free and easy life is at 17 and 18 years old and how truly blessed I’d been, both growing up, and now, being able to chase my dream. I will forever look back on that time and those kids for getting me back on track.” Shortly thereafter, mutual friend Brian Wright, who’d recently become V.P., A&R, for both the MCA and Mercury Nashville labels, introduced Nail to Frank Liddell, who 10 years earlier had produced one of Nail’s all-time favorite records, Chris Knight’s self-titled Decca debut.
Through the ups and downs of a life in the music business, Nail was persistent – and his dream became a realization with I’m About To Come Alive, a collection of songs that captures the highs and lows and the hometown flavor of his own experiences. “I wanted to take something from the people who’ve inspired me,” he says, “but also put myself in there, and just make something I could be proud of. It’s definitely a moody record, there’s definitely going to be some heartbreak in there, definitely going to be some dark times. But there’s music you listen to when you’re feeling good, and music you listen to when you’re down and out, and I think this is a record that satisfies both needs.”
From the second he started recording, Nail was determined to bridge the gap between traditional country and the soulful styling’s of a Lionel Ritchie and Ray Charles. “I’ve got to have a piano player with a lot of fire, a little more recklessness!” he says. Liddell (Miranda Lambert) offered up legendary player Chuck Leavell, who brought his inspired piano into the mix with Nail’s smooth, yet soulful vocals to create magic on tracks like “Mississippi.” “It’s a very reflective ballad about a guy from a small town who’s in the city,” Nail says. “Very moody and Ray Charles-esque. Chuck went in there and started playing the intro and suddenly I felt as if I was back in those early days of recording. His playing sent me to another level of singing.”
“Turning Home” had that same soulful emotion and drew Nail’s attention as a demo. “When I first heard it, it was a lot of what I was feeling at the time. I just kept listening to it over and over. I felt like I had always been searching for a song I could really sing, put some emotion, pain and hurt into, and then here was this song,” he said. The result is a perfect match between singer and song, with that same church-meets-honky-tonk piano on the side, and vocals reminiscent of another one of Nail’s big influences, Vince Gill.
Nail wrote five of the eleven I’m About To Come Alive tracks, including “Missouri.” “I was in the middle of a two-year bout with depression,” said Nail. “It’s without a doubt the most honest and personal song I’ve written. I’d been in a relationship for a year or so and could sense something was wrong with me. It was more or less me crying out, pleading for her to leave me because I didn’t have the courage to do it myself.” Along side Scooter Carusoe “Anything But Mine” Nail also wrote “Clouds,” which, he explains, is about one of his most recent misses at romance. “The best songs I’ve ever written just kind of come to me. You don’t have a choice in the matter, they just more or less pour out. Both ‘Missouri’ and ‘Clouds’ were like that.”
With all that emotion going into his songs, he admits he’s a guy who’s always looking for the happy ending. “This is a confession – I’m a man of many extremes, whether working or playing,” he says. “I’m a songwriter, so I’m a sensitive guy. I long for the storybook life.” And it’s produced a lot of good material. “I think the really great singers and writers are able to dig a little deeper and find that other level of emotion,” Nail says. “And I think that’s what makes them better than the rest. I always pride myself on trying to find that place with every song.”
And it’s that moment of raw emotional connection that Nail hopes to pass on to listeners. “I’m more or less just trying to join the fray of good music,” he says. “People ask me all the time how I’d describe my music and I say ‘Well, I hope it’s good.’ Hopefully people will just enjoy it for being good music and take from it whatever it makes them feel.”
Hard knocks and heartache, good times and bad, small towns and big cities – it’s all in his music. “They’re all aspects of life,” he says. “I’m still growing as both a person and artist, and will hopefully continue getting better in regards to both.”
Brand New Day
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feels good anytime
What have I been waiting for?
It's high time that I dust off the magic
Put my face back in the crowd
And find somebody new
My phone used to ring but I just wasn't ready
One memory would tear down the levy
But tonight I don't feel a thing
Finally, yeah, I've made it through the rebound
The past ain't dragging me down
I'm back to who I was before you
On a perfect night
There's no telling where or what I might
Find before the morning light
Starts a brand new day
Even that autumn air feels sweeter
Filling up my chest
There's a comfort in the cold
And somehow the taste of these Budweiser's
Fit just like a friend
They welcome me to lean
Yeah, you live and you learn and you try to do better
She wanted to go and I finally let her
But broken hearts like wood will splinter
Tonight I don't feel a thing
Finally, yeah, I've made it through the rebound
The past ain't dragging me down
I'm back to who I was before you
On a perfect night
There's no telling where or what I might
Find before the morning light
Starts a brand new day
Finally, yeah, I've made it through the rebound
The past ain't dragging me down
I'm back to who I was before you
On a perfect night
There's no telling where or what I might
Find before the morning light
Starts a brand new day
Yeah, starts a brand new day
Yeah, you live and you learn
You live and you learn and you try to do better
She wanted to go
Just trying to be better
My phone used to ring but I just wasn't ready
The smell of the smoke and the tunes too heavy
One memory would tear down the levy
Just like a friend
Yeah, you live and you learn and you try to do better
She wanted to go and I finally let her
Yeah, I finally let her go
In David Nail's song "Brand New Day," he talks about moving on from a past relationship and rediscovering himself. He compares the streets to an old jean jacket that feels comfortable anytime, indicating that he has finally found comfort being back in the world after isolating himself due to his past relationship. He acknowledges that his phone used to ring, but he wasn't ready to deal with the memories and emotions that were attached to it. However, on this particular night, he feels free from those emotions, like a levy that is no longer holding back the water.
Nail feels like he has made it through the rebound and that the past isn't dragging him down anymore. He is back to being who he was before the relationship, and on this perfect night, he doesn't know what he might find. The autumn air feels sweeter, and somehow, the taste of Budweiser beer feels like a friend welcoming him back. Nail reflects on the fact that broken hearts are like wood that splinters, but tonight, he doesn't feel anything.
The lyrics are made up of simple language, yet they convey a lot of meaning. Nail expresses that he is ready to move on from his past and start anew. He is hopeful that what lies ahead is positive and represents a fresh start.
Line by Line Meaning
These streets are like an ol' jean jacket
The streets provide me with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia - like an old, comfortable jacket.
Feels good anytime
I can always depend on the streets to make me feel at ease.
What have I been waiting for?
I've been asking myself why I haven't made this change earlier.
It's high time that I dust off the magic
It's finally time to bring back the part of me that's been lost.
Put my face back in the crowd
I'm ready to socialize and not shy away from people.
And find somebody new
I'm ready to move on and find someone new.
My phone used to ring but I just wasn't ready
I used to receive phone calls from people, but I wasn't emotionally ready to engage with them.
The smell of the smoke and the tunes too heavy
The smell of smoke and the weight of the music made it hard to forget the past.
One memory would tear down the levy
One thought or memory would cause me to despair and break down emotionally.
But tonight I don't feel a thing
I'm finally at a place where I don't feel any emotional pain.
Finally, yeah, I've made it through the rebound
I'm finally over the stage where I'm trying to recover from a previous relationship.
The past ain't dragging me down
I've been able to leave my past behind and not let it affect me negatively.
I'm back to who I was before you
I'm reclaiming the part of me that was lost in the previous relationship.
On a perfect night
It's a great night with perfect weather, mood and atmosphere.
There's no telling where or what I might
I'm open to surprises and new experiences.
Find before the morning light
I'm spending the night exploring and being open to anything.
Starts a brand new day
I'm looking forward to a new day and a fresh start.
Even that autumn air feels sweeter
The air around me feels good - even in cold, breezy weather.
Filling up my chest
I feel my lungs with the cool autumn air.
There's a comfort in the cold
I find comfort in the chilly autumn weather.
And somehow the taste of these Budweiser's
The taste of this beer is very palatable.
Fit just like a friend
This beer is like an old friend - familiar and comforting.
Yeah, you live and you learn and you try to do better
Life is about learning, growing and improving oneself.
She wanted to go and I finally let her
My previous partner wanted to leave and I finally allowed her to.
But broken hearts like wood will splinter
A broken heart is fragile and can be easily broken further.
Yeah, I finally let her go
I finally decided to accept that the relationship was over and moved on.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SCOOTER CARUSOE, DAVID NAIL, SHANE MCANALLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind