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.”
Broke My Heart
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With that long, tangled blonde hanging down
Just the way you move to the groove playing in my head
The soft of your lips, the touch of your hand
The being your man when it's time to go
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
If you were mine again by now
We'd be making out in the backseat of a city cab
We'd hit the floor just past the door 'cause we can't wait
Baby, we can't wait
It'd be the sun coming through
The window and you still being here
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
I'd still be begging you to tear it apart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
I'd still be begging you to tear it apart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
I'd still be begging you to tear it apart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Even if you'd never broke my heart
The song "Broke My Heart" by David Nail is a confessional song about a relationship that had ended because of the actions of the person singing the song. In the first verse, the singer describes the beauty and allure of the person who broke their heart. They describe the way this person moves and the softness of their lips and touch. However, the singer then reveals that even if this person had never broken their heart, they would still be begging them to be together. The second verse is a hypothetical scenario in which the two are reunited and making out in the backseat of a city cab. The singer longs for this scenario and wishes they could turn back the clock to when they were together. The chorus repeats the line "Even if you'd never broke my heart, I'd still be begging you to tear it apart."
The lyrics of this song suggest that the singer is struggling with the end of a relationship and still longs for the person who broke their heart. They can't let go of the feeling of being with this person and want to go back to that time, even if it means getting hurt again. The song captures the complicated emotions that can come with heartbreak and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Just the way you float through a crowded room
I am captivated by the grace and beauty with which you move through a crowded space
With that long, tangled blonde hanging down
Your long, blonde hair adds to your charm and allure
Just the way you move to the groove playing in my head
Your movements match the rhythm in my mind, making my heart skip a beat
The soft of your lips, the touch of your hand
The tenderness of your kiss and the way you grasp my hand sends shivers down my spine
The being your man when it's time to go
Being by your side and taking care of you is my responsibility and pride
Even if you'd never broke my heart
Despite the pain you caused me, I am still deeply in love with you
I'd still be begging you to tear it apart
I am willing to take the risk of heartbreak again if it means being with you
If you were mine again by now
I wish we could be together again, like we once were
We'd be making out in the backseat of a city cab
Passion and desire would take over, and we would not be able to resist each other
We'd hit the floor just past the door 'cause we can't wait
Our passion would be so strong that we would have to find a place to express it immediately
Baby, we can't wait
Our love is so intense that we cannot contain it any longer
It'd be the sun coming through the window and you still being here
I imagine waking up next to you, feeling the warmth of the sun and being grateful that you are still by my side
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID NAIL, JONATHAN DAVID SINGLETON, SCOOTER CARUSOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind