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.”
Desiree
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've wadded it up and tossed it a thousand times
We both know the reason
There ain't nothin' to explain
But I know that my leavin'
Will spare us both the pain
(Desiree), I can't hold you any longer
Now the taxi's at the gate
I guess all that's left to say
Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
"I love you Desiree"
It'd be easier to leave if I were mad
But it's hard to lose the best you'll ever have
And to write this note to you
Was the hardest thing to do
But not as hard as bein' a poor boy
Who can't afford a girl like you
(Desiree), I can't hold you any longer
(Desiree), You love his money more than me
Now the taxi's at the gate
I guess all that's left to say
Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
"I love you Desiree"
(Desiree), I can't hold you any longer
(Desiree), You love his money more than me
Now the taxi's at the gate
I guess all that's left to say
Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
"I love you Desiree"
God, I love you, Desiree
I just can't take it anymore
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
Love his money more than me
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
Love his money more than me
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
Oh, you love his money and you love it more than me
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
Yeah, I was just a fool who couldn't see
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
Yeah, you love his money and you love it more than me
The lyrics of David Nail’s song "Desiree" tell the story of a man who is heartbroken but must leave the woman he loves due to her obsession with money. He struggles greatly to write a goodbye note because he truly loves her despite their differences. He can’t afford the luxurious lifestyle she desires and she loves her partner’s wealth more than him. The song portrays the singer's frustration and sadness as he comes to terms with the fact that he can’t compete with his love's desire for material things. He is aware of the pain that the separation will bring, but he believes it’s for the best because he can't provide her with the life that she wants.
The music video features the lead singer and band playing outside a working-class home while the story of the lyrics unfold inside the house. The melancholic tune draws on themes of separation, love, and financial struggles that many people face in their relationships. The chorus, sung with heart-wrenching sincerity, is a plea to Desiree to realize that money can't buy everything she really wants - true love and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
It's killin' me to write the word "goodbye"
Writing 'goodbye' is causing me so much pain that it feels like it's killing me
I've wadded it up and tossed it a thousand times
I've crumpled up the paper with the word 'goodbye' on it and thrown it away many times
We both know the reason
Both of us understand why I'm leaving
There ain't nothin' to explain
There's no need for me to explain why I'm leaving
But I know that my leavin' Will spare us both the pain
I understand that leaving will ultimately save us both from further emotional pain
(Desiree), I can't hold you any longer
Desiree, I can no longer keep holding onto you
(Desiree), You love his money more than me
Desiree, you care more about his money than me
Now the taxi's at the gate
The taxi that I'll be leaving in is now outside, waiting for me
I guess all that's left to say Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
The only way to express my true emotions is through tears falling onto the paper upon which I write this note
"I love you Desiree"
I still have love for you, Desiree
It'd be easier to leave if I were mad
It would be less difficult for me to leave if I was angry
But it's hard to lose the best you'll ever have
However, it's tough to let go of the best love you'll ever experience
And to write this note to you Was the hardest thing to do
Writing this note to you has been one of the toughest things I've done
But not as hard as bein' a poor boy Who can't afford a girl like you
Despite how difficult it is to write this note, it's even harder to be a poor boy who can't afford to keep a girl like you
God, I love you, Desiree
God, I still have love for you, Desiree
I just can't take it anymore
However, I simply can't continue living this way
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
(I won't be here to say goodbye to you)
Love his money more than me
You care more about his money than you do about me
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
(I won't be here to say goodbye to you)
Oh, you love his money and you love it more than me
You care more about his money than you do about me
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
(I won't be here to say goodbye to you)
Yeah, I was just a fool who couldn't see
I realize now that I was a fool who didn't understand what was happening
(I won't be around for your goodbye)
(I won't be here to say goodbye to you)
Yeah, you love his money and you love it more than me
You care more about his money than you do about me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: VERNON WAYNE RUST, KEITH URBAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind