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.”
Kiss You Tonight
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were whispering my name
Every star, every scar
Every mark upon my heart
Up and fades away
I feel myself missing
Everything I threw away
Every song we'd ever sing
Got lost in yesterday
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
Do you find yourself wondering
If I still think about you
Every thought, every step
Every tear and every breath
I swear I do
Yeah, that's all I ever do
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
If I can kiss you tonight
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
If I can kiss you tonight
If I could kiss you tonight
The song "Kiss You Tonight" by David Nail is a heart-wrenching ballad about the pain of losing someone and wanting them back. The singer laments that he finds himself wishing for his former lover to whisper his name and hold him again. He reflects on every star, scar, and mark on his heart that has faded away since their separation. He misses everything he threw away, including their dreams, scenes, and songs they used to sing together.
Despite his efforts to move on, the singer can't give up the fight to win back his love. The hope of a kiss from his former lover, even just for one night, could make everything alright. He believes that if they can make it through the night and find the morning light, they could have a chance at making it to tomorrow.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is still consumed by his love for this person and hasn't been able to move on. He wonders if she thinks about him as much as he thinks about her. The song conveys a sense of yearning and longing for someone who is no longer there, and the hope that they may reunite.
Line by Line Meaning
I catch myself wishing
I can't help but yearn
You were whispering my name
For you to be close and affectionate
Every star, every scar
Every memory, good or bad
Every mark upon my heart
Every experience that has affected my emotions
Up and fades away
Gradually disappears
I feel myself missing
I'm aware of the emptiness without you
Everything I threw away
All the good things that I let go of
Every dream, every scene
Every vision, every moment
Every song we'd ever sing
Every melody we created together
Got lost in yesterday
Feels like it's all in the past and unattainable
I've been trying to do without you
I've been attempting to move on
But I can't give up this fight
But I can't stop struggling
Everything will be alright
I'm still hopeful for a positive outcome
If I can kiss you tonight
If we could just be together again
We can make it to tomorrow
There's a possibility of a future
If we can find the morning light
If we can discover a new day
Do you find yourself wondering
Do you ever think about me
If I still think about you
If I still feel the same way
Every thought, every step
Every action and decision
Every tear and every breath
Every moment of pain and every deep breath
I swear I do
I promise it's true
Yeah, that's all I ever do
Thinking about you is all I can do
If I could kiss you tonight
If only we could have this moment together
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID COOK, TRENTON SUMMAR, JAY C. KNOWLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nels
I catch myself wishing
You were whispering my name
Every star, every scar
Every mark upon my heart
Up and fades away
I feel myself missing
Everything I threw away
Every dream, every scene
Every song we'd ever sing
Got lost in yesterday
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
Do you find yourself wondering
If I still think about you
Every thought, every step
Every tear and every breath
I swear I do
Yeah, that's all I ever do
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
If I can kiss you tonight
I've been trying to do without you
But I can't give up this fight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
We can make it to tomorrow
If we can find the morning light
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
Everything will be alright
If I can kiss you tonight
If I can kiss you tonight
If I could kiss you tonight
Tracy York
David Nail is the most talented artist in country music today...his CDs are on replayreplayreplayreplay in my life... his music is definitely a part of my life's soundtrack and I hope he gets the recognition he deserves.
CF8 Accord and YA4 CL
all i have to say is "wow". this song has some good things to know kids.
54susieq
We need more great Country Music like this! Simply Beautiful!
Kathy Boldrey
True that is a song
karin verwoerd
@54susieq Yesit is beautiful and it was written by rock singer David Cook of american idol.
greg monroe
David Nail is a way underrated talent
Jaedyn Estrada
Agreed
A Sweet Bite
My gosh yes!! Who else loves "Whatever She's Got"?!
Tammy Ward
@Brandon Hill He really is. He has so many great songs that aren't played nor appreciated. He's a song writer and singer, the Real deal.
Jeff Fletcher
Makes me think of one girl that I’m crazy about 🤗