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.”
Night's On Fire
David Nail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slow summer on a Friday
Here we go again, wild in the wind
Mama knows she's gonna be late
Hit the party just to watch her dance
Good to go when she grabs your hand
Like a shot from a gun, it's a dead run
You burn rubber when you smoke them tires
Day's gone and the night's on fire
She's telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night's on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
She's a seat laid back, a boy's dream
Drawin' hearts in the window steam
She's a gettin' you right, knows what you like
And pours it on like gasoline
When you know what you're headed to
What's a red blooded boy to do
She's telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night's on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
She's telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night's on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
"Night's On Fire" is a song about a summertime adventure with a girl who ignites a fire in the singer's heart. The lyrics describe the excitement and anticipation of a wild night out with a love interest, starting with the cue to music as the two drive out of the driveway, setting the tone for the night. The singer characterizes the girl as captivating and alluring, having a profound effect on him as she takes him on a ride that smells like burning rubber.
As the night progresses, they drive off the highway to watch the sunset melt away the blue, and the stars littered across the sky are close enough to touch, promising to create a memory of a lifetime. The girl pours it on like gasoline, taking the singer higher with every move she makes, as if he were on fire. He can't resist her charm and tries to play it cool, but the night is too intense to ignore.
The chorus repeats several times throughout the song, emphasizing the sense of spontaneity and recklessness that comes with a wild summer night, with the nights on fire being a metaphor for the intensity of their attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Cue the music out the driveway
The music starts as we leave the house
Slow summer on a Friday
The beginning of a relaxing, slow weekend
Here we go again, wild in the wind
A familiar feeling of excitement taking over
Mama knows she's gonna be late
Even my mother knows I'm going to be out late
Hit the party just to watch her dance
Going to the party just to watch her dance
Good to go when she grabs your hand
Ready to go as soon as she takes your hand
Like a shot from a gun, it's a dead run
Taking off fast like a bullet from a gun
The first leg of a getaway plan
The start of our plan to get away for the night
You burn rubber when you smoke them tires
Drifting and speeding off in your car
Day's gone and the night's on fire
The day is over and the night is full of excitement
She's telling you turn off the highway
She's directing you where to go
The sunset melts all the blue away
The sunset is beautiful and takes away all worries
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
A bird is watching us from the overhead telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night's on fire
She's drinking whiskey and the night is full of excitement
Littered with stars close enough to touch
Stars so bright and close, you feel like you could touch them
July promise in the back of that truck
A promise made in July while in the back of the truck
Her every move was taking you higher
Every action she took made you more excited
You try to play it cool but the night's on fire
Trying to act calm but the excitement is too intense
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DERIC RUTTAN, JONATHAN SINGLETON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rasbeans51
Cue the music out the driveway
Slow summer on a Friday
Here we go again, wild in the wind
Mama knows she’s gonna be late
Hit the party just to watch her dance
Good to go when she grabs your hand
Like a shot from a gun, it’s a dead run
The first leg of a getaway plan
You burn rubber when you smoke them tires
Day’s gone and the night’s on fire
She’s telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night’s on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
She’s a seat laid back, a boy’s dream
Drawin’ hearts in the window steam
She’s a gettin’ you right, knows what you like
And pours it on like gasoline
When you know what you’re headed to
What’s a red blooded boy to do
She’s telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night’s on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
She’s telling you turn off the highway
The sunset melts all the blue away
Blackbird watching on the telephone wire
Whiskey on her lips and the night’s on fire
Littered with stars close enough to touch
July promise in the back of that truck
Her every move was taking you higher
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
You try to play it cool but the night’s on fire
ordnps
It’s songs like this…never gets old! Love it every time it comes on. Turn it up!!!!
Travis Jones
This is one extremely well written song! Amazing this didn't do better on country radio
Chivon Fortney
I love this song!!!
Jason Kershner
VERY underrated musical artist. I'm surprised he hasn't had more hits than he has. He has a unique voice and sound
Jesse Mason
Every once in a while, I find a song that just has something about that just brings back memories and just hits me real deep because it's so good. This is one of them. Something about this just gives me a really good feeling like remembering good memories
mike cesarz
Same
Adrian Aguilar
Same brotha
Murder Inc. Hunting
Same. I remember my 4 year old daughter singing along to this on the radio the first time we ever went fishing together. I listen to it all the time.
mspixiedust100
Same ;)
Danny Boy
I'm gonna have this song on repeat for a looong long time 👌👌