I. David Wilcox i… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists named David Wilcox.
I. David Wilcox is a Canadian rock and blues musician.
II. David Wilcox is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter guitarist.
I. More than three decades into his career, singer/songwriter David Wilcox continues to push himself, just as he always has. Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style. His innate sense of adventure and authenticity is why critics and colleagues, alike, have always praised not just his artistry, but his humanity, as well.
That's not by accident; it's very much by design. It's the result of a man giving himself over in gratitude and service to something bigger than himself. “I'm grateful to music,” he says. “I have a life that feels deeply good, but when I started playing music, nothing in my life felt that good. I started to write songs because I wanted to find a way to make my life feel as good as I felt when I heard a great song. I don't think I'd be alive now if it had not been for music.”
An early '80s move to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina set his wheels in motion, as he started playing guitar and writing songs, processing his own inner workings and accessing his own inner wisdom. In 1987, within a couple of years of graduating, Wilcox had released his first independent album, The Nightshift Watchman. A year later, he won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Award and, in 1989, he signed with A&M Records, selling more than 100,000 copies of his A&M debut, How Did You Find Me Here.
In the 30 years and more than 20 records since — whether with a major label, an indie company, or his own imprint — Wilcox has continued to hone his craft, pairing thoughtful insights with his warm baritone, open tunings, and deft technique. He's also kept up a brisk and thorough tour itinerary, performing 80 to 100 shows a year throughout the U.S., and regularly deploying his talents by improvising a “Musical Medicine” song for an audience member in need. In recent years he’s taken that process a step further, carefully writing and recording dozens of his “Custom Songs” for long-time fans who seek his help in commemorating and explaining the key milestones in their lives.
Lest anyone think that he's lost his touch, Wilcox pulled no punches on his most recent release, 2018's The View From the Edge. Not only does the song cycle find him delving into mental health, family legacies, spiritual contemplations, and topical concerns, the song “We Make the Way By Walking" also won him the Grand Prize in the 2018 USA Songwriting Contest.
"I think the coolest thing about this kind of music is that, if you listen to a night's worth of music, you should know that person,” he explains. “If you're hearing a performer sing all these songs, you should know not only where he gets his joy and what he loves, but you should know what pisses him off and what frightens him and what runs him off the rails, what takes him apart and what puts him back together.”
To attain that level of revelatory honesty, Wilcox follows a song to its deepest truth, even when it haunts him, a practice which demands the strength of vulnerability that he has sought since his teen years. That honesty is why Rolling Stone has written that his “ongoing musical journey is compelling and richly deserving of a listen.” It's also why Blue Ridge Public Radio has noted that, “The connection people feel with David’s music is also the connection they feel with each other.”
But Wilcox's unique brand of storytelling doesn't come easily. And it doesn't come quickly. “I could always think of a lot of possible ways the song could go, but the trick was recognizing truth amidst all the cleverness,” he confesses. “The more time I took, the more my deep heart could speak to me through the process of songwriting. I could gradually craft a song that felt like it was coming from the place I was going. If you decide to trust heart over cleverness, you not only get a song that moves you, you get a song that moves you toward being who you want to be. The time you spend immersed in the emotion of a song changes you. The song shows you the world through a particular point of view. Once you have seen the world that way, you can't un-see it.”
Website: David Wilcox
II. The American David Wilcox was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His work features lyrical insight, asmooth baritone voice, virtuosic guitar chops, and creative open tunings. He released an independent album in 1987, won the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk award in 1988, and by 1989 he had signed with A&M Records. His first release on the label, ‘How Did You Find Me Here’, sold over 100,000 copies its first year. 17 albums later his songs have been covered by artists such as k.d. lang and many others.
Radio Men
David Wilcox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he smiles, a big smile
He's sure that the people who sing
Are inside, inside
Why did I try to explain?
He's got a miracle there
But I'm wise
So here's to the radio men
Here's to the radio men
Here's to the radio men inside
Inside, inside
See all the twinkling stars
That he found, that he found
They glow like a firefly jar
From each town, from each town
As we soar through the peek-a-boo clouds
Here is the far-away wish to fly
But I fear that I've taken all this
In stride
So here's to the radio men
Here's to the radio men
Here's to the radio men
Inside, inside, inside, inside
[Incomprehensible]
You could see in
Radio men, inside
Singin' for you
The song Radio Men by David Wilcox is a beautiful ode to the power of music and how it connects people. The lyrics describe a scene where Wilcox is making the radio play and a young boy watches in wonder with a smile on his face. The boy believes that the people who sing are inside the radio, and when Wilcox tries to explain how it works, the boy cries when he sees the batteries. The song is a tribute to the magic of the radio and how it can transport people to different worlds through music. The twinkling stars that the boy found are like the music that he enjoys, and they form a world of their own in each town.
As the song progresses, Wilcox reflects on the power of music to transcend boundaries and connect people from different parts of the world. He wishes to fly and see the world from a different perspective, but at the same time, he realizes that he has taken the magic of music for granted. The refrain "Here's to the radio men, here's to the radio men, here's to the radio men inside" is a nod to the people who work behind the scenes to make music accessible to everyone. It is also a tribute to the musicians themselves who pour their souls into their music and create magic that touches people's lives.
Overall, Radio Men is a beautiful song that celebrates the universal appeal of music and how it can bring people together. It is a reminder that even in this age of technology and instant gratification, the magic of music endures.
Line by Line Meaning
I make the radio play
I am responsible for creating the music that comes out of the radio.
And he smiles, a big smile
The listener is happy and content with the music I am playing on the radio.
He's sure that the people who sing
The listener believes that the singers are physically inside the radio station performing the music.
Are inside, inside
The listener has a childlike imagination and thinks the music is physically being made inside the radio.
Why did I try to explain?
The artist realizes that it's pointless to try to explain the science of radio broadcasting to the listener as they have a mystical view of how it works.
He's got a miracle there
The singer recognizes that the listener sees the radio as a miracle or magical device.
But I'm wise
The singer has a greater understanding of the technology behind the radio and doesn't see it as mystical.
I show where the batteries go and he cries
When the artist shows the listener where the batteries go in the radio, it breaks the listener's magical illusion and makes them cry.
So here's to the radio men
The artist is giving a toast to all those who work in the radio broadcasting industry.
See all the twinkling stars
The artist is looking outside the airplane window and sees the stars.
That he found, that he found
The singer is acknowledging the magic of the listener's imagination that allowed them to see the stars in the first place.
They glow like a firefly jar
The stars shine brightly, like fireflies caught in a jar.
From each town, from each town
The stars represent all the different towns and cities the radio signal reaches, connecting people through music.
As we soar through the peek-a-boo clouds
The singer is flying in a plane above the clouds.
Here is the far-away wish to fly
The listener wishes they could see the world from above the clouds and fly like the airplane.
But I fear that I've taken all this in stride
The artist is worried that they have become desensitized to the magic of flight and music, and take it for granted.
Radio men, inside, inside
The artist is celebrating the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make radio broadcasting possible.
Singin' for you
The radio broadcasters work hard to provide entertainment and connect people through music, broadcasting the songs they sing for the listener.
Lyrics © SOROKA MUSIC LTD.
Written by: DAVID WILCOX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Voo
love this song so much!!!
D G
Dave - ALWAYS amazing
webberman1
30 years later, after losing my Dad this song still resonates, and now has a new meaning. Nightshift Watchman and How Did You Find Me Here are truly desert island collection for me. Our paths crossed many times over the years, David, but it's been a few. Might have to change that.
Joe Schmo
My dad was the finest example of masculinity that I ever had. I was the last family member to speak with him on his deathbed. Diabetes... He was so sick, in so much pain, and so weak... he shook my hand, with the grip of a BEAR, and said "You see that you help mom". I said "Yes, sir." Every time I open my toolbox, full of HIS tools, I think of him.
Ken C
I miss my dad :(