Frank Turner started solo acoustic shows prior to Million Dead's break up. The first official performance was at the first Small Town America all dayer at 93 Feet East on September 18th 2004. The solo performances were, in a sense, a sideline to Million Dead. They did allow Turner to display some of his own songwriting capabilities (without a band) as well as some covers of songs and bands he enjoyed, in some cases the songs were much re-worked to fit an acoustic atmosphere. Solo performances were also used to help bolster or expose Million Dead to new individuals as well, with some acoustic in-store and radio performances of Million Dead songs.
At the end of February and start of March (2006) Frank went to Oxford to record the "Campfire Punkrock" EP with Dive Dive as the backing band for three of the songs. This EP was released on May 15 2006 on a limited run through Xtra Mile recordings. It sold out after only a few weeks on sale and had to be re-pressed to meet demand.
With Jonah Matranga doing some touring in June 2006 in support of his CD/DVD album "Jonah Matranga" there was some discussion of Frank doing supports with Jonah, this only ended up with one show featuring both at The Peel in Kingston. The discussion however lead to the creation of the Jonah Matranga and Frank Turner split 12" vinyl. Released in the USA on Welcome Home Records and in the UK via Xtra Mile Recordings. The release features Frank covering two songs by American songwriters and Jonah covering two songs by British songwriters. He was recently (September 18 2006) the last ever artist to perform on BBC Radio 1's Lamacq Live program, unveiling two new songs from "Sleep Is For The Week".
The good sales of "Campfire Punkrock" meant good news as this allowed Frank to record his debut album "Sleep Is For The Week" in August and September 2006. Recorded in Oxford with Dive Dive as extra band on a selection of the 13 tracks. The last track, "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends", is a live recording from a sold out show at the London Barfly and features the vocal contribution of the (approximately) 200 strong audience during a verse. Those in attendance and gave their names to Xtra Mile Recordings will have their names credited as contributers to this track.
In April 2008, his second album Love, Ire and Song was released to critical acclaim.
His third full-length album, Poetry Of The Deed, was released September 7th 2009, and includes the singles The Road, Try This At Home and Isabel. An accompanying DVD, Take To The Road, was released in March 2010.
Amidst extensive touring in support of Poetry of the Deed, Turner and his then-untitled backing band recorded Rock & Roll, an EP consisting of tracks written at the same time as Poetry of the Deed alongside new material. Following its release, Turner and the band spent twenty days in January 2011, recording their next studio album with producer Tristan Ivemy. The result was England Keep My Bones, the fourth studio album by Frank, released on June 6, 2011, on Xtra Mile in the United Kingdom, and on June 7, 2011, on Epitaph Records worldwide. Preceded by the single, "Peggy Sang the Blues", the album was produced and mixed by Tristan Ivemy, who had previously mixed Love, Ire and Song, Rock & Roll and Campfire Punkrock.
The album's title is taken from William Shakespeare's play, The Life and Death of King John, with Turner noting, "I knew that the album was, for the most part, about mortality, and about Englishness. Shakespeare seemed like a good place to go hunting for some pearls of wisdom, and with a little help from my friend Ben we came across this one, and it just seemed to fit the work really well."
Following the completion of the album, Turner subsequently announced his backing band had named themselves The Sleeping Souls, after a lyric in the track, "I Am Disappeared". The Sleeping Souls are Nigel Powell, Ben LLoyd, Tarant Anderson and Matt Nasir.
Turner recorded his fifth studio album in Burbank, California, in October 2012. The reason for recording first time abroad in California was, that producer Rich Costey wouldn't come to England with all his equipment so he convinced Turner to record it in Burbank. Frank Turner announced via Twitter on 28 October 2012 that recording was completed, and mixing and mastering would be done in time for a March 2013 release date. During the November and December UK tour a free CD titled Good Hangs from Xtra Mile Recordings was distributed for free at Frank Turner shows, this included a yet-to-be-released Turner song titled "Tattoos" plus the Möngöl Hörde song "Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen". On Christmas Day 2012, the song "Four Simple Words" was released on Xtra Mile Recordings' website as a free download along with the b-side "Cowboy Chords". On 4 January 2013, a video was shot for what would be the first single. On the same day Frank announced on Twitter that the single was the song "Recovery". On 9 January, Frank uploaded a photo to his Instagram page showing the names of all 13 songs that would feature on his new album. This included songs played during the UK and US tours of 2012 such as "Anymore", "Plain Sailing Weather", "We Shall Not Overcome" and "Tell Tale Signs". Frank also posted on his fan forum that an extended edition of his new album would be released that includes an extra 5 or 6 songs. On 19 February 2013, it was announced that Turner had signed a licensing deal with Interscope Records in the US for Tape Deck Heart. Following the release of the album Frank Turner embarked on a short U.K tour.
[this section requires expansion, to cover the period 2013 to 2018]
Discography:
2005 - Frank Turner's Demo
2007 - Campfire Punkrock
2007 - The Real Damage
2007 - Sleep Is For The Week
2008 - Love Ire & Song
2008 - The First Three Years
2009 - Poetry Of The Deed
2010 - Take to the Road: Live 2009
2010 - iTunes Festival: London 2010
2011 - 2011-11-17: Daytrotter Session, Big Orange Studios, Austin, TX, USA
2012 - The Second Three Years
2012 - Last Minutes and Lost Evenings
2013 - Tape Deck Heart
2014 - Polaroid Picture
2014 - The Third Three Years
2015 - Positive Songs for Negative People
2017 - Songbook
2018 - Be More Kind
2019 - No Man's Land
2020 - West Coast vs. Wessex
2020 - Buddies II: Still Buddies
Nashville Tennessee
Frank Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the start, the land scaped my sound, before I'd ever been to America.
And if I knew anybody who played pedal steel guitar,
I'd get them in my band and then my band would get real far,
But I was raised in middle England, and not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only person in my band is me.
I cannot fail, I've got this far with no knowledge of mid-west geography.
And if I knew anywhere where I could drive in a straight line
For hours in the desert, I'd drive for hours at a time.
But I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only person in this car is me.
And yes I'm in four-four time, and yes I use cheap cheap rhymes,
But I try to make a sound my own.
I know I don't break new ground, many have travelled this sound,
But I try to make it sound like home.
Well I've been to Texas state, I didn't think it was that fucking great,
And Nebraska is just a bunch of songs,
Holloway and Hampshire where I belong.
And I don't know anybody who plays pedal steel guitar,
All the city roads are twisted and I do not own a car.
I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee,
And the only thing I'm offering is me.
The lyrics in Frank Turner's song "Nashville Tennessee" reflect the journey of a musician whose sound has been influenced by the American South despite never having set foot in Nashville. The opening lines "From the heart of the Southern Downs, to the North-East London reservoirs" suggests that despite being a British musician, he has always been influenced by the music from the American South. The lyrics also reflect the frustration of a musician who wishes he had access to other musicians that could contribute to his sound, such as finding someone who plays pedal steel guitar.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the fact that Frank Turner does not come from Nashville, and that he does not have the same resources or connections available to him. Instead, he relies on his own abilities as a songwriter and a musician. The lyrics "And the only person in my band is me" and "And the only person in this car is me" emphasize the solitary nature of Turner's journey, as he realizes that he is the only one who can truly create the sound he wants.
The song also reflects Turner's punk rock sensibilities, as he mentions his use of a "simple scale on an old guitar" and "cheap cheap rhymes." He acknowledges that he is not breaking any new ground with his music, and many have traveled this sound before him. Despite this, he tries to make the sound his own and create a unique voice for himself.
Line by Line Meaning
From the heart of the Southern Downs, to the North-East London reservoirs,
My English roots have influenced my music even though it reflects the American South.
From the start, the land shaped my sound, before I'd ever been to America.
Even before I visited America or its Southern states, my sound was influenced by their music and culture.
And if I knew anybody who played pedal steel guitar, I'd get them in my band and then my band would get real far,
I believe that the pedal steel guitar is an important part of country music, and I would incorporate it into my band's sound if I could.
But I was raised in middle England, and not in Nashville Tennessee, And the only person in my band is me.
Despite my love for country music and desire to incorporate it into my sound, I am still from England and can only rely on myself to create my music.
A simple scale on an old guitar, and a punk rock sense of honesty. I cannot fail, I've got this far with no knowledge of mid-west geography.
Although my musical talent is simple and raw, I have still managed to get this far in my career without much knowledge of the American Midwest.
And if I knew anywhere where I could drive in a straight line For hours in the desert, I'd drive for hours at a time.
I yearn for the sense of wide-open space that is characteristic of the American Southwest and desire to bring that into my music.
But I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee, And the only person in this car is me.
Despite my desire to explore the American Southwest, I am still based in England and traveling solo.
And yes I'm in four-four time, and yes I use cheap cheap rhymes, But I try to make a sound my own.
Although I am not doing anything groundbreaking in terms of musical style, I strive to make my music unique and true to myself.
I know I don't break new ground, many have traveled this sound, But I try to make it sound like home.
My style is not revolutionary, but I aim to make my sound familiar and comforting to my listeners.
Well I've been to Texas state, I didn't think it was that fucking great, And Nebraska is just a bunch of songs, Holloway and Hampshire where I belong.
Although I have visited some American states, none have resonated with me like my home in England.
And I don't know anybody who plays pedal steel guitar, All the city roads are twisted and I do not own a car. I was raised in middle England, not in Nashville Tennessee, And the only thing I'm offering is me.
Even though I am lacking some of the key elements of country music, such as the pedal steel guitar and the open highways of America, I am still offering my authentic self in my music.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANCIS EDWARD TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@225glen
The most truest and most relatable song I've ever heard
@gramarsuperstar
I'm going to Nashville in November and want to play this at an open mic bar
@5ardino
FOAAARTHH!!!
@bethexohbeth
soooo good :)
@kman80923
All the dislikes are Nashvilleians is that what they're called i don't know
@Sikezation
Second
@OnyxOfMadness
First
@lewissmith5759
Wait isnt Hampshire in southern england
@deancutler
Yep, Frank is from Winchester.
@deancutler
Before Frank sold out to the Yankee dollar.