In November 2003, at the age of 19, Melua released her first album, Call off the Search, which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005 and to date has gone platinum four times. Melua released her third studio album Pictures in October 2007, which has been announced to be the last of her albums in collaboration with Mike Batt. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, Melua has a fortune of £18 million, making her the seventh richest British musician under thirty.
In the summer of 2003, aged just 18 and still studying at the Brit School of Performing Arts in leafy Surrey, no-one, least of all Katie, would have predicted what the next few years would hold for the teenager. Four years later, Katie has sold more than 7.5 million albums becoming, in 2006, the year’s best selling British female in the world along the way.
Georgian born Katie relocated from Tbilisi to Belfast at the age of 8 due to her father’s profession as a heart surgeon and 5 years later moved to South East London. After her GCSEs Katie joined the Brit School for Performing Arts where she undertook a BTEC and Music A-level and discovered different styles of music including Queen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Irish folk music and Indian music. On hearing an Eva Cassidy song Katie was blown away and when she discovered that Eva was no longer alive wrote the song ‘Faraway Voice’ as a tribute to her. It was this song that attracted the attention of the composer and producer Mike Batt. Katie signed to Batt’s record label Dramatico but stayed at the Brit School to complete her studies – she graduated with distinction in July 2003.
During the summer of 2003 her debut single, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’, attracted the attention of British station BBC Radio 2 and upon its release entered the charts at number 10. Released in November, Katie’s debut album ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the UK number 1 spot in January 2004 and has subsequently scored top 10 positions throughout Europe. The album has since been certified gold in Holland, Hong Kong and Switzerland, platinum in Denmark, New Zealand and Australia, 2 x platinum in Germany, Ireland, Norway and South Africa and received the IFPI Double Platinum Award for 2 million European Sales. In March 2005 ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the number 1 spot in Denmark, a year after its initial release and became a top five album in Japan. Katie was awarded Best International Newcomer at Germany’s ECHO Awards in April 2005. In Britain, Katie was the highest selling female artist in 2004 – ‘Call Off The Search’ has now sold 1.8 million copies and is 6 x platinum (in Britain alone) and worldwide sales exceed 3.5 million.
Katie joined the line up for the Band Aid 20 single to record a new version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. As an ambassador for Save The Children this was particularly poignant for Katie. In March 2005 Katie was invited by Nelson Mandela to perform at his 46664 concert in aid of Mandela’s AIDS foundation. In addition to performing a full live set, Katie joined Queen on stage to perform a moving version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’. Katie flew from South Africa to Sri Lanka where she experienced the work that is being done by Save The Children, particularly with child soldiers.
In August 2005 Katie and her family swore allegiance to The Queen and became British Citizens following a ceremony in Surrey, England. Katie was asked to perform at the Royal Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan in Holland and at the Norwegian Royal Gala Concert in the presence of the Crown Prince Of Norway. Continuing the royal theme, the American TV show ‘Good Morning America’ broadcast live from Buckingham Palace and Katie was invited by the show to perform ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ and ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. Katie performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Norway.
In between her overseas travel Katie recorded her new album, ‘Piece By Piece’, which was released in Europe on September 26th 2005. The album comprises more self-penned songs including the title track as well as a cover of the 1987 Cure hit ‘Just Like Heaven’ that Katie recorded for a new DreamWorks film starring Reese Witherspoon. The first single, ‘Nine Million Bicycles’, preceded the album release and gave Katie her highest UK single chart entry at number 5. One week later and Katie entered the UK album charts at number 1 and Europe swiftly followed with the album reaching #1 in Norway, Denmark and Holland, #2 in Ireland, #2 in Iceland, #3 in South Africa, #4 in Poland and #2 in Germany giving an overall chart position of #2 on the Billboard European Top 100 Chart.
Katie was nominated for two Brit Awards in the “Best Female” and “Pop” categories, for the “Best International Female” at the Edison Awards in Holland and was awarded “Best International Female (Rock & Pop)” at the Echo Awards in Germany. Once again Katie was pronounced the highest selling female artist in Britain in 2005 selling more than 1 million albums.
It is fair to say that 2006 was yet another extraordinary year for 22 year old Katie. In addition to the awards nominations, Katie had a Dutch tulip named in her honour, toured America coast to coast, raced at 160mph round Grand Prix circuit Silverstone, flew a plane, launched Save The Children’s ‘Rewrite The Future’ campaign, made the headlines with a Guinness World Record for the deepest concert when she performed 303 meters beneath the North Sea in the leg of a gas rig and was awarded the World Music Award for Britain’s Biggest Selling Female. Whilst in 2004 and 2005, Katie was the greatest selling female artist in Britain, in 2006 Katie was the highest selling European female artist in the world selling more than 3 million copies of her second album ‘Piece By Piece’.
Awarded the Golden Camera Award for International Pop Artist at the start of 2007, Katie was presented with the Echo Award for International Female Artist in March 2007.
October 2007 saw the release of Katie’s third album ‘Pictures’ – a record which has delighted her legions of fans, confirmed Katie’s status as a unique and remarkable vocalist, and revealed the third chapter in what is destined to be a long musical career.
Katie’s fourth album, “The Katie Melua Collection”, is a musical summary of the 24 year old’s journey so far and is being released to coincide with Katie’s arena tour in October and November 2008.
www.katiemelua.com/
on the road again
Katie Melua Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I'm so tired of cryin' but I'm out on the road again
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
You know the first time I traveled out in the rain and snow
In the rain and snow
You know the first time I traveled out in the rain and snow
I didn't have no payroll, not even no place to go
And my dear mother left me when I was quite young
When I was quite young
And my dear mother left me when I was quite young
She said Lord have mercy on my wicked one
Well now, take it from me mama please don't you cry no more
Take a hint from me mama please don't you cry no more
'Cause it's soon one morning down the road I'm gone
No, I ain't going down that long and lonesome road
All by myself
No, I ain't going down that long and lonesome road
All by myself
If you ain't coming with me, gonna take somebody else
Well I'm so tired of cryin' but I'm out on the road again
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
The song "On the Road Again" by Katie Melua is a cover of a blues classic by Willie Nelson. The song's melancholic lyrics are about a wandering troubadour who travels lonely roads, looking for a sense of home and belonging. The repetition of the lines "Well I'm so tired of cryin' but I'm out on the road again" highlights the singer's weariness and the hardships of his itinerant lifestyle, while the chorus ("I ain't got nobody just to call my special friend") further emphasizes his loneliness.
The second verse of the song highlights the singer's poverty and lack of direction. He sings about his travels in "the rain and snow," remarking on his lack of "payroll" and "place to go." In the final verse, the singer speaks to his mother, who left him at a young age. He tells her not to cry for him anymore, as he is destined for the open road. The song's final lines ("If you ain't coming with me, gonna take somebody else") suggest the singer's search for companionship and a sense of belonging.
Overall, "On the Road Again" is a poignant and evocative portrait of a wandering musician who seeks solace in music and the open road, but who also grapples with loneliness, poverty, and a sense of displacement.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I'm so tired of cryin' but I'm out on the road again
I'm finally leaving my troubles behind, even though it's hard to keep going.
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I don't have anyone to turn to when I need support.
You know the first time I traveled out in the rain and snow
The first time I ventured out on my own, it was a difficult journey.
I didn't have no payroll, not even no place to go
I didn't have any money or destination.
And my dear mother left me when I was quite young
My mother abandoned me when I was helpless.
She said Lord have mercy on my wicked one
She asked for mercy upon my soul because I was a burden on her.
Take a hint from me mama please don't you cry no more
Mom, don't be sad because I'll be able to handle anything from now on.
'Cause it's soon one morning down the road I'm gone
In the near future, I'll be on my way and you will have to learn to let go.
No, I ain't going down that long and lonesome road
I refuse to go down a path that is full of solitude and bleakness.
If you ain't coming with me, gonna take somebody else
If you're not joining me on this journey, I'll find someone else to come along with me.
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I don't have anyone intimate or dear enough to rely upon when things get tough.
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I don't have anyone intimate or dear enough to rely upon when things get tough.
I ain't got no body just to call my special friend
I don't have anyone intimate or dear enough to rely upon when things get tough.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Alan Wilson, Floyd Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind