Urban was born in Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand (on 26 October, 1967). Before he turned two years old his family moved to Australia. By age seven, Urban was already thinking about emigrating to America and making his mark in Nashville. Urban began to learn the guitar at age six and began winning talent contests at age eight. By twelve he was booking his band in local clubs, and at fifteen he quit school to hit the road. In 1990, Urban signed with EMI in Australia and recorded his first solo album, which charted four No. 1 country hits in Australia. In 1992, he moved to Nashville to pursue the largest country music market in the world. Originally the front man for The Ranch, a three-piece group that released one album in 1997 to critical acclaim, Urban disbanded the group to pursue a solo career.
In the late 90's Urban battled an addiction to cocaine. After reaching a personal rock bottom in 1998, he became determined to give up the habit and checked into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville. After cleaning up, Urban released his self-titled American debut in 2000, achieving three top 5 hits and securing the title of Top New Male Vocalist Award at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. Urban, openly regarded as a modern day guitar virtuoso, has performed as a session musician on albums such as Garth Brooks' Double Live and the Dixie Chicks' Fly.
In an attempt to gain more exposure, Keith then appeared semi-nude in an interview for Playgirl magazine's April 2001 issue. The publicity attempt worked as Keith was on the cover of the magazine's readers' most requested issue.
Keith Urban released Golden Road in 2002, and the success of the single "Somebody Like You" sent his career into high gear. The single spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the charts, remaining at No. 1 longer than any other country artist in 2002. Three other singles were released, two went to No. 1 and the third was No. 3. The album went platinum in every country where it has been released and is triple platinum in the United States. In 2004 Be Here was released and nominated for best country album at the Grammy Awards and at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Out of the five singles released from Be Here, three went No. 1, and two fell just shy of that mark to land at No. 2. In 2006 the album went triple platinum in the U.S. Urban has also released Days Go By, a greatest hits collection, in Europe. With a career total of 13 singles released, seven singles went to No. 1, two went to No.2, two went to No.3, one went to No. 4, and one went to No.18.
Touring as a supporting act for renowned country acts Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney honed Urban's skills and stage-craft. Country video channel CMT signed on as the title sponsor of Keith Urban's first headlining arena tour titled Keith Urban Be Here '04. Urban continued his meteoric rise to fame in 2005 with the very successful Alive in '05 tour. He performed in the Live 8 Philadelphia concert on July 2, 2005 and had been chosen by The Gap to appear alongside seven other musical stars in their "Favorites" campaign. In 2005 he was named CMA's Entertainer of the Year. He released a DVD in late September entitled Livin' Right Now, recorded in California on December 2004. Urban performed "Better Life" on the CMA Awards and "You'll Think of Me" on the American Music Awards. He also performed at the Grammys playing "You'll Think of Me" and "The Lucky One" with Faith Hill. At the 2006 ACM Awards Urban gave two performances when he performed "Tonight I Wanna Cry" and played guitar for Brooks & Dunn's song "Believe."
Personal life
On arriving in Nashville, Tennessee in 1992, Urban quickly fell for veterinary technician Laura Sigler. The pair shared an on-off relationship from 1992, and lived together between 1998 and 2002. Urban paid tribute to Sigler in the sleeve notes to his self-titled first hit album, and dedicated love song "You're The Only One" to Sigler, writing "For Laura" at the bottom of the lyrics. After proposing to Sigler in 2001, the pair broke up in 2002.
In 2002, after his painful breakup with Sigler, Urban met supermodel Niki Taylor, who played his love interest in his music video for "Somebody Like You." Taylor had told her hair/makeup person, Debra Wingo, that she might be interested in being in a country music video. Wingo also does hair/makeup for Urban, and she mentioned that he was getting ready to do a video. Urban and Taylor dated on and off for three years until their split was officially announced July 2005.
Urban met actress Nicole Kidman at an event in Hollywood in January of 2005. In May of 2006, Urban and Kidman announced their engagement, and their plans to wed in Australia. They got married in Australia on 25 June 2006 at the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in the grounds of St Patrick's Estate, Manly, Sydney.
Desiree
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've wadded up and tossed a thousand tries
We both know the reason
There ain't nothing to explain
But I know that my leavin'
Will spare us both the pain
[Chorus]
Desiree you love his money more than me
And the taxi's at the gate
I guess all that's left to say
Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
"I love you Desiree"
It'd be easier to leave if I were mad
But it's hard to lose the best you'll ever have
And to write this note to you
Was the hardest thing to do
But not as hard as bein' a poor boy
Who can't afford a girl like you
[Chorus]
God, I love you Desiree
But I just can't take it anymore
I won't be around for your goodbye
I won't be around for your goodbye
You love his money more than me
I won't be around for your goodbye
You love his money more than me
I won't be around for your goodbye
Oh you love his money, you love it more than me
I was just a fool who couldn't see
That you love his money, you love it more than me
Keith Urban's song "Desiree" tells the story of a man who is struggling to write a goodbye letter to his lover, whom he loves deeply. However, he knows that he has to leave her because she loves money more than she loves him. The lyrics suggest that the singer has made several attempts to leave, but has failed because of his strong feelings for the woman. The line "It'd be easier to leave if I were mad" suggests that he wishes he was angry with her, as that would make it easier to walk away. But unfortunately, he's not angry, and he acknowledges that it's hard to lose the best he'll ever have.
The chorus of the song, "Desiree I can't hold you any longer, Desiree you love his money more than me," is a poignant reminder that the singer's lover values money more than she values him. He then bids her farewell, telling her he loves her even though he knows she loves money more than him. The song ends with the poignant line, "That you love his money, you love it more than me, I was just a fool who couldn't see." This line suggests that the singer feels foolish for not realizing his lover's priorities and allowing himself to get hurt.
Overall, Keith Urban's song "Desiree" is a powerful, relatable portrayal of heartbreak that comes from being with someone who chooses money over love. It illustrates how the singer struggles to come to terms with this, and ultimately, lets go.
Line by Line Meaning
It's killin' me to write the word "goodbye"
The act of having to say 'goodbye' is causing me emotional pain.
I've wadded up and tossed a thousand tries
I have attempted to try and work things out multiple times, but each time has been unsuccessful.
We both know the reason
Both parties involved in the relationship understand why things are falling apart.
There ain't nothing to explain
There is no need for either party to explain the reason for the relationship ending as both know the cause.
But I know that my leavin'
I am aware that leaving is the best solution for both of us.
Will spare us both the pain
By ending the relationship now, it will save us from any further emotional pain in the future.
Desiree I can't hold you any longer
I cannot physically or emotionally hold onto this relationship any longer.
Desiree you love his money more than me
It has become evident that you care more about his wealth than our relationship.
And the taxi's at the gate
The taxi has arrived, and I am ready to leave.
I guess all that's left to say
There is nothing more to add to the conversation.
Is in teardrops at the bottom of the page
The only thing left to do is express my love for you in the form of tears on this letter.
"I love you Desiree"
I love you, Desiree.
It'd be easier to leave if I were mad
If I were angry, leaving you would be less painful for me.
But it's hard to lose the best you'll ever have
You were the best thing to ever happen to me, and it's hard to let go of you.
And to write this note to you
Writing this letter is not easy.
Was the hardest thing to do
This is the hardest thing I have had to do in our relationship.
But not as hard as bein' a poor boy
Being poor and unable to afford a woman like you is even harder for me.
Who can't afford a girl like you
I am not financially capable of providing the life you desire, making it impossible for us to continue our relationship.
God, I love you Desiree
I love you, Desiree.
But I just can't take it anymore
I cannot handle the stress and pain of our failing relationship any longer.
I won't be around for your goodbye
I will not be present for the final goodbye of our relationship.
You love his money more than me
Your love for money has overtaken your love for me.
Oh you love his money, you love it more than me
Your love for his money is greater than your love for me.
I was just a fool who couldn't see
I was a naive and foolish man who did not realize the depth of your love for money.
That you love his money, you love it more than me
You care more about his wealth than our relationship, and that is why things have fallen apart.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: VERNON WAYNE RUST, KEITH URBAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind