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.
Ghost In The Guitar
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I risked a whoopin' every time I went
'Cause white boys weren't allowed
On the colored side of town
But I was proud to call
That old black man my friend
He had a pillow by the bed he used to pray on
And a beat up old guitar he let me play on
From his greasy fingerprints
Yeah, he was passin' on
What was handed down to him
[Chorus]
And it soaked up all the blood and sweat and teardrops
And the beers he missed in smokey little bars
And sometimes that old man he comes alive in my hands
I feel the beating of his sad old broken heart
Just like there's a ghost in this guitar
A ghost in this guitar
Well, the night before he died he made me take it
He said, "You play it now, 'cause I gotta go"
And I can feel him in my fingers when I play it
'Cause sometimes I'm in control
And sometimes I just sit back
And let him go
Sit back and let him go
[Chorus]
Take a listen to the ghost in this guitar
Keith Urban's song Ghost In The Guitar tells a haunting tale of a young white boy who defies the racial segregation of his town to befriend an old black man who teaches him to play guitar. The boy is proud to call the old man his friend and is grateful for the musical knowledge he has passed down to him. The old man's guitar, like a living entity, has become a vessel that absorbs all of the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed in the smokey bars where the old man played. The guitar has now become a vessel for the old man himself, a ghost that lives on in the music that the boy plays. The boy is acutely aware of the old man's presence every time he plays the guitar.
The song paints a picture of a difficult time in history where racial segregation drove a wedge between communities. The themes of friendship, prejudice, and the power of music are all intertwined in this powerful track. The boy's journey of discovery and the lessons he learns from his black friend serve as a powerful reminder that music can be a bridge between people of different races, and that a shared passion can transcend any divide.
Overall, Keith Urban's Ghost In The Guitar is a beautifully crafted song that highlights the power of music to transcend race and cultural barriers. It is a poignant reminder of a difficult time in history, and a celebration of the human spirit that refuses to be held down by prejudice and racism.
Line by Line Meaning
Down the drain pipe cross the yard and through the fence
I had to sneak to visit my friend on the other side of town
I risked a whoopin' every time I went
I could have gotten in trouble for breaking the color barrier
'Cause white boys weren't allowed
The racial divide prevented me from freely visiting my friend
On the colored side of town
The other side of town where my friend lived was reserved for people of color
But I was proud to call
I was happy to have such a great friend despite the racial barrier
That old black man my friend
My friend was an elderly African-American man
He had a pillow by the bed he used to pray on
My friend had a special pillow near his bed where he would pray
And a beat up old guitar he let me play on
My friend had an old, worn-out guitar that he would let me play
I knew where my fingers went
I was familiar with how to play the guitar well
From his greasy fingerprints
I learned how to play the guitar from my friend's guidance
Yeah, he was passin' on
My friend was passing on his knowledge of music to me
What was handed down to him
The art of playing the guitar was something that had been passed down to my friend from his ancestors
[Chorus] And it soaked up all the blood and sweat and teardrops
The guitar has absorbed years of my friend's pain and hardship
And the beers he missed in smokey little bars
My friend never got to play music in bars because of racial discrimination
And sometimes that old man he comes alive in my hands
I can feel the spirit of my deceased friend when I play the guitar he taught me on
I feel the beating of his sad old broken heart
I can sense the sorrow and heartbreak that my friend experienced in his music
Just like there's a ghost in this guitar
The guitar is alive with the spirit and energy of my friend
Well, the night before he died he made me take it
My friend gave me his guitar the night before he passed away
He said, 'You play it now, 'cause I gotta go'
My friend passed on his legacy to me before he died
And I can feel him in my fingers when I play it
I can feel the presence and influence of my friend when I play his guitar
'Cause sometimes I'm in control
I am capable of playing the guitar on my own
And sometimes I just sit back
At other times, I let my friend's spirit take over my music
And let him go
I allow my friend's legacy to shine through in my music
[Chorus]
The guitar serves as a conduit for my friend's spirit and past experiences
Take a listen to the ghost in this guitar
Listen closely to the music played on the guitar to experience my friend's spirit within it
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Peermusic Publishing, THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: KEITH URBAN, VERNON WAYNE RUST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind