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.
I'll Fly Away
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
When the shadows of this life have gone,
Like a bird from prison bars has flown
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
Just a few more weary days and then,
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
Keith Urban's melancholic country-style take on the traditional gospel hymn I'll Fly Away expresses a longing for escape from the hardships of everyday life to a place of peace and eternal bliss. The first few lines of the song refer to the ultimate destination that awaits at the end of one's physical existence - the home on God's celestial shore. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's eagerness to leave their earthly struggles behind and take flight into the realm of the divine. The refrain "I'll fly away, Oh Glory; When I die, Hallelujah, by and by," stresses the idea that death is not something to be feared or mourned, but a gateway to a higher plane of existence.
The following verses extend this metaphor of flight as a symbol of transcending mortal limitations. The notion of being released from prison bars may signify a sense of liberation from the chains of everyday life - one can leave behind the darkness of this existence and find lightness in the next. The final verse underscores a deep sense of weariness with the world and affirms the promise of an everlasting joy that awaits beyond the horizon. In this sense, I'll Fly Away can be interpreted as a song of faith, hope, and salvation, appealing to the human desire for transcendence and finding a higher purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Some glad morning when this life is over
At some point in the future, perhaps a morning filled with happiness, when my time on earth is complete
To a home on God's celestial shore
I will have the opportunity to travel to a spiritual, heavenly location where God resides
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I will joyfully rise and leave this world behind
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I will happily and gratefully ascend to the afterlife
When the shadows of this life have gone
Once the darkness, challenges, and pain of my earthly existence have been resolved or moved past
Like a bird from prison bars has flown
I will be free, just as a bird that has been trapped is liberated when it flies away from the cage
Just a few more weary days and then
There are only a small number of unpleasant or difficult days left before my departure from earth
To a land where joy shall never end
I will finally reach a location where happiness and contentment are constant
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I will ascend and leave my current struggles behind
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I will rise up in a state of gratitude and appreciation, leaving my current existence behind
Contributed by Noah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kelseycurtis1546
Best version of this Albert Brumley song I have ever heard. I have heard a lot of them .Keith is the real deal.Great musicians on this
@happyolddude
I am a huge fan of our Keith Urban here in Australia and remember seeing him play when he was 14 or so. However, in my humble opinion NOBODY can touch The Isaacs on this song.
@bettyhooker4012
Who doesn’t like the. Real tthing
@rhettdale7027
It doesn’t matter wether you’re Christian or atheist. This song is a beautifully composed piece of music and it relates to all the pain and suffering we’ve endured on this planet. The song isn’t just about dying and going to heaven even though it is a gospel song.
@kathycottone5525
Beautiful old song performed by the best. ❤
@pamelladaniel8256
would love to hear way more Gospel from Keith Urban!!!!
@jacobmoss550
Amen i totaly agree
@charleslove2319
Me too
@angelamaloy6971
I agree
@loriwilbert5840
Yes!!!