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.
Raise
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm talkin' 'bout a lighter on a Saturday night
The band plays a song you like and you sing along
Raise em up
I'm talkin' 'bout Daddy's old pickup truck
Shotgun seat, there's the one you love and you're kissin' on
Its just a whiskey glass if you ain't makin' a toast
Lift your tear-filled eyes up to the sky
A comin' home, you've been gone too long
Tonight were gonna
Raise 'em up
Raise 'em up
You got a voice, you got a choice
Go make some noise
Don't ever let 'em tell you who you are
Raise 'em up
Fist black and blue, fight for the truth
Its what you do
Hand on your heart for the stripes and stars
Black umbrellas in the pourin' rain
A Sunday Morning Coming Down, Amazing Grace
Lift those tear-filled eyes up to the sky
As the flag flies, say goodbye
Tonight were gonna
Raise 'em up
So, you meet someone
The only one
You take her by the hand
Make a stand
Buy some land
Make some love
And them babies come
Raise 'em up
Raise 'em up
Raise 'em up trophy high
Raise 'em up to the sky
Raise 'em up, show everybody that newborn smile
Raise 'em up tall and strong
Raise 'em up right from wrong
Raise 'em up so damn high they can hear God singing along
Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah
Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah
Woah, woah, woah, woah
"Raise 'Em Up" is a song written by Keith Urban and co-writers Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston, and Jeffrey Steele. The song depicts the power of uplifting events and experiences in life that one can raise up and relish in celebration. Keith Urban sings about raising the things that matter most in life, such as love, dreams, children, country, and patriotism. The song emphasizes the importance of making memories with loved ones and cherishing them by lifting them up to the stars.
The first verse mentions a typical scene you might see on a Saturday night, where people are swaying to the rhythm of a song they love, holding their lighters up, and singing together. It also talks about how love and lust can bloom in the front seat of a pick-up truck where the person you cherish is sitting next to you. In the second verse, Keith Urban asserts that one should always stand up for what they believe in, even if it means fighting for what you think is right, as long as it's to protect the country you love.
The chorus is a call to action, raising anything you value, be it love, passion, country, your voice or your children. The imagery of black umbrellas in pouring rain and Amazing Grace playing signifies the sadness of losing someone you love, as they are given the final farewell, and thus the importance of making memories while we can. The song ends on a note of promise and hope, that you can make a life with your beloved, create something of your own, and watch your children grow up to achieve greatness.
Line by Line Meaning
Raise 'em up
Encouraging everyone to raise their whatever they have in their hand and celebrate the moment
I'm talkin' 'bout a lighter on a Saturday night
Refers to the experience of attending an outdoor concert on a cool summer night, and lighting a lighter to increase the mood
The band plays a song you like and you sing along
Celebrating the band's performance, people singing along with their favorite music
I'm talkin' 'bout Daddy's old pickup truck Shotgun seat, there's the one you love and you're kissin' on
Remembering the beautiful romantic moments spent in the pickup truck with the loved ones
Get those white sails sailing down in Mexico
Encouraging people to go and indulge in beautiful trips to Mexico and enjoy the serene environment
It's just a whiskey glass if you ain't makin' a toast
Sipping whiskey means celebrating toasts with friends and family, without them it's just like a regular glass of whiskey
Lift your tear-filled eyes up to the sky
Uplifting yourself to get better through times that are difficult
A comin' home, you've been gone too long
Returning home to loved ones after being away for a long time
Tonight we're gonna Raise 'em up
Celebrating tonight with our people & raise the happiness and joy up in the air
You got a voice, you got a choice Go make some noise
Everyone has a voice, they should use it to stand up for what's right and make some noise
Don't ever let 'em tell you who you are
Don't let anyone else define you or choose your path
Raise 'em up Fist black and blue, fight for the truth Its what you do
Whenever you are facing injustice, fight against it no matter what
Hand on your heart for the stripes and stars
Show respect for the national flag & hand held up show the love for the country
Black umbrellas in the pourin' rain A Sunday Morning Coming Down, Amazing Grace Lift those tear-filled eyes up to the sky As the flag flies, say goodbye
Remembering the funeral of a loved one and how we lift our eyes up and go through the moment of grief and hold the flag high in honor of the deceased
So, you meet someone The only one You take her by the hand Make a stand Buy some land Make some love And them babies come
Love comes your way, take the lead, make some life-changing decisions, settle in and cherish life with the love of your life and the babies that come along
Raise 'em up trophy high
Celebrating success with friends & family
Raise 'em up to the sky
Raising hands up in the sky are a symbol of joy
Raise 'em up, show everybody that newborn smile
Celebrating new life, happiness, and joy surrounding the birth of a baby
Raise 'em up tall and strong
Raise your children tall and strong with the courage and character required to make good life choices
Raise 'em up right from wrong
Raising children to understand the difference between right and wrong and the importance of making good choices
Raise 'em up so damn high they can hear God singing along
Raising children with enthusiasm, grace and heart that we hope will make God sing along with joy.
Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah Woah, woah, woah, woah
Celebrating happiness, joy, and excitement
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM DOUGLAS, JAREN JOHNSTON, JEFFREY STEELE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tlsmith4605
You think their voices are great? Listen to:
Vince Gill
Lefty Frizzell
Don Williams
Charlie Pride
Jim Croce
Kieth Whitley
Conway Twitty
Ronnie Milsap
Chris Stapleton
Josh Turner
Johnny Horton
Zach Brown
Tennessee Ernie Ford
@thisisismi9991
Raise em' up
I'm talkin' 'bout lighter on a Saturday night
The band plays a song you like
And you sing along
Raise em' up
I'm talkin' 'bout daddy's old pick-up truck
Shotgun seat there's the one you love
And you're kissin' on
Get those white sails sailin' down in Mexico
It's just a whiskey glass
If you ain't makin' a toast
Lift your tear-filled eyes
Up to the sky
Comin' home you've been gone too long
Tonight we're gonna
Raise em' up
Raise em' up
You've got a voice, you've got a choice
Go make some noise
Don't ever let em' tell you
Who you are
Raise em' up
Fist black and blue
Fight for the truth
It's what you do
Hand on your heart
For the stripes and stars
Black umbrellas in the pourin' rain
Sunday morning coming down
Amazing Grace
Lift those tear-filled eyes up to the sky
And as the flag flies say goodbye
Tonight we're gonna raise em' up
So you meet someone
The only one
You take her by the hand
Make a stand
Buy some land
Make some love
And then babies come
Raise em' up
Raise em' up
Raise em' up
Trophy high
Raise em' up
To the sky
Raise em' up
Show everybody that new born smile
Raise em' up
Tall and strong
Raise em' up
Right from wrong
Raise em' up so damn high they can hear God singing along
(Woah)
@peggyoneill9933
I believe that that's the most important job we have as parents is to raise children full of love and light standing up for what's right and what's true and love is the most important thing without love we have nothing God bless all
@peggyoneill9933
If I did'nt do anything else right I. I raised my kids to be beauty and love and light. Thank you Jesus praise God . God bless
@guridingsolutions3273
Two of the greatest voices in country history killing it together!
@tlsmith4605
You think their voices are great? Listen to:
Vince Gill
Lefty Frizzell
Don Williams
Charlie Pride
Jim Croce
Kieth Whitley
Conway Twitty
Ronnie Milsap
Chris Stapleton
Josh Turner
Johnny Horton
Zach Brown
Tennessee Ernie Ford
@peacems
If you ever get the opportunity to see either of these guys live in concert don't pass on it. Saw Eric for the first time this year and while I've seen Keith at least a 1/2 dozen times, Eric's show was just as amazing. Two of my favorite artists.
@conniealdridge8920
Two of my favorite men in one video? Be still, my heart.
@Michaelwhitakersmithreal
Hello, how are you doing today? Thanks for your love and support❤
@tammyflores2698
Ok can we please take a moment to pay attention to Eric Church in this video I know Keith Urban is great but Eric Church is great too
@wernerdj1
EFC. My favorite.
@billmendoza1147
I agree about it