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.
Shame
Keith Urban Lyrics
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The disappointing truth
Is I don't like to lose
Shame on me, shame on me
Promises I made
And bills I never paid
Another missed birthdayShame on me, shame on me
Bridges that I burned
And lovers that I hurt
Lessons never learned
Shame on me, shame on me
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
Its not like its worth it
Everyone hurts the same
Hey, I'm not tryin to be special
'Cause I ain't no angel
Everyone hurts the same
What a shame
I repeat my words
Sometimes they seem rehearsed
And I speak out of turn
Shame on me, shame on me
Bridges that I burned
And lovers that I hurt
Lessons never learned
Shame on me, shame on me
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
Everyone hurts the same
Hey, I'm not tryin to be special
'Cause I ain't no angel
Everyone hurts the same
What a shame
That were hiding underneath our skin
And were scared of letting somebody in
Nobody showed us how to live
Or how to be perfect
Its not like its worth it
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
Its not like its worth it
Everyone hurts the same
Hey, I'm not tryin to be special
'Cause I ain't no angel
Everyone hurts the same
What a shame
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
Its not like its worth it
Everyone hurts the same
Hey, I'm not tryin to be special
'Cause I ain't no angel
Everyone hurts the same
What a shame
In Keith Urban’s song “Shame”, the lyrics focus on the idea of personal accountability and owning up to one’s past mistakes. The opening lyrics, “What you heard is true, the disappointing truth, is I don't like to lose, shame on me, shame on me”, suggest that the songwriter is acknowledging his tendency to avoid failure and the shame he feels when he does fail. The chorus, “Hey, I’m not tryin’ to be perfect, it’s not like it’s worth it, everyone hurts the same,” reinforces this idea - that everyone makes mistakes and experiences pain, and that striving for perfection is a futile pursuit.
The verses delve into specific examples of the songwriter’s own failings - promises he made but didn’t keep, bills he didn’t pay, missed birthdays, bridges he burned and lovers he hurt. These instances of regret suggest a deeper reflection on past actions and a desire to do better in the future. The lines “And we're scared of letting somebody in, nobody showed us how to live or how to be perfect, it’s not like it’s worth it” hint at elements of vulnerability and a longing for connection and guidance.
Overall, “Shame” can be seen as a song about accepting one’s humanity - flaws, mistakes, and all - and embracing the shared experiences of pain and growth that unite us all.
Line by Line Meaning
What you heard is true
The rumor you heard about me is actually correct
The disappointing truth
Sadly, this is the reality
Is I don't like to lose
I have a hard time accepting defeat
Shame on me, shame on me
I accept responsibility for my actions and feel remorseful
Promises I made
Commitments I gave to others
And bills I never paid
I did not fulfill my financial obligations
Another missed birthday
I failed to show up and celebrate an important occasion
Bridges that I burned
I destroyed important relationships
And lovers that I hurt
I caused emotional pain to romantic partners
Lessons never learned
I failed to grow or gain knowledge from my mistakes
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
I am not attempting to be flawless
Its not like its worth it
It is not worth the effort to be perfect
Everyone hurts the same
We all experience pain and disappointment
Hey, I'm not tryin to be special
I am not claiming to be exceptional
'Cause I ain't no angel
I am not a perfect or faultless person
That were hiding underneath our skin
We all have vulnerabilities and insecurities
And were scared of letting somebody in
We fear being hurt or rejected by others
Nobody showed us how to live
We did not receive guidance on how to navigate life
Or how to be perfect
We were not taught how to achieve flawlessness
Hey, I'm not tryin to be perfect
I am not attempting to be flawless
Everyone hurts the same
We all experience pain and disappointment
What a shame
It is regrettable that this is the case
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROSS GOLAN, TOR ERIK HERMANSEN, MIKKEL ERIK, BENJAMIN LEVIN, JUSTIN PARKER, DANIEL THOMAS OMELIO, AMMAR MALIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind