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.
Stupid Boy
Keith Urban Lyrics
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She grew wild, wild but innocent
A perfect prayer in a desperate hour
She was everything beautiful and different
Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind
She laid her heart and soul right in your hands
She never even knew she had a choice
And that's what happens when the only voice she hears is telling her she can't
Stupid boy
Stupid boy, oh
So, what made you think you could take a life
And just push it, push it around
I guess to build yourself up so high
You had to take her and break her down, oh
Well, She laid her heart and soul right in your hands
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans
She never even knew she had a choice
And that's what happens when the only voice she hears is telling her she can't
You stupid boy
Oh, you always had to be right
But now you lost the only thing that ever made you feel alive, oh ho
Yeah, yeah
Well, she laid her heart and soul right in your hands, yeah
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans, yes you did
She never even knew she had a choice
And that's what happens when the only voice she hears is telling her she can't
You stupid boy
Oh, I'm the same old, same old stupid boy, mm
It took a while for her to figure out she could run
But when she did, she was long gone, long gone
Mmhm
Ah, she was gone
She's long gone
Mm, yes, she is
Yeah, oh
Oh, no ones ever going to love me like she loved me
And she loved and she loved me
God, please, just let her know
I'm sorry
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby
Yeah, I'm down on my knees
She's never coming back to me
The lyrics of Keith Urban's song "Stupid Boy" tell the story of a relationship that didn't end well. The song is addressed to the titular "stupid boy" who ruined his relationship with a "precious" and "wild but innocent" girl. He was unable to appreciate the "perfect prayer in a desperate hour." He tried to control her, but it was like trying to "fence in" the wind. The girl gave him her heart and soul, but he didn't treat her well. He crushed her dreams and plans and made her feel like she had no choice. He was the only voice she heard, and it was telling her she couldn't do anything.
The song highlights the destructive power of toxic masculinity and the importance of autonomy and agency for women. The "stupid boy" thought he could take control of the girl's life, but he only succeeded in destroying it. She eventually realized that she could run away from him, and she was "long gone." The song ends with a lament that the "stupid boy" will never find another love like the one he lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Well she was precious, like a flower
She was special, delicate and beautiful
She grew wild, wild but innocent
Her spirit was free and pure
A perfect prayer in a desperate hour
She was the perfect answer to his prayers during a difficult time
She was everything beautiful and different
She was unique and completely lovely in every way
Stupid boy, you can't fence that in
He couldn't hold onto her or contain her spirit
Stupid boy, it's like holdin' back the wind
Trying to keep her was impossible, like trying to stop wind from blowing
She laid her heart and soul right in your hands
She trusted him with all of herself
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans
He took away her hopes and shattered her future
She never even knew she had a choice
He controlled her by making her think she didn't have options
And that's what happens when the only voice she hears is telling her she can't
When all she hears from him is negativity, she loses her confidence
So, what made you think you could take a life
He was so controlling that he took over her entire existence
And just push it, push it around
He didn't care for her feelings and just manipulated her
I guess to build yourself up so high
He needed her to feel inferior to make himself feel better
You had to take her and break her down, oh
He had to diminish her sense of self to make her more manageable
You always had to be right
He was too stubborn to admit when he was wrong
But now you lost the only thing that ever made you feel alive, oh ho
He lost the one who brought joy into his life
Well, she laid her heart and soul right in your hands, yeah
She trusted him to be careful with her love and dreams
And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans, yes you did
He shattered her future and ambitions
You stupid boy
He was foolish and naive
Oh, I'm the same old, same old stupid boy, mm
He is aware of his mistakes and how he hasn't changed
It took a while for her to figure out she could run
She had to realize that she had the power to escape his hold
But when she did, she was long gone, long gone
Once she left, she never looked back or returned
No one's ever going to love me like she loved me
He knows he lost someone special who he cannot replace
And she loved and she loved me
She gave him all of her love even when he didn't deserve it
God, please, just let her know
He prays that she is aware of how sorry he is
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby
He apologizes for his wrongdoings
Yeah, I'm down on my knees
He is begging for her forgiveness
She's never coming back to me
He has lost her forever and knows there is no hope for reconciliation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dave Berg, Deanna Bryant, Sarah Buxton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind