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.
We Were Us
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Railroad ties
Oh, Hail Marys
Friday nights
Heartbeat baby
Low-beam lights
God, I miss when you were mine
I could sing along without thinkin' 'bout you every time it came on
Every beat, every line, every word, every time
When a road was a road
I could roll on through without wishin' that empty seat was you
Money was gas, dreams were dust
Love was fast and we were us
Shotgun sunset
A cool mint kiss
Backseat promise
Breaking it
Floorboard feeling
County lines
God, I miss when you were mine
Back when that song was a song
I could sing along without thinkin' 'bout you every time it came on
Every beat, every line, every word, every time
When a road was a road
I could roll on through without wishin' that empty seat was you
Money was gas, dreams were dust
Love was fast and we were us
In a sleepy town, just jumping in
Far too young to know that summers end
We were us, we can't go back
It's what it is, but God I miss
Back when that song was a song
I could sing along without thinkin' 'bout you every time it came on
Every beat, every line, every word, every time
When a road was a road
I could roll on through without wishin' that empty seat was you
Money was gas, dreams were dust
Love was fast and we were us
Every beat, every line, every word, every single time
I just close my eyes and you're ridin' shotgun
You and me, baby, on the run
I miss you baby, I miss you baby, ooh
I'm on in
Still with you, baby
I can feel your heartbeat, baby
Keith Urban's song "We Were Us," is a nostalgic reflection of a past relationship. It is a song of longing for a simpler, happier time when things were better, when love was fast and the world was theirs. The opening lines of the song set the scene of a typical Friday night from the past – rearview crosses, railroad ties, and Hail Marys. The lyrics paint a picture of a young couple in love cruising down the highway with the windows down, the sound of the engine and the radio filling the car. The song takes listeners on a journey through time, back to a point where the singer remembers a specific song, one that he could enjoy without thinking about the one that got away. The song used to be a song he could sing along to without his mind drifting to his ex-girlfriend every time it came on. Those were the days when he could drive down the road without wishing she was by him. As the song proceeds, it becomes clear that he misses her terribly and is struggling to move on from their failed relationship.
Overall, the narrative of the song is something that we can all relate to. It's a reminder of how powerful nostalgia can be and how easily it can take us back to a happier time. The singer's description of his love for her is passionate, yet melancholy, with the lyrics expressing a desire to be reunited with her. The chorus repeated multiple times helps to paint the picture of the good times they had, the love they shared, and the road they traveled.
Line by Line Meaning
Rearview crosses
Memories of the past that we've left behind
Railroad ties
The roads we used to travel on
Oh, Hail Marys
Prayers that we used to say in difficult moments
Friday nights
The fun we had on weekend nights
Heartbeat baby
The love and closeness we felt
Low-beam lights
The lights on the car we drove
God, I miss when you were mine
The feeling of longing for a past relationship
Back when that song was a song
A time when the song was just a song
I could sing along without thinkin' 'bout you every time it came on
A time when the song didn't remind me of the past relationship
Every beat, every line, every word, every time
Every aspect of the song reminds me of the past relationship now
When a road was a road
A time when the road was just a means of transportation
I could roll on through without wishin' that empty seat was you
A time when I didn't feel lonely on the road
Money was gas, dreams were dust
The simplicity of life in the past
Love was fast and we were us
We were in love and had each other
Shotgun sunset
The romantic scenery we used to enjoy together
A cool mint kiss
The sweetness of our kisses
Backseat promise
The promises we made in the backseat of the car
Breaking it
The promises we failed to keep
Floorboard feeling
The feeling of the car vibrating beneath our seats
County lines
The borders we used to cross
In a sleepy town, just jumping in
A specific memory of a place where we had fun
Far too young to know that summers end
We were young and naive, unaware of the passage of time
We were us, we can't go back
We were a specific version of ourselves, but we can't go back to that time
It's what it is, but God I miss
I can't change the past, but I still miss it
Every beat, every line, every word, every single time
Repetition of a previous line to emphasize how the song still reminds me of our past
I just close my eyes and you're ridin' shotgun
I can still picture you beside me
You and me, baby, on the run
We were partners in life, always on the move
I miss you baby, I miss you baby, ooh
The sorrow and regret I feel about our breakup
I'm on in
I'm still living and moving forward
Still with you, baby
A declaration of continued love and remembrance
I can feel your heartbeat, baby
The sensation of our love and closeness that I can still feel
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jon Nite, Nicole Galyon, Jimmy Robbins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keetah Brough
Amazing chemistry right here. They’re both gifted in much the same ways and you can see their connection and casual ease with which they share a song.
Margaret Atchie
Amazing song
Keith Urban
@Connie Mitchell that's my email address due to YouTube restrictions that's the reason it was written this way I hope you understand, let get intouch with each other as my super fan, after adding let me know so that I can quickly delete it for security reasons
Keith Urban
@Connie Mitchell keithurban3267
Keith Urban
@Connie Mitchell thanks for your sincere complement you are my super fan keep the support coming
Keri Black
@Keith Urban kimberly wva
Courtmillett94
This is one of those songs you just fall in love with the first time you hear it. This duet is on of the bests they need to do an album together
Danny Zbigniew
@S H Hi! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. How are you doing?
S H
@Haley Slaughter Perfecto mundo
k_sirps585
They need to date, they look in love in this video.