Kelly was born in Lawton, Oklahoma on October 2, 1968, Willis was the youngest of three children. While her father was a U.S. Army colonel, Willis’ mother had a strong interest in music and sang and acted in amateur musicals. Willis began singing when she was nine as a way to comfort herself after her parents divorced.
==Career==
Willis joined her first band in high school. Her boyfriend, drummer Mas Palermo, introduced Willis to his rockabilly band. The band took her on as the lead vocalist and soon rechristened the band Kelly Willis & the Fireballs. After Willis’ high school graduation, the band decided to move to Austin, Texas, to participate in the vibrant Austin music scene. After a few months in Austin, however, the band broke up. Willis and Palermo, married in 1989, formed a new band called Radio Ranch. In Austin, Willis attracted the notice of several influential Texas singer-songwriters including Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Griffith introduced MCA producer Tony Brown to Willis. Brown was very impressed with Willis’ vocal abilities and signed her to the MCA label in 1989.
MCA embarked on a big marketing campaign to tout Willis after she recorded her first album on the label, the 1990 album ''Well Travelled Love''. MCA ensured that Willis was interviewed by several national magazines including unusual venues like ''Vogue'' and ''Mademoiselle''. Her voice appeared in the 1991 Ridley Scott-produced movie ''Thelma and Louise'', singing "Little Honey." Willis also had a small part in Tim Robbins’ 1992 film ''Bob Roberts''. Despite of all the publicity and positive reviews from most reviewers, ''Well Travelled Love'' and Willis’ subsequent albums for MCA (''Bang Bang'' in 1991 and ''Kelly Willis'' in 1993) sold modestly and received very little radio play. During this time, Willis felt uncomfortable with the way she was marketed by MCA. In 1994, MCA released Willis from her contract.
Willis continued to pursue her music career after leaving MCA. In 1996, she recorded an EP for A&M Records entitled ''Fading Fast''. However, her relationship with A&M was short-lived; after working with two major labels, Willis decided to record her next album on her own. Her efforts resulted in the 1999 album ''What I Deserve'', which Willis sold to Rykodisc after finishing the album. ''What I Deserve'' received quite a bit of press after the album’s release. It was commonly seen as Willis’ response to her history with MCA, and was uniformly praised by critics, becoming a hit for Willis.
In 2003, Willis and Bruce Robison, her husband and fellow country musician, released the record ''Happy Holidays'', a cover album of Christmas songs.
In Fall 2007, Willis released ''Translated From Love''. It was recorded at Robison's studio, Premium Recording Services, in Austin, TX. and produced by Chuck Prophet, formerly of the band Green On Red. The album is co-written by Willis, Prophet and notable songwriter Jules Shear, and includes a cover version of Iggy Pop's "Success."
In early 2008, Willis announced she would take an indefinite hiatus from live performances due to family obligations. Said Willis in a website announcement, "Being a traveling musician with four kids may not make an extremely compelling reality TV show but it is kicking my butt. I plan to continue making records. And I may do the occasional holiday show/song swap/benefit here and there.... Happy trails...until we meet again." Her winter/spring 2008 scheduled dates continued as planned until the final show May 2, 2008.
Willis has recently begun to tour outside of Texas again; first she headlined the Northern Rockies Folk Festival in Hailey, Idaho on August 7, 2010. Next up, she is scheduled to perform at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco on October 2, 2010.
==Personal life==
She is married to country singer-songwriter Bruce Robison.
Official website: http://www.kellywillis.me
Facebook fan site: http://www.facebook.com/KellyWillisRobison
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KellyWRobison
I'm Just Lonely
Kelly Willis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you told me that our love was carved in stone
But that stone was crushed today and the pieces blown away
Though you swore to me that nothing could go wrong
Our love's turned into something to keep us from being alone
Cause I don't miss you when your not here I'm just lonely
The things I might have done while you were gone
Now I begged you to stay just to keep my thoughts at bay
But you left me here to wonder on my own
Our love's turned into something...
[ guitar ]
Yeah I took those vows to prove my love was strong
And you told me that our love was carved in stone
But that stone was crushed today and the pieces blown away
Though you swore to me that nothing could go wrong
Our love's turned into something...
Cause I don't miss you when your not here I'm just lonely
Yeah I don't miss you when your not here I'm just lonely
The lyrics of "I'm Just Lonely" by Kelly Willis talk about the end of a relationship and the feeling of loneliness that follows it. The song starts with the singer reminiscing about the vows they took to prove their love was strong, and how their partner promised that their love was carved in stone and nothing could go wrong. However, the stone was crushed and blown away, leaving the singer alone and lonely, with a relationship that turned into something to keep them from being alone.
The second verse of the song further emphasizes the feeling of loneliness. The singer is alone at night and regrets not doing things while their partner was gone. They even begged their partner to stay, but they left anyway, leaving the singer to wonder on their own. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer does not miss their partner when they're not around, but they're simply lonely.
The lyrics of "I'm Just Lonely" capture the feelings of heartbreak and loneliness that come with the end of a relationship. It highlights the facade of a relationship that's only there to keep two people from being alone. The song's lyrics are poignant and relatable to those who have experienced a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I took those vows to prove my love was strong
I made a commitment to our relationship to show that I was dedicated and serious about us.
And you told me that our love was carved in stone
You reassured me that our love was unbreakable and would last forever.
But that stone was crushed today and the pieces blown away
However, that promise and assurance was shattered today and all that's left is brokenness.
Though you swore to me that nothing could go wrong
Despite your guarantee that everything would be alright, things fell apart anyways.
Our love's turned into something to keep us from being alone
Now our love is more of a crutch so that we don't have to face being alone in life.
Cause I don't miss you when your not here I'm just lonely
It's not that I long for your presence specifically, but rather I am struggling with the emptiness and longing for connection.
Well it's late at night and I'm sittin' here alone
As the night drags on, I find myself still by myself and without anyone to comfort me.
The things I might have done while you were gone
I can't help but to think about all the things I could've done if you weren't here, but now that you're gone it's too late.
Now I begged you to stay just to keep my thoughts at bay
I pleaded for you to stick around so that I wouldn't have to confront my insecurities and fears on my own.
But you left me here to wonder on my own
Despite my pleas, you still chose to leave me to deal with my own thoughts and feelings without you.
Yeah I took those vows to prove my love was strong
Once again, I recall the commitment I made to show my dedication and perseverance in our love.
And you told me that our love was carved in stone
Just like before, you reassured me of the steadfast nature of our love.
But that stone was crushed today and the pieces blown away
Sadly, that reassurance proved false, as our love crumbled and fell apart, leaving nothing but fragments behind.
Cause I don't miss you when your not here I'm just lonely
Once again, I reiterate that it's not missing you specifically, but rather the absence of a connection that's causing my loneliness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ruth Boykin
Good song!
Beverly Wright
too bad there's no clip with it..maybe make one?? love the song..
Beverly Wright
SHe kicked it here..!