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
My Heart's In Trouble Tonight
Kelly Willis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause the last thing that I need is to hear those lies again
If he tells me one more time that his love for me will last
I might just start believing him and forget about his past
So I'd better stay out of sight cause my heart's in trouble tonight
Yes I'd better stay out of sight cause my heart's in trouble tonight
But if what they're sayin' is true I can't listen to him anymore
He might think he knows me well but I've made up my mind
And when I walk out that door I'll walk out alone this time
So I'd better stay out of sight...
[ guitar - steel ]
No I didn't come here tonight looking to talk to him
Cause the last thing that I need is to hear those lies again
He might think he knows me well but I've made up my mind
And when I walk out that door I'll walk out alone this time
So I'd better stay out of sight...
Yeah my heart's in trouble tonight
In Kelly Willis's song My Heart's In Trouble Tonight, the lyrics convey a sense of disillusionment and heartbreak, with the singer expressing her reluctance to engage with a former lover who has repeatedly lied to her. She is fully aware of the risk in seeing him again because she might start believing him and forget about his past. The lines "Well I have never been known to sidestep trouble before, but if what they're sayin' is true I can't listen to him anymore" suggest that the singer is a bit of a risk-taker when it comes to relationships, but this time, she knows better than to repeat past mistakes.
The chorus, "So I'd better stay out of sight cause my heart's in trouble tonight. Yes, I'd better stay out of sight cause my heart's in trouble tonight," reinforces her resolve not to put herself in a vulnerable position again. The song ends with a note of finality, with the singer deciding to walk out alone, perhaps signalling that she has finally decided to let go of a relationship that has caused her nothing but pain.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of emotional maturity and self-awareness, with the singer choosing to put herself first rather than continuing to be hurt by someone who is incapable of being truthful and faithful.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I didn't come here tonight looking to talk to him
I did not plan to meet him tonight.
Cause the last thing that I need is to hear those lies again
I don't want to hear his lies again. I have had enough of them.
If he tells me one more time that his love for me will last
I can't bear to hear him say that he loves me again. It's hard to digest that he has changed.
I might just start believing him and forget about his past
If he says it again, I might fall for his sweet talk and forget all the bad things that happened in the past.
So I'd better stay out of sight cause my heart's in trouble tonight
To save myself from any emotional turmoil, I should better stay away from him.
Well I have never been known to sidestep trouble before
I have faced difficulties head-on, and I'm not someone who avoids problems.
But if what they're sayin' is true I can't listen to him anymore
If what people are saying about him is true, I can't afford to listen to him anymore.
He might think he knows me well but I've made up my mind
He may think that he understands me, but I have decided to move on without him.
And when I walk out that door I'll walk out alone this time
I will leave him and walk out of his life all by myself this time.
Yeah my heart's in trouble tonight
I'm feeling emotionally vulnerable and unstable tonight.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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