McKay is hard to categorize. She’s done Brecht on Broadway, opened for Lou Reed at Carnegie Hall, sung Woody Allen movie songs at the Hollywood Bowl, performed on A Prairie Home Companion, duetted with Eartha Kitt and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, played Hilary Swank’s sister on the big screen, paid tribute to Doris Day, and released four wildly acclaimed albums of original music.
Her music is as tuneful and clever as the best of the Great American Songbook-part cabaret, part sparkly pop. But beneath the charming melodic surface is a wit that cuts, and a sharply tuned social conscience.
Home Sweet Mobile Home is McKay’s first album of all-original material since 2007′s Obligatory Villagers, and features the musical wanderlust, lyrical playfulness and unique point of view that has characterized her music since her breakthrough debut Get Away From Me. Songs from the new project were recently debuted at her NYC engagement at Feinstein’s, and The New York Post noted that “songs like ‘Bodega’ and ‘Caribbean Time’… feature a blend of whimsical humor and social commentary that blended in beautifully alongside the Doris Day standards from the Blueberry Pie album.”
The album, produced by McKay and Robin Pappas, was recorded in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, New York, Jamaica, the Pocono Mountains, and even more than her previous albums, combines diverse musical moods and cultures. Reviewing a recent McKay show, Stephen Holden from The New York Times described her as a “vocal chameleon,” and that varied musical palette is used to great effect on the 13 songs of Home Sweet Mobile Home.
Nellie began playing her own songs (and lovingly chosen covers) in clubs in downtown New York City in 2003, soon catching the attention of music writers and a number of record labels – this gal was a gifted entertainer, an impressive musician, with songs unlike anything people were hearing around town.
Her first album was produced by Geoff Emerick, the man who had engineered The Beatles’ albums from Revolver through Abbey Road. McKay signed on as co-producer.
She and Emerick recorded eighteen songs (including such live McKay favorites as “David,” “The Dog Song” and “I Wanna Get Married,” and that double-CD Get Away From Me was let loose upon the world. The project was greeted with critical raves and placement on many Top 10 lists.
The Washington Post wrote, “McKay’s music evokes the lost elegance of pre-Elvis pop music because she recognizes that such stylishness and wit are worth pursuing. But those goals inevitably collide with the realities of money, sex and politics, and she documents those collisions in her tongue-in-cheek lyrics, emphatic beats and bubbly melodies.”
Following the splash of Get Away From Me, Nellie recorded Pretty Little Head, of which the Los Angeles Times said, “McKay comes on as a Harlem Holly Golightly, a social activist with a disarming mastery of pop vernacular.” Spin noted, “that she succeeds on a record as sophisticated as the self-produced Pretty Little Head is not only a testament to McKay’s talent, it’s also a tribute to her artistic sense.”
In 2007, she recorded Obligatory Villagers, described by Spin as “a brisk nine-song set that plays like the breathless first act of a stage musical decrying American fascism.” Recently, the Chase Brock Experience premiered a ballet, Whoa, Nellie!, based on the entire album.
Meanwhile, Broadway and Hollywood beckoned. McKay appeared on Broadway (winning a Theatre World Award for her Polly in a revival of The Threepenny Opera) and on film (acting and singing in P.S. I Love You). She also wrote and performed the song score for the Rob Reiner film Rumor Has It. In addition, her writing has appeared in The Onion, Interview magazine, and The New York Times Book Review, where she delivered an incisive and knowledgeable review of a Doris Day biography.
“What she possessed,” McKay wrote, “beyond her beauty, physical grace, and natural acting ability, was a resplendent voice that conveyed enormous warmth and feeling.”
It seemed inevitable that Nellie should record an album of songs associated with Ms. Day, and she was given the opportunity to do so when approached by Verve Records. The result features 12 songs handpicked from over 600 recordings by Ms. Day, with an original by McKay. Hailed as “among the killer overhauls of American standards” (The New York Times), Normal As Blueberry Pie covers the scope of Day’s music from the big bands through the McCarthy era. The album wound up on a variety of Top 10 lists of 2009′s best albums, including The New York Times and The Village Voice.
McKay completed filming her first starring role, opposite violin prodigy Philippe Quint, in the independent film Downtown Express; recorded (along with Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks) for the soundtrack of the upcoming Martin Scorsese HBO series Boardwalk Empire; and contributed two songs to the award-winning documentary Gasland. She is currently participating in Dear New Orleans, a benefit album to aid the ravaged city, along with such artists as Jill Sobule, My Morning Jacket, and OK GO.
Home Sweet Mobile Home arrives three years after her last self-composed album, and as ever her songs are a study in contrasts: some of the moods are dark (“we’re marching through the madness / with not a soul about to see / we’re moving through the fortress / chasin’ the ghost of anarchy” and “there’s no equality here / there’s no equality anywhere / & every fear you can face / is quickly replaced by one you can’t lose”), but there is also joy and gentleness. Sometimes all at once. Her gift is in mingling the pure pleasure of all kinds and all eras of pop music, twisting the dials, writing upbeat melodies with subversive undercurrents.
As critic Robert Christgau wrote, Nellie McKay is “ebullient, funny and political. Her future looks brave and free to me.”
Official artist website www.nelliemckay.com
Black Sheep
Nellie McKay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcome home
Follow through the street, now here's the heat
Welcome back home
Whipping wind upon your face
Slow child while you can
'Round the bend where one's who chase
Flowers keep growing, water flowing, life is kind
Still every scene's a memory I won't miss
Motors are humming, water flooding, numb the mind
Still this is someone else's form of bliss
Slam out the gate, tempting fate, got to roll
Never escape what you know
Who could, could you? Who could, could you?
Who could, could you, could you, could you, could you, could you?
Who could, could you? Who could, could you?
Who could, could you, could you, could you, could you, could you?
Who could, could you?
Charming bits of flotsam floating in your sea of mind
Wondering the reason, should you leave it all behind
Weaving through the leavings, you were wrong but so was I
Seeking something perfect in the wreckage of my mind
Flowers keep growing, water flowing, life is kind
Still every scene's a memory I won't miss
Pictures parading, water glazing, numb the mind
Still this is someone else's form of bliss
Mommy, mommy
The song "Black Sheep" by Nellie McKay is a powerful and thought-provoking piece that explores the concept of identity and self-understanding in the context of wider society. The lyrics seem to be addressing a young person who is no longer alone but is still on a journey of self-discovery. The references to flowers growing and water flowing suggest that life is moving on, but at the same time, every scene is a memory that won't be missed. The singer seems to be returning home, but there is a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty about whether that is a good or bad thing, as evident from the line "Welcome home, follow through the street, now here's the heat, welcome back home."
The chorus of "Who could, could you?" is a powerful refrain that suggests a sense of questioning and doubt about the singer's place in society. It could be interpreted as a challenge to the person to find their own path and establish their own identity within a world that may not always be accepting or accommodating. The final section of the song seems to suggest that the singer is seeking something perfect in the wreckage of their mind, which could be a reference to the process of self-discovery and personal growth.
Overall, "Black Sheep" is a powerful and evocative song that captures the complexities of identity and self-understanding in a frank and honest way.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the not alone, you're on your own
You are no longer supported, now you have to handle things yourself.
Welcome home
Despite everything, you are still welcome at home.
Follow through the street, now here's the heat
You have to confront challenges that are ahead of you.
Welcome back home
Despite everything, you are still welcome at home.
Whipping wind upon your face
You are facing harsh conditions that may hurt you.
Slow child while you can
You should take things slowly because you might not have the same chance again.
'Round the bend where one's who chase
There are others who pursue the same goals as you.
So wild as a lamb
You are inexperienced and naive, like a young, uncontrollable lamb.
Flowers keep growing, water flowing, life is kind
Despite the harshness of life, there is also good and beauty.
Still every scene's a memory I won't miss
Even the pleasant memories are bittersweet.
Motors are humming, water flooding, numb the mind
Modern distractions can cause you to lose touch with yourself and your surroundings.
Still this is someone else's form of bliss
Other people may find happiness in things that you do not.
Slam out the gate, tempting fate, got to roll
You have to take risks and push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Never escape what you know
No matter what happens, you can't change who you are or how things have been.
Who could, could you? Who could, could you?
You are questioning yourself and your abilities.
Who could, could you, could you, could you, could you, could you?
You doubt that you have what it takes.
Charming bits of flotsam floating in your sea of mind
Your mind is full of random, interesting thoughts and ideas.
Wondering the reason, should you leave it all behind
You are questioning the purpose of everything you've been doing.
Weaving through the leavings, you were wrong but so was I
You are looking back at your past, realizing that you made mistakes, but so did others.
Seeking something perfect in the wreckage of my mind
You are trying to find something good and beautiful in the midst of chaos and turmoil.
Mommy, mommy
You are calling out for help and support.
Contributed by Jayce G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.