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
DIG IT
Nellie McKay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes you can! Stop that
Oh I really can't
Oh yes you can come on right left, right left
Just give it a try
Really you can teach me
Oh yeah
You got the legs for it
Oh it seems to you
I said it seems to me
You said it seems to you
A such embarrassing situation calls for concentration
Do you dig me jack
We dig you jack
Can we think of a plan
We ?
Can we sing and dance
I'll take a chance
Are you boots alright
? tight
Is miss Miller a killer
From a spanish villa
?
Then it seems to me
Obviously
You wanna go right into your ?
I never could do the conga
Could never get through the conga
But if you say do the conga
I ain't hep to that step
But I'll dig it
I never could see mazurkas
They're poison to me, mazurkas
But if it's to be mazurkas
I ain't hep to that step
But I'll dig it
When they invented the Charleston
I was a total flop
Right
But say if you want to Charleston
I'll never stop
I'll dance till I drop
I never could dig the polka
The corniest jig, the polka
But if you say dig the polka
I ain't hep to that step
But I'll dig it
Alright
Oh there you go, there you go down
You can dance sugar
That's not so hard
What was that dance called
I never could do the conga
Could never get through the conga
But if you say do the conga
I ain't hep to that step
But I'll dig it
I never could see mazurkas
They're poison to me, mazurkas
But if it's to be mazurkas
I ain't hep to that step
But I'll dig it
When they invented the Charleston
I was a total flop
But say if you want to Charleston
She'll never stop
She'll dance till I drop
I never could dig the polka
The corniest jig, the polka
But if you say dig the polka
I ain't hep to that step
She ain't hep to that step
I ain't hep to that step
She ain't hep to that step
She ain't hep to that step
The lyrics to Nellie McKay's song "Dig It" depict a comical conversation between two people regarding dancing. At the start of the conversation, one person claims they cannot dance, however, the other person encourages them to give it a try and teaches them some dance moves. There's a feeling of reluctance from the first person, but eventually, they get into the rhythm and groove with the second person. There's a call for "concentration" when they suggest that they all "think of a plan." Towards the end, the song morphs into a form of dance instruction, as various steps are introduced, from the Charleston to the Polka.
The conversation moves in a lighthearted and humorous fashion, and the song does not necessarily have any deeper meanings or messages. It appears to be a simple and fun song that encourages its listeners to let loose and enjoy dancing, even if it means trying out and learning new dance moves.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I can't dance!
Expressing her insecurity about dancing.
Yes you can! Stop that
Encouraging her to try and reassuring her that she can dance.
Oh I really can't
Reiterating her initial insecurity.
Oh yes you can come on right left, right left
Patiently and clearly showing her how to dance.
Just give it a try
Encouraging her to attempt to dance.
Really you can teach me
Acknowledging the mentor's skill and requesting their help.
Oh yeah
Expressing agreement or affirmation.
You got the legs for it
Complimenting the student's natural physique for dancing.
Cause it seems to me
Introducing a thought or observation.
Oh it seems to you
Repeating the thought or observation to acknowledge the mentor's perspective.
I said it seems to me
Restating the initial thought or observation for emphasis.
You said it seems to you
Acknowledging and repeating the mentor's response.
A such embarrassing situation calls for concentration
Recognizing the shame in not being able to dance and focusing on improvement.
Do you dig me jack
Asking for agreement or understanding.
We dig you jack
Expressing agreement and support for the student's effort to learn how to dance.
Can we think of a plan
Asking for guidance or next steps.
We ?
Unclear what this line means out of context, more information is needed.
Can we sing and dance
Suggesting an activity or possible next step to practice dancing.
I'll take a chance
Willingness to explore or try something new despite uncertainty or risk.
Are you boots alright
Checking in on the condition of the mentor's footwear.
? tight
Unclear what this line means out of context, more information is needed.
Is miss Miller a killer
Asking about another person, possibly a dancer named Miss Miller.
From a spanish villa
Providing additional information about the person or place associated with Miss Miller.
?
Unclear what this line means out of context, more information is needed.
Then it seems to me
Introducing a new observation or conclusion based on the previous conversation.
Obviously
Expressing confidence or certainty about the previous observation or conclusion.
You wanna go right into your ?
Unclear what this line means out of context, more information is needed.
I never could do the conga
Admitting to difficulties or struggles with a specific dance.
Could never get through the conga
Reinforcing the challenge or obstacle associated with the conga dance.
But if you say do the conga
Willingness to try the conga dance despite previous difficulties.
I ain't hep to that step
Using informal language to express unfamiliarity with the dance step.
But I'll dig it
Willingness to try or learn the dance step despite unfamiliarity.
I never could see mazurkas
Admitting to difficulties or struggles with a specific dance.
They're poison to me, mazurkas
Describing mazurkas as unpleasant or challenging.
But if it's to be mazurkas
Willingness to try the mazurka dance despite previous difficulties.
When they invented the Charleston
Referring to a specific dance invented in the past.
I was a total flop
Admitting to previous failures with the Charleston dance.
Right
Affirming agreement or acknowledging the previous statement.
But say if you want to Charleston
Willingness to try the Charleston dance again despite past failures.
I'll never stop
Expressing enthusiasm and determination to dance the Charleston until exhausted.
I never could dig the polka
Admitting to difficulties or struggles with a specific dance.
The corniest jig, the polka
Describing the polka dance as uncool or unappealing.
She ain't hep to that step
Using informal language to express unfamiliarity with the dance step.
She ain't hep to that step
Using informal language to express unfamiliarity with the dance step.
She ain't hep to that step
Using informal language to express unfamiliarity with the dance step.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAL BORNE, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind