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
David
Nellie McKay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Havin' so much fun
Gonna be a star
Blah blah blah
And click there goes the phone
I don't want to know
What my Horoscope's predicting
'Cause I need a kick
I don't want to think
I just want to sip
David don't you hear me at all
David won't you give me a call
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
David come around
Mister bushie says
I'm your president
I have lots to say
Hey hey hey
And click goes the remote
There you have my vote
Catchin' the next boat out of here
Just pour me a drink
'Cause I need a lie
I don't want to think
I just want to die
David don't you hear me at all
David don't you hear through the wall
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
David come around
Chaos pervades the world outside
Days offer spades of hurled outcries
Gone is the fair and five and dime
But he is there
He's so fine
Listen to her play
Has somethin' to say
Even has a rap
Clap clap clap
But click there goes the lid
Sorry 'bout the fib
I ain't got a grip on nothin'
Just pour me a drink
Right outta the can
I don't want to think
I just want my man
David don't you hear me at all
David dear I'm just down the hall
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
David come around
The song David by Nellie McKay is a playful, yet melancholic commentary on the overwhelming cacophony of modern life. The first verse sets the tone, mocking the superficiality of celebrity culture and the triviality of horoscopes. McKay sings, "Look at you you're young, havin' so much fun, gonna be a star, blah blah blah." The phone rings, but she "doesn't want to know what [her] Horoscope's predicting" - she just wants to forget it all and "sip" her drink. The chorus, then, is a plea for someone to listen amidst the chaos of the world: "David, don't you hear me at all? David, won't you give me a call? Waitin' here, not makin' a sound, David come around."
The second verse contrasts the frivolity of the first verse with a more sinister reality: the election of George W. Bush as President of the United States. The contrast between the lightness of McKay's earlier lyrics and the gravity of this verse is stark, and underscores the underlying anxiety of the song. McKay sings, "Mister bushie says I'm your president, I have lots to say, hey hey hey." But, again, the phone rings, and McKay wants to take a break from it all before "catchin' the next boat out of here." The final verse continues to engage with the societal chaos, lamenting "Gone is the fair and five and dime." Yet, amidst this all, McKay finds solace in music - "Listen to her play, has somethin' to say, even has a rap." But, once again, the phone rings, and McKay admits she "ain't got a grip on nothin.'"
Overall, the song David is a commentary on contemporary American society and the overwhelming nature of daily life. The lyrics are playful and satirical, but also hint at the underlying anxieties that come with living in a complex and fast-paced world.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at you you're young
Nellie is talking to someone young and carefree
Havin' so much fun
They are enjoying their life and having a good time
Gonna be a star
They have dreams and aspirations of becoming famous
Blah blah blah
Nellie doesn't care about the person's idle chatter
And click there goes the phone
The person's phone rings and interrupts their conversation
I don't want to know
Nellie doesn't care to hear about the person's horoscope
What my Horoscope's predicting
The person is interested in knowing their horoscope prediction
Just pour me a drink
Nellie wants someone to pour her a drink
'Cause I need a kick
She needs a drink to give her a buzz
I don't want to think
Nellie doesn't want to think about anything
I just want to sip
She just wants to drink and relax
David don't you hear me at all
Nellie is calling out to someone named David who isn't listening to her
David won't you give me a call
She wants David to call her
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
Nellie is waiting for David silently
David come around
She wants David to come to where she is
Mister bushie says
Someone is quoting former President George W. Bush
I'm your president
The quote is referencing Bush's presidency
I have lots to say
Bush was known for his speeches and public addresses
Hey hey hey
This could be a direct quote or a sarcastic jab at Bush's speech patterns
And click goes the remote
Someone changes the television channel
There you have my vote
The person is indicating they support Bush
Catchin' the next boat out of here
Nellie doesn't want to deal with discussing politics and leaves the conversation instead
Just pour me a drink
Nellie wants someone to pour her another drink
'Cause I need a lie
Nellie wants a drink to help her forget or escape from reality
I don't want to think
She doesn't want to engage in any deep thinking or conversations
I just want to die
This line is likely metaphorical, referring to Nellie's desire to escape her current situation
David don't you hear me at all
Nellie is still trying to communicate with David
David don't you hear through the wall
She believes David is close by and able to hear her
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
Nellie is still waiting for David without making any noise
David come around
She wants David to come find her
Chaos pervades the world outside
Nellie is making a statement about the chaotic state of the world
Days offer spades of hurled outcries
This line is poetic, meaning that each day is filled with loud, chaotic protests and calls for change
Gone is the fair and five and dime
This line refers to the disappearing small businesses in America
But he is there
Nellie is referring to David, who is still around despite the societal changes
He's so fine
She thinks highly of David
Listen to her play
Someone is listening to Nellie's music
Has somethin' to say
Nellie believes her music has a message
Even has a rap
Her music has elements of rap
Clap clap clap
This line is onomatopoeic and describes the sound of applause
But click there goes the lid
Someone has opened a bottle or container
Sorry 'bout the fib
The person apologizes for lying
I ain't got a grip on nothin'
This line is likely about Nellie feeling out of control or lost
Just pour me a drink
Nellie still wants someone to pour her a drink
Right outta the can
She's okay with a drink straight from the can
I don't want to think
Nellie still doesn't want to think about anything
I just want my man
She wants to be with David
David don't you hear me at all
Nellie repeats her request for David to listen to her
David dear I'm just down the hall
She's telling David where she is located
Waitin' here not makin' a sound
Nellie is still waiting for David quietly
David come around
She's still hoping David will come find her
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Nellie Mckay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind