Pallot was born in London, but spent most of her childhood on the island of Jersey. Her mother is from India, whilst her father is native born from Jersey. Early in life, she spent some time living in India, but spent most of her early school years in Jersey. From there she won a scholarship to Wellington College, a famous military public school in England. Her time at this school provides much of the personal inspiration behind her single Everybodyโs Gone to War as several of her school friends were directly involved in the Iraq war.
Nerina Pallot is classically trained in singing and piano, and then engaged in a peripatetic career around the fringes of the music industry. Outside these various industry-related jobs, Nerina Pallot was an active part-time musician with an ambition to follow a career in performing and song writing. At some point her career took her to her favourite job of this time, as PA to the music industry executive Andrew King; a key figure in the management of Pink Floyd from its earliest days. Still following her ambition to pursue a musical career, Pallot signed to Polydor in her mid-20s, despite misgivings from Andrew King. This signing resulted in the release of an album containing self-penned songs; the ironically titled Dear Frustrated Superstar (2001). However, singles released from this album failed to make a sales mark as did the album. Following this, Nerina Pallot was dropped by Polydor among some bitter recriminations which are documented on her web site. This experience was later to lead to the writing of Mr. King, a touching, and very probably unique tribute to a senior music industry executive.
Following this episode, Nerina Pallot returned to University to study English with a partially formed plan to become an English teacher. However, during her studies she rekindled a love of lyrical English and started to write again. The song Idaho came from this period, using the state as a metaphor for the place where she wanted to actively steer her life, rather than just letting it drift. Idaho, Mr. King, and Everybodyโs Gone to War became three of the tracks that made up her second album Fires. This was, in part, financed by money from her publishers, Chrysalis, who had remained faithful, and partly through re-mortgaging her home. As important was the extensive good-will and contacts that she could call upon within the industry in both London and Los Angeles. The eventual album was released under her own label Idaho which, despite rave reviews, failed to make significant sales headway. This, and subsequent activities, lead to an early termination of her degree course, but she has expressed a desire to complete it.
Nerina Pallot persisted by extensively touring the country, and sometimes Europe, supporting acts such as Missy Higgins, Sheryl Crow, James Blunt, Suzanne Vega, Joseph Arthur, and Ray LaMontagne. This, and a very active and acerbic presence on MySpace resulted in a considerable word-of-mouth following. Typical of many of her contemporary artists in the Internet world, she is strongly supported by a group of dedicated fans, connected via so-called social networking sites. Nerina Pallot also benefits from support within influential parts of the media including the BBC.
Eventually this activity and support resulted in Nerina Pallot being signed to the Warner label 14th Floor who specialise in promoting acts with a partially established following. Fires received a slight makeover, and was re-released under the 14th Floor label. Everybodyโs Gone to War was released as a single with a video filmed in a Los Angeles supermarket in the style of a Hollywood war film, save being staged as a โfood-fightโ. A second single, a remixed Sophia, was released in early October 2006. Learning to Breathe is to be released in early 2007 as the third single under the 14th Floor label.
During the summer of 2006 Nerina appeared at many music festivals, promotional and charity events. For the autumn months she is touring intensively in the UK and Europe as a headline act.
During her early 2007 tour of the UK and Ireland, Nerina Pallot reprised several songs from her Dear Frustrated Superstar period, possibly marking a coming to terms with a dark period in her career.
In 2007 Nerina Pallot was nominated for a Brit Award in the Best British Female category won by Amy Winehouse. Such was the unexpected nature of this nomination to her, that she had already set the date, St. Valentineโs day 2007 for her marriage to the music video producer Andrew Chatterley, both briefly leaving the reception in London for the award show.
Nerina Pallot released her third studio album "The Graduate" in 2009, on her own label. Nerina worked with many writers for the album but when it came down to the final tracklist only Pallot written material has made the cut. She wrote in her blog that she had approximately 60 viable songs. The album title refers to Pallot's 2009 graduation from university with a first-class honours English Literature degree.
Nerina Pallot and her husband Andy Chatterly wrote the title track and third single, "Better Than Today" from Kylie Minogue's 2010 studio album, "Aphrodite". Pallot signed with Geffon Records and released "Year Of The Wolf" in 2011. The album's title comes from her son, Wolfie, with whom she was pregnant during the recording of the album. Lead single "Put Your Hands Up" was originally written for Kylie Minogue.
Circus
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lights against the sky
Red and yellow dancing in your eyes
I let my heart fly
Above the high wire
But we came spinning down
Do you remember when the circus came to town
Are only passing through
Their painted wheels roll on to somewhere new
And I donโฒt want to
But I still love you
And I can't turn it round
โฒCause I still remember when the circus came to town
In these lyrics, Nerina Pallot uses the metaphor of a circus to describe a relationship that has come to an end. The candy stripes and colored wagons symbolize the excitement and vibrancy of the early stages of love. The lights against the sky and the red and yellow dancing in the person's eyes represent the intensity and passion they once shared. The singer reminisces about the time when she allowed herself to fully open her heart and take a chance, like a high-wire act that defies gravity.
However, things didn't go as expected, and they came "spinning down," signifying the downfall of the relationship. This could refer to a sense of emotional disarray or the sudden loss of balance and stability. The singer asks if the other person remembers when the circus came to town, indicating a longing for them to reflect on the past and perhaps understand the impact they had on each other.
The next set of lyrics describes the aftermath of the relationship. The cavalcades and fun parades represent the passing moments of joy and excitement that they once experienced together. However, these moments are transitory, just like a circus that moves on to a new location. The painted wheels rolling on to somewhere new symbolize the fleeting nature of relationships and the constant change in life.
Despite the pain and the realization that their love story has ended, the singer admits that she still loves the other person. She acknowledges that she can't make things right again or turn back time. The memory of when the circus came to town still lingers in her mind, serving as a bittersweet reminder of the love they once shared. Despite the impermanence of the circus and the relationship, the singer's feelings remain, showing the lasting impact love can have, even when it is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Candy stripes and coloured wagons
Vibrant and lively decorations
Lights against the sky
Illuminated display contrasting with the darkness
Red and yellow dancing in your eyes
Bright and vivid colors reflected in your gaze
I let my heart fly
I allowed myself to experience intense emotions
Above the high wire
In a state of excitement and uncertainty
But we came spinning down
We eventually faced a downfall
Do you remember when the circus came to town
Do you recall the time of thrilling excitement and change
Cavalcades and fun parades
Processions and cheerful celebrations
Are only passing through
They are temporary and brief
Their painted wheels roll on to somewhere new
Their vibrant displays move towards an unknown destination
And I don't want to
I resist the inclination
But I still love you
Despite everything, I still have affection for you
And I can't turn it round
I'm unable to change the situation
'Cause I still remember when the circus came to town
Because I still vividly recall the time of excitement and uncertainty
Writer(s): Gary Clark
Contributed by Logan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sabrinaaraujo9742
lyrics
Candy stripes and coloured wagons
Lights against the sky
Red and yellow dancing in your eyes
I let my heart fly
Above the high wire
But we came spinning down
Do you remember when the circus came to town
Cavalcades and fun parades
Are only passing through
Their painted wheels roll on to somewhere new
And I don't want to
But I still love you
And I can't turn it round
'Cause I still remember when the circus came to town
@cynthiagandakusuma4470
Candy stripes and coloured wagons
Lights against the sky
Red and yellow dancing in your eyes
I let my heart fly
Above the high wire
But we came spinning down
Do you remember when the circus came to town
Cavalcades and fun parades
Are only passing through
Their painted wheels roll on to somewhere new
And I don't want to
But I still love you
And I can't turn it round
'Cause I still remember when the circus came to town
@mimialipio6632
I loved all Modern Love's episodes, but this particular one broke my heart. Two stories about untested love. One survived, one didn't. It's really hard to live with WHAT IF'S throughout one's life, and I never experienced it, but thinking about it alone is devastating enough.
@kunaloza2
๐ค
@arpitabrahmachari7649
What didn't survive?
@arpitabrahmachari7649
The young ones git back together and so did the old ones right?
@mimialipio6632
@Arpita Brahmachari The old ones did get together one night, but only to have closure. The woman lived her life knowing that the man just forgot about her coz he didn't find her eventhough she gave him a book with her address on it. When they saw each other again after decades, she found out she was wrong all along. He lost the book. But things are way too complicated now, they both have families and children, they just had to see each other again. Then after that, the woman broke up with her husband, it's like she finally had peace with herself, all alone. Sometimes, fate has other plans. Their story still pinches my heart up to this day.
@jstoltenburg
@MiMi Alipio me too. I felt so awful for her. I wanted to poke Andy Garcia in the eye. :-( So sad.
@samanthaloyola9782
"Sometimes you realize that true love in its absolute form has many purposes in life."
@sabrinaaraujo9742
lyrics
Candy stripes and coloured wagons
Lights against the sky
Red and yellow dancing in your eyes
I let my heart fly
Above the high wire
But we came spinning down
Do you remember when the circus came to town
Cavalcades and fun parades
Are only passing through
Their painted wheels roll on to somewhere new
And I don't want to
But I still love you
And I can't turn it round
'Cause I still remember when the circus came to town
@bhaveshgupta2744
Thanks Sabrina, appreciated!
@MaurizioParascandolo
Grazie Sabrina.