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 Everybody’s 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 Everybody’s 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. Everybody’s 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 “food-fight”. 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. Valentine’s 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.
Closer
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll let you kiss the room
While you lick your lips in anticipation -
You watch bite my tongue,
Keep me hanging oooo-on
That's a you roll in my imagination
Ye-ye-yeah
I want you to move closer
I need you to move closer
A little closer,
Boy just give it to me straight
Give it to me good
Give it to me straight up, now
You should now - straight
Give it to me good,
You give it to me straight up, now
Oh, this could take all night
But you know it's alright now
Best to delete the?
Oh oh oh oh
I want you to move closer
A little closer, are you getting me!
I need you to move closer
A little closer,
Boy just give it to me straight
Give it to me good
Give it to me straight up, now
You should now - straight
Give it to me good,
You give it to me straight up, now
Oh ooh oh
I want you to move closer, closer
I want you to move closer, yeah!
I want you to move closer, closer
I want you to move closer, yeah!
I want you to move closer
A little closer, are you getting me!
I need you to move closer
A little closer,
Boy just give it to me straight,
Give it to me good
Give it to me straight up, now
You should now - straight
Give it to me good,
You give it to me straight up, now
Oh ooh oh
I want you to move closer, closer
I want you to move closer, closer
I want you to move closer, closer
I want you to move closer, closer
The lyrics to Nerina Pallot's song Closer are straightforward and unapologetically suggestive. The singer is clearly indicating their desire for physical intimacy with someone, as evidenced by lines such as "I'll let you kiss the room / While you lick your lips in anticipation" and "I want you to move closer / A little closer, are you getting me?". The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's desire to be physically closer to the person they are addressing, almost as if they are pleading with them to give in to their advances. Pallot's smooth delivery and the sultry instrumentation only add to the seductive nature of the song.
One interesting interpretation of the lyrics is that the song could be about giving in to temptation. The singer wants to "move closer" to this person, despite the possible consequences or negative outcomes. They are willing to take the risk because their desire for this person is so strong. This interpretation is further supported by the line "Best to delete the?," which suggests that the singer is aware that what they are doing might not be the safest or most responsible choice.
Line by Line Meaning
I got my eye on you,
I am observing you intentionally and closely.
I'll let you kiss the room
You are free to look around my surroundings and explore.
While you lick your lips in anticipation -
You are excited and eagerly awaiting something from me.
You watch bite my tongue,
You are observing me struggling to hold back or express my true feelings.
Keep me hanging oooo-on
You are leaving me in suspense or uncertainty on purpose.
That's a you roll in my imagination
You are the one who controls my thoughts and dreamworld.
I want you to move closer
I desire for you to come nearer to me physically and emotionally.
A little closer, are you getting me!
I am speculating if you understand my message and are complying with my request.
I need you to move closer
I require your presence to be more intimate and engaging.
Boy just give it to me straight
I want you to tell me the truth in a direct and honest manner.
Give it to me good
I want you to give me your best effort or performance.
Give it to me straight up, now
I am emphasizing my desire for honesty and directness without delay.
Oh, this could take all night
I am implying that the situation could last for a long time or not be resolved immediately.
But you know it's alright now
I am expressing my attitude of acceptance or reassurance that things will be okay.
Best to delete the?
This line is unclear and may not have a specific meaning.
I want you to move closer, yeah!
I am reiterating my desire for more closeness and intimacy.
I want you to move closer, closer
I am emphasizing my strong desire for physical and emotional proximity to you.
Contributed by Victoria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.