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.
I Don't Want To Go Out
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got the rest of my life to buy things that I don't need
Got problems aplenty
Got hope in a jar by my bedside
Got angels looking down on me
I can't strain my brain
Can't take the blame for everything I don't know
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, no no
Just one more thing I could do without, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out
Those sheeple, with notebooks
So unique, thinking the same
Same haircuts, same club, same name
Televisions, politicians, mentalism, evangelism, stupidism
Always drugging the nation
Keep falling for that same game
I can't strain my brain
Can't take the blame for everything you don't know
I lock the door and at the end of the day
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, no no
Just one more thing I could do without, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out
It's really nothing, but I'm not coming out to play
I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm not coming out today
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, no no
Just one more thing I could do without, woo
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out
The lyrics to Nerina Pallot's "I Don't Want To Go Out" speaks to the feeling of being tired, overwhelmed, and desiring self-care. The opening lines, "Got new boots and lipstick, got the rest of my life to buy things that I don't need" could be interpreted as a coping mechanism where the singer treats themselves to new things to make them feel better or to distract from their problems. The line, "Got hope in a jar by my bedside" suggests that the singer is trying to hold on to something, possibly a glimmer of hope, to help them get through difficult times. The following line, "Got angels looking down on me", could be a nod to a religious or spiritual aspect of her life, or it could be representing her community or people that support her.
The next verse touches on the theme of conformity and societal pressure. "Those sheeple, with notebooks, so unique, thinking the same, same haircuts, same club, same name" suggests that the singer is aware of the pressure to conform and the monotony of mainstream culture. This is followed by a list of negative influences, such as television, politicians, and stupidism, among others. The final lines of the second verse, "Keep falling for that same game, I can't strain my brain, can't take the blame for everything you don't know," showcases frustration with the current state of society and the expectation to follow along with the mass media.
The chorus repeats the theme of fatigue and wanting to stay in, away from the chaos of the outside world. The use of "woo" creates a playful, almost sarcastic tone, emphasizing the singer's feelings of exhaustion. The second verse lyric, "It’s really nothing, but I'm not coming out to play, I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm not coming out today" drives home the idea that sometimes, it's okay to prioritize oneself, even if that means declining invitations or opportunities in order to rest and recharge.
Line by Line Meaning
Got new boots and lipstick
I have recently bought new boots and lipstick.
Got the rest of my life to buy things that I don't need
I don't need to purchase things that I won't use for the remainder of my life.
Got problems aplenty
I have plenty of issues to deal with.
Got hope in a jar by my bedside
I have a bit of hope that provides me comfort at night.
Got angels looking down on me
I feel that I am protected by divine beings.
I can't strain my brain
I don't want to spend my energy thinking too hard.
Can't take the blame for everything I don't know
I am not at fault for my lack of knowledge.
I lock the door and at the end of the day
At the end of the day, I lock my door and stay inside.
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, woo
I am exhausted and do not want to leave my home.
I'm tired and I just don't want to go out, no no
I am tired and do not feel like leaving the house.
Just one more thing I could do without, woo
There is one more thing that I do not need or want to do.
Those sheeple, with notebooks
There are individuals who conform and carry around notepads.
So unique, thinking the same
Despite their attempt to be unique, they all think and act in a similar way.
Same haircuts, same club, same name
These individuals have identical haircuts, go to the same club, and hold the same name.
Televisions, politicians, mentalism, evangelism, stupidism
There are significant societal issues present, including the impact of media, political forces, and mind games played by some groups.
Always drugging the nation
Some forces are continually impairing or controlling the population.
Keep falling for that same game
Despite the issues, people keep being duped by the same powers.
It's really nothing, but I'm not coming out to play
There may not be anything particularly significant happening, but I still don't want to go out.
I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm not coming out today
Even if it's not a big deal, I am still choosing to stay inside.
Contributed by Hannah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Find That Music!
Nerina is immense, this song and video are immense! So there you have it the word of the day is IMMENSE!