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.
Real Late Starter
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Actually, I do that every day
Got no place to be seen
I'm not part of a scene
I'm a genius loser
Keeping counsel with my own opinion
President of the state that I'm in
Should I just stay in bed?
Oh god, so many questions to ask
Oh you could call it lazy
I think of it as taking my time
'Cause I don't want to do what I don't want to do
I'm a queen refuse-nik
But oh my God, if I was somebody
I'd be doing it all just fine
But I'm a real late starter
So I'm making up for lost time
Oh my God, if I was somebody
You'd be kissing my ass right now
But I'm so polite
I do this all of the time
I missed my calling in life
Oh well
Day by day I wonder
If I will be torn asunder
By these things that I know that nobody else knows
Or maybe it's the drinking
Kids, we should consult a Bible
Everybody needs a sign, oh
Bless the birds and the bees
The flowers and trees
And blessed be the slacker
Oh my God, if I was somebody
I'd be doing it all just fine
But I'm a real late starter
So I'm making up for lost time
Oh my God, if I was somebody
You'd be kissing my ass right now
But I'm so polite
I do this all of the time
I missed my calling in life
You must be having a laugh
Oh god, you're having a laugh
No point in worrying if my day's a disaster
Inside my little head, I'm happy ever after
Yes I am
Oh my God, if I was somebody
I'd be doing it all just fine
But I'm a real late starter
So I'm making up for lost time
Oh my God, if I was somebody
You'd be kissing my ass right now
But I'm so polite
I missed my calling in life
Oh my God, if I was somebody
I'd be doing it all just fine
But I'm a real late starter
So I'm making up for lost time
Oh my God, if I was somebody
You'd be kissing my ass right now
But I'm so polite
I do this all of the time
I missed my calling in life
Oh, what am I like?
Yeah, well.
The lyrics to Nerina Pallot's song Real Late Starter describe the feeling of being a non-conformist, someone who doesn't fit into a specific scene or mold. The singer is someone who wakes up late every day, with no specific place to be. They are comfortable in their own company and consider themselves a "genius loser." They struggle with the idea of whether to stay in bed or live in their head and ask themselves many questions but don't find satisfying answers.
The song acknowledges that outsiders might see this behavior as laziness and lack of motivation. Still, the singer sees it as taking their time and refuses to do things they don't want to do. This rebellious attitude, however, comes with a hint of regret as the singer acknowledges that if they were somebody or had found their calling in life, they would be successful. The song's melody and the repetition of the chorus enhances the sense of longing, disappointment, and acceptance of one's situation.
Overall, Real Late Starter is a poignant and relatable song for anyone who feels like they don't fit in, is lost or lacking direction in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up late today
I woke up late, which is not unusual for me
Actually, I do that every day
I usually wake up late every day
Got no place to be seen
I don't have anywhere to go, nobody's waiting for me
I'm not part of a scene
I don't belong to a social group or clique
I'm a genius loser
I feel like a talented underachiever
Keeping counsel with my own opinion
I usually keep my thoughts to myself
President of the state that I'm in
I'm in charge of my own life
Should I just stay in bed?
I'm contemplating whether or not to just lay in bed all day
Should I live in my head?
I'm wondering if I should just stay in my own imagination all day
Oh god, so many questions to ask
I'm feeling overwhelmed with indecision and uncertainty
You could call it lazy
Some people may perceive my behavior as being lazy
I think of it as taking my time
I perceive my behavior as taking things at my own pace
'Cause I don't want to do what I don't want to do
I only want to do what I actually want to do
I'm a queen refuse-nik
I'm a rebellious woman who refuses to conform
But oh my God, if I was somebody
I wish I was more successful, more famous, or more important
I'd be doing it all just fine
I imagine that I would be handling everything very well
But I'm a real late starter
I started progressing in life later than most people did
So I'm making up for lost time
I'm working hard now to catch up for the time I've lost
You'd be kissing my ass right now
If I was famous or successful, people would be treating me with a lot of respect
But I'm so polite
I'm well-mannered and considerate, despite not being famous or successful
I missed my calling in life
I regret not pursuing a different path in life
Day by day, I wonder
Every day, I'm filled with doubts and questions
If I will be torn asunder
I'm afraid that I'll fall apart or lose myself
By these things that I know that nobody else knows
I know things that nobody else knows, and it's scary
Or maybe it's the drinking
I might be using alcohol to cope or escape
Kids, we should consult a Bible
We need some guidance or wisdom
Everybody needs a sign, oh
I'm looking for a sign that will give me clarity or direction
Bless the birds and the bees, the flowers and trees
I appreciate the beauty of nature
And blessed be the slacker
I embrace my laid-back lifestyle, and I'm grateful for the chance to relax
You must be having a laugh
You must be joking, because my life isn't that great
No point in worrying if my day's a disaster
It's pointless to worry when things aren't going well
Inside my little head, I'm happy ever after
In my imagination, I'm content and satisfied
Oh, what am I like?
I'm reflecting on my own quirks and behaviors
Contributed by Bentley L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kael W
I love the lyrics in this song. So insightful and powerful and it has a great beat to make you really get caught up with it. Great job!! I am suprised this video does not have more views than it does!!
ZoeZoebagins
I feel like she explains my whole life
Dave Lester
fantastic and so beautiful,well done nerina
Michelle Schlichter
i love her songs even have her album. she has a great voice and funny
Sverre Kvernmo
I wouldn't have noticed this song if it wasn't for the dimension Superpowerless' mix adds to it... As it stands it is now a favorite tune of mine! Thanks Nerina.
dizzysazzy
Can't wait until December to see Nerina!!
Magicthe Unicorn
i loooooove it!!!
Fingerprints101
i have those finger puppets :DD both versions are awesome!
kentishtowncowboy
Clever, funny and she's gorgeous.
Aya Ilan
my theme song