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.
The Right Side
Nerina Pallot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You flip my switch
You watch me run
'Cause I get so excited
I feel it coming on
I got a heartbeat in my brain
I can't keep still
You keep me entertained
Until the game is won
I get a little high
You can't stop me
Watch out, here we go, here we go
You come along for the ride
My black heart Romeo, my real hero
How can we lose when we're on the right side?
Oh, it's been so long since I've felt so good
Pure electricity is a curious notion
It's so good to be alive
When you bring it closer now
Closer still
We're just a breath away from
Victory baby
Such sweetness drunken dry
We get a little high
You can't stop us
Watch out, here we go, here we go
You come along for the ride
My black heart Romeo, my real hero
How can we lose when we're on the right side of it now?
Where are they now?
Their doom and gloom consumed them in the end
You gotta leave it behind
Leave it behind
Have a little faith
Play a little music
Put it in your heart
Baby we can use it
Get a little high
They can't stop us
Watch out, here we go, here we go
You come along for the ride
My black heart Romeo, my real hero
How can we lose when we're on the right side?
How can we lose when we're on the right side?
We're on the right side.
In Nerina Pallot's song "The Right Side", the lyrics describe the feeling of empowerment and excitement that comes when a person is in the zone and succeeding at something. The singer compares themselves to a loaded gun, ready to go off at any moment when their switch is flipped. The excitement builds and they feel a heartbeat in their brain, unable to keep still until they have won the game. The chorus urges the listener to come along for the ride, promising victory and a feeling of being on the right side.
The second verse continues with the idea that it has been a long time since the singer has felt this good. They describe their feeling as "pure electricity" and the notion of being alive is "so good". The build-up to victory is just a breath away, and they are on the cusp of achieving it with their hero by their side. The bridge of the song takes a turn and encourages listeners to leave behind the negative thoughts and feelings that might be holding them back. The lyrics encourage faith and music as tools to overcome any obstacle and to get a little high on the feeling of success.
Overall, "The Right Side" is a song about feeling victorious and alive, with an emphasis on the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people and having faith in yourself.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I'm a loaded gun
I am full of potential and ready to go
You flip my switch
You activate me and bring me to life
You watch me run
You observe as I take off on my journey
'Cause I get so excited
I am filled with enthusiasm and anticipation
I feel it coming on
I sense that something great is about to happen
I got a heartbeat in my brain
My mind is racing and overflowing with energy
I can't keep still
I am restless and eager for action
You keep me entertained
You keep me interested and engaged in the present moment
I get no satisfaction
I am not content until I achieve my goal
Until the game is won
Until I have successfully completed what I set out to do
I get a little high
I experience a rush of excitement and joy
You can't stop me
Nothing can hold me back or bring me down
Watch out, here we go, here we go
Be prepared, because we are about to take off on a wild adventure
You come along for the ride
Join me and be part of the journey
My black heart Romeo, my real hero
The one who ignites my passion and inspires me to keep going
How can we lose when we're on the right side?
We cannot fail when we are striving for what is good and true
Oh, it's been so long since I've felt so good
It has been a while since I have felt this alive and energized
Pure electricity is a curious notion
The feeling of being alive and vibrant is a fascinating concept
It's so good to be alive
Life is a precious gift, and it is wonderful to experience it fully
When you bring it closer now
When we focus on the present moment and embrace life, it becomes even more fulfilling
Closer still
As we continue to pursue our passion, we draw even closer to our goal
We're just a breath away from
Success is within our grasp, and we are so close to achieving it
Victory baby
We are on the cusp of triumph, and nothing can stop us now
Such sweetness drunken dry
The joy and fulfillment we feel from success is so intense that it is almost overwhelming
We get a little high
Our excitement and passion is so powerful that it feels like a natural high
They can't stop us
No one and nothing can stand in our way or hold us back
Where are they now?
Those who doubted us or tried to bring us down are nowhere to be found
Their doom and gloom consumed them in the end
Those who were negative and pessimistic were eventually brought down by their own attitude
You gotta leave it behind
We must let go of negativity and embrace positivity in order to succeed
Have a little faith
Believe in ourselves and our abilities to overcome obstacles and achieve our goals
Play a little music
Find joy and inspiration in the small wonders of life
Put it in your heart
Embrace positivity and optimism, and let it fill our being
Baby we can use it
Use our positivity and passion to fuel our success and drive us forward
How can we lose when we're on the right side?
We are destined for greatness and cannot fail when we are on the side of what is right and just
We're on the right side.
We are on the path to success and fulfillment, and nothing can stop us now
Contributed by Audrey T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.