Nichole’s musical style has developed over time from headbanging rock with her first band INSANE to folky acoustics with her first album Under the Skin (2001), while her most recent albums Lost Into Experience (2009) and You Are Not Alone (2010) glimpse an evolution into a darker electronic lounge vibe. Along the way, she’s collaborated with dance and pop producers on a number of projects ranging from house anthem “Live So Free” with Swiss American Federation to ridiculous pop songs like “Teaser” with Mark Okoh. Whatever the genre, Nichole has consistently captivated audiences with her intoxicating voice, presence and lyrics.
The lucky product of a quick union: Nichole's straight-A-student mother dropped out her last semester of private college to run off with the long-haired drummer of a rock band she met in Deland, Florida. Hoping to make a positive impression on his new family, Nichole’s father quit his band, shaved his head, and joined the army. The couple married and was stationed in Augsburg, Germany where Nichole was born just a year later. The marriage ended soon after, and as an infant, Nichole was brought back to Florida where her mother worked to support the family and finish her studies. It was in her early years as a latch key kid that Nichole's passion for songwriting emerged.
Nichole began writing songs in grade school, where she tried out a number of instruments including violin, stand up bass, and keyboard. In middle school, she got her first electric guitar and began performing in Central Florida nightclubs with heavy rock band INSANE at age 14. During the summers, she studied music, songwriting, and performance at National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut, where she learned from guitar heros such as Andy Timmons and Nuno Bettencourt. By high school graduation, Nichole had written, recorded, and produced more than twenty original songs and played dozens of live shows.
Determined to transcend the common trajectory for many kids growing up in non-ideal households, Nichole sought balance between her artistic aspirations and academic endeavors, pursuing formal studies in Economics and Education while steadily building her song catalog. She moved to Los Angeles in 1999 with little more than her guitar and a suitcase; something like the scene out of Poison's Fallen Angel video. Like many musicians trying to break into the industry, she started out working a number of day jobs, from managing the marketing department at West L.A. Music to offering tech support for Disney's Consumer Products division. Along the way, she also brought her passion into the classroom, teaching at elementary schools in the challenging areas of South Central and East Los Angeles and elite Pacific Palisades.
Currently, ALDEN creates custom music for film and television, while working on her fourth studio album in the Silicon Beach community of Santa Monica, California.
Bloodwings
Nichole Alden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're dressed in uniform
They've put us in order
No one's got a strategy
We're all just taking orders
Lights in the sky fire mindlessly
We don't respect the borders
We've given up everything
So what's left to conquer?
We've given up everything
We've given up everything
Maybe they're dropping their guns
Maybe they think we've already won
Sunk ships with loose tongues
We'll never be...
Never be outdone
We've given up everything
What's left to conquer?
We've given up everything
We've given up
Everything
The lyrics of Nichole Alden's song Bloodwings describe the confusion and uncertainty felt by soldiers in a war. The first lines show a sense of frustration with the lack of understanding about what is happening: "How do I show 'em that I'm not a soldier?" The soldiers are all wearing the same uniform and following orders, but they do not have a clear strategy. The following lines describe the chaos of war, with lights in the sky and no respect for borders. The soldiers have given up everything, including their own lives, but they do not know what they are fighting for.
The chorus repeats the lines "We've given up everything, so what's left to conquer?" This highlights the pointlessness of war and the fact that the soldiers feel they have nothing left to fight for. The final lines of the song suggest that there may be some hope, with the possibility that the enemy is dropping their guns and the soldiers may have already won. However, the last line "We'll never be outdone" suggests that there is always something more to fight for.
Overall, Bloodwings is a poignant song that captures the confusion and futility of war. It is a reminder of the sacrifice that soldiers make and the need to strive for peace.
Line by Line Meaning
How do I show 'em that I'm not a soldier?
I want to show everyone that I'm not just following orders like a soldier in uniform.
We're dressed in uniform
We're all wearing the same thing, like an army in formation.
They've put us in order
We're being arranged in a certain way, like soldiers in a formation.
No one's got a strategy
No one has a plan or direction for what we're doing.
We're all just taking orders
We're obediently following commands without question.
Lights in the sky fire mindlessly
The explosions in the sky are random and chaotic.
We don't respect the borders
We're crossing territorial boundaries without regard for their significance.
Or the gravel below our feet
We're moving forward without concern for the physical ground we're walking on.
We've given up everything
We've sacrificed everything, including our individuality and personal lives.
So what's left to conquer?
We've already committed everything, so what more is there to achieve?
Maybe they're dropping their guns
Perhaps the enemy is giving up and surrendering.
Maybe they think we've already won
It's possible our enemy thinks we've already achieved victory.
Sunk ships with loose tongues
Even though we've lost some battles, we're still fighting with determination and endurance.
We'll never be... Never be outdone
We refuse to be defeated or surpassed by the enemy, no matter the cost.
We've given up everything
We've already forfeited everything meaningful or important to us.
What's left to conquer?
There's nothing left for us to gain or achieve.
We've given up everything
We lose ourselves and our sense of identity as we focus solely on the mission.
We've given up... Everything
Our sacrifice is all-encompassing and total, leaving nothing behind.
Contributed by Henry B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.