Nicole Atkins' music is a blend of the decades and an expression of the images that many of us share in our memories. Both playful and tragic and never cynical. Nicole draws upon the documents left us by heroes such as Roy Orbison, Phil Spector, Nina Simone, The Kinks, David Lynch, as much as her own experiences learning from the new heroes like Stephen Malkmus, Wilco, Lucinda Williams.
She grew up in Shark River Hills, a middle class enclave within Neptune overlooking the Shark River. Atkins has cited the river (technically a bay) as a major inspiration for her music, particularly the imagery of “the river in the rain” found in the title track on her album Neptune City. She started playing piano when she was 9 and taught herself to play guitar at 13. She eschewed more popular acts of the day for musical groups her parents listened to, such as The Ronettes and Johnny Cash. She has cited The Sundays’ Harriet Wheeler as a major early influence.
She started playing in pick-up bands and doing gigs at local coffeehouses while attending St. Rose High School in the nearby town of Belmar.
After high school, Atkins moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to study illustration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.She ingrained herself within the city’s independent music scene, discovering bands like Superchunk and Uncle Tupelo. She also started writing original songs and befriending other local musicians. Among other bands, she joined a supergroup in the city called Nitehawk that, at one point, had almost 30 members. She also joined the band Los Parasols, releasing an EP with them entitled The Summer of Love in 2002. That same year, Atkins moved to the neighborhood of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, New York. She began performing at open mic night at the Sidewalk Café in Manhattan’s East Village.
Influenced by the artists on Rainbow Quartz, the independent record label specializing in guitar heavy pop music and traditional songwriting for which she worked, she would move away from the louder rock music she’d played in North Carolina and toward the songcraft style of Wilco and Roy Orbison.
She returned briefly to Charlotte, living in a wood shop and playing with several bands, including a group called Virginia Reel. At this time, she started writing what she termed “a mix of Americana, 60s, and indie rock.” She also recorded Bleeding Diamonds EP during her time there.
She moved back to her parents’ house in New Jersey in 2004, working odd jobs and playing local gigs. During this time, she commuted into New York by train to play gigs and maintain a connection to the city’s underground music scene. In mid-2004, Atkins and David Muller, who had played drums with Fischerspooner and The Fiery Furnaces, started working on a demo CD entitled Party’s Over. They recorded most of the album in Atkins’ parents’ house using a Casio keyboard, a ProTools rig, and a mini recorder. Drum parts were recorded at Muller’s apartment in Manhattan, with further tracks recorded at the Dietch Projects gallery in Brooklyn.
In early 2005, keyboardist Dan Chen, whom Atkins knew from her days at The Sidewalk Café, approached Atkins about forming a new group. Chen told Atkins he knew of a drummer, Dan Mintzer, who might also be interested in playing with her. When the three sat down together for the first time, Chen and Mintzer already knew how to play the songs they’d heard on Atkins' MySpace page. Eventually David Hollinghurst, another friend from The Sidewalk Café, joined the band on guitar and Derek Layes was brought on as bassist. The band, now known as Nicole Atkins & The Sea, was given a residency at the small showcase bar, Piano's, and won the attention of music industry attorney Gillian Bar. Atkins' Party’s Over demo had stirred interest from heavy metal label Roadrunner Records, among others.
She soon found herself in the midst of a bidding war between record labels and signed with Columbia Records in January 2006. In late 2006, Atkins and the Sea traveled to Sweden to record her debut album, Neptune City, at Varispeed Studios in Kalgerup and Gula Studion in Malmö with producer Tore Johansson. The album was originally scheduled for a July 2007 release, but at the behest of Columbia co-chairman Rick Rubin, it was pushed back until October 30, 2007 to accommodate re-mastering the album. It debuted at number 20 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.
In May 2009, The Sea disbanded and Atkins started collaborating on several new tracks with drummer Christopher Donofrio, bassist Anthony Chick, and guitarist Bradley York (of "Sikamor Rooney"). Atkins tentatively titled this lineup "The Black Sea". By July 2009, Atkins had ended her professional relationship with Columbia Records.
In January 2010, Atkins and The Black Sea started recording new material at Brooklyn's Seaside Lounge studio with producer Phil Palazzolo, with whom Atkins had previously worked during sessions for A.C. Newman's second solo album, "Get Guilty". Several other musicians joined Atkins in the studio to record the tracks for what would become her second album, Mondo Amore, including guitarist Irina Yalkowsky and bassist Jeremy Kay. Along with drummer Ezra Oklan, Yalkowsky and Kay would form the core lineup of the The Black Sea with whom Atkins would tour in support of Mondo Amore. In June 2010, Atkins signed with New York-based independent label Razor & Tie. The label released Mondo Amore on February 8, 2011.
The Tower
Nicole Atkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bricks, concrete, metal and memories
Inside the rocks and stone, spaces became our home
Arguments echoing, love made so high
Searching for words for the end
But we built the tower too high
When the light finally dies and we look to the sky
They call the dawn morning
And I wish we'd said goodbye
Years flying by, trapped all alone in the sky
And you stories down and all of our loved ones outside
Our words turned out all wrong
Intentions lost in halls
Now all I want to do is tear down the walls
Searching for words for the end
But we built the tower too high
When the light finally dies and we look to the sky
Will we finally know why
They call the dawn the morning, and I wish we'd said goodbye
Seems like the final day you'll ever come my way
So please forgive me if I hold on too tight, too tight
Tight, tight, tight
There's a tower
There's a tower
There's a tower, crumbling
There's a tower
There's a tower
There's a tower, crumbling
Crumbling, crumbling, down
So when the light finally dies
I'll know the answer to why
They call the dawn, mourning
Wish I could've told you goodbye
The song "The Tower" by Nicole Atkins tells the story of a couple who built a tower as a symbol of their love. The tower became their home - a place where they argued and made up, a place where their love grew higher every day. However, they come to realize that they had built the tower too high, and in doing so, they had lost touch with the world outside. They are now trapped, isolated from their loved ones, and struggling to find the right words to say. As the tower crumbles down, they have no choice but to face the truth that they had been holding onto something that was not meant to last.
The lyrics are full of metaphors and symbolism. The tower represents their relationship, and how they had built it up so high. The bricks, concrete, and metal symbolize the strength of their bond, but also the weight that it had become. The metaphor of the tower crumbling down represents the inevitable end of their relationship. They had been holding onto something that was not sustainable, and it was bound to come crashing down.
Overall, "The Tower" is a poignant and introspective song about love and loss. It is a reminder that sometimes we hold onto things that are not meant to last, and that it is important to let go and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
We built a tower for all the town to see
We built a tower that was visible to everyone in the town
Bricks, concrete, metal and memories
The materials used in building the tower acted as a reminder of the memories we made
Inside the rocks and stone, spaces became our home
We made the tower our home even though it was built using hard materials
Arguments echoing, love made so high
Even though we argued, love always kept us going
Searching for words for the end
Finding the right words to conclude our relationship
But we built the tower too high
Our relationship went higher than it should have
When the light finally dies and we look to the sky
At the point of death, we will scrutinize the sky for answers
Will we finally know why they call the dawn morning
We would understand the reason the term dawn was sloppily rhymed with morning
And I wish we'd said goodbye
I desired to say goodbye
Years flying by, trapped all alone in the sky
I was alone in the sky with time elapsing
And you stories down and all of our loved ones outside
You were below with family and friends outside
Our words turned out all wrong
Our communication was ineffective
Intentions lost in halls
Our ideas were forgotten
Now all I want to do is tear down the walls
I want to end the barriers between us
Seems like the final day you'll ever come my way
It feels like the last time I will see you again
So please forgive me if I hold on too tight, too tight, tight, tight, tight
Forgive me if I hold on excessively tight
There's a tower, there's a tower, there's a tower, crumbling
The tower is slowly falling
So when the light finally dies, I'll know the answer to why they call the dawn mourning
At the point of death I would be less confused as to why the term dawn was sloppily rhymed with morning
Wish I could've told you goodbye
I desired to say goodbye
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICOLE ATKINS, ROBERT HARRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elcatrinc1996
We built a tower for all the town to see
Bricks, concrete, metal and memories
Inside the rocks and stone, spaces became our home
Arguments echoing, love made me so high
Searching for words for the end
But we built the tower too high
When the light finally dies and we look to the sky
Will we finally know why
The call the dawn the morning
And I'd wish we'd said goodbye
Years flying by, trapped all alone in the sky
And you stories down and all our loved ones outside
Our words turned out all wrong
Intentions lost in halls
Now all I want to do is tear down the walls
Searching for words for the end
But we built the tower too high
When the light finally dies and we look to the sky
Will we finally know why
The call the dawn the morning
And I wish we'd said goodbye
Seems like the final day you'll ever come my way
So please forgive me if I hold on too tight, too tight
Tight, tight, tight
There's a tower, there's a tower
There's a tower, crumbling
Crumbling, crumbling, down
So when the light finally dies
I'll know the answer to why
They call the dawn, mourning
Wish I could've told you goodbye.
@rawedgeman01
Fave female singer of all time, why Nicole isn't more well known is beyond me.
@Jim26D
She was on her way. I remember first seeing her in an American express commercial then on letterman shortly after. I think she's to much of a real musician to fall into the mainstream. She would have had to sell out and become pop/trash. Example is someone like Jesse j who is an amazing vocalist who had to sing trash music that didn't showcase her talent. Nicole is at the top of my favorites list with tori Amos, and older bjork
@S0UL0NE
I saw this girl play with the Avett Brothers last year, she's incredible live! Such energy and uniqueness of her voice!
@SilvioJ
Amazing 👏
@richardinbrum
Nicole is simply the most stunning female vocalist alive today according to my ears. Great support on the guitar and a fine sound recording. Magnifique! :-)
@jamescarter3096
I keep returning to this video - again and again - to reassure myself that this ravishingly beautiful performance was not something dreamed. It seems impossible for the sum to exceed the power of the composition; the transcendence of her voice; the elementally emotional fire-and-ice interplay between guitars; the deeply meaningful setting and the warmth of that fading light on such lovely women . . . yet it does. Even that 60 hertz Fender hum adds an anxious charge to the atmosphere before it is subsumed into the whole. Absolutely brilliant!
@gemes64
So young. So talented. She remains my favourite female artist to this day. Probably her greatest track but every album has a masterpiece or two. One of the most talented artists of the 21st century. No question. Live, she's the bees' knees.
@rikfre
her talent never ceases to amaze me.... her guitarist is right there too...
@reajrmusic
Nicole has such an amazing voice. And that is some cool tasteful electric guitar as well. Love it!
@MelEnvision
Really nice. Never heard her music before but I'm impressed.