One glorious day some years back, a teenage high school dropout Nikki Lane (nee Nicole Lane Frady) packed a trailer with her worldly possessions. With one hand firmly gripping a steering wheel and the other flipping the bird, she said so long to her home, Greenville, South Carolina, The South and any sort of life it had suggested she should live. Western bound, she was headed to Los Angeles for no other reason than just because.
Flash forward to today and we find Lane an empowered artist, having escaped any sweet and sour small town trappings for some serious see-my-name-in-lights grandeur and artistic fulfillment. Signed recently to the flourishing Los Angeles-based indie label, IAMSOUND Records, Lane's bold vocal chops and wildly infectious personality have been making a stir in circles spanning across country to rock to indie and back again. Working with producers David Cobb (Shooter Jennings, The Secret Sisters) and Lewis Pesacov of Fool's Gold, the first release of these efforts was the four-song EP, Gone, Gone, Gone, released July 19th and will be followed by the 11-track full length "Walk of Shame" out September 27th.
Throughout "Walk of Shame," Lane weaves in and out of ballads of heartache, one-night stands, leaving, lust and longing. She plays the rambler and sometimes drunkard with such an ardent aptitude she'd fit right in alongside classic country icons like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. On the title track she swears never again will she wake in a stranger's bed, "with a bass drum thumping in her head" as the music drives us out of that alien apartment and down the street into the break of dawn. In "Gone, Gone, Gone," while a blistering slide guitar cries on, she croons on the chorus her tale of leaving The South, promising, "And if I leave this town I'll be gone, gone, gone and I won't be back for far too long." Meanwhile, hitting a more delicate note, Lane shows off softer sentiments and solid song-writing skills on "Save You," crooning helplessly, "Well your bad habits they're all stacking up and it's plain to see you just can't get enough. And I'm trying to break through but I'm losing sight. Oh what can I do to make it all right? How can I save you from yourself?"
Sometimes the victim, sometimes the aggressor, always the Southern sweetheart, Lane rolls through song after song, belting out her earnest poetics with such warmth and tenderness to become entirely absorbed in this music is only natural. "They're all stories," she says. "That's the only way I know how to write. All my songs have a beginning middle and an end. I want to tell you what happened to this person and what the result was."
"You grow up in The South, you grow up in a small town, your expectations are a little bit limited," she continues. "People expect you to go to a four-year college, get married and follow that Southern way of life. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do but I knew it wasn't being offered to me."
And so we return to her story: Lane settled in L.A. and without clear direction she worked various day-to-day jobs and dabbled in fashion, getting shoes manufactured in China and painting them to sell under the Nikki Lane moniker. Five years passed and she started writing music but forsook that path after just two promising shows for a corporate job offer across the country in New York City.
"I'd always wanted to live in New York and somehow ended up talking my way into a really well paying job," she says. "That was an opportunity I couldn't say no to. And so I moved and for a year didn't even touch music. It was like something I'd just tried once. I'd written a couple songs and that was the end of it."
But like any good country singer, heartbreak brought her back to music when her boyfriend left her to record an album in Atlanta. "I was like, fuck that," she says, "Why does he get to make a record in Atlanta while I'm sitting in New York crying? So I just sat down with a guitar, I didn't have anything going on, I didn't have many friends in the city that weren't his friends, it's freezing in New York and I'd quit my job, so basically for three months I holed up in this apartment and I just wrote."
She started learning Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, John Prine and Merle Haggard tunes, the sort of classic country songs that have steeped her own writing now, trying her best to strum along and building her confidence along the way. "And all of a sudden it hit me and I started writing like crazy," she says, "I wrote a whole album in a month's time and just decided I was going to make a record in Nashville. It was like my revenge record."
Empowered, in February, 2009, Nikki went to Nashville, recorded an album she self-released titled No Room for Cowboys, and returned to New York a musician. That's essentially where IAMSOUND found her and signed her and set to build the material that would become "Walk of Shame." The album serves as a forceful farewell to The South, says Lane. "We sat down and wanted to write something about leaving a place and being like, you'll be fine, I'm not coming back."
And as if Lane's history wasn't enough evidence of her well-proven knack for leaving, on her arm rests a tattoo that reads, "Wanderlust calls again." "I feel like everyday I might be better off if I could get up and go," she says. "I've had a really hard time staying put because the different scenery is what's inspiring."
Lane now lives in Nashville where she also owns and operates a vintage boutique called High Class Hillbilly, selling pieces she has collected while touring the country.
Nikki Lane's "Walk of Shame" will be released on IAMSOUND September 27th, 2011.
Try Harder
Nikki Lane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like some kind of condition from a book that I read
I couldn′t take much more than I'd been through
So, I called up the doctor, I said what should I do?
He told me
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Try a little harder to get what you want
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Push a little farther just to make it on your own
I woke up to some bad news today
Just when I thought things were finally going my way
But my car won′t start and I got piles of bills to pay
When life gets you down well you know what they say
Keep singing
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Try a little harder to get what you want
Keep singing
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Push a little farther just to make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own (make it on your own)
One of these days you're gonna wake up and find yourself
Wondering if you've done right or should′ve done somethin′ else
It gets hard to believe you're gonna find a way
But that′s the price you pay
Looking back to where it all began
At the edge of the world with my toes in the sand
I cried out, "Daddy what if I can't swim?"
He said, "You′ll never know if you don't dive in"
Keep singin′
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Try a little harder to get what you want
Keep singin'
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Push a little farther just to make it on your own
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Try a little harder to get what you want
Keep singin'
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
Push a little farther just to make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own (make it on your own)
Make it on your own
Nikki Lane's "Try Harder" is all about perseverance and the need to push through tough times. The song opens with Lane reflecting on her struggles with a condition that she once thought was all in her head. It was only after speaking to her doctor that she realized the importance of trying harder, of pushing herself beyond her limits to achieve what she wanted in life. The song's chorus is a reminder to never give up, and to keep pushing through life's challenges, no matter how difficult they may seem.
The second verse of the song sees Lane waking up to bad news - her car won't start, and she's struggling to pay her bills. But even as she faces these challenges, she knows that the only way to succeed is to keep singing, to keep pushing through the difficulties, and to try even harder to get what she wants. The third verse takes a more reflective turn, with Lane looking back at her life and contemplating the choices she's made. Despite the uncertainty and fear, she knows that the only way to succeed is to keep trying, to keep pushing herself to be better.
Overall, "Try Harder" is a song about the importance of persistence and resilience. It encourages listeners to never give up on their dreams, no matter how difficult they may seem. Despite the challenges and setbacks, the song reminds us that the only way to truly succeed is to keep trying harder, to push ourselves beyond our limits, and to never stop singing.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think that it was all in my head
At first, I believed that my struggles were just imaginary
Like some kind of condition from a book that I read
Maybe my problems are just a fictional story
I couldn′t take much more than I'd been through
I felt like I had reached my limit in dealing with my struggles
So, I called up the doctor, I said what should I do?
I asked for help and guidance from someone with more knowledge and experience than me
Sometimes you gotta try a little harder
There are times when you need to put in extra effort
Try a little harder to get what you want
Extra effort is needed to achieve your desired outcome
Push a little farther just to make it on your own
To achieve independence, you need to go beyond what's comfortable and easy
I woke up to some bad news today
I was faced with unexpected negative circumstances
Just when I thought things were finally going my way
Just as I thought that things were turning around for the better
But my car won't start and I got piles of bills to pay
I was met with more challenges in the form of financial burdens
When life gets you down well you know what they say
There's a common saying that applies to difficult situations
One of these days you're gonna wake up and find yourself
At some point, you will have to face the reality of your situation
Wondering if you've done right or should′ve done somethin′ else
Questioning the choices you have made and whether they were the right ones
It gets hard to believe you're gonna find a way
It can be difficult to have faith that you will overcome your struggles
But that′s the price you pay
The cost of reaching your goals is to overcome obstacles and challenges
Looking back to where it all began
Reflecting on the starting point of your journey
At the edge of the world with my toes in the sand
Standing at the edge of your comfort zone
I cried out, 'Daddy what if I can't swim?'
Expressing fear and doubts about your ability to succeed
He said, 'You'll never know if you don't dive in'
Encouragement to take a risk and seize opportunities
Make it on your own
Achieving independence and success without relying on others
Keep singing
Persist in your efforts, regardless of setbacks or challenges
Writer(s): Nikki Lane, Josh Homme
Contributed by Lila F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
cafedisaffecto
Another salt-of-the-Earth little ballad from Nikki. I listened to this song about a dozen times recently, driving through the Midwest to the Rockies. It was an unplanned road trip, sorta soul-searchin’. What a beautiful piece of music.
George Davies
Wonderful song!!
Chris Cocks
I'm smitten with your voice
Gordon McGinnis
And there it is. Many of us have had this happen. Killing time pawing through YT music vids and unexpectedly get smacked by something marvelous.
bvdek
I intentionally sought out this specific song 'cos of the co-writer actually haha and have discovered a great artist/album in the process 🤙
bvdek
A lil ducky told me a certain rockstar co-wrote this song, and produced the album 😮
Can definitely hear Josh in the lead tone/licks 🤙