Willie Nile (born Robert Anthony Noonan on June 7, 1948) is an American sin… Read Full Bio ↴Willie Nile (born Robert Anthony Noonan on June 7, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, and musician. In 1980 Nile released his self-titled debut album which according to one critic remains “one of the most thrilling post-Byrds folk-rock albums of all time”. His career was interrupted by legal problems with his record company, but he eventually returned to recording and performing in the US and Europe, establishing himself as a respected songwriter and live-wire rocker.

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Nile came from a musical family—his grandfather was a vaudeville pianist who played with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Eddie Cantor; his uncles played boogie-woogie. His listened to the music of Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and Fats Domino, brought home by his older brothers. Nile himself began playing piano at age eight and took classical music lessons until he was a teenager, when he taught himself his first rock & roll song. He soon began to compose short songs and continued the habit into his college years, when during the summers he made trips into New York City to frequent hootenanny clubs like Folk City and the Gaslight.

Nile studied philosophy at the University at Buffalo where he received a BA in 1971, before heading for Greenwich Village. After graduation, Nile took an apartment in the heart of Greenwich Village; however, during his first winter in New York, he contracted pneumonia, which put him out of commission for about a year. He continued writing songs while recuperating, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour. That he did throughout the ’70s, becoming a fixture in the Village folk and rock scenes and getting tabbed as the next big thing to come out of that long-thriving artistic community.

He began hanging out at clubs like CBGB's, where he would see bands like Patti Smith, Television, the Ramones and Talking Heads.

EARLY CAREER

Establishing residency at the Village club Kenny's Castaways on Bleecker St., Nile began drawing ever-growing crowds, which in turn led to his first record deal. In a glowing review in The New York Times, rock critic Robert Palmer wrote of Nile; "Every once in awhile the times seems to produce an artist who is at once an iconoclast and near-perfect expression of contemporary currents. He is one of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in a long time."

Following a flurry of critical acclaim, he found himself courted by representatives from close to a dozen record companies; he chose Arista Records, and went into the studio with a band that included Jay Dee Daugherty from the Patti Smith Group. More rave reviews compared the singer to Bob Dylan and Buddy Holly, and called him "a one-man Clash." The excitement surrounding his self-titled debut album, Willie Nile, prompted Pete Townshend to request Willie's presence on the Who 's summer tour. Nile and his band were soon on the road with The Who, only a few months after Willie's first experience playing with a band. After two acclaimed albums, the self-titled 1980 debut and 1981's Golden Down, Nile fell prey to protracted legal problems which derailed his career for a number of years.

RE-EMERGENCE

Although he continued to write, Nile did not perform live or record again until a 1987 performance in Oslo, Norway, with Eric Andersen. A videotape of Nile’s performance in Norway prompted a Columbia talent scout to sign him to the label in 1988, but production on his album didn't start for two more years. Issued in 1991, His Columbia Records CD Places I Have Never Been contained the songs "Everybody Needs A Hammer" and "Heaven Help The Lonely." Places I Have Never Been featured appearances by backing musicians including Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III, Roger McGuinn, and members of the Hooters and the Roches. His 1992 EP release, Hard Times in America, became a favorite among some listeners in Europe.

Nile has recorded and performed with many musicians, including Ringo Starr, Tori Amos, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Ian Hunter, and Barenaked Ladies. A live Central Park concert album, Willie Nile-Archive Alive, was released on Archive Recordings, and Nile was one of the vocalists on the ensemble album Largo, along with Joan Osborne, Cyndi Lauper, Levon Helm, The Chieftains, Taj Mahal and Carole King. Another project found Nile writing and performing most of the songs for the soundtrack to the Kevin McLaughlin film Pinch Me!

In the fall of 2003, Nile was invited to share the stage at three concerts with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, including the two final Giants Stadium shows.

“Nile’s defining quality is his charismatic spirit. It’s a passion and enthusiasm that is infectious and earned Nile the admiration of fans and peers alike.” From Shea to the clubs and concert halls of Europe, "his live performances are legendary.

Studio albums

* 1980 - Willie Nile
* 1981 - Golden Down
* 1991 - Places I Have Never Been
* 1999 - Beautiful Wreck of the World
* 2006 - Streets of New York
* 2009 - House Of A Thousand Guitars
* 2010 - The Innocent Ones

Live albums

* 1997 - Live in Central Park - Archive Alive!
* 2007 - Live at Turning Point
* 2008 - Live From the Streets of New York

Gathering together his resources over time, he put out his first self-released album, Beautiful Wreck of the World, in 1999. It was chosen as one of the Top Ten Albums of the Year by critics at Billboard Magazine, The Village Voice and Stereo Review. Lucinda Williams called "On the Road to Calvary," Nile's song for Jeff Buckley, "One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard." The album reached the finals of the Independent Music Awards for Best Rock Album of the Year.

In 2006, Nile released Streets of New York, which some consider to be his best work to date, due to quality production and clever songwriting. Former Time magazine music critic and Academy Award winning screenwriter Jay Cocks writes of Streets of New York, "The tunes he writes and plays with such blowtorch vibrancy get the myth and magic and danger and sadness and love in this town--of this town--truer, and righter, than anything I've heard since Dion. This record is a head-twister and heart-wrencher. It's rock and roll at its best. It's New York at its best. And there's nothing better than that."[citation needed]

House Of A Thousand Guitars was released on April 14, 2009.

On September 30, 2009, at his show at Giants Stadium in E. Rutherford, NJ, Bruce Springsteen invited Nile on stage to play with the E Street Band.

In addition, on November 22, 2009 Bruce Springsteen again invited him onstage to play the second last song of Springsteen's final concert of his tour, which was in Willie's hometown of Buffalo at HSBC Arena. Nile joined Springsteen and the E Street Band for the cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher".

Lonesome Dark-Eyed Beauty
Willie Nile Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To a lonesome dark-eyed beauty
On a far-off avenue
I woke from a dream late last night
And wanted to tell you
When you′re feelin' lonely
When the walls around you break
When you need someone to help you
Heal the ache within your ache

Oh, let me feel your thunder
Oh, let your raindrops fall...
It′s not a cloud, this feeling that I'm under
Maybe we'll see rainbows after all

Will you come to me in rhythm
Will you come to me in rhyme
Will you take me on a journey
Through the netherworlds of time

Will you let me climb your mountain
Can I swim beneath your sea?
Will you let me enter deep within
Your own infinity?

Will you bring me to your altar,
When the evening sun goes down,
Where the poets weep and angels wait,
Underneath your wedding gown...

Oh, let me feel your thunder
Oh, let your raindrops fall...
It′s not a cloud, this feeling that I′m under
Maybe we'll see rainbows after all

Will you touch me with your midnight,
Will you speak to me in tongues,
Will you take me to your garden,
When the time for moonlight comes?

Will you offer me resistance,
Will you laugh and turn me in,
When the echoes of my fingers,
Cross the borders of your skin?

Will you hold me in the ether,
When I kiss your sacredness,
Will you still believe me when I untie
All the ribbons on your dress?

Oh, let me feel your thunder
Oh, let your raindrops fall...
It′s not a cloud, this feeling that I'm under
Maybe we′ll see rainbows after all...

You don't have to be specific,
You don′t have to be immense
You don't have to mount
Or circumvent an NFL defense

Will you stop and turn your back on
The offerings I give
Will you smile and turn and show me
Secret places where you live

Will you lead me on a voyage,
Will you take me on a trip,
Through the back roads and the highlands
'Round the landscape of your lips?

Will the palace doors be open,
Will you offer me the key?
Will you leave it just outside
The moonlit garden gate for me?

Oh, let me feel your thunder
Oh, let your raindrops fall...

It′s not a cloud, this feeling that I′m under
Maybe we'll see rainbows after all...

Overall Meaning

The song "Lonesome Dark-Eyed Beauty" by Willie Nile is a passionate plea to a mysterious woman whom the singer asks to bring him on a journey through the netherworlds of time. The singer wakes from a dream and wants to tell the woman, whom he addresses as a "lonesome dark-eyed beauty," how he feels about her. The lyrics are a mix of sensuality and spirituality as the singer asks the woman to let him climb her mountain, swim beneath her sea, and enter deep within her own infinity. The singer also asks the woman to bring him to her altar, which is underneath her wedding gown, where the poets weep and angels wait.

The lyrics also ask the woman to lead the singer on a voyage through the back roads and highlands around the landscape of her lips. The song is a romantic and poetic tribute to the power of love and connection, and the magic that can happen when two people come together in intimacy and passion. The final verses ask the woman to stop and turn her back on the offerings the singer gives and instead show him secret places where she lives.

Line by Line Meaning

To a lonesome dark-eyed beauty
Addressing a woman who is alone and has dark eyes.

On a far-off avenue
The woman is physically distant from the singer.

I woke from a dream late last night
The singer experienced a vivid dream, perhaps involving the woman.

And wanted to tell you
The artist has a desire to communicate something to the woman.

When you're feeling lonely
The artist understands that the woman may be experiencing feelings of loneliness.

When the walls around you break
The woman may feel like her life is falling apart and there is chaos around her.

When you need someone to help you
The singer is offering himself as a source of support for the woman.

Heal the ache within your ache
The artist wants to provide comfort and healing for the woman's pain.

Oh, let me feel your thunder
The artist wants to experience the woman's power and passion.

Oh, let your raindrops fall...
The artist wants to experience the woman's emotions and see them expressed freely.

It's not a cloud, this feeling that I'm under
The singer is not experiencing just any emotion, but something deeper and more profound.

Maybe we'll see rainbows after all
Despite the depth of the emotion, there is hope for something positive to come out of it.

Will you come to me in rhythm
The singer wants to experience a connection with the woman that is in sync and harmonious.

Will you come to me in rhyme
The singer wants the woman to share in creative expression with him.

Will you take me on a journey
The singer desires an exploration of the unknown with the woman.

Through the netherworlds of time
The journey the artist desires is to delve into the mysteries of life and the universe.

Will you let me climb your mountain
The artist wants to experience the woman's strength and power.

Can I swim beneath your sea?
The singer wants to explore the depths of the woman's emotions.

Will you let me enter deep within
The singer wants to know the woman intimately.

Your own infinity?
The artist wants to explore the vastness of the woman's being and existence.

Will you bring me to your altar,
The artist wants the woman to share her spiritual self with him.

When the evening sun goes down,
The artist desires a close and intimate moment with the woman.

Where the poets weep and angels wait,
The singer wants to connect with the woman on a deep emotional and spiritual level.

Underneath your wedding gown...
Possibly a metaphor for exploring the woman's innermost self.

Will you touch me with your midnight,
The singer desires a sensual and intimate connection with the woman.

Will you speak to me in tongues,
The singer desires a deep and profound level of communication that goes beyond words.

Will you take me to your garden,
The singer desires to experience the beauty and wonder of the woman's inner being.

When the time for moonlight comes?
Possibly a metaphor for a moment of heightened awareness and inspiration.

Will you offer me resistance,
The artist is asking if the woman is willing to explore the depths of her being with him, even if it is difficult or challenging.

Will you laugh and turn me in,
The singer wants the woman to share in the sense of humor and playfulness of life.

When the echoes of my fingers,
The singer is using a metaphor to describe his touch, and the impact it has on the woman.

Cross the borders of your skin?
The artist wants to explore the woman's entire being, not just her outer surface.

Will you hold me in the ether,
The artist desires a sense of spiritual connection with the woman.

When I kiss your sacredness,
The artist wants to show reverence and respect for the woman's innermost being.

Will you still believe me when I untie
The singer wants the woman to trust him completely, even when he reveals hidden aspects of himself.

All the ribbons on your dress?
The artist wants to explore the woman's inner beauty and reveal the essence of her being.

You don't have to be specific,
The singer is saying that the woman does not have to have everything figured out in order to connect with him.

You don't have to be immense
The singer wants the woman to know that he values her for who she is, not what she has accomplished.

You don't have to mount
The singer is saying that the woman does not have to put up walls or defenses to connect with him.

Or circumvent an NFL defense
Using humor to say that the woman does not have to be perfect or constantly on guard to connect with him.

Will you stop and turn your back on
The artist desires the woman's full attention and commitment to their connection.

The offerings I give
The singer wants the woman to recognize and appreciate the effort he is making to connect with her.

Will you smile and turn and show me
The singer desires a positive and open response from the woman, and wants her to share her innermost self with him.

Secret places where you live
The artist wants to explore the woman's deepest secrets and desires.

Will you lead me on a voyage,
The artist desires a journey of exploration and connection with the woman.

Will you take me on a trip,
The artist desires an adventure and exploration with the woman.

Through the back roads and the highlands
The singer desires to explore the unknown and mysterious aspects of the woman's being and existence.

'Round the landscape of your lips?
The artist is using a metaphor to describe the woman's entire being, including the sensual aspects of her existence.

Will the palace doors be open,
The singer wants the woman to be honest and open with him, without any barriers or hidden aspects of herself.

Will you offer me the key?
The singer desires access to the woman's innermost being.

Will you leave it just outside
The singer is saying that he wants the woman to share her innermost self with him, but he will respect her boundaries and not push too hard.

The moonlit garden gate for me?
The artist wants to explore the depths of the woman's being in a safe and respectful way.

It's not a cloud, this feeling that I'm under
Repeating that the emotion the artist is feeling is deep and profound.

Maybe we'll see rainbows after all...
Despite the depth of the emotion, there is still hope for something positive to come out of the connection between the singer and the woman.

Writer(s): Robert Noonan

Contributed by Chase O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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