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".
Love Is a Train
Willie Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love is a train step inside
Love is a journey begins in the day
It's a first-class ticket take it all the way
It runs through the mountains rolls through the streams
Underneath the covers of your wildest dreams
Love is a train
Passengers filled with steam and desire
Love is a mystery without any clues
You can stand in the station with a suitcase full of blues
The engineer whistles the brakeman sings
The conductor he knows how to deal with these things
Love is a train
Love is a train give it all you got
You never know when it's gonna stop
Love is a jungle love is a feast
It can sanctify the wise man soothe the savage beast
You could head out for the evening holding hands in the rain
Wake up in the morning run over by a train
You might start out at the engine ... like the way it feels
Wind up in the station underneath the wheels
Love is a train go for a ride
Love is a train step inside
Love is a train to carry me home
Love is a train to the great unknown
Love is a rainbow love is a gift
A treasure to be shared till the sands of time shift
Love is a nightmare love is a dream
Go to sleep at night together wake up alone and scream
Love is a journey a highway through the heart
It can bring your world together it can blow your world apart
Love is a power an unbelievable force
It can derail the human race put it right back on course
Love is a train without any track
Once you're on board you ain't never going back
Love is a train go for a ride
Love is a train step inside
Willie Nile’s song Love Is a Train describes the journey of love as being akin to riding a train, exploring the beauty of it and cautioning against its potential dangers. The chorus emphasizes that love is an exciting ride - it's a journey that runs through mountains, rolls through streams, and has an air of mystery, without any clues. The first verse likens love to a first-class ticket that will take you all the way, one that starts in the day, allowing you to journey to your wildest dreams. The second verse references passengers filled with steam and desire on this train of love, and you can stand in the station with a suitcase full of blues, watching as the train rolls by. The conductor and brakeman are present on this journey, ready to handle any turbulence and make sure that everyone aboard is safe through the ups and downs. The third verse further emphasizes that love is a force that can strengthen and heal, or break us apart. It is a powerful journey that can bring people together or make them scream with loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a train go for a ride
Love is a journey that requires taking a chance
Love is a train step inside
Love requires action to make it happen
Love is a journey begins in the day
Love is something that starts when you least expect it
It's a first-class ticket take it all the way
Love is something worth investing everything in
It runs through the mountains rolls through the streams
Love is something that can overcome any obstacle
Underneath the covers of your wildest dreams
Love is something that can fulfill your deepest desires
Love is a train with wheels of fire
Love can be both exciting and dangerous
Passengers filled with steam and desire
Love is fueled by passion and desire
Love is a mystery without any clues
Love can be unpredictable and hard to understand
You can stand in the station with a suitcase full of blues
Love can lift you up from the lowest points in your life
The engineer whistles the brakeman sings
Love is something that takes teamwork to make it work
The conductor he knows how to deal with these things
Love requires someone to guide it along the way
Love is a train give it all you got
Love is something that requires putting in effort and dedication
You never know when it's gonna stop
Love can be fleeting and unpredictable
Love is a jungle love is a feast
Love can be filled with adventure and abundance
It can sanctify the wise man soothe the savage beast
Love has the power to transform and heal
You could head out for the evening holding hands in the rain
Love can bring simple joys and moments of bliss
Wake up in the morning run over by a train
Love can also bring pain and heartbreak
Love is a train to carry me home
Love can be a source of comfort and belonging
Love is a train to the great unknown
Love is something that can take you to unexpected places
Love is a rainbow love is a gift
Love is something that is both beautiful and precious
A treasure to be shared till the sands of time shift
Love is something that is worth cherishing for eternity
Love is a nightmare love is a dream
Love can bring both joy and pain
Go to sleep at night together wake up alone and scream
Love can sometimes leave you feeling lost and alone
Love is a journey a highway through the heart
Love is a path that leads straight to the heart
It can bring your world together it can blow your world apart
Love can have both positive and negative effects on your life
Love is a power an unbelievable force
Love is something that can move mountains and change lives
It can derail the human race put it right back on course
Love has the power to change the world and make it a better place
Love is a train without any track
Love can take you to places you never thought possible
Once you're on board you ain't never going back
Love is something that can change your life forever
Love is a train go for a ride
Love is something that is worth experiencing firsthand
Love is a train step inside
Love requires action and a willingness to take risks
Writer(s): Willie Nile
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.