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".
On the Road to Calvary
Willie Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With Black Madonna fingers holding a flame
I saw an eagle rising out of the blue
I heard a car crash it reminded me of you
I saw a baby starve in North Africa
Too weak to cry, her tears fell down on the straw
I saw this orphan lift her vagabond eyes
You carry me ac ross the mighty river
You lift me up above the raging sea
You give me all this love you deliver
Straight to my back porch on the road to calvary
I saw this rich man with his bracelets of gold
Four cars, yacht and a mistress I'm told
Somewhere a restless wind blows out to the sea
Somewhere there is a place for you and for me
You carry me ac ross the mighty river
You lift me up above the raging sea
You give me all this love you deliver
Straight to my back porch on the road to calvary
Now if you're wondering where I was last night
With black madonna yeah she gave me a light
I guess there's not a whole lot more I can say
Just tell St. Christopher where all on our way
You carry me ac ross the mighty river
You lift me up above the raging sea
You give me all this love you deliver
Straight to my back porch on the road to calvary
You carry me ac ross the mighty river
You lift me up above the raging sea
You give me all this love you deliver
Willie Nile's song "On the Road to Calvary" is a philosophical meditation on life and death, love and loss, faith and spirituality. In the first verse, Nile sees St. Christopher walking downtown with Black Madonna fingers holding a flame. This image represents strength and guidance, as St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, and the Black Madonna is a powerful figure in Christianity, symbolizing maternal love and divine power. Nile then sees an eagle rising out of the blue, which represents soaring freedom and ambition, but he also hears a car crash, which reminds him of someone he lost.
In the second verse, Nile witnesses the suffering of a starving baby in North Africa, emphasizing human pain and injustice. However, he also sees an orphan lift her vagabond eyes, suggesting that hope and resilience can exist even in the midst of despair. Ultimately, Nile realizes that he is carried across the mighty river of life by a force of love and guidance that delivers him to his back porch on the road to Calvary, which is where Jesus was crucified, but also a metaphorical journey for all of us.
The song concludes with Nile recounting a recent encounter with the Black Madonna, who gave him a light. This implies that even when we feel lost or in darkness, there is always a source of light and hope available to us. In summary, "On the Road to Calvary" is a song that looks at the major themes of human existence - love, loss, pain, and hope - and suggests that we are all carried by a higher power that guides us through life's ups and downs.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw St. Christopher walking downtown on main
I saw a saintly figure walking amongst us, perhaps a sign of divine intervention.
With Black Madonna fingers holding a flame
In this saintly figure's hands, was a symbol of hope and light - something that can guide people in dark times.
I saw an eagle rising out of the blue
I witnessed a moment of natural wonder, reminding me of the beauty in the world.
I heard a car crash it reminded me of you
Every time I am confronted with chaos and tragedy, I think of the impact you had on my life.
I saw a baby starve in North Africa
I observed a heart-wrenching moment of human suffering and injustice.
Too weak to cry, her tears fell down on the straw
The child was so malnourished and weak that they couldn't even cry, but their tears were evidence of their pain.
I saw this orphan lift her vagabond eyes
I met a child who had lost everything but still held onto a glimmer of hope.
Right at that moment I came to realize that
This experience made me come to a deep realization about the state of the world and my own place in it.
You carry me ac ross the mighty river
You help me navigate through the difficult moments in life, like crossing a river.
You lift me up above the raging sea
You are a beacon of support that helps me rise above the turmoil and chaos in my life.
You give me all this love you deliver
You show me unwavering love and support, delivering it to me whenever I need it most.
Straight to my back porch on the road to calvary
You bring me this love wherever I happen to be, even if it's just sitting on my back porch.
I saw this rich man with his bracelets of gold
I observed a figure of wealth and excess, flaunting their monetary possessions.
Four cars, yacht and a mistress I'm told
This person is living a life of opulence, with multiple expensive vehicles and a romantic partner on the side.
Somewhere a restless wind blows out to the sea
Elsewhere in the world, there are forces beyond our control that cause unrest and uncertainty.
Somewhere there is a place for you and for me
Through all the turmoil and chaos of the world, there is still a place where we can feel at peace and belong.
Now if you're wondering where I was last night
If you happen to be curious about my whereabouts from the previous evening,
With black madonna yeah she gave me a light
I was with a powerful and mystical figure, who offered me guidance and illumination.
I guess there's not a whole lot more I can say
I've said all that I can say, but there is still so much more to experience and learn in this world.
Just tell St. Christopher where all on our way
We are all on a journey, and it's important to have faith and guidance to help us along the way.
Writer(s): Willie Nile
Contributed by Liliana L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.