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".
The Innocent Ones
Willie Nile Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miserable and desperate standin' on a ledge
What was on the inside is now completely out
Nothing is for certain everything's in doubt
High... High... stand up in the sun
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
Hey... Hey... nowhere left to run
Stripped completely naked middle of the night
Climbin' through the barbed wire stayin' outta sight
Hidin' in th shadows runnin' from the law
Every time you stand up you take it on the jaw
High... High... stand up in the sun
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
Hey... Hey... nowhere left to run
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
Can you hear them callin' can you hear them cry
Can you feel the heartbreak look you in the eye
Can you see the teardrops rollin' down the cheek
Some can hardly stand up some can hardly speak
High... High... stand up in the sun
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
Hey... Hey... nowhere left to run
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
The song "The Innocent Ones" by Willie Nile talks about people who have been pushed to the brink of their limits and the struggles they face. The first verse paints a picture of a person who has been shunned from society and is standing on a ledge, figuratively or literally. They feel lost and uncertain, stripped of their former self, and unsure of what to do next. The chorus then calls for everyone to come together and sing for the innocent ones, bringing to light the idea that there are more people like this person.
The second verse describes someone trying to escape from the law, always on the run, living in constant fear, and always facing hardships. It's clear that they have suffered much, and every time they try to rise, they are knocked back down. Once again, the chorus speaks to the people who are struggling and suffering, calling for everyone to stand up in the sun and sing for those who are innocent. The final verse is a call-to-action and description of the pain and heartbreak that these people have endured. Some can hardly stand up or speak, leaving us all to wonder how we can help them.
Overall, "The Innocent Ones" is a song that speaks to the struggles of people who were once just like us, but have been pushed to the brink of desperation. It's a song that calls on us all to come together and lift up those who have been forgotten, lost, and left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Driven from the center right out to the edge
Forced out of their comfort zone and into a vulnerable position
Miserable and desperate standin' on a ledge
Feeling hopeless and at the brink of despair
What was on the inside is now completely out
Their true self is now exposed to the world
Nothing is for certain everything's in doubt
They are unsure of the future and the decisions they've made
High... High... stand up in the sun
A call to action and a symbol of hope and courage
Everybody sing for the innocent ones
A plea for empathy and support towards those who have been wronged
Hey... Hey... nowhere left to run
A sense of hopelessness, with no clear escape or solution in sight
Stripped completely naked middle of the night
Vulnerable and exposed, with no protection or privacy
Climbin' through the barbed wire stayin' outta sight
Desperately trying to escape danger and avoid detection
Hidin' in th shadows runnin' from the law
Living in fear of the authorities and constantly on the run
Every time you stand up you take it on the jaw
Getting knocked down and facing adversity time and time again
Can you hear them callin' can you hear them cry
An urgent appeal to recognize and respond to the suffering of others
Can you feel the heartbreak look you in the eye
A challenge to confront the emotional pain that others are experiencing
Can you see the teardrops rollin' down the cheek
A reminder that sorrow and grief are visible and tangible
Some can hardly stand up some can hardly speak
Some people are struggling so much that they can't even articulate their pain
Writer(s): Robert A. Noonan, Frank Joseph Lee, Willie Nile
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.