CRISTINA ARRIGONI
WILLIE NILE
Willie Nile has four children and four grandchildren whose future will be greatly impacted by the current state of our country. And this reality weighs on him. His rousing and resonant anthem “Wake Up America,” first released as a single in 2022 and now, on his new album The Great Yellow Light, reflects his angst for our future and his concern about our country’s direction.
In this raucous, high-energy rock song, Nile asks citizens to elevate their collective conscience in pursuit of equitable, democratic values, and questions who we are as a nation, what we stand for, and what will compel us to take action.
The song — which also features the incomparably gritty voice of Steve Earle — showcases Nile’s big heart, sincerity and optimistic spirit. He says in the album’s liner notes that he wrote it “because I still believe in the dream that is America … we need to vote like our lives depend on it.”
He sings:
Wake up America
Rise and shine
The sun’s going down
And it’s all on the line
Wake up America
Red, white and blue
You used to be great
What happened to you? …
Wake up America
Land of the free
Are you everything
That you say you want to be?
Earle sings:
Wake up America
So big and strong
Sometimes you get it right
Sometimes you get it wrong
I know you’re not perfect
Sometimes you break down
Wake up America
Or we’re all gonna drown.
Nile asks us to “open our eyes” and respect immigrants when he sings:
I’m the son of immigrants
I’m a daughter of slaves
I’m Native Indigenous
Stop digging my grave
The cover of Willie Nile’s album “The Great Yellow Light.”
You can hear the song below (with slightly different lyrics) in a stirring video that contains images of a diverse America and features people holding placards with many impactful messages, including “love is never wrong,” “stop lies” and “defend democracy.
Co-produced by Stewart Lerman at Hobo Sound in Weehawken and Electric Lady Studios in New York, The Great Yellow Light features Waddy Wachtel and Jimi K. Bones on guitars, James Maddock and Frankie Lee on backing vocals, Johnny Pisano on bass, Jon Weber on drums, Andy Burton on keyboards, James Frazee on percussion, and others.
Nile, a native of Buffalo, recorded his self-titled debut album in 1980. He has endured industry setbacks and, since the late ’90s, has been prolific, with releases including 2006’s Streets of New York and 2020’s New York at Night, which both celebrated his adopted hometown, and 2021’s pandemic-inspired The Day the Earth Stood Still. Here are some excerpts from my recent interview with him:
Q: How did “Wake Up America” come together?
A: I was watching the news on TV one day and it was bad, as usual, and I’d had enough. I was sick of all this darkness and division and negativity. I know that we’re better than this so I sat down and wrote the song. It’s a call out to our better angels. Even though the history of America is riddled with pain and injustice and the divisions between us are greater than ever, I refuse to give in to the darkness. There are a lot of good and decent people in this country who would do the right thing if they all knew what the truth was. The song is a wake-up call to America to be mindful that we have more in common that unites us than that which divides us.
I’m skeptical of most politicians and I know that power and money and glory are what drives a lot of them and they’ll take advantage of people for their own benefit. I also know there are some good ones but since there’s no single news source that everybody can trust and believe in and we all get our news from different sources, the facts get buried under the fog of all this greed. So it becomes impossible to know right from wrong, who’s lying and who’s not.
I believe in the dream that is this country, which is a country of immigrants, where people over generations came to make a better life for themselves and their families. I believe that most people are decent, with good hearts and a sense of right and wrong. I believe in neighbors helping neighbors — the old school values. If Tucker Carlson and Stephen Colbert both lived on a street across from each other and a 7-year-old boy got hit by a car and was injured, I like to believe that both would come out and try to help. That’s where my politics start.
I have fans on all sides of the issues. I get feedback and support from the right, the left and the middle regarding this song. I tried to come from a place of compassion and humanity and appeal to people’s sense of dignity and respect for each other. I know that’s a pretty hard thing these days, but I refuse to give in. I still believe we can make this a better world for all of us.
CRISTINA ARRIGONI
WILLIE NILE
Q: How did Steve Earle join you on the song?
A: Steve Earle lived around the corner from me in Greenwich Village for 15 years and we became friends. When we were recording the song, I thought of Steve and wondered if he’d be interested in singing with me on it. I wrote him and he wrote me back in five minutes saying, “I’m in.” We had the track all recorded and he came in to the studio and it took him less than 20 minutes to sing his part. Bless him for bringing his beautiful, ragged, gritty, streetwise voice to it.
Q: How is the song relevant to today?
A: Well, if we start out as people treating each other with respect and dignity, we can go a long way in making things better. I know that none of us have control over all the different news sources out there but if we did, if there was one source we all could trust, I believe people would make the right decisions about things. Sadly, the fact is, there isn’t a place where everybody can agree on what the real facts are. So a song like this is there to hopefully remind people that we are all one human family on this Earth and that it’s in our power how we each act and take responsibility for our actions.
I think it’s better to give than to receive and I think there’s a lot more good people in this country than there are bad. These are dark times and we need reminders that we can be caring and compassionate towards each other.
Obviously, it’s a tall order given the state of affairs in this country right now but I refuse to give in to hate and division and darkness, so I sing about light and heart and brotherhood and sisterhood.
It’s kind of like an “I’ll believe in you if you believe in me” kind of thing. If we give each other the benefit of the doubt and take a step back for a bit, maybe some light can come out of this darkness.
Q: Can you discuss other songs on your new album inspired by today’s moment in history?
A: I’m not on a soapbox by any means but yes, there are some songs that deal with the world as it is today. “Wild Wild World,” which opens the album, is a song for the insanity of it all, and though it’s a feel-good, surf-rockin’ party song, the subtext of it is that there are powers at play among nations of the world that have ulterior motives that only benefit the few and not the many. It’s just something to be mindful of without being heavy-handed about it.
“We Are, We Are” is an anthem and a battle cry for liberty, justice and humanity. We’re all in this together whether we admit it or not and I believe there are enough goodhearted people out there to make a difference in this world.
“What Color Is Love” is another song that’s inspired by today’s events. For me, love is color blind. Real love has no limits, color or otherwise.
“Washington’s Day,” the closing song, is a prayer for hope, compassion and a better world for all mankind.
CRISTINA ARRIGONI
WILLIE NILE
Q: I appreciate your performances at benefit shows like the Light of Day concerts. Do you think your mother’s spirit of giving has impacted your music? I recall you telling me that your mother encouraged you to be a giver, not a taker.
A: Yes, my mother’s kindhearted spirit of giving definitely impacts my music and my view of the world. I was very lucky to have two great parents who showed respect and kindness and understanding to people from other cultures year in and year out. My 107-year-old father to this day still treats people with dignity and respect and his example is a master class on how to live, for all of us in the family.
Q: Do you have any upcoming benefit shows?
A: I’m always happy to be a part of helping others whenever possible. I think the next benefits will be the Light of Day shows in January that raise money each year for research for cures for Parkinson’s, ALS and PSP. It’s a great organization started by Bob Benjamin 25 years ago when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Together, with all the different musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, who’s been a great part of the success in raising over $7 million for the cause, it’s been a labor of love and more than well worth the effort. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of and there’s a lot of people to thank for it.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’ll be touring and doing shows in support of the new album in North America and in Europe over the next year. I’m always writing so, depending on how that goes, I’m sure there’ll be another album in the future. But for now my focus is on getting the word out about the new one. It’s joyful, passionate and full of light, so it keeps me going.
Q: Do you think your continued drive comes from growing up in a household that appreciated music?
A: Personally, I think I must have fallen on my head as a child as I’m naïve enough to think that music can play a part in helping the world be a better place for all mankind. But kidding aside, yes, there’s no doubt that growing up in a household filled with music of all kinds and my parent’s kindness to others plays a major role in my worldview. Bless their hearts for their faith and all the love they gave to us eight kids.
Q: Do you think your early years struggling in the industry proved valuable in some ways?
A: No doubt about it. The ups and downs of life, no matter what kind of work you’re in, can either destroy you or be a great builder of character and make you stronger. I have four children and trying to raise a family as a singer-songwriter can be a tall task at times, and it surely was over the years. When September would roll around and there wasn’t enough money to buy new clothes and supplies for the kids for school was not fun, to say the least, but like I told my father a couple months ago, had I been a huge success years ago when I was first starting out and made a ton of money I could be dead by now. And certainly, if my kids could have had anything they wanted while growing up instead of doing without and seeing their father struggle for something he believed in, they wouldn’t be the good and genuine people that they are now. So I’m deeply grateful for the hard times for teaching me the real value of things.
JOHN CAVANAUGH
From left, Willie Nile, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Pisano and James Maddock at the Light of Day concert at The Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on Jan. 18, 2025.
Q: Can you describe a few unforgettable moments onstage? Was playing with Springsteen one of them?
A: I’ve been very fortunate in that there’ve been a lot of unforgettable moments. When my very first album came out in 1980, I got to open a tour for The Who all across the country. I was always a big Who fan and it was absolutely amazing to see them night after night and get to open the shows.
In 2015, when the Grammy charity MusiCares was honoring Pete Townshend and manager Bill Curbishley I got to play two Pete songs with The Who. It was amazing. They had five artists, each singing two of Pete’s songs. The five artists were Roger Daltrey, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Jett, Billy Idol and me. I still can’t believe it to this day. I sang “Substitute” and “The Kids Are Alright,” I think. The closing song was “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” which included Bruce, Roger, Billy, myself and The Who. It was incredible. You can see a clip of it on YouTube. (see below)
I also did a tour with my band back in the early ’90s opening up for Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band in the Northeast for a bunch of shows and I got to sing “With a Little Help From My Friends” with him on the last night of the tour. Amazing! Who even dreams of something like that!
And getting to sing with Bruce and the E Street Band numerous times: at Shea Stadium in 2003, at Giant Stadium in front of 70,000 people when it was about to be torn down, so many Light of Day benefit shows when Bruce would join my band and me for a song, year after year.
Bruce is so generous and supportive of artists he likes and I’ve been more than lucky to be the recipient of that kindness. There are many more unforgettable moments but these are a few of them. I still find it hard to believe all this happened.
Q: You have created such a great community of musicians that you collaborate with. Did you learn to do this from your grandfather and father, who I understand both played professionally?
A. Yes, I was absolutely inspired by the music in my family. My grandfather was an orchestra leader in vaudeville for 30 years, working seven nights a week while working full time as a mailman delivering mail six days a week. He had a magic touch at the piano and was a remarkable man. Bojangles Robinson used to send him Christmas cards every year. And when my grandfather died in 1953, Eddie Cantor paid tribute to him on his weekly national TV show.
I treasure my family and all the musicians in my life and have been blessed to have had so many good friends and fellow believers of music in my life. They’ve made it richer with their brilliance and passion and I’m the luckier and the better for it.
Willie Nile will perform at The Avenel Performing Arts Center, Nov. 1. Visit avenelarts.com. For more about him, visit willienile.com.
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