Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under

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May 9, 2014
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Not exactly the usual MOOPY FODDER, but his second album is out today to rave reviews. He's VERY MUCH going for a British Springsteen approach, and I personally think it works really well. Not really one to file alongside Sheeran and Capaldi AT ALL.

The title track is great -


He gives a good interview too. This one in The Guardian I found interesting, as he actually has something to SAY -

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/25/sam-fender-interview-leftie-slur-working-class-towns

And of course, similar to Springsteen, it doesn't hurt that I find him QUITE FIT TOO

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I haven’t listened yet but I liked his first album.

And his very striking cheekbones

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I'm ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with this young man. My favourite artist at the moment and "Seventeen Going Under" is a contender for my song of the year.

Haven't listened to the album yet but all 3 promo singles are STELLAR and I love the first album. His Springsteen-for-the-20s sound manages to somehow sound so fresh and so now. And he's a fantastic songwriter to boot.

LOVE LOVE LOVE
 
It's a little long, but this quote from him about British politics from The Guardian interview above is possibly one of the most eloquent things I've heard a popstar say to the press in recent memory -

You’ve also written about politics – Aye, from the new album, is probably the angriest song you’ve ever written.

Because of the polarity between the left and the right, I don’t feel I have an identity with politicians on either side. The left wing have abandoned the working classes, and with a lot of the left – I don’t want to sound like Piers Morgan when I say this – I feel like there is too much nitpicking and stupid fights, especially online. But I hate the Tories with a passion. I was raised to hate them, I still hate them, and I always will. They clearly know who they stand for and they don’t represent people like us. A quarter of the kids in working families in my region are in poverty. Nobody sticks their neck out for the north-east. The line in Aye – “I don’t have time for the very few” – that’s the one thing that always going to be my main gripe on this planet, the sheer disparity between the 1% and the rest of the world. These culture wars are valid wars that need to be fought – there’s a lot of bigotry, a lot of racism and homophobia. But in order to get the Tories out, you’ve got to start representing the working class people of this country.

The right are sitting back and laughing, sweeping up every election. Blyth Valley up here went Tory. It’s a shipbuilding town. That’s insanity. Working-class people up here think the Tories are on their side – which shows how completely the left have fucked themselves. I’ve had arguments with people who say Jeremy Corbyn’s a twat, regurgitating STOP FUCKING HATE headlines that he’s a terrorist sympathiser. I’m like: how? Tell me in your own words. And they go, “Ah you’re just one of them lefties”. “Leftie” is now a slur in working-class towns – what happened there? It upsets me that we’re in a place where the media have so much control over these blokes who have grafted all their life in a system that would benefit them if someone like Corbyn was in.
 
His lyrics are littered with references to class wars and politics but he does it through storytelling rather than "bash over the head" statements - there's a real soul to his music. He talks a lot about toxic masculinity and the difficulties of growing up. He cuts through to young working class people in a way artists used to do in the past.

Newcomers should check out The Borders, Dead Boys and this album's title track. He's very special.
 
The first album is very good for the most part and I love the title track of this one. I can't resist a big Springsteen sax and production.
 
And he's definitely, DEFINITELY not another Sheeran/Capaldi. No stage school lilts to his vocals, no trend-hopping production, no WHINING!
 
The new video (featuring the marvellous Stephen Graham) is absolutely breathtaking. Anyone with daddy issues should not watch without a large whiskey and a big box of kleenex.

And the lyrics, my God:

You kissed her forehead
And it ran like a tap
No more than four stone soaked wet through
And I'd never seen you like that
Spun me out
Hurt me right through
'Cos it was love
In all its agony
Every bit of me
Hurting for you
'Cos one day that'll be your forehead I'm kissing
And I'll still look exactly like you

I can talk to anyone
I can talk to anyone
I can't talk to you




In AWE of his talent tbh.
 
The new video (featuring the marvellous Stephen Graham) is absolutely breathtaking. Anyone with daddy issues should not watch without a large whiskey and a big box of kleenex.

And the lyrics, my God:

You kissed her forehead
And it ran like a tap
No more than four stone soaked wet through
And I'd never seen you like that
Spun me out
Hurt me right through
'Cos it was love
In all its agony
Every bit of me
Hurting for you
'Cos one day that'll be your forehead I'm kissing
And I'll still look exactly like you

I can talk to anyone
I can talk to anyone
I can't talk to you




In AWE of his talent tbh.


I think that's going to be his proper breakthrough hit. His last album did well but he's never actually cracked the top 40. I reckon that has potential to be quite massive.
 
Stephen Graham might not be the spit of Sam but he is an incredible actor. Very good video.

I'm sure he has mentioned The War on Drugs in interviews and I think Spit of You is one of the songs on the album with that influence. I'm also loving The Dying Light which is an excellent closer and very Darkness period Springsteen.
 
Reviews are in:

Guardian - *****
Evening Standard - *****
i - *****
Independent - ****
Times - ****
Telegraph - ****
FT - ****
NME - ****
Guitar - ****
Metacritic - 84

He's currently outselling the rest of the Top Ten combined. I've listened to it twice now and it's quite extraordinary. I can't see how it won't end up being my favourite album of the year.
 
My main critique of this album was that it's TOO LONG and should end after The Dying Light which is (to me) the perfect album closer...only for me to realise the Spotify version is the Deluxe with 5 extra tracks added on after The Dying Light :D
The extra tracks are FINE but not essential from the times I've listened to them.

Nice to see Spit Of You seems to be looking like a hit. Paradigms is an obvious single to me too.
Not sure if it would be a CHART SMASH but it's something radio would lap up.

Razor sharp cheekbones, DADDY ISSUES and firmly left wing politics. No wonder he's even managed to get the GAYS on-board :D
 
Yeah the non deluxe album is a much tighter, cohesive record. The others should be listed as bonus tracks because I didn’t realise at first and was wondering when it was going to end….

There are at least five 10/10 songs on this album. Doesn’t happen often that.
 
The Dying Light just works as the closer in all its epic glory. That said I do enjoy Angel of Lothian and Pretending That You're Dead (so the two jangly ones) from the bonuses - the rest are surplus to my requirements.

I see the album sold 44k in the first week, compared to 41k for Hypersonic Missiles. I didn't realise his first album sold quite so well as that.
 
wasn't sold on spit of you initially but it really is quite good.

poor sam, is he doomed now we all like him? i really want him to do well.
 
He's already doing very well in the UK. Sold out arena tour, #1 album. He can't seem to get a proper hit single, but for some reason you have to be really odd looking if you want to play guitar and have a hit in 2021.
 
So despite the album and radio moving onto Spit Of You as the latest single, and is doing quite well compared to his previous singles, and getting a lot of love from Radio 1, something unusual is happening to the previous single the title track - after hovering around the lower end of the chart it rebounded massively last week to a peak of 22 and is now 19 on the midweeks. Not bad for a pop rock / indie song.

I can only assume because of all the touring he’s doing. But it’s fully deserved, Seventeen Going Under is one of the best songs of 2021.
 
I did think that he did the title track on Jools Holland, but no it was Get You Down.

This live performance is quite epic:

 
I'm scrambling trying to find what TV appearances he's done because "Seventeen Going Under" continues to explode organically, #1 and #5 on iTunes and #5 on Spotify.

So lovely to see a really good tune, and something different from the norm the last few years, breaking the glass ceiling. I hope it's the sign that the charts have settled a bit after the streaming shift. There's definitely more pop in the main chart versus rap, grime and trap compared to 1-2 years ago.
 
I'm scrambling trying to find what TV appearances he's done because "Seventeen Going Under" continues to explode organically, #1 and #5 on iTunes and #5 on Spotify.
He put on his Instagram stories that he was close to making the Top 10 tomorrow and people have downloaded various versions
 
He put on his Instagram stories that he was close to making the Top 10 tomorrow and people have downloaded various versions

yeah I've found a bit of campaign rumbling on twitter. Other fan sites from Oasis to Bruce Springsteen have joined in and are retweeting. Bless.
 
I can't remember the last time a similar artist had a top ten hit. Guitar lead rock has realy struggled since streaming took off, but good for him. I always find it strange that acts can fill arenas these days with barely having any top 40 hits!
 
It's being crowded out by the Christmas songs, but Seventeen Going Under has become a PROPER HIT over the past three weeks. Up to #8 now, though I suspect that's as far as it'll go until January, when I wouldn't totally discount it bouncing back up and becoming a surprise #1 post-clearout. :disco:
 
For the most part this works much better than I imagined:



NME interview here (their number one album of the year for what it is worth). He's asked about the third album, I do wonder what kind of direction he will end up going in.
 
He’s a shoe-in for the Brits isn’t he? Definitely a nomination for best artist and best album, and he could win the album one.

I imagine he gets to perform too and that could be an opportunity to go next level.
 


And with the title track looking like it's crossing over massively now he is going to have a huge year.
 
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The current chart run of 17GU:

44-62-70-60-61-57-57-60-54-60-65-68-OUT-26-38-37-43-22-9-9-8-15-9-18-30-3-5-6-6-8-7-6-7-7-6

It's probably going to go back up again this week owing to his appearance on Ant & Dec. Crazy stuff for a rock song in 2022.
 
HOW has this not been number one yet??!
 
Classic case of its run being a slow burn and having its run spread thin. It's probably one of the best 'selling' #3 songs ever at this point, like for like.
 

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