Born on born 9th January 1987 in Paisley, Scotland, his father is of Italian descent and his mother Glaswegian, although his father's family have been in Scotland for four generations. Nutini had no formal music training, and was expecting to follow his father into the family fish and chip shop business. He was first encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather and a teacher at his school who recognised his talent. He left school to work as a roadie and to sell T-shirts for Speedway and spent three years learning the music business, performing live, alone and with a band, and working as a studio hand at Glasgow's Park Lane Studio.
His big chance came when he attended a concert for David Sneddon's return to his home town of Paisley at the beginning of 2003. Sneddon was delayed, and as the winner of an impromptu pop quiz, Nutini was given the chance to perform a couple of songs on stage during the wait. The favourable reaction of the crowd impressed another member of the audience, who offered to become his manager.
A Daily Record journalist, John Dingwall, saw him performing at the Queen Margaret Union, and invited him to appear live on Radio Scotland. Still only seventeen, he moved to London, and performed regularly at the Bedford pub in Balham whilst still legally too young to drink alcohol himself. Other radio and live appearances followed, including two live acoustic spots on Radio London, The Hard Rock Cafe, and support slots for Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall.
His debut album, These Streets, produced by Ken Nelson (Coldplay/Gomez), was released on 17th July 2006, and immediately entered the U.K. album charts at number three. Many of the songs on the album, including "Last Request" and "Rewind", were inspired by a turbulent relationship with a girlfriend, and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" is a true story about encounters with an older woman.
On 29th May 2009 Nutini released his second studio album, Sunny Side Up, after the first single from that album, "Candy", was released on 18th May. In July, he appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, performing "Coming Up Easy". This was released as the second single from the album on 10th August.
Jenny Don't Be Hasty
Paolo Nutini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm one that you can't see if I'm only eighteen
Tell me who makes these rules
Obviously not you
Who are you answering to?
Oh, Jenny don't be hasty
No, don't treat me like a baby
Let me take you where you'll let me
Because leaving just upsets me
And I'll be around again to see these other men
That are more adequate in the age department
And I did not think you cared
There'd be no problems here
But now you're looking at me like you're disgusted
Then I'm definitely waiting for you to smile and change your mind
Then I'll say I'm sorry and I'll wrap my arms 'round your body
I really hope that you forgive in a hurry
And don't just ask me to leave
Oh, Jenny don't be hasty
No, don't treat me like a baby
Let me take you where you'll let me
Because leaving just upsets me
Oh, Jenny you are crazy
First I'm perfect, then I'm lazy
And I was calling you my baby
And all the times that you just left me
And it kills me so
Oh, Jenny don't be hasty
No, don't treat me like a baby
Let me take you where you'll let me
Because leaving just upsets me
Oh, Jenny you are crazy
First I'm perfect, then I'm lazy
And I was calling you my baby
And all the times that you just left me
And it kills me, yeah, oh yeah
You said you'd marry me if I was twenty three
But I'm one that you can't see if I'm only eighteen
In Paolo Nutini's song "Jenny Don't Be Hasty," the singer is trying to convince his girlfriend not to rush things and to instead allow their relationship to develop at its own pace. The lyrics are particularly poignant because the singer is expressing a sense of frustration that his girlfriend wants to get married when he is only 18, and she previously told him she would wait until he was 23. He is trying to persuade her not to pressure him into marriage, reminding her that she is not the one in control of the relationship, and that she is not the one making the rules. The singer acknowledges that there are other men out there who may be more appropriate for her, but he also expresses his hope that she will change her mind and forgive him quickly if he makes a mistake. Ultimately, the song is about the difficulty of navigating relationships in one's late teenage years and early twenties, and the anxiety that can come with trying to balance one's own needs with those of a significant other.
Line by Line Meaning
You said you'd marry me if I was twenty three
You promised me marriage, but only if I was 23 years old
But I'm one that you can't see if I'm only eighteen
However, you can't see me when I'm only 18 years old
Tell me who makes these rules
Who is responsible for making these rules?
Obviously not you
It's clear that you're not responsible
Who are you answering to?
Who are you accountable to?
Oh, Jenny don't be hasty
Jenny, please don't be impulsive
No, don't treat me like a baby
Don't treat me like a child
Let me take you where you'll let me
Let me take you where you're willing to go
Because leaving just upsets me
Because it upsets me when you leave
And I'll be around again to see these other men
I'll be around again to see other men
That are more adequate in the age department
That are more appropriate in terms of age
And I did not think you cared
I didn't think it mattered to you
There'd be no problems here
There would be no issues if you didn't care
But now you're looking at me like you're disgusted
But now you're giving me a disgusted look
Then I'm definitely waiting for you to smile and change your mind
Then I'll wait for you to smile and change your mind
Then I'll say I'm sorry and I'll wrap my arms 'round your body
Then I'll apologize and hug you tightly
I really hope that you forgive in a hurry
I really hope you can forgive me quickly
And don't just ask me to leave
And please don't just ask me to leave
Oh, Jenny you are crazy
Oh, Jenny you are irrational
First I'm perfect, then I'm lazy
You change your opinion of me from perfect to lazy
And I was calling you my baby
I used to call you my baby
And all the times that you just left me
And all the times you just left me behind
And it kills me so
And it hurts me so much
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAOLO GIOVANNI NUTINI, JIMMY HOGARTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind