When Kitt was young his father and uncles formed a successful touring folk group so Kitt grew up surrounded by music, and he himself began performing live sets while studying music technology at Trinity College, Dublin. He recorded and mixed the eight tracks of his debut release in his bedroom and this debut LP, the quietly magnetic Small Moments (Rough Trade) which was followed by the expansive ambient textures and looping pop mantras of The Big Romance (Blanco y Negro, 2001); his biggest selling record.
During this period Kitt concentrated on touring Britain and mainland Europe and graced the stage with record collection heroes such as Television, Yo La Tengo, Arab Strap and Tindersticks, discovered harmony-pop lovelies The Magic Numbers were his biggest fans and was invited by David Bowie to perform at the Bowie curated Meltdown Festival at Royal Festival Hall in 2002.
Then came Square One (WEA) in 2003; the soundtrack to falling in love, and The Black & Red Notebook (Rough Trade, 2005) which was, quite simply, a covers album. A snapshot tribute to a record collection, with fascinating gimmick-free Kitt-style workovers of Sonic Youth, Thin Lizzy, JJ Cale et al. 2006’s return to original material, Not Fade Away (Rough Trade) captured an artist dealing with the post-relationship whirlwind of excess and contemplation.
Kitt's most recent album is The Nightsaver, his sixth LP. The result of two years of late-night experimentation, caught in the reverie of writing and recording in a home studio at the top of a winding staircase somewhere along Dublin’s Grand Canal. Without any of the baggage of collaboration or record company influence he allowed his natural influences to filter through this collection of, what are essentially, concise songs. The free-flowing nuances of disco, Kraftwerk, 90’s house music, hip-hop of all eras and the evolving legacy of crafted synth-pop from Hall & Oates to Junior Boys can be heard throughout.
Perhaps The Nightsaver’s most significant breakthrough is that of Kitt’s role as producer, an evolving process in which he learned to trust his instincts, his skills and his own ears. He embraced the spontaneity of these early hours sessions, capturing moments of loose musicianship or slightly out of tune singing, marrying unlikely electronic rhythms with classic pop-crafted melodies. The only guest is the apparitional voice of Waterford artist Katie Kim on Beat A Retreat and Don't Wake Me Up. Otherwise it’s all David.
From the dreamy chimes of opener Move It On, through the clipped disco swagger of It’s Yours and the breathtaking mantra-style vocals and spitting electronic distrotion of Learning To Say Goodbye right through to the creaky folk-blues hip-hop of No Truth in Your Eyes, The Nightsaver is very much David Kitt’s clean slate record.
Up To You
David Kitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got me going insane, you got me going insane
From my bed I felt the whole world shake
Un unexpected thing, un unexpected thing
It's up to you
It's up to you
Break it down for me
Now I see that when the egg shell cracks
There's no going back, there's no going back
I was waiting for a round of applause
But its just one lost cause after another lost cause
It's up to you
It's up to you
Break it down for me
It's up to you
One thing I wanted to
To try to get thru to you
I couldn't change I wanted to
You ought' a know by now
Too many years have been the same
The morning means to love in vain
Forgotten what we trying to say
We ought' a know by now
I'm in a hurry now to shake this pain
I'm gonna weed through the lanes, I'm gonna weed through the lanes
Keep on running till the feeling fades
It's such a slow decay, It's such a slow decay
It's up to you
It's up to you
Break it down for me
It's up to you
It's up to you...
It's up to you...
Break it down for me...
It's up to you...
It's up to you
It's up to you
Break it down I see
It's up to me
It's up to you...
It's up to you...
Break it down for me...
It's up to you...
The lyrics of David Kitt’s song “Up to You” convey a sense of frustration and resignation. The singer is exhausted and unable to sleep due to an unnamed situation. The idea of unexpected consequences looms large: the whole world seems to shake, and the eggshell cracks. The singer is waiting for recognition, perhaps for something they’ve accomplished or for someone they care about to notice them. However, they’re met only with lost causes.
The refrain serves as a reminder that the singer has agency, and they must make choices for themselves. “It’s up to you” appears several times throughout the song. The singer simultaneously seems to be pleading for guidance and resolute in their independence. The song ends on a note of determination, with the final refrain changed to “It’s up to me.” It’s unclear what the “it” in question is, but it could be the singer’s own well-being or a relationship.
Overall, the song expresses a complex mix of emotions: despair, frustration, helplessness, and, ultimately, resilience. The singer grapples with the consequences of their own actions and the unpredictability of life, but ultimately claims their own power.
Line by Line Meaning
Another sleepless night exhausted my brain
I had another night when I couldn't sleep and now I'm mentally worn out.
You got me going insane, you got me going insane
This situation with you is driving me crazy, it's too much for me to handle.
From my bed I felt the whole world shake
I felt like everything around me was falling apart, it was overwhelming.
Un unexpected thing, un unexpected thing
This event was something I didn't see coming and it caught me off guard.
It's up to you
You have the power to make a decision or take action.
Break it down for me
Explain it to me in a way that I can understand.
Now I see that when the egg shell cracks
I realize that once something is broken, it can't be fixed or undone.
There's no going back, there's no going back
We can't undo what's been done or change what's happened in the past.
I was waiting for a round of applause
I expected some sort of recognition or acknowledgement, but didn't receive it.
But its just one lost cause after another lost cause
Everything I do seems to fail and I can't seem to get anything right.
One thing I wanted to
There's one thing I really wanted to say or do.
To try to get thru to you
I wanted to communicate and connect with you.
I couldn't change I wanted to
I wished I could have changed something but I couldn't.
You ought' a know by now
You should already be aware of the situation or the way I feel.
Too many years have been the same
Things have been the same way for too long and it needs to change.
The morning means to love in vain
Starting a new day just means loving someone who will never love me back.
Forgotten what we trying to say
We lost the message we were trying to convey or we can't remember what it was.
We ought' a know by now
We should have learned or realized this by now.
I'm in a hurry now to shake this pain
I need to get rid of this pain quickly and move on.
I'm gonna weed through the lanes, I'm gonna weed through the lanes
I'm going to sort through everything and focus on the important things.
Keep on running till the feeling fades
I'll keep going until the pain or emotion goes away.
It's such a slow decay, It's such a slow decay
This process of feeling better is slow and gradual, it's not happening quickly.
Contributed by Kylie S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Joe Jackson
Top tune. Cool song just popped into my head, hadn’t heard it in years for some reason, so you tuned it, never on the radio.
Gary Gibson
One of the best Irish singles ever. Would love to interview him to get his views and experiences
sdas259
been a fan since big romance. he needs more recognition
james Harding
Rediscovering David Kitt - really innovative sound that would get more air time if released today. Great stuff.
Graham Ó Maonaigh
Why did this song never get more play? It's not even on Kitt's Spotify? Why?? #tragic
Tim Walker
Terrific song - I've been a fan since 2001, when he played a brilliant set at the Borderline in London. I'm long overdue for another gig...
Eavan Smith
The perfect pop song and the soundtrack to a very hard break up around the time of its release.
Mark Mc Elroy
This man is a legend, playin tomorrow night in the Spirit Store Dundalk, F**kin class show seen David there 3 times before always brilliant!
AlexisJacks
Love him!!!!
Oisin Manning
I didnt realise the Magic Numbers did the backing vocals on this until I read their wikipedia :D Savage