Influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bettie Davies, and Led Zeppelin among others, the band forced many music fans to take notice of its powerful, flawless genre-crossing blend of blues that incorporate influences from rock, funk, and soul. Led by guitarist/vocalist Gugun, Gugun & Blues Shelter has released two albums under the Bluesbug moniker "Get The Bug" (2004) and “Turn it On” (2007) that has been gaining praises from music critics and fans alike.
”Turn It On” was voted as one of the best Indonesian album in 2007 by Rolling Stone Indonesia Magazine and Gugun was noted as one of the most promising local guitar player by the same maga-zine. In the same year, Indonesia's Trax Magazine also voted Gugun as the best guitar player in South East Asia. Gugun Blues Shelter is not only drew the attentions of local music lover only.
The band also received attentions from European fans, thanks for years of playing for expatriate fans during its pub-playing days. As the result, Gugun Blues Shelter was participated in Belfast Big River Blues and Jazz Festival 2008 and played several dates in a four-weeks UK tour at cities like Burnley, Scarborough, and Crewe. Due to the good receptions, the tour was extended to other cities like Leeds, Oxford, York, Rotherham, and culminated in another festival, ”Colne Great British R n' B Festival” at the Manchester outskirt.
In Asia, recently Gugun Blues Shelter played several dates in Malaysia in 2008, participated in Singapore Art Festival at the same year, as well as in Indonesia's big festivals such as Java Jazz Festival and JakJazz Festival.
Recently, Gugun & Blues Shelter embarked another European invasion by participated in Skegness Rock and Blues Festival and finished recording another new album, titled “Set My Soul On Fire”.
Old Friend
Gugun Blues Shelter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running round making trouble in school
Growing pains were less hard when shared
Now a man we drift apart
Once we were as close as brothers
Now we've become worst enemies
You watch my back and I'll watch yours
How could you do those things, you betrayed me
The good times now gone the book is closed,
Was it worth it my old friend, was it worth it my old friend
How could you do those things, you betrayed me
The good times now gone the book is closed,
Was it worth it my old friend, was it worth it my old friend
Remember the endless summer,
what happened to those precious memories
When you get old you'll think about it
I'll never forget you my old friend,
I'll never forget you my old friend.
The song "Old Friend" by Gugun Blues Shelter is a poignant reflection on a relationship that has soured over time. The song, written by Indonesian blues musician Gugun and released in 2013, describes a friendship that has evolved from a carefree, innocent time to one of betrayal and regret. The song opens by describing the good times the two friends used to have together, running around and causing trouble in school. The shared experiences of growing pains made the challenges in life less burdensome. But now, as men, they have drifted apart.
The chorus of the song repeats a simple question: how could you do those things, you betrayed me? The singer can't understand the choices that his former friend has made, and laments the loss of their once-close bond. The second verse of the song further elaborates on the singer's feelings of betrayal, describing how he and the former friend used to watch each other's backs, but now are sworn enemies. The final verse reflects on the precious memories of their endless summer together, and how those memories will stay with him as he grows old.
Line by Line Meaning
Spent so many good days together,
We shared many happy moments together.
Running round making trouble in school
We used to have fun and misbehave when we were in school.
Growing pains were less hard when shared
We used to help each other during tough times and it made it easier to deal with our problems.
Now a man we drift apart
As adults, we have grown apart.
Once we were as close as brothers
We used to share a bond as strong as brothers do.
Now we've become worst enemies
Now, we are each other's biggest foes.
You watch my back and I'll watch yours
We used to have each other's backs and protect each other.
How I wish we could turn back the time
I wish we could go back to the good old days and relive those memories.
How could you do those things, you betrayed me
I can't believe you did that to me; you broke my trust.
The good times now gone the book is closed,
The happy moments we shared are now just memories and will never come back.
Was it worth it my old friend, was it worth it my old friend
Was all of this worth losing our friendship, my dear friend?
Remember the endless summer,
We had a never-ending summer filled with fun.
what happened to those precious memories
What happened to all those wonderful memories we shared together?
When you get old you'll think about it
When we grow old, we will reminisce about those good times.
I'll never forget you my old friend,
Even though we are no longer close, I will always remember you, my old friend.
I'll never forget you my old friend.
I will always cherish the memories we made together.
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.