McPherson grew up in rural southeastern Oklahoma, on a cattle ranch near the town of Talihina. His father was a farmer and ex-army while his mother was a church minister. He took up the guitar at age 13. In high school he played in a number of local punk rock bands and began writing his own songs. He has stated that he has never not been in a band of some sort since he was 16 years of age.
During this time, McPherson also developed a strong interest in 1950s rock and roll after being exposed to the music of Buddy Holly. This went on to shape his song writing and sound for bands he was in such as The Poison Okies and The Starkweather Boys.
He studied visual arts in college, earning a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tulsa, and later worked as an art and technology teacher. After deciding to pursue music more seriously, McPherson sent a demo to Jimmy Sutton of the small independent record label Hi-STYLE Records, which specialized in roots music. Sutton agreed to produce McPherson's debut album: this became 2010's Signs and Signifiers. On 19 November 2012, Rolling Stone labelled McPherson an "Artist to Watch" in a 3½ star (out of 5) review of Signs and Signifiers after its wider release through Rounder Records.
The band played the acoustic stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2015 on Friday June 26, before continuing their European tour in the Netherlands.
In October 2015, JD McPherson and band appeared (in animated form) as musical guests performing a new and original song "Crazy Horse" for the DreamWorks animated TV series, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show on Netflix.
Fire Bug
JD McPherson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let it burn across the town
My heart will catch afire when my fire bug's around
Fire Bug, Fire Bug
She's my little fire bug
She gonn' light a fire when she begins to kiss and a hug
That little gal starts dancing and she torches up the floor
Fire bug, fire bug
She's my little fire bug
She gonn' light a fire when she begins to cuttin' up the rug
Tried to make my killer move a lonely summer night
She strung me out and lit me up like Christmas in July
Fire Bug, fire bug
She's my little fire bug
She gonn' light a fire with a little bitty kiss and a hug
Burn it up burn it down
Let it burn across the town
My heart will catch afire when my fire bug's around
Fire bug, fire bug
She's my little fire bug
She gonn' light a fire with a little bitty kiss and a hug
She gonn' light a fire with a little bitty kiss and a hug
The song "Fire Bug" by JD McPherson talks about the uncontrollable attraction that the singer has for his lover, who he describes as a "fire bug". The lyrics use fire and burning as a metaphor for their passionate relationship. The singer's heart catches fire every time his fire bug is around, and he can't help but be drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
The verses describe some of the experiences that the singer has had with his lover, who seems to have a fiery energy that spreads wherever she goes. He mentions that she can light up a dance floor and melt snow with her moves. The chorus repeats the phrase "Fire Bug, Fire Bug" as a way to emphasize her power over him. The last two lines of the song suggest that their relationship is not just physical, but that she has a hold over his heart that he can't resist.
Overall, "Fire Bug" is a catchy, upbeat song that celebrates the intensity of a passionate relationship. The lyrics use fire as a symbol to express the singer's overwhelming desire and attraction for his lover, and the catchy chorus will have you singing along in no time.
Line by Line Meaning
Burn it up burn it down
Set everything ablaze and watch it go up in flames
Let it burn across the town
Allow the fire to spread to every corner of the town
My heart will catch afire when my fire bug's around
My heart will be set aflame by the presence of my lover
Fire Bug, Fire Bug
A term of endearment for the singer's lover
She's my little fire bug
The singer's lover is his personal flame that lights up his life
She gonn' light a fire when she begins to kiss and a hug
The singer's lover has the power to spark a fire in him with just a kiss and a hug
I took her to the winter ball and melted all the snow
The singer and his lover's passion was so intense, it was even able to melt snow
That little gal starts dancing and she torches up the floor
The singer's lover has a fiery energy that ignites the dance floor when she begins to move
She gonn' light a fire when she begins to cuttin' up the rug
The singer's lover will set a fire with her dancing
Tried to make my killer move a lonely summer night
The singer attempted to make a bold move on his lover one summer night
She strung me out and lit me up like Christmas in July
The singer's lover left him wanting more and ignited a fire within him
She gonn' light a fire with a little bitty kiss and a hug
The singer's lover has the power to set him on fire with even the smallest affectionate gesture
Let it burn across the town
Keep the flames spreading throughout the town
She gonn' light a fire with a little bitty kiss and a hug
The singer's lover has the ability to kindle a fire with just a small amount of physical affection
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ALEXANDER HALL, JONATHAN MC PHERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
southerncountryboy8
Damn good music! gives me hope for humanity that people out there can still make good music.
wrotenwasp
southerncountryboy8 Aint that the truth. FM radio is dead. Good thing we got XM and Utube. This stuff blows away anything on the radio today.
steven ford
Great sound great beat.Good to see a modern group still recording the 50s sound in their music.
Fernando Lopez
I remember putting this song in a party full of people who didn't knew what rockabilly was. It turns out that mostly ever one loved it and they started to dance. Plus they told me to put more rockabilly songs. Good times, good times.
wrotenwasp
+Fernando Lopez Kind of like when the Stray cats came out back in 1981. People dug it and didnt know what it was? Never could figure out why more bands didn't catch on and it didnt go a little more mainstream. Too bad the lame ass pop stations will never play music like this.
Fernando Lopez
+wrotenwasp Tell me about it. I can barley listen to the music now a days.
deussemis
Fernando Lopez Same, I work at a bar with a friend of mine who both love this kind of music, I even dress like that. We let that play a lot when we're working and people love it, some even come in because they hear the music outside
Shannon M
Holy CRAP this guy's voice rocks
Judith Giglio
This guy is on fire with great sounds!
MEKONMESSIN
Now isn't this better than Hip Hop???
The way music is supposed to be!!!
Love it JD!!!--Don't Stop Now!!!
Long Live Rock N Roll !!
How come he's not at the Grammys???