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.
It Shook Me Up
JD McPherson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't get all the edges to square away
And the motion that I started didn't follow through
And I didn't get some time with you
I didn't do nothing but hem and haw
Didn't stick a piece of paper in the wailing wall
Then I didn't find a stranger worth talking to
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
I didn't find a penny with the good side up
Didn't dump a little sugar in my coffee cup
Got a murderous secret to own up to
And I didn't get some time with you
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
(It shook me up) It shook me up
I didn't get what I wanted from the world today
Didn't get all the edges to square away
And the motion that I started didn't follow through
And I didn't get some time with you
The lyrics of JD McPherson's song "It Shook Me Up" express a sense of dissatisfaction and disappointment. The singer enumerates the things that didn't go as planned: their attempts to make progress didn't pan out, they didn't have any meaningful conversations with strangers, and they didn't get to spend time with someone they care about. The song characterizes these failures as shaking the singer up. The repetition of the phrase "it shook me up" throughout the song reinforces this idea: each misstep feels like a significant jolt or tremor.
The lines "Got a murderous secret to own up to" stand out among the other disappointments enumerated. This line suggests that the singer has done something terrible, something that weighs on their conscience. However, the song doesn't provide any details about what this secret might be. This ambiguity adds to the sense of unease and disorientation that permeates the song.
Overall, "It Shook Me Up" captures the feeling of a bad day or a period of general discontent. The singer is struggling to find their footing, and each setback feels like a major blow. The song doesn't offer any easy solutions, but it does provide a visceral sense of what it feels like to be shaken up.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't get what I wanted from the world today
Today, I did not get everything I expected to receive from the outside world
Didn't get all the edges to square away
I was unable to complete all my pending tasks or resolve my complications
And the motion that I started didn't follow through
An undertaking I began did not meet its intended conclusion or goal
And I didn't get some time with you
I was unable to spend time with you, which was my desire
I didn't do nothing but hem and haw
I was indecisive and avoided making any concrete decisions
Didn't stick a piece of paper in the wailing wall
I failed to request divine intervention or guidance by following a religious ritual
Then I didn't find a stranger worth talking to
It was challenging to find someone new to converse with and share ideas or thoughts
And I didn't get some time with you
I was unable to spend time with you, which was my desire
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
I didn't find a penny with the good side up
I had no luck or good fortune as I did not find a coin that is heads up
Didn't dump a little sugar in my coffee cup
I was unable to add sugar as per my taste on my coffee beverage
Got a murderous secret to own up to
I have a guilty conscience and need to confess an offense that weighs heavily on me
And I didn't get some time with you
I was unable to spend time with you, which was my desire
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
(It shook me up) It shook me up
These unfortunate events have made me feel troubled or uncertain
I didn't get what I wanted from the world today
Today, I did not get everything I expected to receive from the outside world
Didn't get all the edges to square away
I was unable to complete all my pending tasks or resolve my complications
And the motion that I started didn't follow through
An undertaking I began did not meet its intended conclusion or goal
And I didn't get some time with you
I was unable to spend time with you, which was my desire
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SmokeyALCO
Excellent tune...thanks for sharing...great music
that crazy beat
My pleasure! :)
crxtfr
Caught it on Outlaw Country you gotta love those drum rolls!!!!
kmcwhq
The ONLY thing that could possibly make this song BETTER would be a video of scantily clad miss'ies dancing in cages al-la the 1960's GO-GO movement.
Bring it ON please.....
Elvis1977
Shades of little Richard :)
Elvis1977
@***** Just love this guys music.
judith Peters
@Elvis1977 similar to Ooh my Head by Ritchie Valens. That's not necessarily a bad thing!
Joseph Cardoni
@Elvis1977 With a nice sprinkle of Buddy Holly. : )
Steven Ford
Not bad.Kinda cool
Teddy Leather
RAAWWWK!!