Yet, just one year ago - with two albums already to his name, a raft of rave reviews, and a legion of fans from five years of solid gigging - Jack was about to pack it all in.
Having left his former label and management, he had become thoroughly disillusioned with the music biz at the age of 27. “I was seriously thinking about giving it all up,” he admits. He had just gotten married, had a kid on the way, and hadn't written a song in months.
Then, contemplating his next move last summer, a song came into his head. “I was thinking my career was over before it had really begun. Then this song came along and made me realise I wanted to make another album.”
That song, 'Knock Knock,' is one of the 13 self-penned songs that make up 'Before the Storm.' It's Jack's third album, but he sees it as a new beginning. “For me this is like starting all over again. The first two albums came from my imagination, but for this one I have drawn on my personal experience.”
The songs on 'Before the Storm' chart a turbulent relationship, and articulate the emotional dilemma of a young man torn between enjoying his freedom and settling down with the love of his life. There are fast songs and slow songs, sad ones and happy ones, songs about wild nights on the town and dark nights of the soul. What they share is the honesty of the lyrics and the catchiness of the tunes.
The son of a Polish-German model, whose own parents had fled the Holocaust, and an Italian actor who fled home to escape terrorist death threats, he grew up in London, Italy and Switzerland. Having spent school days “looking out of the window”, he first planned to become a footballer.
Next came a plan to study film in California, prompted by seeing 'The Graduate' at the age of 16, and falling in love with its Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack. That ambition was dramatically thwarted by Jack leaving home on September 11, 2001. “I woke up on a plane halfway across the Atlantic with military jets outside the window and the captain telling us the Pentagon had been hit, and the Twin Towers were no longer standing.” Fourteen frightening hours after taking off in Zurich, he was landing in Geneva. “My California dream came to a pretty abrupt end.”
When he finally made it to Los Angeles, he found a nation in shock, but fell in love with the city and its music. Encouraged by his mother, who had hung out with Hendrix and the Stones in her modelling years, he picked up a guitar and began to write tunes for the poetry he had written at school.
The outcome was 'Between The Minds', a debut album that showcased Jack's husky voice and knack for a catchy tune. Radio 2 loved it and he was invited to tour Europe with Corinne Bailey Rae, culminating in a gig in front of 9,000 fans at Hammersmith Apollo.
But Jack and his indie label were fighting to be heard against the machine of the industry. “It was just the wrong time for me to try to break through.”
A headline tour of Caffe Nero branches around Britain helped generate a buzz about Jack, but his second album, 'Harder than Easy,' failed to reach the audience it deserved when he parted ways with his first label.
Fast-forward to the Spring of 2012 and Jack is in the studio around the corner from his home. Recorded in just four days at KensalTown Studios, 'Before the Storm' is produced by Martin Terefe and The Suppliers, the Scandinavian collective behind a host of hits for artists including James Morrison and Jason Mraz.
“After eight years I have finally found my sound,” says Jack. “I feel like this is my first album. The first two felt like my education and my college years, and this feels like my first real job. I sat down and decided I wanted to make a great album, where every song could stand alone and yet be part of a great album. I think we've achieved it. I am very proud of this album.”
http://www.jacksavoretti.com/
Breaking the Rules
Jack Savoretti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I keep getting lost trying to find my way
Looking for love in every corner
night after night
but every street light looks the same
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
I gotta be tough, gotta be stronger
and take the time to understand
This city cant get any colder
stab you in the back while shaking your hand
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
doing it my own way
Taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own
doing it my way
doing it my way
doing it my own way
The opening lines of Jack Savoretti's "Breaking The Rules" depict a sense of frustration that comes with growing old and still feeling aimless. The lyrics depict the struggle of the singer who finds himself unable to find love or any sense of fulfilment in his life. He feels lost, trapped and unable to see anything beyond the narrow scope of his own life. The singer yearns for something more and decides to take a chance on walking away and breaking the rules. He refuses to be held down and controlled by anyone, and he believes that nobody can determine his destiny.
In the second verse, Savoretti addresses the need to be tough and stronger, not only to survive but also to thrive in the cold and cutthroat urban environment. The singer realizes that this city is a place that will deceive and stab him in the back while shaking his hand. Again, the singer is determined to break free from convention and forge his own unique path.
Overall, the lyrics speak to the general desire for freedom of choice and carving your identity in the face of an all-too-materialistic society.
Line by Line Meaning
Sick and tired of getting older
I am feeling unhappy and exhausted about the process of aging.
I keep getting lost trying to find my way
I feel confused and disoriented while trying to navigate my life.
Looking for love in every corner
I am searching for love in various places, hoping to find it everywhere.
night after night
I keep searching every night.
but every street light looks the same
All the places I search for love seem similar and unexciting.
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
I am taking a risk and defying the norms to pursue my own path.
nobody here can tell me what to do
No one has the authority to dictate my choices.
I'm out on my own, making my way
I am on my own, trying to figure out how to succeed in life.
trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I am striving to become a person I can be proud of in the future.
I gotta be tough, gotta be stronger
I need to toughen up and become stronger to survive in this harsh world.
and take the time to understand
I need to spend the time to comprehend my environment.
This city cant get any colder
I cannot tolerate the city becoming colder and more hostile.
stab you in the back while shaking your hand
People in this city cannot be trusted and will betray you while acting friendly.
doing it my own way
I am pursuing my goals in a unique and independent way.
doing it my way
I am pursuing my goals in a way that aligns with my personal values and beliefs.
Contributed by Carson S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@blessedsanjay
Sick and tired of getting older
I keep getting lost trying to find my way
Looking for love in every corner
Night after night
But every street light looks the same
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
I gotta be tough, gotta be stronger
And take the time to understand
This city can't get any colder
Stab you in the back while shaking your hand
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
Doing it my own way, yeah
Taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own
Doing it my way
Doing it my way
Doing it my own way
@sevin4637
#LYRICS
Sick and tired of getting older
I keep getting lost trying to find my way
Looking for love in every corner
Night after night
But every street light looks the same
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
I gotta be tough, gotta be stronger
And take the time to understand
This city can't get any colder
Stab you in the back while shaking your hand
So I'm taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own, doing it my way
Doing it my own way, yeah
Taking the chance, walking away, breaking the rules
Nobody here can tell me what to do
I'm out on my own, making my way
Trying to be someone that I can be proud of one day
I'm out on my own
Doing it my way
Doing it my way
Doing it my own way
@Dano-MX5
I came across Jack tonight and I am blown away. I’m 71 and still get emotional when I come across someone who speaks to my soul thru their music. Bravo young man. Much love to you!
@TheSanbao
That means you are alive, your heart is open. Beautiful
@michaelfalsetti5468
I'm 62 I get it as well 😊
@m.h.t6916
❤❤❤
@m.h.t6916
Miten päin tahansa!
@pasquieanne1012
Wouah moi aussi je suis vivante 🙏
@MsRoshniAli
While digging YouTube, sometimes you find GOLD
@rosswright5547
Right?! Wow!
@sonicfoxxmusic4281
If you are even luckier you dig up a piece of gold, stuck to a large diamond, with the name JACK SAVORETTI written in that diamond.
@veektori2698
so true!