With his husky voice, a head full of catchy tunes and a story to tell, Jack… Read Full Bio ↴With his husky voice, a head full of catchy tunes and a story to tell, Jack Savoretti would seem to have everything it takes.

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/

Come Shine a Light
Jack Savoretti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dressing up in black and blue like I have been so many times before
Every moment I spare with out you leaves me wanting more
If I close my eyes I can picture you here in my arms
Man I would kill just to keep you safe out of harm

Come shine a light on me
Your love is more than I'll need
This one is not for sale

As far as I can see
Come shine a light on me

Cigarettes and Alcohol singing songs just to pass the time
Everything I ever want never ends up being mine
So I just get real high catch your eye on a shooting star
Still remember the first time I saw you alone at the bar - all right

Come shine a light on me
Your love is more than I'll need
This one is not for sale
As far as I can see
Come shine a light on me

I can make my fist I can fight till I get what I need
But I'd rather be loving you - you loving me - all right

Come shine a light on me
Your love is more than I'll need
This one is not for sale
As far as I can see

Come shine a light on me
Come shine a light on me

Come shine a light on me
Come shine a light on me

Overall Meaning

In "Come Shine a Light," Jack Savoretti paints a picture of a desperate love that leaves him wanting more with every passing moment. The song begins with him describing his feeling of emptiness, dressing up in black and blue like he has so many times before. He longs for his lover's safety and is ready to do anything to keep them out of harm's way. The lyrics indicate that the two of them have been apart, and his imagination can conjure up the image of her in his arms. The repeated line, "Come shine a light on me," indicates that he's searching for a way out of the darkness and a path to his lover.

In the second verse, he talks about how he spends his time alone, singing songs to pass the time. It's clear that he's missing his lover and nothing else can fill that void. He's caught up in the past, remembering the first time he saw her alone at the bar. He longs for her to see him in the same way, to catch her eye on a shooting star.

The chorus, "Come shine a light on me, your love is more than I'll need. This one is not for sale, as far as I can see," is the climax of the song. The singer pleads for his lover's light to guide him out of the darkness and give him the strength to fight for their love. He knows that she's the only one who can make him feel complete, and he's not willing to let her go.

Overall, "Come Shine a Light" is a powerful love ballad that captures the desperation and longing of a lost love. The lyrics are emotive and filled with imagery, and the melody is haunting and beautiful. This song is a reminder that sometimes, love is all we need to guide us through the darkness.

Line by Line Meaning

Dressing up in black and blue like I have been so many times before
I'm putting on my usual attire of dark clothes to hide my pain and loneliness, something I've done many times before.

Every moment I spare with out you leaves me wanting more
Being away from you only leaves me more desperate for your love and companionship.

If I close my eyes I can picture you here in my arms
The memory of holding you close is still so vivid in my mind that I can imagine it with my eyes closed.

Man I would kill just to keep you safe out of harm
I would do anything to protect you from danger and keep you safe, even if it means going to extreme lengths.

Come shine a light on me
I'm asking for you to bring light into my dark world and provide comfort and love.

Your love is more than I'll need
The love you give me is more than enough to sustain me and make me feel whole.

This one is not for sale
My love for you is not something that can be bought or sold, it's priceless and authentic.

As far as I can see
To my knowledge and understanding, our love is genuine and worth fighting for.

Cigarettes and Alcohol singing songs just to pass the time
In an attempt to fill the void left by not having you around, I distract myself with vices like smoking and drinking while singing to pass the time.

Everything I ever want never ends up being mine
No matter how much I desire something, it always slips out of my grasp and never becomes mine, except for my love for you.

So I just get real high catch your eye on a shooting star
To ease my pain and seek comfort, I often get high and look up at the stars, hoping that one of them will catch your attention and bring you back to me.

Still remember the first time I saw you alone at the bar - all right
I still clearly recall when I first saw you sitting alone at the bar, and it brings me joy to remember it.

I can make my fist I can fight till I get what I need
I'm capable of fighting for what I want and need, but my biggest desire is for your love, which cannot be won through brute force.

But I'd rather be loving you - you loving me - all right
Although I could fight for love, I would much rather experience the true joy of loving you and being loved in return.

Contributed by Aubrey E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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