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/

Russian Roulette
Jack Savoretti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

Now my reward are peace and quiet
Of both I'm never sure
Sound of silence scares me senseless even since the war
I drink away my memories
Too vicious to be told
The hollow heart I carry now is no good for my soul

Take me back to place where I used to be
Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

Take me back to place where I used to be
Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jack Savoretti's song "Russian Roulette" depict the psychological impact of war on a soldier. The first stanza talks about the trauma of being part of a massacre and feeling lucky to have survived it. The soldier feels a sense of guilt that he made it out alive while others did not. He also feels like he fought just as hard as everyone else, but he was the only one who came back. The reference to the burden on those they love the most highlights the impact of the soldier's experiences on his loved ones.

The second stanza talks about the soldier wanting to return to his life before the war, where he could find love and happiness. However, the memories still haunt him even in moments of peace and quiet. He drinks to forget the terrible experiences, but his heart remains hollow. The repetition of the chorus reflects the soldier's desire to go back to a time when he felt loved and secure. The reference to the "lonely lover" also reflects the soldier's feeling of isolation and disconnection from his pre-war self.

Overall, "Russian Roulette" portrays the psychological toll of war, emphasizing the trauma that soldiers carry with them long after the war is over. The lyrics highlight the disconnect between a soldier's life before and after the war, as well as the long-term effects on their mental health and relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

How I survived the massacre
I don't know how I managed to survive the violent attack, but I did.

I've fought the fight as strong and hard as any other man
I put in as much effort as any other person, giving my all to the fight.

Yet I returned as hero
Despite the danger and difficulty of the task, I managed to return as a champion.

While they returned as ghosts
The others who fought alongside me did not make it back to the world of the living.

A heavy burden on the hearts of those they love the most
The loved ones of the fallen soldiers are carrying a great weight of sorrow and grief.

Now my reward are peace and quiet
All I have to show for my efforts is a chance to relax and be calm.

Of both I'm never sure
I can't even count on that peace and quiet to last, as I'm always uncertain.

Sound of silence scares me senseless even since the war
Even the absence of noise can make me feel anxious and frightened, after what I went through in battle.

I drink away my memories
I am trying to numb myself to the pain of the past with alcohol.

Too vicious to be told
The memories I'm trying to forget are so brutal and traumatic that I can't even begin to describe them to others.

The hollow heart I carry now is no good for my soul
My emotional state is so depleted and empty that it is having a negative impact on my very being.

Take me back to place where I used to be
I long to return to a simpler, happier time in my life.

Before I lived a lifetime
I feel like I've aged a hundred years from the experiences I've gone through.

Show me all of the love that I used to see
I want to feel the same warmth and affection that I once did in my relationships.

In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
I'm hoping to find that love and connection in the gaze of my partner, who is my only source of comfort and companionship.

Contributed by Molly P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Akam Hana

8y↑81

How I survived the massacre
I'll never understand
I've fought the fight as strong and hard as any other man
Yet I returned as hero
While they returned as ghosts
A heavy burden on the hearts of those they love the most

Take me back to place where I used to be
Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

Now my reward are peace and quiet
Of both I'm never sure
Sound of silence scares me senseless even since the war
I drink away my memories
Too vicious to be told
The hollow heart I carry now is no good for my soul

Take me back to place where I used to be
Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

Take me back to place where I used to be
Before I lived a lifetime
Show me all of the love that I used to see
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine
In the eyes of this lonely lover of mine

In the eyes of this lonely lover of .... mine

All comments from YouTube:

Akam Hana

8y↑81

silipid

7y↑25

Çok iyisin be Jack abey.Bilip dinleyenlerin sayısının az olması çok güzel.Sevgiler şelale🌹😊

Di Bn

5y↑7

...."One of the most Beautiful solo's of Savoretti for the folks in streets & unfulfilled Romeos.......It pricks our Heart....The most Bewitching part of his songs are it cannot be sung with the throbs of the emotions in the soul by none other than
Savoretti himself .... in the world..! No one can imitate his colours of emotions ..even if others can sing those beautiful verses..."...