1) John West was forme… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two different John West's:
1) John West was formerly the lead vocalist of the Danish metal band Royal Hunt. He has also released several solo albums (the material on this page) and before the Royal Hunt fame he has achieved some fame as the singer of Artension. Visit http://www.johnwestmusic.com for more information.
John West was born on October 29th in New York. He began his musical career appearing as a drummer/singer in local bands at the age of 14. He switched to lead singer/songwriter at the age of 18.
In 1992 John moved to Los Angeles to join BADLANDS, replacing vocalist Ray Gillen. During the nineties John wrote, recorded and toured the world with such acts as MICHAEL LEE FIRKINS, MARC FERRARI, COZY POWELL (Black Sabbath, et. al.) LYNCH MOB, JAMES MURPHY, SUN RED SUN, and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN.
John is currently the lead singer for the Danish progressive rock group ROYAL HUNT, and has been since 1999. They have recorded 6 albums together, and have played numerous shows all over the world to audiences numbering up to 50,000. A new full-length live concert DVD is slated for a 2006 release from ROYAL HUNT. John has also written and recorded 7 studio albums with prog-rock legends ARTENSION between 1996 and 2003.
In 2004, John wrote and sang on the FEINSTEIN album THIRD WISH, which garnered extremely favorable reviews from press and fans alike. Feinstein, with John at the lead vocals, performed in Germany for 55,000 people in 2004
This July (2006), comes the release of John West’s 4th solo album, entitled LONG TIME…NO SING. Previous solo album titles include Mind Journey (1997), Permanent Mark (1998), Earth Maker (2001).
John is also an accomplished lead guitar player, as his playing on his solo albums will attest. He remains busy in the local music scene in N.Y. singing and playing guitar with his bands SHADOWBOX and JOHNNY AND LONNIE.
2006 promises to be another eventful year for John West. He has just returned from Scandanavia recording and touring with Royal Hunt, and more shows are planned for the summer. John will also be a featured guest performer at the TAYLOR MADE and ADIDAS/MAXFLI pro-am golf tournaments in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in November.
2) John Peter West is an American pop singer. Visit http://www.johnpeterwest.com for biography.
With simple honesty about complex emotions, John West creates soul without crooning, and pop without gloss. "In life, it's scary when you've never experienced something before, but if a song can be a guide, or a road map, that's a beautiful thing," says the now L.A.-based Southern boy who cites Otis Redding, Cat Stevens, Jill Scott and Jack Johnson as primary influences. "What I love about people's reaction to my music now is that people tell me it soothes and relaxes them. It helps them get through hard days easier. And the reason I wrote half of these songs was to get through my own hard days."
Much to John's satisfaction, his songs are providing similar relief to his ever-expanding audience. He's seen it for himself while performing at venues as intimate as The Temple Bar and The Hotel Café, or as broad and public as Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. "The idea that I can bring different types of people together seems like a real calling,.. he says. ..And if you can do that, then all of a sudden you can break down a lot of other barriers, because fear is usually the lack of knowledge and a lack of commonality. Music can bring people together so well."
In that way, John views his young music career as a way to live a life of public service. That strong sense of community and inclination to help others was instilled in him by his mother, a teacher and social activist. The youngest of five siblings, he was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, amongst the craw fish and cane fields - a natural source to the bluesy undercurrent of his sound.
John's earliest memories of music are singing in the church choir at the age of 6, and he continued that all the way through high school, where he also participated in musical theater. Since nobody in his family was musically inclined, he had to discover things on his own. "Nobody ever handed me boxes with a bunch of records or anything like that," he laments, humorously admitting that it was through a sister's Lenny Kravitz Let Love Rule CD that he got the "condensed version" of legends like Stevie Wonder and The Beatles. He also listened to sounds like alt-rockers 10,000 Maniacs and the singer/songwriter now known as Yusuf Islam. In middle school, at the age of 13, he traded some computer games for a beat-up guitar and began trying to decipher Nirvana riffs. By high school he was taking classical guitar lessons.
During John's first year of college at Louisiana State University, a buddy brought him to a G. Love & Special Sauce concert. "Right after that I wrote my first song," he recalls. The following summer his sister Anna invited him to come stay with her in Chicago. Living away from his small hometown lead to an intense time of self-discovery and reinvention, especially as she introduced him into the local artistic community in the Windy City.
John credits Anna, a spoken word poet, as a major catalyst in his songwriting path. Worried that he had to "dumb it down" for his audience, he was writing clichéd love songs but she told him, "It doesn't have to be trite; you could transcend that and it can still be pop-y by saying it in a way it's never been said. That's what's gonna get people..."
After returning home at the end of Summer 2001, John decided to move to Chicago and transfer to Columbia College Chicago. After meeting a music producer on campus, he was soon recording a demo with some friends and Craigslist ad respondents under the group name Green Street, leading to a performance at Columbia College Chicago's Manifest Urban Arts Festival, which in turn resulted in follow-up gigs at hip local spots like Subterranean.
In late '05, John decided to move to Los Angeles (the lovely Echo Park, to be exact) with a few friends to concentrate on his music career, though he's also paid bills as a substitute teacher. "You'd think that you'd move to L.A. and you would lose your soul. Or so they say," he laughs. "But when I got here my purpose deepened, and when that happens you can't stop that from translating into your work." Just to put his money where his mouth is, he continues to donate a significant percentage of his music earnings to charities, including Hurricane Katrina relief and art programs for displaced youth.
At his shows and online, John began selling an 11-track, self-released album, though the track listing constantly changes; as he comes up with new tracks, older ones get bumped. "My songs are like journal entries in some ways," he says, and if so, his diary makes for quite an interesting read. "I want to do something people listen to and walk away a little different." His current signature song "Loved You Tonight" was inspired by a friend "who was always getting into MySpace crushes," while the reflective "Masquerade" offers guidance for those "lost in the circus," "lost in the maze." He ponders if "maybe day jobs pollute us" as he implores dreamers to persist with the anthemic "Gravity".
"This world is too fast and it's too hectic and it's super crazy," John says. "People are stressing out all the time about all sorts of things and if I can provide a little bit of relaxation, then that's cool."
Check out more at http://www.myspace.com/johnpeterwest
Already There
John West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know that we're already
Ain't got the answers but I guess I never really cared
You know that we're already there
We're already there, we ready to wear
We been through craziness but we always come prepared
I feel like Apple stock, feel like Louis Vuitton
This is our generation, this is our time
We revolutionaries standing on the front line
I always got your back, so now let's get the fame
We taking giant steps, John Coltrane
I ain't got a dollar but I'm feeling like a millionaire
You know that we're already
Ain't got the answers but I guess I never really cared
You know that we're already so
Everybody in the world if you hear me now
Put your hands in the air if you with me now
This goes out to the dreamers everywhere, everyday
You know that we're already there
Big bottles, I deserve the big bottles
Keep that champagne pop, pop, pop, pop
Might just need your goggles
I got good drinks, bad girls
You know opposites attract, you know
See, I came from the bottom, so what's the opposite of that
Top shelf, top floor, got a top model with her top off
Got a top chef, making five course
I'm top five, then drop four, is this the top of the world
I'm living with the people I die for
And if they ain't at the top with you
Then you ain't at the top, boy
I ain't got a dollar but I'm feeling like a millionaire
You know that we're already
Ain't got the answers but I guess I never really cared
You know that we're already, so
Everybody in the world if you hear me now
Put your hands in the air if you with me now
This goes out to the dreamers everywhere, everyday
You know that we already there
There is where we're trying to be, where the road is trying to lead
I'm going to get there even if I should fall
I pick it up again and begin it, moving on I find a way
All I can do is what I do today, don't you know we're already there
I ain't got a dollar but I'm feeling like a millionaire
You know that we're already
Ain't got the answers but I guess I never really cared
You know that we're already, so
Everybody in the world if you hear me now
Put your hands in the air if you with me now
This goes out to the dreamers everywhere
You know that we're already there
Feeling like a millionaire
You know that we're already there
The lyrics of John West's song Already There express a feeling of contentment and fulfillment despite not having all the answers or material possessions. The line "I ain't got a dollar but I'm feeling like a millionaire" conveys that the singer has achieved a sense of wealth and abundance in their life through their experiences and relationships.
The chorus repeats the phrase "You know that we're already there," which can be interpreted as the singer and their friends being already in a state of happiness and success, regardless of external circumstances. The verses describe how the singer and their friends have been through difficult times but have always managed to come out on top, and how they feel like they are part of a larger movement of youthful rebellion and progress.
The lyrics also contain references to popular cultural icons like Apple, Louis Vuitton, John Legend, and John Coltrane, suggesting that the singer and their friends view themselves as part of a shared cultural scene with these figures. Overall, the song conveys a sense of youthful optimism and confidence in oneself and one's peers.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't got a dollar but I'm feeling like a millionaire
Despite my lack of financial wealth, I feel rich with positivity and confidence.
You know that we're already
We've already achieved success and are in a good place.
Ain't got the answers but I guess I never really cared
I don't have all the solutions, but I'm not worried about it and am comfortable with the unknown.
We're already there, we ready to wear
We have already arrived and are prepared to face anything.
We been through craziness but we always come prepared
Despite facing chaos in the past, we have learned from it and are always ready for new challenges.
I feel like Apple stock, feel like Louis Vuitton
I feel valuable and high-quality like these luxury brands.
I feel like John Legend, mixed with a little Khan
I feel talented and unique like these accomplished musicians.
This is our generation, this is our time
We are the new generation creating change and making an impact now.
We revolutionaries standing on the front line
We are leading the charge for progress and are at the forefront of change.
I always got your back, so now let's get the fame
I am loyal to those around me and want to achieve success together.
We taking giant steps, John Coltrane
We are making significant progress and taking big strides like the famous musician John Coltrane.
Everybody in the world if you hear me now
I am addressing everyone listening.
Put your hands in the air if you with me now
I am asking for support and solidarity from my listeners.
This goes out to the dreamers everywhere, everyday
This message is for all those who have dreams and aspirations, every single day.
Big bottles, I deserve the big bottles
I am entitled to treat myself to luxury items like large bottles of expensive alcohol.
Keep that champagne pop, pop, pop, pop
I want to celebrate and enjoy the good things in life, such as popping open a bottle of champagne.
Might just need your goggles
I am having such a good time that I may need protective eyewear.
I got good drinks, bad girls
I have high-quality drinks and am surrounded by attractive women.
You know opposites attract, you know
I am aware of the common phrase that dissimilar things often complement each other.
See, I came from the bottom, so what's the opposite of that
Because I started from a humble beginning, what would be the opposite of that situation?
Top shelf, top floor, got a top model with her top off
I have reached the highest level of luxury by having access to top-tier goods and being with an attractive woman who is undressed.
Got a top chef, making five course
I am in a position to have a highly skilled chef prepare a multi-course meal for me.
I'm top five, then drop four, is this the top of the world
I rank highly in my field, but I still have room for improvement, and I wonder if this is as good as it gets.
I'm living with the people I die for
I am surrounded by the people I care about and would do anything for.
And if they ain't at the top with you
If the people you care about aren't succeeding alongside you,
Then you ain't at the top, boy
then you haven't truly reached the top of the mountain.
There is where we're trying to be, where the road is trying to lead
We are working towards where we want to be and where our journey is taking us.
I'm going to get there even if I should fall
I am determined to reach my destination, even if it means encountering setbacks.
I pick it up again and begin it, moving on I find a way
I will keep trying and start anew, finding a way to keep going.
All I can do is what I do today, don't you know we're already there
All I can do is focus on the present moment, as we have already succeeded and are where we need to be.
Feeling like a millionaire
Feeling confident and successful, despite not necessarily having a large amount of money.
You know that we're already there
We have already achieved success and are in a good place.
Contributed by Maria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Analisa Alvey
I LOVE this song. I'm 12 years old. This came out when I was 6 or 7 and I LOVED this song and I still do. I can listen to 50 times in a row and not get bored of it. That's how you can tell a song is really good
Gearbear 13
Same
It’s Ayakie
Analisa Alvey same it was on my ipad playlist i didnt stop listening to it
Toreka
CAN YOU PLEASE PUT THIS ON SPOTIFY😭😭😭😭
Ailabella17
gente música linda! ameii .... \0/ *-* músicas assim me dar vontade de ouvir toda hora !!!!!!!
BaddieeeF
been looking for this song for years and I found it cos I heard my brother singing this and man it’s been so long but glad I found this song 😍
Caryn
I freaking love this song !
kalikutie1985
John West is AMAZING LIVE!!!
retropickups2000
im proud to say big sean is one of my favorite artists <3
Kobe Ramirez
Man I first heard this when I was like 14, now I’m 23, it’s crazy how time flies, still a great song