Born in North London, Jack grew up on a die… Read Full Bio ↴Jack Allsopp - Just Jack
Born in North London, Jack grew up on a diet of dance music including, break dance, electro hip hop and house. A wannabe break dancer at eight, his love of dance music led him to start DJing at the age of fifteen and he soon became submerged in DJ culture and US garage.
After completing a degree in Furniture Design Jack enrolled on a community music production course, which heightened his awareness to the potential of sampling. This inspired Jack to concentrate on perfecting his sound by night and to take on a series of unfulfilling jobs by day.
"I've been a washer upper, a flower arranger, a runner for a TV post production company... I even worked at Gap for while. That made me all the more determined to work at the music. I would get this down time in a studio and be recording all night, and working at Gap all day. It was knackering but it was very inspiring time."
Jack's debut album, 'The Outer Marker' is a collection of songs about modern life, relationships and the pressures of social situations. Originally released by the independent label RG Records, Just Jack's debut album 'The Outer Marker' received fantastic reviews. 'The Independent' described it as "impressive", Q said, "masterful", the 'NME' said "Awesome. Welcome Just Jack, you rule!", and 'The Big Issue' saluted Jack as "The new troubadour of daily life in the UK".
"The Outer Marker" has recently been re-packaged and re-released and now includes extra tracks and the video for 'Snowflakes'. It has been receiving plenty of airplay and remixes from the likes of Aphrodite and a famous Cure bootleg of 'Snowflakes' is now thrusting Just Jack into the limelight.
Recently, Jack and his band played his third ever gig to a great crowd at the Glastonbury Dance Tent and he will be performing at the V Festivals later this summer.
Jack Allsopp on Just Jack:
"I never had heroes and never wanted to be like other musicians", he says. "I have no affiliations to anyone, I'm not part of a gang, I'm not a part of a scene and I don't have a sound that's obviously a part of a scene. I'm Just Jack."
Links to Just Jack official homepages
Just Jack Homepage
Just Jack @ MySpace
Snowflakes
Just Jack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I loosen up your consciousness like a syrup of figs,
Its time to emerge from camouflage, leaves and twigs,
Time to throw away the fake noses and fright wigs,
Time to face the music, no more metaphor,
Time to decide your fate, will you be cooked or go raw?
Will you be rare and bloody with your soul exposed?
And do you feel fear as you hear another door close?
Or will you just turn away and flow where the wind blows?
And are you still satisfied with the pathways you chose?
Or would you like to go back and rewrite the old prose?
Do you count the flakes when it snows
And can you feel the heat or only the afterglows?
Do you count the flakes when it snows, yeah?
And do you count the leaves when they fall and can you feel anything at all?
Do you count the leaves when they fall, yeah?
And does your life sometimes feel like one big fake orgasm?
A gut reaction, instinctive spasm in the chasm
And do your problems metamorphose into Rubik's Cubes?
Keep twisting and turning but can't be more confused
And do you sometimes feel like you've been used and abused?
You're not visibly black and blue but on the inside bruised
And does your love life leave you feeling kinda bemused?
You played all the games and you're no longer amused, ha ha
Do you count the flakes when it snows
And can you feel the heat or only the afterglows?
Do you count the flakes when it snows, yeah?
And do you count the leaves when they fall and can you feel anything at all?
Do you count the leaves when they fall, yeah?
Sometimes it feels like I'm looking though a pane of glass
I can see your mouth move but can't hear the words
Sometimes it feels like I'm looking though a pane of glass
I can see your mouth move but can't hear the words
Sometimes it feels like I'm looking though a pane of glass
I can see your mouth move but can't hear the words
The song "Snowflakes" by Just Jack, released in 2007, has deep and complex lyrics that delve into the themes of self-reflection, identity, and authenticity. In the first verse, he talks about how he moves in the listener's mental stream, freeing their consciousness like syrup, urging them to emerge from their camouflage, and face the music head-on without any metaphors. He asks the listener to decide their fate, whether they will be well done or rare, and whether they want to be exposed or hidden.
The second verse of the song talks about the pointlessness of problems and how sometimes things can become so complicated that they seem unsolvable. He uses Rubik's cubes as a metaphor to show how sometimes our problems can twist and turn but never seem to be solved. Just Jack also talks about how strange life can be, like fake orgasms, which can lead to feeling used and abused.
The chorus of the song is repetitive, using snowflakes and leaves as metaphors to represent moments in our lives that we appreciate, such as the first snowfall or when the leaves change colour, and whether we truly experience these moments or just feel the afterglows.
The song's overall meaning is about self-reflection and the importance of living your life authentically, without any fake personalities or masks. Just Jack's lyrics touch on the idea of socio-cultural norms, and how easy it is to fit into society's expectations, rather than trying to be true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
I move in your mental stream in complex dances and jigs,
I influence your thoughts and actions in a complex and intricate way.
I loosen up your consciousness like a syrup of figs,
I free your mind to explore and expand.
Its time to emerge from camouflage, leaves and twigs,
It's time to be true to yourself and shed your disguises.
Time to throw away the fake noses and fright wigs,
It's time to abandon the fake, superficial aspects of yourself.
Time to face the music, no more metaphor,
It's time to confront reality without any euphemisms.
Time to decide your fate, will you be cooked or go raw?
It's time to choose how you want to live your life - either taking risks or sticking with safety.
Will you be rare and bloody with your soul exposed?
Will you live life vulnerably and authentically?
Or well done, a charcoal surface with your insides froze?
Or will you live life numbly, without true feeling or passion?
And do you feel fear as you hear another door close?
Do you feel anxiety as opportunities disappear?
Or will you just turn away and flow where the wind blows?
Or will you just go along passively with whatever happens?
And are you still satisfied with the pathways you chose?
Are you content with the choices you've made?
Or would you like to go back and rewrite the old prose?
Or do you wish you could rewrite part of your life story?
And does your life sometimes feel like one big fake orgasm?
Do you ever feel like your life is a string of superficial, meaningless experiences?
A gut reaction, instinctive spasm in the chasm
Do your actions often come from an impulse, without much thought?
And do your problems metamorphose into Rubik's Cubes?
Do your issues become more and more complex and impossible to solve?
Keep twisting and turning but can't be more confused
Do you try everything you can think of, but still feel lost?
And do you sometimes feel like you've been used and abused?
Do you feel like people take advantage of you and treat you poorly?
You're not visibly black and blue but on the inside bruised
You may not show physical signs of harm, but emotional pain can be just as damaging.
And does your love life leave you feeling kinda bemused?
Do you feel confused or bewildered about your romantic relationships?
You played all the games and you're no longer amused, ha ha
You've been through the dating game and no longer find it entertaining.
Sometimes it feels like I'm looking though a pane of glass
At times, it can feel like there's a barrier between yourself and others.
I can see your mouth move but can't hear the words
You may see others' actions and hear them speak, but still struggle to understand their true thoughts and feelings.
Do you count the flakes when it snows
Do you stop to appreciate the little things in life, like the beauty of snowflakes?
And can you feel the heat or only the afterglows?
Do you allow yourself to fully experience and appreciate life, or just bask in the memory of it afterward?
And do you count the leaves when they fall and can you feel anything at all?
Do you take time to notice the changing of the seasons and the passage of time?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jack Christopher Allsopp
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@buckshee
Could never understand why Jack didn’t become massive, this album is fantastic.
@paullasky6865
The Illuminati didn't need him.
@teresabyrne
I've been looking for this song for years. I only heard it once as a kid and have been looking for it on the internet for so long and here it is. Amazing.
@BigKenobi
I remember seeing this on Big Dada, back in 2004. I've been this guy's biggest fan since then. I still play The Outer Marker, regularly, to this day. Along with everything else. One of the (if not the) most underrated artists of all time. No one can touch him.
@gelhead
likewise, i still revisit mainly the first 2 albums ... hoping 2017 will see Jack do a few shows.
@kldornfeld6437
It's been a fucking dream to see JJ play.
@shady2322
Had forgotten how amazing this is
@WinterSteele
I'm 27 years old I find this song to still be relevant. Wow. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
@litcostello1223
Your 34 now
@LiliannahE.buster
😂❤🎉🎉🎉