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
Spectacular Failures
Just Jack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life is but a dream
Life is but a dream
Life is but a dream
Life is but a dream in a greater scheme
Wakin' up is hard to do
Even if you're quick, somethin' holds you back
To tell you you're broke
Or you should not smoke
Anymore cigarettes
Planets will align, if you give 'em time
Nostradamus can't be wrong
And when you least expect, everything connects
Even when the hope is gone there is you
And you'll keep your name
And the things in your brain
Just might see you through
'cause you are light
And in darkest night, you shine
And I guess we're doin' fine
But there's no escapin' our spectacular failure
Diggin' in between things we never seen
Tryin' to find the missin' links
All these scientists are tryin' every trick
Just before the city sinks without trace
So much we've achieved
So I hope when we leave
There's a smile on our face
'cause you are light
And in darkest night, you shine
And I guess we're doin' fine
But there's no escapin' our spectacular failure
'cause you are light
And in darkest night, you shine
And I guess we're doin' fine
But there's no escapin' our spectacular failure
The lyrics of Just Jack's song Spectacular Failures speak about the inherent nature of life being just a dream, implying that it is an illusion or a figment of our imagination. The phrase is repeated over and over again throughout the song that it almost becomes a mantra. The singer explains the difficulty in waking up from this dream, even if one is quick, something holds them back, and there is always someone waiting in the queue to tell them that they are broke or should not smoke anymore cigarettes.
The song is a lament on the idea of mortality and the ephemeral nature of life. The singer talks about how we are all trying to find the missing links, digging in between things we never saw before, and how scientists are trying every trick to discover something new before the city sinks without a trace. This could be seen as a metaphor for human progress and how even though we have achieved so much, our end is still inevitable. The only hope is that when we leave, there will be a smile on our face.
The song's chorus provides some hope as the singer tells us that we are light, and in the darkest nights, we shine. The realization that we are all just made of stardust and that even in our failures, we are spectacular, is a significant message of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Life is but a dream
Life is fleeting and transitory
Life is but a dream in a greater scheme
Life is just a small part of a bigger picture
Wakin' up is hard to do
Getting out of bed can be a difficult task
Even if you're quick, somethin' holds you back
Sometimes things beyond our control hold us back
Always waitin' in a queue for someone
Always waiting for someone else's approval or validation
To tell you you're broke
To inform you that you're financially depleted
Or you should not smoke
To advise you that smoking is unhealthy
Anymore cigarettes
No longer smoking any more cigarettes
Planets will align, if you give 'em time
Things will fall into place if you are patient
Nostradamus can't be wrong
Nostradamus' predictions are usually true
And when you least expect, everything connects
Sometimes things come together unexpectedly
Even when the hope is gone there is you
Even when things seem hopeless, you still have yourself
And you'll keep your name
You will retain your identity
And the things in your brain
Your thoughts and ideas
Just might see you through
May help you overcome challenges
'cause you are light
Because you're a positive force in the world
And in darkest night, you shine
You bring light in the darkest times
And I guess we're doin' fine
And I think everything is going okay
But there's no escapin' our spectacular failure
We are doomed to experience dramatic and impressive failures
Diggin' in between things we never seen
Exploring the unknown and unseen
Tryin' to find the missin' links
Attempting to uncover missing pieces of a puzzle
All these scientists are tryin' every trick
Scientists are utilizing all their knowledge and methods
Just before the city sinks without trace
Right before the city disappears completely
So much we've achieved
We've accomplished a lot
So I hope when we leave
So I hope when we die
There's a smile on our face
We die happy and content
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACK CHRISTOPHER ALLSOPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@manman-sd7wr
Life is but a dream in a greater scheme, waking up is hard to do.
Even if you're quick, something holds you back, always waiting
in a queue for someone,
to tell you you're broke, or you should not smoke anymore cigarettes.
Planets will align, if you give them time.
When you least expect, everything connects, even when
the hope is gone there is you,
and you'll keep your name, and the things in your brain
ust might see you through.
'Cos you are light, and in darkest night you shine.
And I guess we're doing fine, but there's no escaping our spectacular failure.
Digging in between things we've never seen, trying to find the missing links.
All these scientists are trying every trick just before the
city sinks without trace.
So much we've achieved, so I hope when we leave there's a smile on our face.
'Cos you are light, and in darkest night you shine.
And I guess we're doing fine, but there's no escaping our spectacular failure
@hidefhq
with headphones in i get lost in this song love the chorus. i just wish he got more recognition
@1Born2LoveU
I think this song has a beautiful message. It's very zen. "You are light..." There's no way to avoid making mistakes on the way to achieving our goals but the point is we are trying and we're doing fine.
@thedigitallabrat
Lauren Ruhland on point, kudos
@beechface1
How are you now Lauren? 10 years later?
@xGunno
One of my favourite albums of all time, big love for JJ <3
@blahhayden
I'm from america, and I'll straight-up say that he's putting better stuff out there than the majority of american artists. People always tell me "He sounds dumb rapping with a English accent", more proof to our ignorance. Just Jack! <3 Shiiiiiineeee!
@RamonaHong
중고등학생 때 CD 플레이어로 들었었는데... ㅎㅎ 지금 들어도 참 좋다
@punkbutler88
Congrats duder. The Streets and Just Jack rock. Been listening to them since day one. Our local college station used to play decent music and thats how i heard them.
@ozqadir913
11 years ago, I let Her go. Must have a been one of my spectacular failures if I'm listening to this again in 2020.
@thiouwzify
friend, you're not alone with these feelings ... take care