Thom attended Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen. At the age of 17, Thom became the youngest student to be accepted at the prestigious Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). In 2003, Thom graduated from LIPA with a BA (Hons) in Performing Arts. Thom has assisted charity appeals for Oxfam's work in Malawi.
In 2004, Thom moved to London to pursue her song-writing career, working with three co-writers: Jake Field, Duncan Thompson and Tom Gilbert. Thom signed to Windswept Pacific Music in 2005, an independent music publishing company, and its UK arm, P&P Songs, and received 25,000 pounds. She signed a record contract with the small record label Viking Legacy, who released her début single, "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)" in late 2005. The song failed to garner major airplay or sales and release of her début was delayed.
Thom subsequently accepted an offer by Sony. This led to the single re-release being delayed until May, when it was released on Sony's RCA label. The news of this broke on 3 April 2006, the official signing itself being webcast. The single was placed on Music Week Daily's playlist that day. Paul Kelly of the Independent and others have questioned how she was able to sustain production of the webcast, and it viewership figures. Her manager, Ian Brown, in an interview with the Guardian, said the idea came from her, whilst her management and Music PR team, Quite Great Communications, claim to have conducted a large publicity campaign, including a million "virtual flyers". Thom described Streaming Tank as "friends of my managers", since she could not have afforded commercial rates for the streaming. Craig Logan, the managing director of RCA said that the label was "drawn to" Thom after hearing of the webcasting, as has Thom herself.
Following her online webcast concerts from her basement in Tooting, "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" was re-released on 22 May 2006, on RCA Records UK. The song had been gaining in airplay exposure, and on download sales it achieved #15 in the general charts (and #7 in the official downloads chart). The physical release had three formats: two CD versions (one featuring the radio mix and "A Light As Bright As Ours", another featuring the radio mix, the album version, a further remix, "May You Never" and the video), and also as a 7" vinyl record backed with "No More Heroes". In the week of 22 May, the song reached #2 in both charts. She performed on Top of the Pops on 28 May, making her major terrestrial television début, and on 4 June, the song replaced the deleted "Gnarls Barkley" single "Crazy" at #1 in the singles chart. Her début album, Smile... It Confuses People was released in the United Kingdom on Monday 5 June 2006, and débuted at number one in the chart dated 11 June, selling over 700,000 copies worldwide. The song was later nominated at the Brit Awards for Best British Single. In the Republic of Ireland, "I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker" entered the singles chart at #10 (week ending 25 May 2006), and rising to #2 in the following week (ending 1 June), and then to #1 the week after, but was then knocked off the top spot by Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie". The single also enjoyed success overseas, where it reached number 1 on the Australia "ARIA Charts" for ten consecutive weeks making it Australia's highest selling single of 2006.
"I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker" was the 47th biggest selling UK single (as of January 2009) from a female artist since 2000 according to the Official Charts Company. The follow-up single "What If I'm Right" reached the lower reaches of the charts, but "Lonely Girl", the third single from the album, failed to enter any charts.
In May 2008, Thom released her second album, The Pink & the Lily, preceded by the first single, "The Devil's Beat".
A compilation album, The Best of Sandi Thom, was released by the Sony/BMG in July 2009 without Thom's consent to fulfil contractual obligations.
Thom's third studio album, Merchants and Thieves, was released independently in May 2010 with "This Ol' World" (featuring guitarist and then boyfriend Joe Bonamassa) as the lead single.
Thom's fourth studio album, Flesh and Blood, was released in September 2012. The album was recorded in Nashville's 16 Ton Studios and features The Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson as guest producer, and other musicians such as Audley Freed and Rolling Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys.
Her fifth studio album, The Covers Collection, was released in November 2013 and was publicised as an acoustic collection of songs that Thom listened to as a teenager, including Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, Heart, and Fleetwood Mac. Thom played all instruments on the record and produced the album.
Her album Ghosts was released in 2019.
The Human Jukebox
Sandi Thom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's Mary the housewife who's slumped at the bar drinkin' wine, wine, wine
They get Kylie on a wednesday, the Stones on a friday, bob to the Beatles on a saturday night
He's Dylan on a monday and Bowie on a sunday, does Beegees on a thursday as high as a kite
And they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
And they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
Skyvers with fivers shine up their shoes for the show, show, show
and they all sing along to the songs till it's time please to go, go, go
They get Kylie on a wednesday, the Stones on a friday, bob to the Beatles on a saturday night
He's Dylan on a monday and Bowie on a sunday, does Elton on a thursday if you lend him your tights
And they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
And they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
They're karaoke kings for the evening, it's their only real shining time, and if you ever stop believin', and the real world gets you down
Go see the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
Yeah they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
Yeah they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
Yeah they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
Sandi Thom's song "The Human Jukebox" tells the story of a bar where people come to escape their mundane lives and find solace in the music played by "Walter the war hero," who is referred to as the human jukebox. The song speaks to the power of music to heal and transport people to another time and place. We are introduced to characters like Mary the housewife and skyvers with fivers who come to the bar to forget about their problems and sing along to familiar songs. The references to various artists such as Dylan, Bowie, and the Bee Gees highlight the universality of the human experience and the way music brings people from different backgrounds together.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the healing power of music and how Walter, despite being a "second-hand" jukebox, is able to touch people's souls with the songs he plays. The lyrics suggest that the people who come to the bar are temporary karaoke kings for the evening, but Walter as the human jukebox is a constant presence bringing people together through music. By encouraging listeners to seek out the human jukebox when the "real world gets you down," the song offers a message of hope and the promise of community through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Walter the war hero he's there from opening till time, time, time
Walter, a war veteran, is present at the venue from the beginning until closing time, consistently.
There's Mary the housewife who's slumped at the bar drinkin' wine, wine, wine
A housewife named Mary is dejectedly sitting at the bar, sipping wine.
They get Kylie on a Wednesday, the Stones on a Friday, Bob to the Beatles on a Saturday night
Various artists are performed on specific days of the week - Kylie on Wednesdays, Stones on Fridays, and Beatles on Saturday nights.
He's Dylan on a Monday and Bowie on a Sunday, does Beegees on a Thursday as high as a kite
On different days, the performer plays songs originally done by various artists, such as doing Dylan on a Monday and Bowie on a Sunday, and performs Beegees' songs in an impaired state on Thursday.
And they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
The performer is affectionately referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to cover various artists' songs.
And they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
While he is referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to play different songs, his real impact comes from the emotions he evokes and heals through his music.
Skyvers with fivers shine up their shoes for the show, show, show
People who typically skip work put in effort to look presentable for this event.
And they all sing along to the songs till it's time please to go, go, go
Everyone is singing along with the performer until the venue closes.
They get Kylie on a Wednesday, the Stones on a Friday, Bob to the Beatles on a Saturday night
Various artists are performed on specific days of the week - Kylie on Wednesdays, Stones on Fridays, and Beatles on Saturday nights.
He's Dylan on a Monday and Bowie on a Sunday, does Elton on a Thursday if you lend him your tights
On different days, the performer plays songs originally done by various artists, such as doing Dylan on a Monday and Bowie on a Sunday, and might perform Elton John's songs if you lend him your tights on Thursdays.
And they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
The performer is affectionately referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to cover various artists' songs.
And they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
While he is referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to play different songs, his real impact comes from the emotions he evokes and heals through his music.
They're karaoke kings for the evening, it's their only real shining time, and if you ever stop believin', and the real world gets you down
This event is the only time for these people to shine, letting them feel like karaoke kings for the evening. In case people feel disillusioned by the real world, they can go to the venue and be uplifted by the music.
Go see the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
If people ever need to feel better, they should go see the performer, who can play a variety of different songs.
Yeah they call him the human jukebox, he plays second-hand rock n' roll
The performer is affectionately referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to cover various artists' songs.
Yeah they call him the human jukebox, yet only he's healing hearts with his soul
While he is referred to as the human jukebox due to his ability to play different songs, his real impact comes from the emotions he evokes and heals through his music.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Sandi Thom, Tom Gilbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind