Stephen attended St. Augustine Webster Primary School in Scunthorpe and St. Bede's Catholic School in Ashby before furthering his study at John Leggott College - It was here that he started his first band 'Label'.
Fretwell is a keen fan of bands of the Brit-pop era, such as Oasis, Blur, The Bluetones, Radiohead, and Suede. During this period he formed a band; in order to demonstrate his talent to a wider audience.
After moving to Salford in the autumn of 2000 Stephen started to gain recognition for his music. He earned notice from magazines such as NME, Q Magazine. During this period songs such as Emily and What’s That You Say Little Girl? were first written.
Fretwell decided to stay in Manchester permanently, later releasing 8 Songs which he put out on Northern Ambition, a label owned by a friend. Fretwell later described it as 'The one I did to prove to myself I could put out one proper record'.
Fretwell left university after only one year, discovering that education wasn’t for him at this time, after all he’d only managed to attend two lectures. With this he picked up his guitar and started to perform at local acoustic nights in the Manchester area. The first of these nights being at The Roadhouse, a venue that lay in the centre of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. That night Fretwell impressed a restless and hard to please crowd with his performance.
He later released the Something's Got to Give EP and The Lines, both self-financed. On back of his growing stature and reputation, Fretwell was invited to support bands such as Travis, Elbow, Athlete, Keane and KT Tunstall.
His debut album Magpie, was released in November 2004. The first single taken from the album was "Run" and was subsequently followed by "Emily" which was in the Top 10 airplayed songs. His last single was "Four Letter Words EP". His song " Run “ is the theme tune to the award winning sitcom Gavin & Stacey.
He is known for his curly mop of ginger hair, sombre lyrics and gravelly deep voice. He names his main influence as Bob Dylan. His songs are derivative of Dylan's work, and he learnt to play guitar by playing Dylan's songs on his grandfather's old, unused guitar.
He was described by Q Magazine as 'Scunthorpe's finest export... ever'. The Times magazine said 'Not in your face but in your heart? Yes'. He is signed to Fiction Records and recorded his album at the Abbey Road Studios.
He has just released his new album "Man on the Roof" that recieved the same critical acclaim as "Magpie" with beautiful songs such as "Funny Hat" and "Now"...
The official website can be found at http://www.stephenfretwell.com/.
Brother
Stephen Fretwell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brother, you and I both know, what you're doin'
Brother, I've seen you before
Brother, I'm pretty sure, I''ve seen you before cryin'
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
He used to put me in the
Sand, sand, sand, sand, sand
Lino table tops, cowboy teas
Always enough for you, always enough for me
I can still see him leaning over my meal
I can still see him pouring for me my tea
And keep sake once, three, four
But the girls up Swan Street must cost you more
Now you've got the money
And bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
I'll get you in the sand, sand, sand, sand, sand
And keep well, one, three, four
The chance might not come again like it did before
Ah, will it, David?
The lyrics of Stephen Fretwell's "Brother" address a complicated and potentially toxic relationship between two brothers. The repetition of "Brother, you and I both know" emphasizes the shared knowledge between the two of them, but the following lines suggest that this knowledge is not necessarily positive. The line "Brother, I'm pretty sure, I've seen you before crying" suggests that the younger brother has witnessed his older sibling in a vulnerable emotional state, possibly indicating that he is struggling with some aspect of his life that he's trying to hide.
The tension between the brothers is heightened by the violent imagery in the song. The repetition of "Bang, bang, bang" suggests a gun being fired, and the line "And put a bullet in my gullet" suggests that the older brother has threatened violence against the younger. The juxtaposition of this violent imagery with the mundane descriptions of "Lino table tops" and "cowboy teas" suggests a sense of claustrophobia or stagnation in the relationship, as if the two of them are trapped in an unchanging cycle.
The final verse of the song suggests a downward spiral for the older brother, as he spends money on "the girls up Swan Street" and the younger brother sees an opportunity for revenge. The repetition of "And bang, bang, bang" suggests that the cycle of violence will continue, and the uncertain question at the end of the song - "Ah, will it, David?" - implies that the younger brother is unsure of whether or not he wants to continue down this path.
Overall, "Brother" is a complex and emotionally charged track that explores the dynamics of a difficult family relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Brother, you and I both know
Acknowledging that both the singer and the listener are aware of something
Brother, you and I both know, what you're doin'
The singer is aware of the listener's actions and wants to address them
Brother, I've seen you before
The singer has seen the listener before
Brother, I'm pretty sure, I''ve seen you before cryin'
The artist believes they have previously observed the listener showing emotion
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Sound effect that represents gunshots
He used to put me in the
Someone used to do something unpleasant to the singer
Sand, sand, sand, sand, sand
The unpleasant experience was connected to sand in some way
And put a bullet in my gullet
The unpleasant experience culminated in someone shooting the artist in the throat
Lino table tops, cowboy teas
Describing a place or situation that is decorated in a certain way
Always enough for you, always enough for me
There was always sufficient resources for everyone
I can still see him leaning over my meal
The singer remembers someone serving them food
I can still see him pouring for me my tea
The artist remembers someone serving them a drink
And keep sake once, three, four
Referring to a specific amount of money or items
But the girls up Swan Street must cost you more
The singer implies that the listener has spent money on something else
Now you've got the money
The listener now has the financial means to do something
And bang, bang, bang, bang, bang
Sound effect that represents gunshots
I'll get you in the sand, sand, sand, sand, sand
The artist plans to put the listener in a similarly unpleasant situation as before
And keep well, one, three, four
Referring to a specific amount again
The chance might not come again like it did before
The singer implies that this may be the listener's only opportunity
Ah, will it, David?
The artist addresses someone named David, implying that they might have insight on this situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN FRETWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind