The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice".
For artists called "Jam", please see http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Jam.
Disguises
The Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But today when I tried to point you out to one of my friends
I picked the wrong girl again
Can't see you in the crowd anymore
I think its you but I can't be sure
You're wearing disguises
Occasionally a girl suprises me when she turns out to be you
I don't think you want me to see you ever again
Yesterday I saw you dressed as a flower bed
Last week you had a wig on your head
Mis-directed traffic in the street
And your shoes were too big for your feet
You're wearing disguises
Occasionally a girl suprises me when she turns out to be you
Wearing disguises
I used to know everything about you
But today when I tried to point you out to one of my friends
I picked the wrong girl again
Can't see you in the crowd anymore
I think its you but I can't be sure
You're wearing disguises
Occasionally a girl surprises me when she turns out to be you
Wearing disguises
The Jam's song Disguises portrays a sense of confusion and frustration as the singer struggles to recognize someone they used to know well. The song starts with the line "I used to know everything about you" indicating that the singer had a close relationship with the person they are referring to, but now something has changed. They try to find the person in a crowd but are unsuccessful since the person is wearing disguises. This element of disguise highlights the way in which people can put on a front and hide their true selves.
The chorus "Occasionally a girl surprises me when she turns out to be you wearing disguises" suggests that despite wearing disguises, sometimes the singer recognizes the person. But it also shows how the person is creating a distance between themselves and the singer - physically as they wear various, unrecognizable disguises or as a metaphor for emotional distance, implying the person doesn't want to be recognized. The final lines repeat the opening, indicating that the singer's struggle to recognize the person is ongoing and becomes frustrating.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to know everything about you
In the past, I had complete knowledge about you
But today when I tried to point you out to one of my friends
However, today, when I attempted to identify you to a friend
I picked the wrong girl again
I made a mistake and identified the wrong person
Can't see you in the crowd anymore
It's difficult to recognize you among a group of people now
I think its you but I can't be sure
I believe it might be you, but I'm not entirely certain
You're wearing disguises
You're intentionally hiding your true identity by wearing different outfits
Occasionally a girl suprises me when she turns out to be you
On occasion, when I think I've found you dressed a certain way, it turns out to actually be you
I don't think you want me to see you ever again
It seems like you're avoiding being seen by me
Yesterday I saw you dressed as a flower bed
Yesterday, I saw you attempting to blend in with a flower bed
Last week you had a wig on your head
Last week you wore a wig to conceal your true appearance
Mis-directed traffic in the street
You even went so far as to redirect traffic in order to further conceal yourself
And your shoes were too big for your feet
In addition, your shoes were intentionally worn in a size that didn't fit you
Lyrics © ABKCO MUSIC INC PETE TOWNSHEND CATALOG , FABULOUS MUSIC LTD , SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP
Written by: PETER DENNIS BLANDFOR TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@WilloLFC06
I think the Who's version is better, but this is still fuckin' amazing. I love the drums where it goes "When she turns out to be you..." then goes silent and the drums just come in, fuckin' boss.
@davarn1921
The real deal great live band
@liverneck2001
this band should have been bigger in usa....
@WatchFamilyTVcom
They broke up, right on the verge...
Also, I suspect the mismatched tour with Blue Oyster Cult taught them to hate Americans generally.
@stuartharrison165
Too cool for the US.
@1960jack
we are the mods, we are the mods, we are, we are the mods! The who and the jam kicks ass!
@mortyglek8749
I have been a The Who fan for years and know their place in mod history, but I will take the Small faces over The Who any day.
@daubreyjaneweirdsley
No!! You weren't the Mods, you were an ersatz Mod revival.
@thomasbutcher3593
@@daubreyjaneweirdsley yeah it was a revival of mod - therefore they were or maybe still are the mods
@darklordbunnykins
This was a B-side to "Town Called Malice" in Canada.