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".
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So Sad About Us
The Jam Lyrics
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So sad about us
Sad - never meant to break up
Sad - suppose we'll never make up
Sad about us
So bad about us
So bad about us
Bad - let the music stop now
Bad - suppose we can't turn back now
Bad about us
Apologies mean nothing when the damage is done
But you can't switch off my loving
Like you can't switch off the sun
So sad about us
So bad about us
Sad - never meant to break up
Sad - suppose we'll never make up
Sad about us
The Jam's "So Sad About Us" is a heartbreaking song about lost love and regret. The melancholic lyrics are sung with a sense of sadness, the singer talking about how he never intended to let his relationship end, and how he feels bad about the whole situation. The song can be interpreted in different ways, but one of the main themes seems to be the fragility of love and how easily it can be broken, regardless of how much we might care about someone.
The opening lines of the song say it all: "So sad about us / So sad about us." The repetition of the phrase reinforces the feeling of despair, the idea that the singer is so consumed by his emotions that he can't even come up with anything else to say. He goes on to say that he never intended for the break-up to happen, but it did, and now there's no going back. The second verse talks about how bad he feels about the whole thing, how he wishes he could turn back time and make things right, but he knows he can't.
The chorus repeats the same lines as the beginning of the song, but the emphasis changes slightly. The sadness is still there, but now there's a sense of defeat, of acceptance that things are never going to be the same again. The final lines drive the point home: "Apologies mean nothing when the damage is done / But you can't switch off my loving / Like you can't switch off the sun." The power of love is such that even when a relationship is dead and buried, the love still exists, and it can't be erased.
Line by Line Meaning
So sad about us
We are both very unhappy about the situation.
So sad about us
We are both very unhappy about the situation.
Sad - never meant to break up
We are upset because we never intended to end the relationship.
Sad - suppose we'll never make up
We are sad because we don't think we can reconcile.
Sad about us
We are both deeply saddened by the state of our relationship.
So bad about us
We both feel very guilty about what happened.
So bad about us
We both feel very guilty about what happened.
Bad - let the music stop now
Things have gotten so bad that even the music has stopped playing.
Bad - suppose we can't turn back now
Things have gotten so bad that we don't think we can fix it.
Bad about us
We both feel very guilty and regretful about what happened.
Apologies mean nothing when the damage is done
Saying sorry doesn't fix the harm that's already been done.
But you can't switch off my loving
Despite everything, I still love you deeply and that won't change.
Like you can't switch off the sun
My love for you is as constant and natural as the sun; it can't be turned off.
So sad about us
We both feel very unhappy and disheartened by the state of our relationship.
So bad about us
We both feel very guilty and regretful about what happened.
Sad - never meant to break up
We never wanted to end our relationship, so we're both very upset about it.
Sad - suppose we'll never make up
We don't think we can reconcile, which fills us both with sadness.
Sad about us
Our relationship is a source of great sorrow for both of us.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Peter Townshend
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind