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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To Be Someone
The Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A famous footballer a rock singer
Or a big film star
yes, I think I would like that
To be rich and have lots of fans
Have lots of girls to prove that I'm a man
And be number one
Getting drugged up with my trendy friends
They really dig me and I dig them
And the bread I spend
is like my fame, it's quickly diminished
And there's no more swimming in a guitar shaped pool
No more reporters at my beck and call
No more cocaine, now it's only ground chalk
No more taxis, now we'll have to walk
But didn't we have a nice time?
didn't we have a nice time?
Oh wasn't it such a fine time?
I realize I should have stuck to my guns
Instead shit out to be one of the bastard sons
And lose myself
I know it was wrong, but it's cost me a lot
And there's no more drinking when the club shuts down
I'm out on me arse with the rest of the clowns
It's really frightening without a bodyguard
So I stay confined to my lonely room
But didn't we have a nice time?
didn't we have a nice time?
Oh wasn't it such a fine time?
To be someone must be a wonderful thing
The Jam's song "To Be Someone" speaks to the desire that many young people have to be someone important or famous. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who seeks fame and fortune and thinks that being someone famous, like a footballer or rock star, would be a wonderful thing. The singer also desires to be rich and to have lots of fans, including lots of women to prove his masculinity. He wants to be number one and to be liked by everyone.
The singer soon realizes, however, that fame and fortune are not all they're cracked up to be. He gets caught up in drug use with trendy friends, who he believes admire him, but finds that the money he spends is quickly diminished, like his fame. He also loses touch with reality and the simple pleasures of life, like swimming in a pool or taking a taxi, instead having to walk everywhere. In the end, he realizes that he should have stuck to his original values and beliefs rather than trying to be someone he's not.
The song highlights the negative aspects of fame and fortune, such as the loss of privacy, the constant scrutiny of the media, and the superficial nature of many relationships that come with being famous. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of trying to be someone you're not and the importance of staying true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
To be someone must be a wonderful thing
Being somebody famous and loved by everyone seems like a great thing, at least at first glance
A famous footballer a rock singer
Examples of the type of people who are seen as 'somebody'
Or a big film star
Another type of person who is seen as 'somebody'
yes, I think I would like that
The artist feels that being somebody would be great
To be rich and have lots of fans
Another aspect of being somebody that the artist desires
Have lots of girls to prove that I'm a man
The singer desires female attention as a way of validating his masculinity
And be number one
The singer desires to be the best at something
And liked by everyone
The artist desires to be universally popular
Getting drugged up with my trendy friends
The artist has succumbed to peer pressure and is engaging in destructive activities with others like him
They really dig me and I dig them
The artist enjoys the attention and validation he gets from his friends, and vice versa
And the bread I spend
The money the singer is wasting
is like my fame, it's quickly diminished
Just as quickly as the artist is gaining (or wasting) money, his fame and popularity can also vanish quickly
And there's no more swimming in a guitar shaped pool
The singer has lost the extravagant lifestyle he once had
No more reporters at my beck and call
The singer no longer has the media attention and influence he once had
No more cocaine, now it's only ground chalk
The singer has lost access to drugs and other luxuries
No more taxis, now we'll have to walk
The artist has lost access to the resources he was once accustomed to
But didn't we have a nice time?
Despite the loss of his status and lifestyle, the artist looks back on the past fondly
Oh wasn't it such a fine time?
The singer misses the lifestyle he once had
I realize I should have stuck to my guns
The singer knows he made a mistake in succumbing to peer pressure and pursuing fame and popularity at all costs
Instead shit out to be one of the bastard sons
The artist ended up as a low-status member of the group he was trying to impress
And lose myself
The artist lost his sense of identity and values
I know it was wrong, but it's cost me a lot
The artist knows he made a mistake, but it had major consequences
And there's no more drinking when the club shuts down
The singer's life has become less glamorous and exciting
I'm out on me arse with the rest of the clowns
The artist has lost his status and is now viewed as a joke or low-status member of society
It's really frightening without a bodyguard
The singer feels vulnerable and scared without the protection he was accustomed to
So I stay confined to my lonely room
The singer has withdrawn from society and is now isolated
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul John Weller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
adj
“To Be Someone” will always carry a certain meaning to me.
When I was younger me and my sister were at our airport and saw an actress, we walked up to her and asked if we could have her autograph. She looked down at us and said “no, sorry I can’t, if I give you one everybody else will want one and I’ll miss my flight” With that she walked off, but apart from us there was nobody else around her.
Years later when I was older I read that she’d died as an alcoholic in a run down flat, and I thought of this song, the lyrics could almost be describing what happened to her later in life.
Maybe if she’d remembered the people who had given her her fame when she still had it, her life wouldn’t of ended like it did.
Mark70609
@Unholylemonpledge I understand what you say, and I tend to ignore anyone famous, but the reality is that is weird. The fact is these people have devoted their lives to be being in the public eye and adored by fans. It’s only natural that fans will want to meet their idols as they are emotionally vested in them. It was selfish on the stars part not to show some respect to people who admire her.
Gary
@Unholylemonpledge 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣yfp. Smh dude.
Unholylemonpledge
The entire practice of asking famous people for autographs is weird itself. U dont have the moral highground in that story. U shouldve left them alone
Michael Slater
I can’t believe how fast time has flown, listening to all this Jam stuff reminds me of being a Mod in Leicester in the early 80’s and having to hide under a Ford transit in my Parka because me and my cousin were being chased by a gang of skinheads…. Didn’t realise I could leg it so quickly 😂
Tatts Kink
I don’t think they did a bad song! Supremely talented!
Gentilly Girl
I was just thinking that.
dermot51
Certainly not on this LP
James Elliott
Such a great song.
Very insightful lyrics from a very young Weller.
johnyboy66 johnyboy 66
its 2020 im now 53 & i still love this band