Tag Archives: jamie t

#1153: Jamie T – Salvador

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You know what? I think ‘Salvador’ was the first song I ever heard by Jamie T. Just like many of the other songs I’ve written about through the years, its music video popped up one day on MTV2. Couldn’t tell you what the context was. Most likely it came under the ‘Brand New Spanking Music’ slot that would usually occur on the channel. Jamie T only appears in the video for the song’s intro, after which he’s replaced by this dramatic little kid who truly hams up his performance while lip-syncing. It’s an act that I found very cringy when I was younger. But looking at it now, you can’t lie, the kid’s got spirit. There also appears to be an alternative version of the video where Jamie T appears a couple more times, but that’s not the one I remember airing all those years ago.

If this was the first song/video of Jamie T’s that I ever saw, then I guess it must have been released as a single. According to the official UK singles website, the song didn’t chart. But he soon released ‘Sheila’ afterwards and things really started looking up. ‘Salvador’ was eventually released again, appearing as the second track on Jamie T’s debut Panic Prevention album – properly getting the momentum of the record going after the acoustic bass introduction of ‘Brand New Bass Guitar’. As its says on Wikipedia, most of the songs deal with aspects of modern youth culture in the UK. And with Salvador, the aspect of nights out on the dancefloor, particularly from the point of view of us desperate men looking for a fine lady to get close to, is the main focus here.

Sometimes, when this song appears out of the blue on my phone when I’ve got it on shuffle, I actually tempted to skip it. Jamie T’s howling vocal alongside the copied/pasted guitar chord that twangs out might not be the utmost pleasing sound to hear if you’re hearing it the first time. But it all changes when that two-note bass pattern comes in and the groove gets going. Can’t help but move my head to it, it gets me under its web. The same will probably happen to you too. The vocal take, words punctuated here and there by Jamie’s unapologetically British delivery, is one that I can’t help but exaggerate when I ‘sing’ along to it. Even being from the UK myself, I can’t match that singing style. And there are other little audio oddities within the track that may prick up your ears. But I’ll leave those for you to hear. And that’s that for Jamie T on the blog. But you can see any previous posts through the ‘Artist Archive’ link above.

#996: Jamie T – Operation

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Jamie T’s Panic Prevention was released in 2007. At the time, I was already accustomed to ‘Salvador’, ‘If You Got the Money’, ‘Sheila’ and ‘Calm Down Dearest’. Those were the singles that were released in advance. I didn’t buy the album. But I think a friend of my sister’s did and allowed her to borrow it for a bit, so she could rip the songs onto the computer and return it. She turned into a bit of fan of his. I think she went to see him play in an HMV somewhere, and I recall her singing deeper cuts like ‘Back in the Game’ around the house. I think ‘Operation’ was a favourite of hers as well. One time, she definitely said the “Filler, no thriller” lyric just out of the blue for no particular reason. This is all a haze and not very fun to read, but this was my sister’s life and whatever she did was her business. She would have been 15, and I – 11, so didn’t want to get involved too much.

At some point, I came to really like ‘Operation’ though. Coming in at almost six minutes in length, it’s the second longest song on Panic Prevention. What it’s about is anyone’s guess. There’s a lot of words put together, and they sound good, but they’re not meant to make any logical sense going from one line to the next. Except for maybe in the choruses where Jamie T throws a shout-out to ‘all the dead people’, especially ‘Diego’. He sings and delivers his words in a thick British accent. It’s very English. Wouldn’t be surprised if people from the UK were confused as to what exactly he’s saying and be left even more dumbfounded once coming across the lyrics online. Going for a more sound than sense approach with lyrics can always work out well, especially if there’s some good music behind it. The track is one of those where it’s almost two separate songs blended together, fluidly switching from one movement to another about three minutes in via an instrumental break.

Despite the lyrical verbosity, the vocal delivery, and the length that might put some hesitant new listeners off, there are hooks abound throughout the whole thing. I’m very sure there are vocal passages that have been cut and paste, they sound exactly the same when comparing the initial point they’re sung and once they’re repeated again. And in that way, they seem to lodge themselves into your head just that bit more. Maybe, it’s in its own way, it’s meant to be some deep critique of artists regurgitating the same stuff over and over again to get their stuff on the radio in some very hidden, subtle way. But it’s almost a 100% that that’s a massive reach on my part.

#805: Jamie T – The Man’s Machine

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‘The Man’s Machine’ was the third and final single from Jamie T’s second album, Kings & Queens. It was the last commercial release of his for a while. After promotion for that album died down, he sort of disappeared for a few years before returning with a new album in 2014. Admittedly, after really liking his debut album, I didn’t feel the same about ‘Sticks ‘n’ Stones’ or ‘Chaka Demus’ that much, so I didn’t give Kings & Queens that much chance. Maybe I’ll listen to it in full one day. The video for ‘The Man’s Machine’ started showing on MTV2 though. And after hearing that many times in the morning while getting ready for school, I couldn’t forget about the song very easily.

So what’s this one about? I think it’s one of those travelling man songs. One where the narrator talks about a person who’s walked the land, seen many things and encountered situations and problems that he’s learned from in order to make themselves a better person. I can’t think of an example of those types of songs, but I’m sure there’s one out there somewhere. I think the track also touches upon the fragility of life and how there are always better times ahead. Jamie T flows nicely over the top of the instrumental track which is a cool hybrid of hip-hop, punk rock and reggae. It’s just a good marriage of vocals and production.

The version used for the music video was cut down just a bit to make it suitable for the radio. The album includes a longer introduction. Taking samples of ‘Kids on the Street’ and ‘You’re Nicked’ from Angelic Upstarts Live, the song’s given this ‘live onstage banter’ effect to set the mood before it actually begins. In fact, if you listen to that whole Upstarts album you’ll hear a lot of noises that appear in ‘The Man’s Machine’. Anyway, both versions are on this page so you can witness the differences.

#613: Jamie T – If You Got the Money

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Sometimes this song will come up on shuffle when I’m on the underground and I’ll be tempted to grab my phone right out of the pocket and press skip. I was in Year 7 when Panic Prevention came out, very much into my NME/British indie music stage. Jamie T doesn’t really make music like that any more. He has grown, as have I. So when the track starts immediately with him singing the song’s title with his prominent South London accent, it almost makes me wince a little. It just reminds me of that time in 2007 when I was young and doing stupid things.

That all changes when the bass comes in and the track’s groove gets going. It’s hard not to at least nod your head to it. It’s all about that rhythm. It’s at that point when I begin to remember what attracted me to the song in the first place. It’s a song that covers two things in each verse. The first concerning potential love and the loss of it on the dancefloor while on a night out, and the second detailing basic frustration with having a low-paying job and drinking your problems away. It’s very relatable. Very British in its delivery and execution too. Quite easy to see why he was described as a ‘one-man Arctic Monkeys’ during his first few years.

It’s a playful track, one that you can have a laugh to when listening but still appreciate what Jamie talks about and the great music that accompanies his thoughts.

My iPod #157: Jamie T – Calm Down Dearest

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Where are you Jamie T… Give us something new.

“Calm Down Dearest” was his third single and was released a week before Jamie T’s debut album “Panic Prevention” dropped in early 2007.

The song describes the antics one gets up to on a night out, and details the advantages and disadvantages of getting wasted.

The video has nothing to do with the song’s lyrics, as we see some paranormal activity taking place at Jamie’s home. It’s very funny. It’s a good tune too. Listen to the album version all the way through, as we also get to hear Jamie’s resentment of “fuckin’ cunts doin’ wheelies on bikes”.

Jamie