Tag: Two Fingers

Jake Bugg

Dave’s theme for TurnTable Talk was “That’s New!” I hope you can dig back into your memories and recall one artist you heard that was unknown to you but made you instantly react with a “Wow! That’s good!” . It might be someone you discovered as a kid, could be someone you just found out about this month, could be a first release or could be some old, established artist you didn’t know about… just something that was new and exciting to you.  You might also add if you continued to enjoy the artist in later years…

I knew nothing about Jake Bugg back in 2012. He popped up on YouTube as something I might like. Well, that did the trick. Jake Bugg caught my attention in 2012 when the song Two Fingers was released. It has an older feel to it. It did not chart in America, but it did peak at #28 on the UK charts. I like the echo in his voice, and the chorus will stick with you.

The next song I heard by him was Lighting Bolt. The song peaked at #26 in the US Adult Alternative Songs Billboard and #15 in the UK in 2013.  The song was on his self-titled debut album. Jake is an artist who could have debuted in the 60s and ’70s and fit in perfectly.

Jake Bugg’s debut album debuted at #1 on the UK charts. He was only 19 years old when he became the youngest British male ever to have an album enter the charts at the top position. The song was about his home life growing up. He said it wasn’t exactly like the video, but not far off.

I don’t attend many concerts anymore, but in December 2018, my son and I saw him at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, with Kelsey Waters opening up. There was an even mixture of young and old to see the 23-year-old play. He has listed influences as diverse as  Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, and Nick Drake. He played with mostly just an acoustic and knocked the place out.

I have followed him ever since. He is always changing, but always brings up something good to the table. In the era of boy bands, this talented artist came up and made a noise. This wasn’t One Direction, who were popular at the time; this was rootsy music, not choreographed for a video.  Bugg was his own man.

From the first time I heard Two Fingers…I knew I found a newer artist that I truly liked.

…

Jake Bugg – Two Fingers

This song caught my attention in 2012 when it was released. It has an older feel to it. It did not chart in America but it did peak at #28 in the UK charts. I like the echo in his voice and the chorus will stick with you.

In December of 2018 my son and I saw him at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville with Kelsey Waters opening up. There was an even mixture of young and old to see the 23-year-old play. He has listed influences as diverse as  Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, to Nick Drake.

Jake Edwin Kennedy is his real name…but he records under the name of Jake Bugg. He grew up in the Clifton area of Nottingham and started playing guitar at the age of 12. He was later signed by Mercury Records after he appeared at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. The song we hear is the demo he made. He wanted to go back and re-record it in a proper studio but the label loved it and released it as it was.

Jake Bugg’s debut album debuted at #1 on the UK charts. He was only 19 years old, he became the youngest British male ever to have an album enter the charts at the top position.

The song was about his home life growing up. He said it wasn’t exactly like the video but not far off.

I knew the two fingers meant something insulting so I looked it up… The “two-fingered salute” in which the index and middle fingers are put up at or to another person with the palm outward, is an obscene gesture of scorn or defiance. Its use as an insulting sign is largely restricted to the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. 

And….

British, informal

: to make an obscene gesture by holding up the index finger and the middle finger of one hand in the shape of a V while keeping the palm turned inward

Jake Bugg: “It’s a very personal song for me, I wanted to express how I felt, it’s a song about growing up and escaping and just life in general. I wanted to put it in the best words possible but also detailed and keeping everyone happy.”

Two Fingers

I drink to remember, I smoke to forget
Some things to be proud of
Some stuff to regret
Run down some dark alleys in my own head
Something is changing, changing, changing

I go back to Clifton to see my old friends
The best people I could ever have met
Skin up a fat one, hide from the Feds
Something is changing, changing, changing

So I kiss goodbye to every little ounce of pain
Light a cigarette and wish the world away
I got out, I got out, I’m alive but I’m here to stay
So I hold two fingers up to yesterday
Light a cigarette and smoke it all away
I got out, I got out, I’m alive but I’m here to stay
He’s down in the kitchen drinking White Lightning
He’s with my momma, they’re yelling and fighting
It’s not the first time praying for silence
Something is changing, changing, changing

So I kiss goodbye to every little ounce of pain
Light a cigarette and wish the world away
I got out, I got out, I’m alive but I’m here to stay
So I hold two fingers up to yesterday
Light a cigarette and smoke it all away
I got out, I got out, I’m alive but I’m here to stay

There’s a story for every corner of this place
Running so hard you got out but your knees got grazed
I’m an old dog but I learned some new tricks yeah

So I kiss goodbye to every little ounce of pain
Light a cigarette and wish the world away
I got out I got out I’m alive but I’m here to stay
So I hold two fingers up to yesterday
Light a cigarette and smoke it all away
I got out I got out I’m alive but I’m here to stay

Hey, hey it’s fine
Hey, hey it’s fine
Hey, hey it’s fine
I left it behind