15 of Sam Fender's biggest songs and the meanings behind them
He's now got two albums under his belt
Sam Fender has had a pretty stratospheric rise to fame. Over the past couple of years, he's built up an impressive back catalogue of hits that have seen him win Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards as well as TWO Number 1 albums - his debut 'Hypersonic Missiles' and follow-up 'Seventeen Going Under'.
Whether you're a super-fan of the 29-year-old or are just discovering his remarkable talents on the guitar, here's a handy guide to some of Sam Fender's biggest songs so far and the meanings behind them.
Which one are you most excited to hear live at** Belsonic 2023** this Friday?
'Spit Of You' meaning
Featuring on Sam's 2021 album 'Seventeen Going Under', 'Spit Of You' has been described as a 'song about boys and their dads'. With Stephen Graham starring in the music video as Sam's father, we see the relationship between the two, whilst the lyrics draw upon their similarities and how they can struggle to communicate.
Sam can be heard touching on the communication between him and his dad in the lyrics: 'I can talk to anyone, I can't talk to you.'
Speaking about the track, Sam said: "'Spit Of You' is a song about boys and their dads. It’s based around my own relationship with my old man, and how we both struggle as blokes to communicate the way we feel to each other without it becoming a stand off. It’s about how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as I get further into my twenties I see so much of myself in him, especially when it comes to being stubborn.
"The second half of the song talks about seeing him with my grandma when she passed away, and how I saw him as a son, and how that moment reminded me to make the most of my time with him. If anything, it’s a declaration of love for him."
This can be heard in the lyrics: 'You kissed her forehead, and it ran like a tap / No more than four stone soaked wet through / And I'd never seen you like that, spun me out / Hurt me right through / 'Cause it was love, in all its agony / Every bit of me hurting for you / 'Cause one day that'll be your forehead I'm kissing, and I'll still look exactly like you.'
Sam also said: "Stephen Graham is genuinely one of the best actors this country has ever seen, and such a lovely bloke. I was out of my comfort zone but it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. Thanks so much to Phil Barantini for making this beauty come to life".
As fans may have noticed, this isn't the first music video of Sam's that has featured a famous face. The music video for his 2019 track 'Saturday', which featured on his first album, starred none other than Matt King - known for shows such as Peep Show, Skins and Spirited.
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Spit Of You' (Official Video)
‘Little Bull of Blithe’ meaning
Sam's recent track ‘Little Bull of Blithe’ was featured on the deluxe edition of his second studio album 'Seventeen Going Under'. The singer released the deluxe edition on 9th December 2022, and it included two additional tracks - ‘Little Bull of Blithe’ and 'Wild Grey Ocean', as well as ‘Live From Finsbury Park’ on a bonus disc.
As Sam explained on Instagram, 'Little Bull of Blithe' was dedicated to his Grandma, who sadly passed away while he was making his second album. Sweet references to her can be heard throughout, with Sam explaining on Instagram: 'Little Bull of Blithe’ is a little ditty about my Grandma Fender, who passed away during the making of Seventeen Going Under, she used to call me ‘a little bull of blithe’ as I was always crashing in through the door like a bull in a china shop.'
The lyrics read: 'Call me your little bull of blithe, call me the twinkle in your eye. You sing Sam I am, washed his face in a frying pan. And I was your little bull of Blithe. Made sure that everyone was full, whole life dedicated to us all. Homesick a mile away from home, made sure we never felt alone.'
LISTEN: Sam Fender - 'Little Bull of Blithe'
'Last To Make It Home' meaning
Also appearing on 'Seventeen Going Under', 'Last To Make It Home' is a slower ballad than we're used to from Sammy. The lyrics sound as though he's a little lost in himself - what he stands for and what he wants out of life, as heard in the pre-chorus lyrics: 'And the love I had is never enough / It bores me and leaves me frustrated.'
Sam told Apple Music of the song: "At the beginning, I’m talking to the Virgin Mary, a Mary pendant. I’m realising I need to get ahold of myself. In the second half, Mary becomes personified. She becomes just some girl on Instagram.
"It’s that like desperate, horrible line of: 'Hit the 'like’/In the hopes I’d coax you out of my derelict fantasy.' In the hopes that I’d be noticed. It’s really an anthem for losers—because we’ve all been a loser once. I’ve been a loser hundreds of times."
LISTEN: Sam Fender - 'Last To Make It Home'
'Seventeen Going Under' meaning
'Seventeen Going Under' was released on 7th July, serving as the lead single from his second album of the same name. Sharing a clip of the track to his Instagram, Sam wrote: 'Here’s the title track from my new album 'SEVENTEEN GOING UNDER' which is out October 8th! It's straight from the heart and I'm so proud of it. Can’t wait for you to hear the rest. Album available to pre-order now, link in bio x'
Speaking about the album itself, Sam said: "This album is a coming of age story. It’s about growing up. It’s a celebration of life after hardship, and it’s a celebration of surviving." He also said the new album is more "personal" and a "coming of age record".
The lyrics within the track relate back to Sam's youth, talking about struggles, thoughts and experiences he had whilst growing up. This can be heard in the lyrics: 'I was far too scared to hit him, but I would hit him in a heartbeat now / That’s the thing with anger, it begs to stick around / So it can fleece you of your beauty, and leave you spent with nowt to offer / It makes you hurt the ones who love you / You hurt them like they’re nothing.'
Embryonic love meaning
Although Sam hasn't discussed what he was specifically referring to here, we can make a guess. The song is all about youth and being a teenager, and calling someone an "embryo" can often be a jokey way to refer to a younger person who is possibly ignorant of what life is like.
So when Sam sings: 'An embryonic love / The first time that it scarred / Embarrass yourself for someone / Cryin' like a child', we can surmise that he's talking about his first love as a young teenager, thinking that it's going to be a pivotal part of his life. Looking back, he maybe realises that it wasn't the great love story he thought it was at the time.
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Seventeen Going Under' (Official Video)
'Will We Talk?' meaning
As a follow-up single to 'Hypersonic Missiles', 'Will We Talk?' was released in July 2019 and also appeared on his debut album. A much more fast-paced track, 'Will We Talk?' follows the story of a one night stand between two people, and one wondering whether the other is interested in forming a deeper relationship.
The lyrics to the chorus are: 'And she said / "If you dance with me, darling / If you take me home / Will we talk in the morning?"'
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Will We Talk?' (Official Video)
'Play God' meaning
'Play God' was Sam's first single, released in March 2017 with a music video following in January 2019. The moody track was an impressive first offering, with themes of oppression and tyranny.
The song gained the attention of a wider audience when it was included on the soundtrack for video game FIFA '19, and has been certified Silver in the UK. 'Play God' appeared on Sam's debut album 'Hypersonic Missiles' in 2019.
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Play God' (Official Video)
'The Borders' meaning
The seventh single from 'Hypersonic Missiles', 'The Borders' follows the story of two best friends from similar backgrounds who have each suffered from emotional neglect at home. Sam's camp said: ''The Borders' is Fender's personal favourite song from the new album 'Hypersonic Missiles'. At once deeply personal, traumatic even, Sam tells a story of two boys growing up together and then going their separate ways.'
The gripping music video visually plays out this scenario, as one of the boys is violent towards the other. When they both meet each other again as adults, it becomes apparent that the violent boy seriously injured his friend and has severely affected his life in more ways than one.
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'The Borders' (Official Video)
'Greasy Spoon' meaning
Sam's follow-up single 'Greasy Spoon' was also released in 2017, and follows a day in the life of a woman facing the trials and tribulations of cat-calling men. Some of the lyrics are: 'Cat calling white van patrolling', 'As he sits with a drooling smirk' and 'She hardly breathes / When you're in her breathing space.' Towards the end, Sam reminds men everywhere that women are someone's daughter/sister/mother and to be more empathetic. It was a non-album single.
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Greasy Spoon' (Official Video)
'Friday Fighting' meaning
Sam's first single of 2018, 'Friday Fighting' has not appeared on any EPs or albums, and although it didn't chart in the UK, it's well worth a listen. The driving beat of the drums and guitars does a great job of hyping up the listener - hopefully not for a spot of Friday Fighting, though.
The song itself is pretty self-explanatory - the lyrics are all about young men in a small town finding a way to release their tensions and express themselves. The chorus lyrics are: 'Oh, it's Friday and I'm fighting / Let it all out on someone who doesn't know / What's behind these closed doors / But it's Friday, I'll be fighting.'
LISTEN: Sam Fender - 'Friday Fighting'
'Leave Fast' meaning
A slightly slower and more melancholic melody from Sam, 'Leave Fast' appeared on his 2019 debut album. The song seems to be about how living in a small town can be stifling for some, as the lyrics describe a run-down place and how Sam is keen to be more than that: 'Boarded up windows on the promenade / The shells of old nightclubs / And half way houses', and 'An old man told me to leave fast or stay forever.'
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Leave Fast' (Official Video)
'Dead Boys' meaning
The titular track of Sam's EP, released in November 2018, 'Dead Boys' is a beautifully-written but tragic song about the high rate of suicide among young men - and particularly those around Sam's hometown of North Shields. The heartbreaking music video sees a group of young men ending their lives, with lyrics like: 'We close our eyes / Learn our pain / Nobody ever could explain / All the dead boys in our hometown.'
Sam told Absolute Radio all about writing this song: "'Dead Boys' is an important song for me because I wrote it as a reaction to losing a friend to suicide a couple of years ago. I initially wrote it as a reaction purely for myself because I didn’t know how to articulate the way I felt.
"I actually wrote a few of my songs in my friend’s house who passed away, and then I looked into the stats and saw that it was the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK and it takes 84 lives a week or something like that, which is just staggering.
"That song just weirdly became this kind of anthem for that and since then positive things came from it. I mean the perfect example was there was a guy actually driving on the way to kill himself and he coincidentally had the radio on, and I was on the radio talking about 'Dead Boys' and talking about why I wrote the song and stuff, and this guy stopped the car and apparently bawled his eyes out at the side of the road for three hours and then turned the car around and drove back to his wife and then opened up and got help.
"I met the guy and he said that was the moment that turned it round. It doesn’t matter where my career goes after this, it doesn’t matter if I never sell any records, it doesn’t matter if my album bombs and I never do this again and I go back home… it’s the best thing that ever happened in my career and it always will be."
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Dead Boys' (Official Video)
'That Sound' meaning
One of Sam's more well-known songs, 'That Sound' was released as a single in December 2018 and appeared on his debut album, 'Hypersonic Missiles', in 2019, after originally being on his EP 'Dead Boys', released in November 2018.
The song itself is all about how Sam keeps himself level-headed when faced with people from his hometown who all pretend to be his mate now he's famous. Lyrics include: 'At home I face these green-eyed beasts / Everybody wants to leave but no one wants to see you do it.'
Sam said of the song: "It's a not-so-sutble middle finger to the naysayers that tend to rear their heads as soon as things start to work out for you, especially back home. This song talks loosely about how susceptible you can become to negativity and jealousy, even when you’re at your happiest and most confident. It’s about finding strength to ignore it all, and keep doing your own thing."
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'That Sound' (Official Video)
'Hypersonic Missiles' meaning
The title track of Sam's debut album was released in March 2019, six months ahead of the album coming out. The song focuses on all the negativity in the world, especially around potential wars, but there's also a feeling of looking back on life and thinking of the good times - especially thanks to the light-hearted melody.
Sam said of the song: "In many ways, an unorthodox love song. Its main focus is on the world around the narrator, who is a complete tin foil hatter. They are convinced the world is on its last legs; they know that it is rife with injustice but feel completely helpless and lacking the necessary intelligence to change it while remaining hopelessly addicted to the fruits of consumerism.
"Amongst all the chaos is love and celebration, there is this glimmer of hope that runs through the song, a little notion that no matter what happens, these two people are gonna have a good time regardless of the tyrants that run their world, and regardless of the imminent doom from these 'Hypersonic Missiles'."
WATCH: Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles (Official Video)
'All Is On My Side' meaning
The opening of Sam's 2019 single 'All Is On My Side' will surely speak to Fleetwood Mac fans. It was released after his debut album, when fans campaigned for it to become a single as it didn't make the album - despite Sam writing it years ago. He said on Twitter: 'This is one of the oldest songs I have, it didn’t make the album. I’ve played it for 5 years and wrote it when I was a baby.'
He later added: "'All Is On My Side' is a real live favourite for me. It’s been a mainstay in the set for a couple of years now and it’s nice to release this as a bit of a thank you to all the fans at the end of the year."
For all of his deep and insightful songs, 'All Is On My Side' has more of a frivolous, let-loose attitude, as Sam sings about getting drunk on nights out with your pals: 'The dirty haze of drinks with cannibal eyes / In a club you despise but you go where all your friends are.'
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'All Is On My Side' (European Tour 2019)
'Hold Out' meaning
His first release of 2020, Sam put out 'Hold Out' in February 2020, saying of the track: "We nearly released 'Hold Out' as a single a while back. It used to be a staple in our live set when the band first got together, and I've always been really fond of it.
"It's about going out on the lash back home which was really just a form of escape. This is going to be the last tune we put out there of the 'Hypersonic Missiles' era. I hope you like it as much as I do."
WATCH: Sam Fender - 'Hold Out' (Official Video)
Sam Fender cover: 'Winter Song'
In November 2020, Sam really showed us his generous and caring side when he joined forces with The Big Issue in order to help combat homelessness and focus peoples' minds on the matter.
In order to raise awareness, the Geordie singer released 'Winter Song' - a powerful cover of the classic track by Lindisfarne, calling on listeners to "spare a thought" for those who don't have a home.
Sam Fender covers Metallica's 'Sad But True'
In June 2021, Sam Fender premiered his cover of Metallica's 'Sad But True' from the band's 1991 heavy metal masterpiece 'The Black Album.'
Sam's unique cover of 'Sad But True' is one of 53 songs that appear on the charity album 'The Metallica Blacklist', which is released on 10th September 2021 and features covers of songs from 'The Black Album' by any eclectic array of artists.
100% of sales proceeds from ‘The Metallica Blacklist’ go directly to charity – 50% to Metallica’s own All Within My Hands Foundation and 50% to a charity of each artist’s choice. Sam Fender picked Teenage Cancer Trust as his charity.
GALLERY: Sam Fender performs UK's first socially distanced outdoor gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
Sam Fender's socially distanced gig
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