He wasn’t born to run, but he gives you a modern take on classic rock.
By Michael Hartmann. December 16, 2022
Rock can be wild, energetic, and earth-shaking. Sam Fender adds beauty to the mix.
Fender is an English singer and songwriter. He was born in 1994. His parents listened to soul, jazz, and rock music. At the age of 13, he began to write his own music inspired by Bruce Springsteen, which is easy to understand when you’re listening to his songs.
This is Seventeen Going Under. It has a Born To Run vibe…
See I spent my teens enragedSpiralin’ in silenceAnd I armed myself with a grin‘Cause I was always the fuckin’ jokerBuried in their humorAmongst the white noise and boys’ boys…
Fender doesn’t need to do anything special to deliver a great show. He can walk on stage wearing jeans, and a t-shirt, and simply start singing. And then? The audience is transported to rock heaven.
Hypersonic Missiles is one of his best songs. The way he performs it, almost makes me cry. It’s rock music at its best:
The tensions of the world are rising higherWe’re probably due another war with all this ireI’m not smart enough to change a thingI have no answers, only questions, don’t you ask a thing…
Bruce Springsteen is known for addressing social issues with his music. One of his most iconic songs, The River, deals with unemployment and how to live in financially difficult times.
Sam Fender does the same. Dead Boys was released in 2018. It deals with mental health issues. Chronicle wrote:
Raw and real, it taps into the current debate about suicide and men’s mental health but was actually written some time ago from painful personal experience.
In an interview with This Morning on CBS in New York, Fender said about suicide: “I read up on it and it’s the biggest killer of men under 45, more than cancer or a car accident, so that was staggering for me”.
Dead Boys:
We close our eyes, learn our painNobody ever could explainAll the dead boys in our hometownWe close our eyes, learn our painNobody ever could explain…
Fender has won numerous awards, among them, a Brit Award in 2022.
Related story: Sam Fender – rock with hidden beauty.
His latest album is Seventeen Going Under (Live Deluxe). It offers a long line of great songs. If you want to slow down after listening to Hypersonic Missiles, I recommend this ballad:
Wondering which song to choose? Only want one? Make it this one…
The Borders is a melodic pop song. I think Fender’s resemblance to a young Bruce Springsteen is clearly present. His voice is not as deep, (he is still a young man), and it makes me think of Chris Isaac. Still, he has the same energy and way of performing that Bruce Springsteen had in the 80s and 90s when he sang Cover Me and Born To Run.
The Borders showcases why Sam Fender is on his way to rock music greatness.
Heard you glassed a boy back in The BordersSome naughty family boys are after youYou pinned me to the wall and said my motherStole your inheritance from youOh yeah?
Here’s Seventeen Going Under. 37 tracks. Let me know what you think when you have heard them all, probably next month!
Will Sam Fender be as legendary as Bruce Springsteen? I think so. Check out my story about Springsteen below…
New Springsteen videos. Find your favorite!
Follow Sam Fender for news and updates:
