Mr Rock & Roll (2007) – Amy Macdonald

With family ancestry that partly originates from Scotland, I’ve always had a soft spot for anything Scottish, and that definitely includes Amy Macdonald’s music. Her whole folk-indie rock sound is right up my alley, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone here. When I saw her sing the Scottish anthem Flower of Scotland in near-freezing temperatures in a football stadium – my god, did she have the vocal chops. It still sends shivers down my spine whenever I see it.

Now onto today’s song, Mr Rock & Roll. I’ve heard my fair share of catchy songs that grab you from the get-go, but to these ears, Mr Rock & Roll operates on a whole other level of infectiousness. The immediacy of its appeal lies in that buoyant, jangly guitar rhythm – it’s really the backbone of the song.

Then you’ve got Macdonald’s super-cool Scottish accent. She sings so clearly, confidently, and with some rawness. There’s a real narrator aspect to her voice and what she’s saying is top-notch storytelling. From the lyrics, you realise in life you meet people that are great in your life, then they become strangers, then same thing repeats again and again.

The arrangement perfectly complements her lyrical tales of quirky characters and emotional longing. Overall, Mr Rock & Roll is upbeat, punchy, and effortlessly melodic. Along with This Is The Life – another song recently featured here – it marked Amy Macdonald’s breakthrough moment.

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The following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:

Mr. Rock & Roll is the first track on Macdonald’s debut album, This Is the Life (see image inset) and was released in the UK on 16 July 2007. The song is to date her most successful in the UK, charting at No. 12 in the UK and No. 1 in Scotland.

Curious trivia for you – This song was featured on the BBC Olympics 2008 programming, where it was played as the show looked over the day’s events.

[Verse 1]
So-called Mr. Rock and Roll he’s dancing on his own again
Talking on his phone again
To someone who tells him that his balance is low
He’s got nowhere to go, he’s on his own again

Rock chick of the century is acting like she used to be
Dancing like there’s no one there
Before she ever seemed to care, now she wouldn’t dare
It’s so rock and roll to be alone

[Chorus]
And they’ll meet one day far away, and say
“I wish I was something more”
And they’ll meet one day far away and say
“I wish I knew you, I wish I knew you before”

[Verse 2]
Mrs. Black and White, she’s never seen a shade of grey
Always something on her mind, every single day
But now she’s lost her way
And where does she go from here?

Mr. Multicultural sees all that one could see
He’s living proof of someone very different to me
But now he wants to be free
Free so he can see

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
He’ll say, “I wish I knew you
I wish I met you when time was still on my side”
She’ll say, “I wish I knew you
I wish I loved you before I was his bride”

[Verse 3]
And so they must depart, too many more broken hearts
But I’ve seen that all before
In TV, books, and film and more
And there’s a happy ending, every single day

References:
1. Mr Rock & Roll – Wikipedia