Music / Seventeen Going Under

I'm only getting started, don't mean to be disheartened. Felt like giving up so many times before, but I'm still here grinding.

Standing on the side, I never was the silent type
All the endless grey conundrums that are painted black and white
I heard a hundred million voices sound the same both left and right
We're still a long way off
We're still a long way off

— "Long Way Off"

Seventeen Going Under is the second studio album by the English Musician Sam Fender. It was released on 8th of October 2021.

Three singles were released with this album: the Title Track, "Get You Down" and "Spit of You".

Tracklist

Standard Version

1. "Seventeen Going Under" (4:57)
2. "Getting Started" (3:09)
3. "Aye" (3:06)
4. "Get You Down" (4:23)
5. "Long Way Off" (3:49)
6. "Spit of You" (4:33)
7. "Last to Make It Home" (5:21)
8. "The Leveller" (4:01)
9. "Mantra" (4:16)
10. "Paradigms" (3:45)
11. "The Dying Light" (3:57)

Deluxe Edition

1. "Better of Me" (3:48)
2. "Pretending That You're Dead" (2:58)
3. "Angel in Lothian" (4:11)
4. "Good Company" (live) (4:46)
5. "Poltergeists" (2:31)

Live Deluxe Edition

1. "Howdon Aldi Death Queue" (1:58)
2. "The Kitchen" (live) (3:40)
3. "Alright" (4:24)
4. "Wild Grey Ocean" (3:54)
5. "Little Bull of Blithe" (2:10)

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I can trope to anyone, I can trope to anyone. Can't trope to you:

• Bittersweet 17: The Title Track of "Seventeen Going Under" is about Sam's life when he was 17, although it focuses more on the bitter than sweet, mainly due to his mother's financial struggles.
• Black-and-White Insanity: Mentioned in "Long Way Off".
  All the endless grey conundrums that are painted black and white
• Call-Back: In "The Dying Light", the phrase "Dead boys" is mentioned, calling back to the song of the same name. Fitting since both songs are about mental health and suicide.
  And those dead boys are always there.
• Cluster F-Bomb: While "Aye" is quite foul-mouthed in general, the ending deserves a notable mention.
  I'm not a fucking patriot anymore
  I'm not a fucking singer anymore
  I'm not a fucking liberal anymore
  I'm not a fucking anything or anyone
  I'm not a fucking anything or—
  I'm not a fucking anything—
  I'm not a fucking—
  I'm not a—
  I'm not—
  Aye
• Concept Album: Besides exploring his childhood and how it impacted him today in some of the songs, it also deals with his outward nihilism and internal self-examination.
• Epic Rocking: The Title Track and "Last to Make It Home" both go around 5 minutes.
• Generational Trauma: In "The Dying Light", he mentions that he's scared to have kids, mainly due to not wanting them to inherit his depression.
• Generation Xerox: Sam sings about how his dad looks almost exactly like him in "Spit of You". He also describes himself as "a mirrored picture of my old man" in the Title Track.
  'Cause one day that'll be your forehead I'm kissing
  And I'll still look exactly like you
• Lyrical Dissonance: While a common theme in Fender's songs, "Aye" is a notable example, its peppy clapping beat contrasts Sam's angry lyrics about all the terrible things that have occured throughout history to today.
• You Are Number 6: A dehumanising example is used in "Seventeen Going Under" to highlight his mother's financial troubles and how the Department for Work and Pensions didn't seem to care about her.
  I see my mother
  The DWP see a number

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But I'm damned if I give up tonight
I must repel the dying light
For Mum and Dad and all my pals
For all the ones who didn't make
The night