“Spit of You” by Sam Fender

According to Sam Fender, “Spit of You” would be, most simply put, a love letter to his dad, Alan Fender. This is someone who, by the looks of things, Sam didn’t always get along with. And as such scenarios tend to go, in the first verse and subsequent chorus we see that he refuses to acknowledge any similarities between himself and the old man. 

Meaning of “Spit of You”

In fact the title of this song is a slang term, pointing to the idea of the vocalist being a reflection of the addressee, i.e. his pops. Or, at least that’s how other people perceive the two of them. But as for the vocalist himself, he views the addressee as someone who for instance, unlike himself, possesses a violent temper. 

Indeed Sam puts forth that he’s the type of person who can “talk to anyone”, i.e. being a very open individual. Well, that is anyone except his disagreeable dad.

But things changed when his (apparently paternal) grandmother passed away, i.e. his father’s mother. When such transpired, Sam realized that just like himself, his dad is also a vulnerable son as opposed to, say an oppressive old man. Also, just with age itself has come understanding. That is to say that unlike in his youth, as the vocalist grew he has also come to realize that yes, he is in fact stubborn like his pops, on top of possessing other similar characteristics.

But again, that’s information we’ve been able to glean primarily through Sam Fender’s own explanation of Spit of You, not from the actual lyrics. Rather, the song climaxes on sort of a cliffhanger. Or rather, let’s say that there is no indication that the communication problems which exist between the vocalist and addressee have been resolved. But we do know at least that Sam has realized that the world is a cycle, so to speak. That is to say that interpersonal issues or not, at the end of the day he still loves his dad.

Sam Fender and “Spit of You”

Sam Fender is a singer from the UK who, as of the writing of this post, is 27 years of age. He has the background of a true hustler but ended up establishing himself as a musician upon his debut single, Play God (2017), proving a notable hit.

Shortly thereafter, in 2018 Fender gained further ground into the music industry by winning a Brit Award (Critics’ Choice). And his maiden album, Hypersonic Missiles, came out in 2019, topping the UK Albums Chart in the process.

Meanwhile Spit of You was released on 27 September 2021. It is the fourth single from his follow-up project. The project is titled, Seventeen Going Under. According to Fender, he considers the album as ‘probably the best thing he’s done in his life’. 

The album’s title track, which was issued as its first single, peaked at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. That actually marked one of Sam’s best showings on the said list.

Sam wrote Spit of You. The track was produced by one of his regular collaborators, Bramwell Bronte.

The recording of the song took place in Ireland.