Released 1994 Length 8:49 Writer(s) Jason Kay | Genre Funk, R&B Label Sony BMG Composer(s) Toby Smith | |
Just Another Story is a song by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai. It is the opening track to the second Jamiroquai album The Return of the Space Cowboy, in all countries other than the U.S., where the song switches place with "Space Cowboy" to become the eleventh track. "Just Another Story" is the second longest album track by Jamiroquai next to "Revolution 1993" (however remixes and live performances of various other songs do exist).
Contents
Themes
The song deals with the problem of vigilantes who enforce justice by themselves, often harming innocents in the process. The main character, as described in the second verse, holds a gun to a minor's head, who apparently is both a drug dealer and a drug (ab)user. The "'94 tour" version holds alternative lyrics to the song which expand more on the whole theme. [1]
"Just Another Story" is the only Jamiroquai track to feature the word "fucking" in the lyrics. In context the line is as follows:
"All these gangster kids are gettin' uptight!
I gotcha! I gotcha where I want ya now!
Nobody make a fucking move!"
The song is often cited by fans to be somewhat autobiographic to Jason Kay, the lead singer, who was homeless at a time and had committed criminal acts to survive. Lyrics within the song also allude to the story being about Kay, including "Trying to get on like his dead brother" - Jay Kay lost his twin brother in the weeks after birth.
The Return of the Space Cowboy has no parental advisory or sensory restriction placed on it despite the content of the song, although a DualDisc release of the band's sixth album Dynamite does feature a "behind the scenes" feature regarding the album's production. The documentary in which the same word was uttered was given a parental advisory sticker.
Song structure
Being nearly 9 minutes long, JAS is a song of a somewhat progressive nature. The song structure is as follows:
- Overture;
- Verse (x2);
- Outroduction.
The introduction to the song is appx. 2 minutes long, and can be considered to be an overture to the album. The introduction is sometimes seen (but was never officially released) as a separate song. The overture/introduction contains only one verse. The main part of the song has the second verse sung twice. The outroduction immediately follows the verses, and changes the mood of the song by inducing heavy wind instrumentation.
Some live versions (e.g. Paradiso '94) changed the structure of the song into this order:
- Verse #2 (x2);
- Outroduction;
- Overture
- (segue into next song).
Some other live versions had alternative lyrics [2].
Mixes
- Album version - 8:45;
- 1994 alternative lyrics version;
- A pirate release of the album adds a gunshot at the end of the track. The gunshot stems from the ending of a different song called "D.S.", which was written by Michael Jackson and released on his 2CD compilation album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.
- Unofficial instrumental mix - 8:45.