Naive by The Kooks was released in March of ‘06. The Kooks are a British indie rock band with this being their most famous song. Upon release, this was a hit single in the UK, reaching #5 on their charts, while peaking at #22 on Billboard’s US Modern Rock Tracks. To be completely honest, I’m not quite sure if I had ever heard this song prior to hearing it at one of these very fine drinking establishments, but it’s got a chorus that has been stuck in my head ever since.
Lead singer and songwriter of The Kooks, Luke Pritchard, wrote this song when he was just 16 years old. He jokes that most people have no idea what it is really about but that it is supposed to be about him questioning his girlfriend’s motives. He’s not quite sure that she is as naive or innocent as she once was.
Luke Pritchard simply told NME, “Sometimes you just write words that sound good together and then you just form it. With this one, it just sort of fell into my head. If I were to really analyze it in my head, I think it’s just a song about paranoia really of the person you’re with. Maybe not a lot of people that kind of stuff in songs so that is why it stuck out.” I think it’s the British accent that goes well with the chorus.
In the 1st verse, the singer says “I’m not saying it’s your fault”, this verse starts with a more direct “I may say it’s your fault.” Bit of a change in attitude. The rest of the verse is pretty much the same as the 1st.
I know that you know that she knows that you know when we all collectively know that they all know that she knows that you know that I know. See it’s fun to say in your head with a bloody British accent, but I don’t even know what it means.
While the other 2 verses are him beating around the bush with his own explanations of his thoughts, this verse seems to be the most demanding of answers as he is outright suggesting that she may have been with someone (his side).
In ‘20, Pritchard admitted to Q Magainze that he was surprised this tune became a hit. “I didn't see the potential in that song at all even though I thought the lyric was interesting. If you asked me, that was the last thing I thought would be the big song and it was the big song. If that song hadn't happened, things would have been quite different. It's a song that bridged the gap between pop and rock and roll and has a special place in the world now but at the time I just thought, we've got way better songs.” I feel like this sort of situation with bands and songwriters happens all the time where the songs they don’t expect to be a hit become the hit. I guess it’s sorta like a fascinating case of you never really know what people might find enjoyable from an audience perspective versus what the artists or bands enjoy most with their art or music.
Believe me, I’m not Naive enough to think you’ll love every piece from Week to Week Notes, if I had that expectation I’d go mental, but I guess I still have some naiveté in that the very next one might just be your favorite. Enough rambling on to the pints!!
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, who I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: You Get What You Give by New Radicals
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Aoibhinn is the bartender and she is from County Armagh. “I love it here. It’s my new home.” She’s been in New York for 9 years and has worked at Sutton for 6 of them. The bar used to be called the CinBin but there was a fire so they decided to change the name to Sutton Bar Room. Monday trivia starts at 7 p.m. They do Happy Hour Monday to Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. Bar’s bar, but you can bring your own food. They have a mini booklet of Abraham Lincoln's speeches on the wall. It’s pissing rain outside. Aoibhinn will be opening up another pub in Brooklyn Heights called The Canary and like Sutton, they will be serving quality pints as well.
The Sutton Room is a local hangout in midtown East with some great themed weekly specials. On Mondays, they host a great trivia night. On Tuesdays, they drink wine. With Wednesdays, they help you get over the hump of the week with Happy Hour specials being extended an extra hour from 4 to 9 PM. The place has a nice vintage theme to the cozy bar. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at The Sutton Room again soon!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Wimbledon match between Djokovic vs. Alcaraz on TV. It’s the 5th set with the two tied 2-2. Hendrickson’s was established in ‘22. They have a “clink it” game behind the bar. “Buy a shot, win a shot, drink up, give a drink, and buy a shot” are the options. I just shook hands with Chris, the owner of the pub. They have a picture of the Yankees Core 4 with their 5 rings on display, along with a picture from Old Yankee Stadium in ‘08. They also have signed autographs of Don Larsen, Mariano Rivera, and Aaron Judge on the wall. They show the Premier League, Rugby Six Nations, Rugby World Cup, and they are a Michigan Bar. The burger is recommended. Cool new sports pub!
The Irish American sports bar is on First Ave in the Upper East Side. The pub serves good food and banter while pouring a nice quality pint of Guinness. They will be up early on the weekends to show you all the European matches as well as up late at night for all the American sports. If you’re a fan of the Michigan Wolverines, it is a great spot to watch football on a Saturday and the fact that they support New York’s baseball team in the Yanks just shows they know what they’re doing even if the Yankees management themselves have no idea what the hell they are doing. I look forward to getting another pint of Guinness at Hendrickson’s again soon!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Eoin is the bartender. Rosie Dunn was a train robber back in the day. The bar is right by Grand Central so it fits in with the train theme. Eoin is a Heat, Giants, Man United, NY Rangers, and Yankees fan. He became a Heat fan because his uncle owns Smith Wollensky’s in Miami. Big fan of Anthony Rizzo on Yanks. Bangers ‘n Mash, chicken pot pie, and Shepherd’s Pie are all recommended. They have 19th-century distinct wallpaper. Rosie Dunn’s has two levels of floors. Their booths are very classy, have I’d say a 1940s feel to them. Black and white pictures of people on train platforms. Their upstairs bar is very nice as well. Eoin was born in Ireland and moved with his family to Forest Hills when he was young. 3 brothers from Dublin own this bar, “3 brothers from Dublin” sounds like a title if somebody wants to take it, please just source Week to Week Notes, thank you.
Located on 3rd Ave between 45th & 46th, Rosie Dunn’s Victorian Pub feels a bit like you’re traveling back in time. The wallpaper and booths are mesmerizing for anybody who gets a kick out of vintage-style Victorian-era vibes. Rose Dunn aka The Rose of Cimarron, was born in Kansas way back in 1878. Her family was poor and she was 1 of 10 children who moved to Oklahoma. Miss Dunn by the age of 12 years old learned to ride, rope, and shoot like her older brothers who were minor outlaws. At age 14 she met George “Bitter Creek” Newcomb, who was a former member of the Dalton Gang that robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Newcomb after getting into trouble with the law out west, was wanted Dead or Alive for $5,000 in May of 1895, which is equivalent to $183,207.74 today. Rose Dunn, who had relations with Bitter Creek, turned him over to the lawmen who would go on to kill Newcomb. After Newcomb’s death, The Rose of Cimarron cleaned up her act and married a politician named Charles Noble. They moved away from the outlaw and at the age of 76 in 1955, Rose Dunn passed away as a respected citizen. (Legends of America) Pretty cool story behind the name! I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Rosie Dunn’s again soon!