IT was one of the indie anthems of the summer 18 years ago.
And The Kooks’ Naive has lost none of its catchy charm nearly two decades later – though its lyrics are still the cause of great contention.
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Fortunately, frontman Luke Pritchard has settled a long-running debate over what it is he’s actually singing in the song’s chorus.
The band received this message from a fan on TikTok: “In high school my friends and I thought you said ‘I know she knows I’m not fond of Oscar‘ and we always wanted to know what he did.”
Sitting in the back of a taxi, Luke says: “I get this a lot so I’m happy to clear up the lyrics. It could be Oscar, but it’s not. It’s fond of asking.”
The full chorus goes: “And I know she knows that I’m not fond of asking/True or false, it may be../She’s still out to get me.”
The confirmation hit many followers hard and they duly shared the alternative lyrics they had been using.
One commented: “Ahahaha I’m a fan, big fan! I used to sing “I know,she knows,I’m not from Nebraska.”
Another said: “I thought it was ‘not from New Oscott’ which is a neighbourhood in Birmingham.”
A third wrote: “My mrs always sang proudly “she knows I’m not from the Ruskin” thinking the Ruskin was some place up north.”
A fourth shared: “Oh my god I had a moment then where I was like I’m suuuure it’s ‘asking’.”
The Inside In/Inside Out album that spawned Naive also contained the anthems She Moves in Her Own Way and Ooh La.
The record was released on the same day as the Arctic Monkeys’ classic debut Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not and peaked at number two.
It remains their best known record, which has proved bittersweet for the band.
Luke previously told Fault magazine it was a double-edged sword.
He said: “There are a few bands I would say who are in a similar position. We are trying to breakout of that sound back then which was synonymous with that time for so many people.
“For example, we played a festival the other day and this girl said ‘listening to you reminds me of when I was 15.
“It’s cool, but it’s tough! There are obviously bands that don’t have that and have this freshness.
“Where as we feel like we’re anchored to our first album. With this new album it’s very important for us to try and break out of that, even though we’re keeping our sound.”
However, the band have endured, releasing six albums in total – the most recent of which in 2022 – and are still securing prominent positions on festival bills.
They have even survived the departure of a founding member.
Pete Denton played the bass for the band for over a decade before deciding to pack it in.
Although the 34-year-old loved every minute of his time in the indie group, the musician ended up struggling with balancing his home life with touring.
In an interview he did with Clash music after leaving The Kooks, he shared that by the time his first child turned two, he had been on the road so much his son didn’t even recognise him.
He said: “Parenthood was brand new, and it wasn’t until a few years later really that I kind of thought, wow, it would have been nice to have had a bit more time to adjust and enjoy the early stages of parenthood, but I didn’t have time and, plus, everybody’s got bills to pay.
“But yeah, I was straight out; I think I was out back on the road within 10 days of Dylan being born, and it was a big tour as well.
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“I remember coming home every couple of months, and I remember him answering the door one time when I came home and I was like, ‘S**t, my kid is two!’ He was like, ‘Who are you?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m your dad! Hello!’.”
Pete ended up making the decision to leave The Kooks in early 2019, trading in the big stage for a behind-the-scenes role as the owner of a Hackney restaurant and wine bar.
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