Jump to content

James Blunt: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m Reverted edits by 86.133.124.200 to last version by Violetriga
Petadeo (talk | contribs)
334 edits
Line 15: Line 15:


== Pre-singing career ==
== Pre-singing career ==
Prior to the release of his first album, Blunt was a [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]] in the [[British Army]], rose to the rank of [[Captain]] and served as a [[NATO]] peacekeeper in [[Kosovo]]. He was also on duty for the funeral of the [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Mother]] on [[9 April]], [[2002]]. In a [[TV4 AB|TV4]] ''Nyhetsmorgon'' interview, he mentioned that he had been shot at more times than [[50 Cent]].
Prior to the release of his first album, Blunt was a [[Officer (armed forces)|commissioned officer]] in the [[British Army]].

Born into a long line of military men, Blunt joined after graduating from Bristol University, going to Kosovo in 1999 first as a reconnaissance officer with the rank of [[Captain]] in the bombing campaign and then as a peacekeeper with [[NATO]] forces. As the officer nearest the Macedonia border entry point, he led the march to Pristina.

"''There was a column of 30,000 people behind us,''" he says. "''You've got to be a good map reader and turn left instead of right, because to arrive in Belgrade would have been marginally embarrassing.''"

Blunt kept a guitar strapped to his tank on patrol in Pristina, not exactly an entertainment capital.

"''It was depressing,''" he says. "''I saw humanity at its worst and most destructive, and at the same time individuals on all sides showed incredible courage through strife.''"

His war-zone experiences inspired the tune ''No Bravery'', and playing it triggers flashbacks, including his encounter with Serbs who were joking and perusing a porn magazine while standing near Albanians they had murdered. The genocide he witnessed sears his memory, but you won't catch him whining about it.

"''You can get over it because you have the good fortune to come home,''" he says. "''Britain, like America, is a very safe place, and to go and see where food and shelter and life itself couldn't be taken for granted is a useful education. After my time there, I could go out to a pub in London and see my friends and people who are worried about being cool. The people I left (in Kosovo) have much more right to be traumatized because their lives continue to be directly affected.''"

In a jarring shift, Capt. Blunt spent his last year of service in the Queen's Life Guard, riding horseback and sporting armor, a sword, a plumed helmet and tall boots during her 2002 jubilee.

"''It was very easy to go from that to being a rock star,''" Blunt quips.

He was also on duty for the funeral of the [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Mother]] on [[9 April]], [[2002]].

In a [[TV4 AB|TV4]] ''Nyhetsmorgon'' interview, he mentioned that he had been shot at more times than [[50 Cent]].


== Singing career ==
== Singing career ==

Revision as of 22:18, 25 February 2006

James Blunt
James Blunt
James Blunt
Background information
OriginEngland
Years active2004-present

James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount) — 22 February 1974) is an English musician and a rising star whose debut album, Back To Bedlam, and single releases — especially number one hit "You're Beautiful" — brought him to fame in 2005. His style is a mix of jazz and Northern soul, and comparisons have been made between him and early Elton John. Along with vocals, Blunt plays a wide variety of instruments including the piano, guitar, organ, marimba, and mellotron.

Background

Blunt was born in in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England in 1974 and educated at Elstree School, Woolhampton, then Harrow School (where he received his nickname 'Blunty'), Bristol University, and finally the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Pre-singing career

Prior to the release of his first album, Blunt was a commissioned officer in the British Army.

Born into a long line of military men, Blunt joined after graduating from Bristol University, going to Kosovo in 1999 first as a reconnaissance officer with the rank of Captain in the bombing campaign and then as a peacekeeper with NATO forces. As the officer nearest the Macedonia border entry point, he led the march to Pristina.

"There was a column of 30,000 people behind us," he says. "You've got to be a good map reader and turn left instead of right, because to arrive in Belgrade would have been marginally embarrassing."

Blunt kept a guitar strapped to his tank on patrol in Pristina, not exactly an entertainment capital.

"It was depressing," he says. "I saw humanity at its worst and most destructive, and at the same time individuals on all sides showed incredible courage through strife."

His war-zone experiences inspired the tune No Bravery, and playing it triggers flashbacks, including his encounter with Serbs who were joking and perusing a porn magazine while standing near Albanians they had murdered. The genocide he witnessed sears his memory, but you won't catch him whining about it.

"You can get over it because you have the good fortune to come home," he says. "Britain, like America, is a very safe place, and to go and see where food and shelter and life itself couldn't be taken for granted is a useful education. After my time there, I could go out to a pub in London and see my friends and people who are worried about being cool. The people I left (in Kosovo) have much more right to be traumatized because their lives continue to be directly affected."

In a jarring shift, Capt. Blunt spent his last year of service in the Queen's Life Guard, riding horseback and sporting armor, a sword, a plumed helmet and tall boots during her 2002 jubilee.

"It was very easy to go from that to being a rock star," Blunt quips.

He was also on duty for the funeral of the Queen Mother on 9 April, 2002.

In a TV4 Nyhetsmorgon interview, he mentioned that he had been shot at more times than 50 Cent.

Singing career

James Blunt's debut single in the UK, "High", peaked below the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. However, the song was chosen to appear in a Vodafone commercial in Italy, and as a result was a Top 10 hit. Some people have suggested that the title of his song "High" is in reference to drugs; Blunt, however, claims this to be ridiculous. His second single, "Wisemen", improved upon that position with a #44 peak.

Blunt's third single "You're Beautiful" was Blunt's breakout hit. The song debuted at #12 in the UK, and demonstrated a rare trend of upward mobility on the UK charts, rising all the way to the #1 position six weeks after its debut. The song also received massive airplay in the UK which was able to propel Back To Bedlam to #1 on the albums chart, unseating the record-breaking album X&Y by Coldplay from the pole position.

After the success of "You're Beautiful" in the UK, the song crossed over to mainland Europe, becoming one of the biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent.

In the USA, "You're Beautiful" made its debut in the summer of 2005 on WPLJ, a prominent radio station in New York City, despite not having been released to radio yet. Once the song was released to radio stations in the Fall 2005 the song climbed into the Top 10 at three radio formats: Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Adult Alternative. "You're Beautiful" is also a #1 hit on the US Hot Digital Songs chart, published by Billboard Magazine.

The videos for all of Blunt's singles to date feature symbolism and dark imagery. In the first video for "High", he is buried in a desert. In the video for "Wisemen", he is kidnapped and taken hostage. In the video for "You're Beautiful", he alludes to suicide. The re-release video for "High" then features Blunt running from some unknown predator in a forest.

Blunt has performed numerous television and radio appearances throughout the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia. On 3 December, 2005, he was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. His music has been featured on television programs throughout the world. He made his acting debut on the (US) ABC Family Channel program "Wildfire," first aired on January 30, 2006. He also appeared on an episode of Love Monkey.

Reactions to success

Blunt's dramatic rise to popularity and success has garnered hostility. His short-notice billing at a major summer festival, ousting Declan O' Rourke, led the latter to refer to him as "James Cucking Funt" live on-air on an Irish radio station. The name James Blunt has now become Cockney Rhyming Slang.

The Sunday Telegraph's Mandrake column has claimed that Blunt is in fact 3 years older than his publicity claims. Critics of Blunt have cited this, along with vast marketing investment and 'inoffensive' songs, in seeing him as more in the mould of a commercial act rather than a genuine singer-songwriter. Critics have also labelled Blunt as "music for bored housewives", accusing him for having uninventive lyrics and lacklustre use of simplistic emotional messages without any real meaning behind them.

Parodies

In December 2005, James Blunt was parodied in a sketch of the comedy Dead Ringers, with Jon Culshaw parodying his hit song "You're Beautiful" as "It's Bloody Cold". Comic lines included "I've got a girlie voice", and "The other singers pick on me. They say "James Blunt's" rhyming slang." The sketch ended with Culshaw donning a pair of pink armbands and jumping into a swimming pool, mocking Blunt's video in which he jumps into the sea.

An Internet parody entitled "You're Gullible" became the subject of a legal threat from one of the singer's publishers. The song was originally available for download and accompanied a game whereby the player aimed tomatoes at an image of Blunt's face. The game remains online, as do the lyrics, but the song itself has been removed.

Awards

2005 MTV Europe Music Awards- Best New Act

2005 Q Awards - Best New Act

2005 Digital Music Awards - Best Pop Act

2006 NRJ Music Awards (France) - Best International Newcomer

2006 Brit Awards - Best Pop Act, Best British Male

2006 NME Awards - Worst Album

Discography

Albums

Singles

From Back To Bedlam:

References

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Blunt&oldid=41224174"