Defend the Indefensible: James Blunt

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I just checked. Yep.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:41 (eighteen years ago) link

Anthony is LOVELY. Blunt looks like Big Bird after a night on the tiles.

'I saw her on the subway...she was...wthnthrmn..' Wonder what it would sound like sung by someone with less of a nails-down-the-blackboard voice.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:56 (eighteen years ago) link

The fellow out of Snap was a soldier too.

However, my vote goes to Cervantes.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Via Nik Kershaw

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:06 (eighteen years ago) link

So was Shaggy.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:11 (eighteen years ago) link

So was Billy Bragg.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:12 (eighteen years ago) link

And of course, Hendrix (Jimi not Nona)was in the paras (although if a new theory is correct he managed to get out of serving most of his time by pretending to be gay, which seems unlikely knowing Jimi's reputation...)

Which just proves that not all soldiers are untalented. But Blunt is. Tit.

― Guilty Boksen (Bro_Danielson), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:24 (eighteen years ago) link

Albert Ayler!

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:43 (eighteen years ago) link

She could see from my face that I was,
Fucking high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
If that's the actual lyric, he's home safe.
-- mark grout (mark.grou...) (webmail), August 24th, 2005 11:39 AM. (later) (link)

I just checked the CD in HMV, and it is true. The single has (edit) on it, so I guess that's not the version.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:51 (eighteen years ago) link

I've rarely heard more self-conscious use of swearing in rock.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:20 (eighteen years ago) link

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009I7JFC.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:21 (eighteen years ago) link

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000A2ESK6.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh come on, he's a sensitive singer-songwriter with a 'hard man' background, not Tortured Pete (C. all broadsheets ever)

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:12 (eighteen years ago) link

Actually, what irks me about the Babyshambles single is the thrown-in reference to New Labour.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:14 (eighteen years ago) link

I think even in the posh bit of the army young James may have encountered the odd bit of blue language.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes, but could you imagine that nice young man David Gray coming out with a rude word?

It reminded me of those young NME writers who throw 'fuck' in every sentence as an indication of their rock cool but come across like prefects on a night out with the rude boys. I diskard them uterly.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:26 (eighteen years ago) link

what i hate most about this sonmg is the way he comes out with the first line a few bars early, but it seems whoever produced it decided to leave it in, presumably as some "hey, this is real, maaan" quirky afterthought. CUT IT, YOU TWUNT.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 18:24 (eighteen years ago) link

three months pass...

shhiiiite

he was on SNL today (feel free to make fun of me for watching SNL, but there was actually a good sketch tonight with lettuce!)...

I'm afraid he's taking over America now....

― Tape Store (Tape Store), Sunday, 4 December 2005 06:19 (eighteen years ago) link

The lettuce sketch was awesome.

The only thing funnier than Blunt's voice/songs are his facial expressions as he's singing them.

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 4 December 2005 15:33 (eighteen years ago) link

He would be the face of shite '05 if it weren't for Coldplay, who quadruple-team him with him finally pinned by their abhorent front man who could take him out on his own. How long is the current fashion for twats who can't sing falsetto and so do at every given opportunity going to last. Bob Dylan technically can't really sing but dammit he's knows his boundaries.

― Nick H (Nick H), Sunday, 4 December 2005 17:26 (eighteen years ago) link

i saw SNL last night. my first actual exposure to Mr. Blunt. jeez, his voice is terrible and the remark about his facial expressions is OTM. do people actually like this shit?

― biz, Sunday, 4 December 2005 19:24 (eighteen years ago) link

biggest selling album of 2005 in the uk, 37 weeks in the top 10 apparently. shameful.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Sunday, 4 December 2005 19:33 (eighteen years ago) link

last week i came home, and i turned on the television. james blunt was on it, doing a cover of the pixies where is my mind

i didn't like it much. but it was strange to hear him do another song,

― terry lennox. (gareth), Friday, 16 December 2005 23:41 (eighteen years ago) link

two months pass...

fucks sake

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 2 March 2006 10:59 (eighteen years ago) link

This Blunt fuckwad doesn't know how to pronounce diphthongs. "I saw your fehs in ah crowded plehs..." What ever happened to the days when we could kill someone for that?

― Okeigh, Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:06 (eighteen years ago) link

I thought the cnut said he was going to South America to become a (different type of) mercenary?

Not a lot of defending going on here is there?

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Looks like we're all wrong and it is a great song!

How else could it defeat all borders and take over like that?

1) Is he 'fit'? (Not especially)
2) Interesting personality? (uncheck)
3) stunning vocal performance? (strongly disagree)
4) Speak of a shared experience that the listener may well empathise with? (ah now....!)

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:22 (eighteen years ago) link

OK, Defend time:

"High" isn't too bad.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I can't be the only person who clicked on this thinking it was about James Blount.
-- Al (hoteloper...), June 30th, 2005.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was WONDERING when someone would make the joke. First thing I thought of too.
-- Ned Raggett (ne...), June 30th, 2005.

haha.

but does he REALLY say 'fucking high'?

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:31 (eighteen years ago) link

The most alarming thing about Blunt is not his singing voice, it's his actual speaking voice.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:05 (eighteen years ago) link

You know those statistics that say, like, in the UK ex military are four times more likely to die of a drug overdose, eight times likely to be homeless, and twenty three times more like to commit murder? At least we can hold onto some hope in that knowledge, right?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:07 (eighteen years ago) link

One more defence:

He changed his name so's as not to get people confused with our own.

but does he REALLY say 'fucking high'?

Yes.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:12 (eighteen years ago) link

He's so edgy.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:16 (eighteen years ago) link

Dom, are you Calum in disguise?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:29 (eighteen years ago) link

IF X = Pearl Jam THEN Y = Creed
IF X = Oasis THEN Y = Shed Seven
IF X = David Gray THEN Y = James Blunt

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:10 (eighteen years ago) link

We need Bertrand Russell in here.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:11 (eighteen years ago) link

James Blunt has certainly known conflict -- he was a member of the British Army and served in Kosovo -- but now, as a singer and songwriter, he goes out of his way to avoid conflict, tension, or any other kind of distinguishing energy. His repetitive and well-mannered ballad "You're Beautiful" is creeping toward the top of the American charts as part of its obligatory life as a song before it becomes the perfume commercial it was born to be. Blunt's assets, if you can call them that, are a weak falsetto and a fearless decision to include the word "fucking" in this under-annotated composition about seeing a woman once and falling in love. It happens, sure, but Blunt's description of the fateful moment is as banal as the music: a Starbucks-friendly quilt of nylon-string classical guitar, mandolin, neutered drums, and a timid, depressive chord sequence. Those of us old enough to remember England Dan and John Ford Coley miss them terribly.

--Sasha Frere-Jones in this week's New Yorker

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:18 (eighteen years ago) link

This Blunt fuckwad doesn't know how to pronounce diphthongs. "I saw your fehs in ah crowded plehs..." What ever happened to the days when we could kill someone for that?

Actually, you aren't supposed to do that when you sing; if you do, you are much more likely to fall off-pitch.

So, um, he can form his vowels correctly when he sings. I guess that's a defense.

― Dan (Fucking Irritating Pusbag Of A Musician) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:23 (eighteen years ago) link

I have a question: At the end of the video, is he committing suicide (presumably because he'll never be with this beautiful woman) or is he just going for a swim?

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:41 (eighteen years ago) link

(And btw is there a worse pejorative in the modern pop critical vocabulary than "Starbucks-friendly"?)

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:51 (eighteen years ago) link

(Which is odd because most of the music that I hear at Starbucks is far from terrible.)

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:52 (eighteen years ago) link

(xpost) Um. Yes?

― Dan ("Terrible" "Horrible" "Stultifying" "Horrendus" "Worthless" Etc Etc Etc) Pe, Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:52 (eighteen years ago) link

("Horrendus" is Latin.)

― Dan (Oops) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:54 (eighteen years ago) link

It just seems like the two quickest ways to demolish a piece of music are to associate it with either Starbucks or NPR.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:56 (eighteen years ago) link

As our Amber said after seeing the video "He'll never be with anyone if he carries on like that!"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Ha, yeah, It's like America has collectively decided to buy Blunt's schtick in hopes that he'll spend the money on a decent hooker.

― darin (darin), Thursday, 2 March 2006 20:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Bob Dylan technically can't really sing but dammit he's knows his boundaries.

hahahaha SO not otm!

― swvl (vozick), Friday, 3 March 2006 01:36 (eighteen years ago) link

Can't stand the man, he belongs on a Dawsons Creek soundtrack alongside David Gray and Dido circa 2000-2001. Please go away Mr Blunt.

― Miranda Leigh (Miranda Leigh), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:09 (eighteen years ago) link

you go away!

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:15 (eighteen years ago) link

Don't get your knickers into a twist, everyone has their own opinion and i think he's crap.

― Miranda Leigh (Miranda Leigh), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 95 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

He really is terrible.

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 1 February 2018 02:44 (six years ago) link

two years pass...

A public service announcement:

During lockdown, while many other artists are doing mini-concerts from their homes, I thought I’d do you all a favour and not.
— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) March 25, 2020

― Roz, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 11:27 (four years ago) link

When you laugh about people thinking you're shit to show what a good sport you are, but you're still shit

― Two Gentlemen with the Rona (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 11:29 (four years ago) link

three months pass...

Just overheard this song at the supermarket after years of not thinking about it, but this year has turned to dogshit so yeah why not?

Anyways... is the false start with “my life is brilliant” an accident? I had never noticed it before but it seems like he starts singing it by accident, stops and then starts again and I don’t understand why they didn’t edit that part out.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 14 July 2020 04:57 (three years ago) link

why didn't they edit the entire song out

― I hear that sometimes Satan wants to defund police (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 14 July 2020 04:59 (three years ago) link

Forget it I just checked the wikipedia article and it’s in fact an accident left on the album but not on the radio version guess that’s why I didn’t notice it before.

Apparently Weird Al even references it in his parody.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 14 July 2020 05:00 (three years ago) link

Male Adult Contemporary Artist Is Amusingly Self-Aware On Social Media

^ richard marx has been similar on twitter occasionally iirc, there may also be others i'm not remembering atm

― dyl, Tuesday, 14 July 2020 05:30 (three years ago) link

one month passes...

Ah, of course.

James Blunt developed scurvy after adopting an all-meat diet to assert his masculinity https://t.co/n6m9dNwSqc pic.twitter.com/zarV44uH9v
— Jezebel (@Jezebel) August 20, 2020

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 August 2020 15:32 (three years ago) link

one year passes...

Not a fan of this guy's music, but I love his sense of self irony.

― The GeirBot (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 13 February 2022 19:04 (two years ago) link

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