Since 2005, and prior to his participation in The X Factor, he was a vocalist and guitarist in a number of bands, and later, as a solo artist as well as forming his own The James Arthur Band and James Arthur Project.
Arthur was born in Middlesbrough, England to English mother Shirley Ashworth and Scottish father Neil Arthur. James’ father was a delivery driver, but also used to be a DJ and a drummer for many years. Arthur’s parents split when he was just two-years-old and each settled with a new partner. Neil and Shirley were not on talking terms with each other for more than twenty years. But they agreed to attend the show together in a family reunion to attend their son’s performance.
Arthur first went to Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar, North Yorkshire. When he was nine, he moved with his mother Shirley and his step father Ronald Rafferty to Bahrain where he studied at the local British School of Bahrain for four years. When they split, Arthur, then 14, had to move back with his mother and his two half-sisters Jasmine and Neve to the UK to live in a modest house in Saltburn-by-the-Sea.Upon his return, he continued his studies at Redcar’s Rye Hills School.
Arthur has five siblings, an older brother called Neil Arthur, an older sister called Sian Arthur, and three younger sisters, Charlotte Arthur and Jasmin and Neve Rafferty.
Arthur has been writing and recording songs since he was 15 as an unsigned artist both solo and in many bands including:
Moonlight Drive - a Cleveland-based progressive, experimental, rock five-piece band with Arthur in lead vocals. The band was active between 2005 and 2008. They had recordings such as «Said You’d Be There», «Hole in My Heart» and «Tear Me Apart».
Cue the Drama - an alternative rock band based in Marske-by-the-Sea and active between 2005 and 2008. Recordings included «On the Radio 98KUPD», «It’s Killing Me», «I Reach You» and «It Hurts».
Save Arcade - a Middlesbrough alternative rock band made up of Arthur (vocals, guitar), Josh Brown (keyboards, vocals), Matthew Green (guitar), Alex Beer (bass, vocals), Travis Shaw (guitar, percussions, vocals) and Karl Dowson (drums). In 2009, the band released a three-track EP called Truth, carrying the title track «The Truth», as well as «Echoes» and «I Un-Proudly Present». In June 2010, the band released a five-track EP, Tonight We Dine in Hades, which in addition to the title track «Tonight We Dine in Hades» included «Superhero», «You Always Want a Fight», «Juliet Is Not Dead» and «She Aims to Please». Both releases were on the independent 57 Records UK.
Emerald Skye - a four-piece indie pop/rock band formed in March 2011 based in Redcar / Saltburn-by-the-Sea and made up of Arthur (guitar, vocals), Dean Harrison (piano, violin), Paul Gill (bass) and Save Arcade bandmate Green (drums).
Arthur also uploaded many of his own songs to Soundcloud and YouTube including an album entitled Sins by the Sea. In 2011, he auditioned for The Voice UK and made it into the final 200 contestants but no further.
In early 2012, he recorded songs and released two EPs as The James Arthur Band. The band consisted of Arthur (vocals and guitar), Jez Taylor (guitar), Chris Smalls (keyboards), Jordan Swain (drums) and Rich Doney (bass). In 2012, the band released The EP Collection CD with nine tracks with R&B, soul and hip hop influences, a compilation of tracks on both EPs. Arthur also released an EP named Hold On under the name The James Arthur Project in August 2012 in collaboration with John McGough. The tracks were written and arranged by McGough, and mixed by Matt Wanstall with all vocals by Arthur.
Arthur auditioned for The X Factor with an acoustic rendition of judge Tulisa Contostavlos’s «Young», before explaining his past, including spells in care and time spent on the streets after break-ups within his family. He also revealed his father and mother had not spoken to each other for over 20 years, and this was a reunion of sorts for them to attend his audition. After his judges’ houses performance of «I Can’t Make You Love Me», he was picked by his mentor Nicole Scherzinger as one of the 12 contestants for the live shows, and one of just three in the «Boys» category. After the second live show, Arthur suffered from an anxiety attack backstage. Whilst being treated at the studio, paramedics determined he did not need to go to hospital, and he was ordered back to his hotel to rest. He later returned for the results show the following. Arthur was in the bottom two in week 7 after performing «Can’t Take My Eyes Off You». He sang «Fallin’» for survival against Ella Henderson, with the judges going to deadlock after their vote was evenly split 2-2 (mentor Scherzinger and Gary Barlow voting to keep him, while Contostavlos and Louis Walsh voted in favour of Henderson). Arthur was then saved by the public vote. On 8 December, he made it through to the second night of the live finals.
Arthur won The X Factor on 9 December 2012, with 53.7% of the vote, against Jahméne Douglas who received 38.9% of the vote.
Say You Won't Let Go
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You made me feel as though I was enough
We danced the night away, we drank too much
I held your hair back when
You were throwing up
Then you smiled over your shoulder
For a minute, I was stone-cold sober
I pulled you closer to my chest
And you asked me to stay over
I said, "I already told ya
I think that you should get some rest"
I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
I know I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed
I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head
And I'll take the kids to school
Wave them goodbye
And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night
When you looked over your shoulder
For a minute, I forget that I'm older
I wanna dance with you right now
Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever
And I swear that everyday you'll get better
You make me feel this way somehow
I'm so in love with you
And I hope you know
Darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold
We've come so far, my dear
Look how we've grown
And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I wanna live with you
Even when we're ghosts
'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most
I'm gonna love you 'til
My lungs give out
I promise 'til death we part like in our vows
So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows
That it's just you and me 'til we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
Oh, just say you won't let go
James Arthur’s song “Say You Won’t Let Go” is a passionate love ballad about a man telling his lover that he wants to be with her until they are both old and grey. The opening lyrics set up the romantic story; he met her in the dark, and she lit him up. She made him feel enough, and they danced until the early morning. Later, she falls sick, and he holds her hair back to comfort her. As she smiles at him over her shoulder, he realizes how much he loves her.
Although he loved her then, the singer played it cool because he was afraid of letting go. He never showed her how much he needed her. He makes a vow that he wants to stay with her until they’re both old and grey, and he hopes she will say she won’t let go. He promises to awaken her with breakfast in bed, bring her coffee, take the kids to school, and thank his lucky stars for the night they met. Later, as they dance, he forgets he’s older because she makes him feel alive.
He’s so in love now, and he hopes she knows how much he values her. He cherishes her love more than anything else in the world, and he wants to be with her until they both grow old. He ends the song by stating that he’ll love her until his lungs give out.
The song's meaning is clear, and the lyrics express the love between two people. Overall, the song is a testament to love and commitment, encouraging lovers to say they won’t let go.
Line by Line Meaning
I met you in the dark, you lit me up
I first met you at a difficult time when I was lost and you illuminated my life with your presence.
You made me feel as though I was enough
With you, I didn't feel like I had to prove myself or be someone I'm not. You accepted me as I am and gave me a sense of self-worth.
We danced the night away, we drank too much
We had a great time dancing and drinking together, enjoying each other's company and forgetting about the world outside.
I held your hair back when
You were throwing up
Even when you were sick and vulnerable, I was there for you, supporting you and taking care of you.
Then you smiled over your shoulder
For a minute, I was stone-cold sober
Your smile had a powerful effect on me and even though I was drunk, for a moment, I felt completely clear-headed.
I pulled you closer to my chest
And you asked me to stay over
I said, I already told ya
I think that you should get some rest
We had a close moment and you wanted me to stay the night, but I resisted because I didn't want to seem too eager and wanted to take things slow.
I knew I loved you then
But you'd never know
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go
Despite feeling a deep connection and love for you, I didn't want to risk losing you by admitting my feelings too soon.
I know I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
I recognized that you were important to me but was too afraid to express it. However, I am now committed to being with you forever.
I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed
I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head
And I'll take the kids to school
Wave them goodbye
And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night
I am devoted to you and our family, and I want to show my love by taking care of you and being grateful for our life together.
I wanna dance with you right now
Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever
I am still in awe of your beauty and want to express my love physically by dancing with you right now.
And I swear that everyday you'll get better
You make me feel this way somehow
You inspire me to be a better person and I feel happy and fulfilled simply by being with you.
Darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold
I cherish your love and believe that it is more valuable than anything else in the world.
We've come so far, my dear
Look how we've grown
We have overcome many obstacles and challenges together and have grown stronger as a couple because of them.
I wanna live with you
Even when we're ghosts
'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most
I want to spend eternity with you because you have always been my rock, my support, and my comfort when I needed it most.
I'm gonna love you 'til
My lungs give out
I promise 'til death we part like in our vows
I will love you more and more each day until the end of my life and beyond, as we promised in our wedding vows.
So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows
That it's just you and me 'til we're grey and old
This song is a testament to my love for you and a public declaration that we will be together forever, no matter what.
Just say you won't let go
Just say you won't let go
I want you to promise that you will always be by my side and never let go of our love.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, LO FAT CONTENT, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Steven Solomon, James Andrew Arthur, Neil Richard Ormandy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind