James was only 18-years old when he captured the attention of guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, who marveled at this prodigious guitar talent, and immediately decided to take him on the road through the Canadian prairies, and later the United States. It wasn't long after that the young musician began opening for the likes of John Lee Hooker, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood and Keith Richards, Colin's 1988 self-titled debut Colin James was the fastest-selling album in Canadian music history featuring the smash hits "Why'd You Lie?”, “Voodoo Thing” and “Five Long Years". It featured a team of three top producers, including Tom Dowd (Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers), Danny Kortchmar (Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young) and Bob Rock (Jann Arden, Michael Bublé, Bush, The Cult, Loverboy, Sarah McLachlan, Metallica).
James followed up his record-breaking debut with a strong 1990 release, Sudden Stop, which was produced by Joe Hardy (.38 Special, Steve Earle, The Jeff Healey Band, ZZ Top ). This release has two top forty radio hits: "Just Came Back" and, "Keep On Loving Me Baby", and features Bonnie Raitt singing backing vocals on "Give It Up". This sophomore album further helped established Colin's integrity as an artist to lookout for.
James formed The Little Big Band in early 1990's and would eventually release a trilogy of CDs fronting this 1930's-50's style punchy horn section band, playing classics and originals featuring his stellar guitar fills and confident vocals. The first Colin James and The Little Big Band was released in 1993, and it was produced by Chris Kinsley (The Cult, Duran Duran, Psychedelic Furs, The Rolling Stones). The second Colin James and The Little Big Band II was released in 1998 on Warner Music, while the third, Colin James & The Little Big Band 3 was distributed on Maple Music in Canada and Universal Music Group globally in 2006, and he would eventually do a fourth with the band, a holiday album Colin James & The Little Big Band Christmas.
In 2008 he took home three Maple Blues Awards (Toronto Blues Society), which included Entertainer of the Year, while his release Limelight also went gold in Canada.
James released his twelfth album Rooftops and Satellites on October 6th, 2009, and it was a return to his guitar Blues-Rock roots. The album was primarily co-written by Tom Wilson (Junkhouse, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Lee Harvey Osmond) and Thomas "Tawgs" Salter, co-writer and producer of Lights' debut and Josh Groban's Awake, and it has generated four Canadian radio singles, “Man’s Gotta Be A Stone”, “Lost Again”, “Wavelength” and “Johnny Coolman.”
2011's 'Take It From The Top: The Best Of’ pays tribute to James's career's first 23 years and serves as a celebration of Colin’s return back where he started his recordings, Virgin/EMI. This Greatest Hits collection also features two newly recorded tracks, “It’s Gonna Be Alright“ as well as an innovative cover of the Buddy Miles' classic “Them Changes”, that were recorded in Vancouver with veteran producer Bob Rock (Michael Bublé, Metallica), reuniting the two after almost twenty years.
On June 12th, 2012, James released his fifteenth album, appropriately entitled Fifteen, which was produced by Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Brooks & Dunn, Jeff Healey, Steve Earle), who had handled three of Colin's previous album productions including his successful sophomore release. Colin co-writes with Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady) on the opener “Sweets Gone Sour” and the rocker “I Need You Bad.” Colin also re-teamed with Tom Wilson and Thomas “Tawgs” Salter on four high-octane tracks, including the bluesy “No Time to Get There” and the driving “Stone Faith,” the album’s first single.
Fifteen also features two beautiful co-writes with Ron Sexsmith that reveal Colin’s seductive side: “Finally Wrote a Song for You”, a soulful love ballad; and “Shoulder to Cry On,” a moving acoustic number that highlights his vocal range, while closing the album. The disc also features some inspiring covers, including John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", Peter Green's (Fleetwood Mac) "Oh Well", [artis]Foy Vance’s gospel-tinged “Shed A Little Light,” and Allen Toussaint's funky "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley", which has perhaps become best known by Robert Palmer's cover.
On February 3, 2015, James released Hearts On Fire which was produced by Colin Linden at House of Blues Studios in Nashville, and this twelve track collection is distributed by Universal Music. The title track and all but two of the songs were written or co-written by Colin.
In 2016, James was named an inductee into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame presented by FACTOR (The Canadian Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings). In addition to this honour, Colin headlined the Western Canadian Music Awards Show at Casino Regina on October 13th, 2016, kicking off BreakOut West’s 14th year of celebrating Western Canada’s talent.
James's studio album Blue Highways features thirteen Classic Blues covers from guitar-hero greats like Blind Willie McTell, Freddie King, Peter Green, and Robert Johnson. The CD was released on October 16th, 2016. Recording and Production was primarily handled in Vancouver by Colin James and Dave Meszaros, with recording and mixing assistance from Eric Mosher, Chris Stringer and Jason Jaknunas. Blue Highways is being distributed by True North Records, and iTunes.
Over his illustrious career, James has earned 16 Maple Blues Awards, and he has worked and toured with the 'who’s who' in the international music scene (in alphabetical order): Luther Allison, Jann Arden, The Chieftains, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, Tom Dowd, Buddy Guy, Johnny Hallyday, John Hammond Jr., Gordie Johnson, Albert King, Bobby King and Terry Evans, Danny Kortchmar, Lenny Kravitz, Little Feat, The Memphis Horns, Craig Northey, Bill Payne, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards, Bob Rock, The Rolling Stones, Roomful Of Blues, Carlos Santana, Mavis Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Wilson, Betty Wright and ZZ Top. In addition to writing most of his own material, his music has been covered by artists like Maria Muldaur, Johnny Halliday and Lucinda Williams.
I Know What Love Is
Colin James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dig the deep beat baby
What's that sound
Shakin' the ground
Daddy gets rich off Mama's rhythm
Why do you need it so much baby
Why do you need it
Come see the sun rising up
Over the Backyards with me
I know, I know, I know
What love is
The hardest questionIn the darkest hour
Just taking a guess
Just say yes
Just one look
In the right direction
Why do you need it so much, baby
Why do you need it
Come see the sun rising up
Over the Backyards with me
I know, I know, I know
What love is
For every lover you worked over
For every stranger in your room
It takes a long time to recover
From the things you never meant to do
You know it's true
Come and get a taste of a view that's superior
Out across the rooftops
Lay it down there
As the sun rises up
Over the back yards
I know, I know, I know
What love is
The lyrics of Colin James's "I Know What Love Is" is talking about love and the impact it has on people. The first verse, "Watching the slaves, Dig the deep beat baby, What's that sound, Shakin' the ground," is about people being captivated by the power of love as it takes over and controls their lives. The next verse, "Daddy gets rich off Mama's rhythm, Why do you need it so much baby, Why do you need it," describes the idea of love being the driving force in people's lives and how it makes them feel alive.
The chorus, "Come see the sun rising up, Over the Backyards with me, I know, I know, I know, What love is," reflects the beauty of love and the way it can provide a sense of clarity and hope in one's life. The second verse, "The hardest question, In the darkest hour, Just taking a guess, Just say yes," is about how love can be difficult to understand and how people have to take a leap of faith sometimes to embrace it. The line "Just say yes" implies that sometimes you have to be open to the unknown and be willing to take risks in order to experience love.
The bridge, "For every lover you worked over, For every stranger in your room, It takes a long time to recover, From the things you never meant to do. You know it's true," talks about how love can be messy and how people make mistakes when it comes to love. The last verse, "Come and get a taste of a view that's superior, Out across the rooftops, Lay it down there, As the sun rises up, Over the back yards, I know, I know, I know, What love is," signifies the idea of love being a beautiful journey and how every experience is a stepping stone to the ultimate goal, which is to find true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Watching the slaves
Observing people who are working hard and tirelessly.
Dig the deep beat baby
Playing and enjoying music with a strong, deep rhythm.
What's that sound
Asking about a particular noise that is heard.
Shakin' the ground
Causing a strong vibration or disturbance in the environment.
Daddy gets rich off Mama's rhythm
A man profits financially from the work and talents of his female partner.
Why do you need it so much baby
Questioning someone's excessive desire or attachment to something.
Come see the sun rising up
Inviting someone to witness a beautiful natural event.
Over the Backyards with me
Watching the sunrise from a particular location.
I know, I know, I know
Expressing certainty or confidence in one's own knowledge or beliefs.
What love is
Referencing the concept of love and its meaning.
The hardest questionIn the darkest hour
Asking a difficult question in a time of great challenge or difficulty.
Just taking a guess
Making an estimation or prediction based on limited information.
Just say yes
Encouraging someone to simply agree or commit to something without hesitation.
Just one look
A single glance or observation.
In the right direction
Heading towards a desirable or optimal outcome.
For every lover you worked over
Reflecting on the people whom one may have taken advantage of or mistreated in past romantic relationships.
For every stranger in your room
Regretting the presence of unknown individuals in one's personal space or life.
It takes a long time to recover
Acknowledging that overcoming past mistakes or trauma requires a significant amount of effort and time.
From the things you never meant to do
Feeling remorseful for actions or decisions that were unintentional or accidental.
You know it's true
Recognizing or agreeing with a statement that has been made.
Come and get a taste of a view that's superior
Inviting someone to enjoy or experience something that is exceptional or better than average.
Out across the rooftops
Looking over the tops of buildings or structures.
Lay it down there
Putting or placing something in a particular location or position.
As the sun rises up
Describing an event that occurs during sunrise.
Over the back yards
Located in the rear section of a property or outdoor space.
Contributed by Natalie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.