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.
Something Good
Colin James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I try to make you feel better
I'm the reason
That you ever feel bad at all
At least I'm good at something
I just wish it was something good
Something good has got to happen
And if I wait it'll be too late
For something good
Take a picture
From when we didn't know better
Take a look
At how we looked so good together
What you don't know won't hurt you
You're hurting now you know, you know
Something good
Something good has got to happen
And if I wait it'll be too late
For something good, something good
At least I'm good at something
Now I just wish it was something good
Something good, something good
Something good has got to happen
And if I wait, it'll be too late
For something good, something good
Something good
The lyrics of Colin James's song "Something Good" reflect on the thoughts of someone who has made mistakes in their relationship and is trying to fix it. The first two lines express the singer's desire to make their partner feel better, while admitting that they are the reason for the negative feelings in the first place. The next lines, "At least I'm good at something / I just wish it was something good", suggest a self-critical perspective.
The chorus, "Something good / Something good has got to happen / And if I wait it'll be too late / For something good", highlights the singer's hope for a better future, but also a fear of missing the opportunity for improvement. The second verse then reminisces about happier times in the past, but also acknowledges the current painful reality with the line "What you don't know won't hurt you / You're hurting now you know, you know".
Overall, the lyrics in "Something Good" convey a sense of regret and a desire for redemption, while also acknowledging the importance of taking actions in the present to achieve a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's the reason
I am the root of all your problems and it's my responsibility to make things better.
I try to make you feel better
I put in effort to ensure your emotional state is positive.
I'm the reason
I acknowledge and accept that I am responsible for your distress and discomfort.
That you ever feel bad at all
My actions are the cause of your negative emotions, and I need to fix it.
At least I'm good at something
Despite being the cause of your pain, I take solace in the fact that I have some skill or talent.
I just wish it was something good
Unfortunately, my abilities are not beneficial to anyone, including myself.
Something good
I am hopeful that a positive change will occur.
Something good has got to happen
I am imploring the universe to bring about a beneficial outcome.
And if I wait it'll be too late
I am aware that if I do nothing, the chance for positive change may evaporate.
For something good
I desire and expect a positive turn of events.
Take a picture
I wish to document a time when things were less complicated.
From when we didn't know better
I reflect on a time when we were unaware of the challenges that would later confront us.
Take a look
I want to reminisce about our past experiences and relationship.
At how we looked so good together
I admire how well we complemented each other in the past.
What you don't know won't hurt you
I would like to protect you from any potential pain or stress that knowledge may bring.
You're hurting now you know, you know
Unfortunately, the truth cannot be hidden, and your current state reflects your awareness of what has happened.
Something good
I am still optimistic and believing that positive results will happen eventually.
Something good has got to happen
I continue to plead with the universe to provide a happy outcome.
And if I wait, it'll be too late
I understand that I should take more action to make my desire for good fortune come true.
For something good, something good
I really hope that my positive expectations and beliefs are rewarded with an optimistic circumstance.
Something good has got to happen
I reiterate the importance of optimistic results in my life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Craig William Andrew Northey, Jesse M. Valenzuela
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind