Raised in a small town just north of New York City, James began her musical journey singing and taking piano lessons and, by the time she was ten, writing her own songs. In her early teens, James started performing around New York City and, soon after, began driving down to Nashville and gigging at venues throughout Music City.
Emily has come a long way both musically and geographically, having started her career in Nashville alongside powerhouse producers, Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves) and Jacquire King (Kings of Leon). She established herself as a true songwriter whose music has continued to blossom and expand into many genres. As she’s matured, Emily’s soulful essence has taken center stage, capable of powerful, standout choruses that give way to tender inflections.
After Nashville, Emily felt the West Coast calling and decided to expand her horizons by relocating to Los Angeles. Once in L.A., James gained the confidence to venture into self-producing, creating songs in her own bedroom instead of in a studio – adding a level of introspection to her songs.
“I definitely attribute a lot of what I know about production from what I’ve picked up from the producers and engineers I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. Being able to create in such a private, intimate space, and yet have limitless possibilities staring you straight in the face is, for me, a beautiful way to create. You get to eliminate any elements of self-consciousness and be totally free with your thoughts and ideas.” – Emily James explained
Over the course of five EP releases, Emily has developed her own sound and songwriting style that features nuanced production and an emotional vulnerability that complements her dynamic vocal range.
- Zangba Thomson, Bongs Mine Entertainment
"Hello! I’m Emily James, I am a singer/songwriter originally from New York, now based in LA. I’ve been writing my own music since I was 10, and, pretty much since that time, have known that music is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve been releasing music completely independently up till now, having just signed with Nettwerk Music Group. Over the past few years I’ve begun to produce my own music, in addition to collaborating with fellow writers and producers, and that has been fun. It’s opened up a whole new world of creativity for me which I’m super excited about!"
The Scientist
Emily James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell you I′m sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need ya
And tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
Oh, let′s go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming in tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
And no one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Don't speak as loud as my heart
And tell me you love me
And, come back and haunt me
Oh, when I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
It′s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
And no one ever said it would be so hard
I′m going back to the start
Ah, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ah, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ah, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ah, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
In Emily James's version of Coldplay's "The Scientist," the song tells a story of a lost love and the effort to go back to the beginning to start anew. The opening lines set the scene for the song – the singer seeks out the other person to apologize, and in doing so recognizes how lovely they are. The next few lines show that this person was important enough for the singer to actively search for and set apart from others. It's as if the singer realizes they let this person slip by and now wants to reclaim that love.
The chorus brings it all together – acknowledging that no one said love would be easy, and that it's a shame to let someone go. The singer wants to start over and fix what went wrong. The bridge is an almost musically clinical acknowledgement of the difficulty of relationships. Science and progress can be measured and quantified, but love cannot. Love is louder than science and progress, and it's the singer's love that leads them back to where they started.
Overall, this version of "The Scientist" is a poignant and emotional exploration of how love can feel at times – confusing, difficult, and yet worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Come up to meet ya
I'm excited to finally meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
I apologize for any mistakes I've made
You don't know how lovely you are
You may not see your beauty, but I do and I appreciate it
I had to find you
I searched for you because I knew you were important to me
Tell you I need ya
I want you in my life, you're important to me
And tell you I set you apart
You're special to me and I want to treat you that way
Tell me your secrets
Share with me your most intimate thoughts and feelings
And ask me your questions
I'm ready and willing to answer anything you want to know
Oh, let's go back to the start
I want to start fresh and build a new foundation with you
Running in circles
We're stuck in a cycle of repeating the same mistakes
Coming in tails
Things aren't going as planned
Heads on a science apart
We have differing opinions and ways of thinking that are complicating things
Nobody said it was easy
This situation is difficult and requires effort to overcome
It's such a shame for us to part
It would be unfortunate if we had to go our separate ways
And no one ever said it would be this hard
This situation is more challenging than anyone anticipated
Oh, take me back to the start
I want to start fresh with you, forget the past and start over
I was just guessing
I didn't know what I was doing
At numbers and figures
I was trying to use logic and reason to solve our problems
Pulling the puzzles apart
I was trying to break down our complicated situation into manageable parts
Questions of science
Trying to use reason and logic to solve our problems
Science and progress
Using knowledge and research to move forward
Don't speak as loud as my heart
Despite all the logic and reason, my emotions are what really matter to me
And tell me you love me
Expressing love and affection for one another
And, come back and haunt me
Even if we go our separate ways, the memories will still stay with us
Oh, when I rush to the start
I want to forget everything that's happened and restart our relationship
Chasing tails
We're still caught up in the same cycle, but we're trying to break free
Coming back as we are
Despite everything, we're still the same people, and we can rebuild our relationship
Writer(s): Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ryanrennie8956
TEXT
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles,coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figure
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science,science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles,chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to Part
Nobody said it it was easy
No one ever said It would be this hard
I'm going back to the start
Ah OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Ah OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
@brooklynmacholan975
such a gorgeous soft voice she sings with passion also. absolutely flawless
@EmilyJamesMusic
Thank you so, so much. Means the world💗
@ryanrennie8956
TEXT
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles,coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figure
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science,science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles,chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to Part
Nobody said it it was easy
No one ever said It would be this hard
I'm going back to the start
Ah OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Ah OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
@nanofloo1042
OMG you nailed the high tone at the end. Wow.... Pretty amazing!
@EmilyJamesMusic
thank you so much!
@someone1ok
I found you on Spotify and your cover hit me different then any other song before
@EmilyJamesMusic
that means so much to me, thank you ❤️❤️
@phuongmaile5547
Love your voice, tone and definitely your piano rhythm
@anivincent625
That voice deserve EVERYTHING and it WILL have everything in a early future i know 💕
@EmilyJamesMusic
Ani Vincent thank you so much!!😊💙💙