However, it wasn’t until he bought a loop pedal in 2010 that everything started to come together.
In desperate need of some cash to repair his car while on a New Years holiday in 2012, Graeme hit the streets of Gisborne for his first ever loop pedal busking session and the response from the public was so positive he was back on the road in two days.
Over the course of 2012 he upped the ante- and started driving from Palmerston North to Wellington for late night busking sessions on Cuba St. Eventually he relocated permanently to Wellington and started touring New Zealand busking and sleeping in his car ‘The Hotel Corona’.
A major breakthrough came that summer in Queenstown as he would play nightly busking concerts to crowds of over 200 people by the lakefront. This started to gather what would become a large, loyal and global fan base. His ‘make-it-up-as-you-go’ attitude made for quirky and unique versions of well known songs, generally featuring a rousing solo on the electric fiddle. On the recommendation of a fellow street performer Graeme decided to record an album of these quirky covers.
The self released album “Play one we all know” literally hit the streets in 2013 followed by “Play one we all know Vol. II” in late 2014. The latter was funded through a kickstarter campaign that met its $5000.00 target in 27 hours. Both cover albums have sold thousands of copies while busking on the streets of New Zealand. Playing interesting versions of popular songs allowed Graeme James to hone his craft as a recording artist and with over 500 performances over the next two years his captivating live show was earning him fans across the country.
Graeme had always written his own songs, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he began performing them live and his original material was met with immediate interest from fans. His first single ‘Alive’ came out at the end of 2015 and was featured on NZ on Air’s ‘New Hits Disc’, The Edge Radio and TV and has been streamed over a million times to date.
In 2015 he completed three full New Zealand tours and made two trips across the Tasman for shows on Australia’s East Coast. Recent sold out shows in Wellington, Christchurch, Wanaka, Queenstown and Melbourne are a testament to the momentum that has started to build around his original music.
His debut original album ‘News From Nowhere’ is a collection of songs written over the last few years while touring the length and breadth of his homeland. Drawing inspiration from the beauty and immensity of New Zealand’s famous landscapes, the album is intensely visual in its writing and sound. In an attempt to mirror the energy and joy of his live show, he has performed and produced the album in its entirety, with a few notable features from select musicians including a duet with his wife who he met while busking in Wellington.
News From Nowhere was released in September 2016.
Sail
Graeme James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
Blame it on my ADD baby
This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my ADD baby
Sail, sail
Sail, sail, sail
Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself (myself)
Blame it on my ADD baby
Maybe I'm a different breed
Maybe I'm not listening
So blame it on my ADD baby
Sail, sail
Sail, sail, sail
In Graeme James's song "Sail," the lyrics suggest a struggle with mental health, specifically Attention Deficit Disorder, and the internal battle the singer faces when trying to cope with it. The opening lines "This is how I show my love, I made it in my mind because, blame it on my ADD baby" suggest that the singer has turned to music as a form of self-expression and coping mechanism for their disorder. The chorus of "sail, sail, sail" further emphasizes the idea of escape, perhaps using music as a way to sail away from their problems.
However, the next lines "This is how an angel dies, blame it on my own sick pride, blame it on my ADD baby" paint a darker image. The idea of an angel dying suggests that the singer is struggling with their own mental demise. Blaming one's own "sick pride" on their disorder further illustrates how mental illness can manifest in different ways and affect one's self-awareness. The second chorus repeats, emphasizing the feeling of trying desperately to "sail" away from these issues.
The final verse "Maybe I should cry for help, maybe I should kill myself, blame it on my ADD baby" suggests a level of desperation and fear. The singer is contemplating both seeking help and ending their own life as possible outcomes. This is an incredibly vulnerable and sad portrayal of how mental illness can consume someone's thoughts and actions.
Overall, "Sail" is a powerful song that not only sheds light on the realities of living with mental illness but also the beauty and strength that can arise from it. The singer uses music as a way to express themselves and possibly even cope, but at the same time, the song illustrates how dark and painful those emotions can be when left unchecked.
Line by Line Meaning
This is how I show my love
I've created a dream world in my mind that I use to express my love.
I made it in my mind because
I constructed this world in my imagination because reality isn't enough.
Blame it on my ADD baby
My difficulty with concentration and focus is the reason for my unconventional expression of love.
This is how an angel dies
This is how dreams and hope can disappear.
Blame it on my own sick pride
I'm to blame for my own downfall because of my stubbornness and inability to see my faults.
Sail, sail
I want to escape from reality and reach for something beyond what I know.
Maybe I should cry for help
Perhaps I should ask for assistance to deal with my inner turmoil.
Maybe I should kill myself (myself)
Perhaps the only way to escape my struggles is to take my own life.
Maybe I'm a different breed
Perhaps I'm an outsider in this world, unable to fit in.
Maybe I'm not listening
Perhaps I'm not interested in the opinions of those who don't understand me.
So blame it on my ADD baby
I'm not responsible for my behavior, it's simply a result of my attention deficit disorder.
Sail, sail
I still want to escape, to find something greater than myself.
Sail, sail, sail
The desire to discover something more beautiful and fulfilling persists.
Writer(s): Aaron Richard Bruno
Contributed by Jordyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.