James emerged from their native Manchester in the mid-'80s playing a brand … Read Full Bio ↴James emerged from their native Manchester in the mid-'80s playing a brand of urgent, ringing guitar pop distinguished by Tim Booth's keening, insistent vocals. Booth's dramatic stylings and James' dedication to textured guitars earned the group the designation of "the next Smiths," a connection strengthened by Morrissey's endorsement of the band. By the dawn of the '90s, James shook off these comparisons by embracing acid house, the first of many adventurous left turns the band took over the decades. "Sit Down," an old open-hearted tune re-recorded for the age of "baggy," proved to be their breakthrough, reaching number two in the U.K. in 1991 and becoming an alternative rock hit in the U.S. With its singles "Sound" and "Born of Frustration," Seven consolidated that success in 1992, but it was 1993's Laid that established the group's mature sound. Working with Brian Eno, the group took aural risks that paid off artistically and commercially: the title track became their biggest American hit. From there, James had a flurry of activity in the late 1990s before entering a hiatus in 2001. The band regrouped in 2007, releasing Hey Ma the following year and then settling into a groove where they alternated tours with ambitious album projects such as 2010's two-part The Night Before and The Morning After, as well as 2021's pandemic journal All the Colours of You.

James formed in Manchester in 1982, when Paul Gilbertson (guitar), Jim Glennie (bass), and Gavan Whelan (drums) met Tim Booth (vocals) at Manchester University and asked him to join their fledgling band. During the next year, James became regulars on the local club circuit, and by 1983 they had signed to Factory, releasing their debut EP, Jimone, later that year. Two years later, their second EP, James 2, was released, and Morrissey, the lead singer of the Smiths, publicly endorsed the group, asking them to open for his band. By the summer of 1985, Larry Gott had replaced Gilbertson, and the group signed to Sire Records. Working with producer Lenny Kaye, the group recorded its debut, Stutter, that year, releasing it in early 1986 to generally positive reviews.

Over the next two years, James toured constantly, building up a solid fan base. They released their second album, the folky Strip-Mine, in 1988. The record failed to capitalize on their live following, and the band departed Sire the following year, signing with the independent Rough Trade. On their new label, James released the moderately successful "Sit Down" and the live album One Man Clapping, which climbed to number one on the indie charts. In 1990, Whelan was replaced by David Baynton-Power, and James expanded to a septet with the addition of keyboardist Mark Hunter, violinist Saul Davies, and trumpeter Andy Diagram. The new lineup signed to Fontana Records and released Gold Mother in the fall. Following a handful of minor hit singles, Gold Mother finally became a breakthrough success in the spring of 1991, when a re-recorded version of "Sit Down" -- now boasting a contemporary baggy beat -- climbed to number two on the U.K. charts and became a staple on U.S. modern rock radio. Although the success of "Sit Down" was a blessing, it also was a curse, as the single became all James were known for. The band began to rebel in concert, playing almost nothing but new material, and its next album, 1992's Seven, was perceived as a misguided stab at big arena rock.

For the follow-up to Seven, James stripped away Diagram and worked with producer Brian Eno. The resulting record, Laid, was a quieter, more ambitious album, and it received some of the band's best reviews. While the album was ignored in the U.K., it was an alternative rock hit in the U.S. on the strength of the title track, which became a crossover hit. During the Laid sessions, James recorded another album's worth of experimental music with Eno that was released in the fall of 1994 as Wah Wah. The album received mixed reviews and the group took an extended break throughout 1995, partly due to guitarist Gott's departure. In 1996, Tim Booth recorded a collaboration with composer Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet) entitled Booth and the Bad Angel, which received generally positive reviews.

With guitarist Adrian Oxaal in tow, James returned in early 1997 with Whiplash, a more straightforward record that was greeted with mixed reviews. Released in 1999, Millionaires, recorded with new guitarist Michael Kulas, was initially released only in the U.K. Their spectacular follow-up, 2001's Pleased to Meet You, was also available only in the U.K. A few months later, frontman Tim Booth announced his departure from the band he founded nearly 20 years before, and James called it quits following a winter tour of the U.K. in December 2001. The break was short-lived, however, as the band re-formed in 2007 and embarked on a tour in support of the double-disc compilation Fresh as a Daisy: The Singles. The following year saw the release of Hey Ma, James' tenth studio album.

The band returned in 2010 with a pair of "mini-albums" called The Night Before and The Morning After, respectively, before late 2011 brought a short, but novel, U.K. tour (the Orchestra of the Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir were their backup bands). In 2012, the lavish and long-awaited box set The Gathering Sound was issued, and included previously unreleased audio material alongside long-unavailable video concert footage. Details of the Max Dingel-produced La Petite Mort emerged in February 2014, and this first post-Mercury studio album was released four months later in June. Dingel then returned to produce their 2016 record, Girl at the End of the World. Written in Scotland and recorded in London, the album was described by the band as "big but personal, abrasive but warming" and "ultimately uplifting." Two years later, James teamed with producers Charlie Andrew and Beni Giles for Living in Extraordinary Times.

During the 2020 pandemic, Tim Booth teamed up with his Topanga Canyon neighbor Jacknife Lee to construct the basic tracks the rest of James completed while in quarantine. The resulting All the Colours of You was released in June 2021.

Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

There are other artists using the same name:

2) James is the vocalist of popular Bangladeshi band Nagar Baul. He was a member of the band Feelings and later formed the band Nagar Baul. James was raised in Chittagong and later moved to Dhaka for his singing career. Stylishly longhaired James--overwhelmingly known as the Nagar Baul (the City Bard), was the pioneer of psychedelic rock in Bangladesh. Originally a lead singer and guitarist, he has always been respected for his solo projects. He became affectionately called Guru by his fans. His tunes were bright and his singing a divergence from the archetypal tunes preferred by the commercial-type directors. His songs expressed love, rage, discontent, frustration, and happiness.

3) A Dutch rapper connected to the Fakkelteitgroep.

4) James Lee - known as James - was a former member of Royal Pirates, a South Korean band. On 2015, he got into an accident that caused him unable to play bass any longer. Hence, he decided to left the band.
James moved back to Los Angeles and decided to release music written post accident in a project called ’the Light EP’ consisted of 5 tracks. (http://jamesleeofficial.com/)

Afro Lover
James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody wants to be happy
Everybody wants more money
Everybody wants more loving
Everybody wants the same things

I came across the border
Through the east and the west divide
The land between the trenches

Was patrolled by the deaf and the blind

The blind were shouting, ?Listen?
While the deaf said, ?Can't you see??
Somewhere deep in no man's land
The man has lost a key

I open up into this mystery
I have seen
I have seen
I have seen

There's centuries of fighting
So I brought myself a gun
The salesman called it freedom
So my enemy bought a bigger one

I'm saving up for a missile
That will shoot him up with love
Now his finger's on my button
And my hand is in his glove

I opened up into this mystery
Every key can lock you up or set you free
I believe that there is magic
In this mystery

I have seen
I have seen
I have seen

Everybody wants to be happy
Everybody wants more money
Everybody wants the same things

I have seen
I have seen
I have seen

I have seen
I have seen
I have seen

I have seen
I have seen
I have seen

I have seen

I have seen
I have seen

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to James's song "Afro Lover" touch on themes of universal desires and the human condition. The opening lines, "Everybody wants to be happy, Everybody wants more money, Everybody wants more loving, Everybody wants the same things," express these ideas. Regardless of background, everyone shares the desire for happiness, wealth, and love.

The next verse shifts to more specific imagery, with the singer "coming across the border" through a divided land, patrolled by those who are blind and deaf. This metaphor highlights the barriers and division that exist within society. It suggests that people need to open themselves up to understanding and listening to one another in order to move past conflict and come together. The line "Somewhere deep in no man's land, The man has lost a key" further reinforces this idea of a missing connection, and the need for people to find it.

The final verse introduces the idea of violence and conflict, as the singer speaks about buying a gun and his enemy buying a bigger one. The lyrics then shift towards more hopeful imagery, with the idea of using a missle to "shoot him up with love." This idea of love as a weapon echoes a common message in many of James's songs, that love is a powerful force that can overcome division and bring people together.

Overall, James's lyrics in "Afro Lover" touch on themes of universal human desires, conflict and division, and the power of love to bring people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody wants to be happy
Everyone desires happiness in life.

Everybody wants more money
Everyone desires to have more financial stability.

Everybody wants more loving
Everyone desires to have more love in their life.

Everybody wants the same things
Despite differences, all people want the same basic needs and desires in life.

I came across the border
I crossed the border between two different worlds.

Through the east and the west divide
The border represented a division between two opposing cultures.

The land between the trenches
The area between the two cultures was a battleground.

Was patrolled by the deaf and the blind
The area was controlled by those who refused to listen or see the other side's perspective.

The blind were shouting, ?Listen?
Those who refused to see were begging for understanding.

While the deaf said, ?Can't you see??
Those who refused to listen were asking for clarity.

Somewhere deep in no man's land
In the middle of the conflict.

The man has lost a key
The answer to the problem was missing.

I open up into this mystery
I find myself exploring this complex issue.

There's centuries of fighting
The conflict between the two opposing cultures has existed for generations.

So I brought myself a gun
I prepared myself for the fight.

The salesman called it freedom
Propaganda was used to justify the fight.

So my enemy bought a bigger one
The other side also prepared themselves for the fight.

I'm saving up for a missile
I desire to possess more power during the conflict.

That will shoot him up with love
I aim to use love as a weapon against my enemy.

Now his finger's on my button
My enemy now has the upper-hand and has control over my actions.

And my hand is in his glove
I have been forced to submit to my enemy's control.

Every key can lock you up or set you free
Every decision we make has the power to control our lives.

I believe that there is magic
I have faith in the power of something greater than myself.

In this mystery
Within this conflict lies something powerful that can bring about resolution.

I have seen
Through my experiences, I have gained insight into the complexities of this issue.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID JOHN BAYNTON-POWER, JAMES GLENNIE, MARK HUNTER, SAUL DAVIES, TIMOTHY BOOTH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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