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/)

English Beefcake
James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

But every dog must have its say
The orchestra's tuning
I understand your suffering
I felt the same sting in my heart
That's why I'm singing

Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win and tails I lose
Nothing to say
much less to do
Unhappy me unhappy you

I know you want it all to end
Transform a love into a friend
Magicians can do
Gut feelings come
Gut feelings go
Like rivers we have no control
They just keep flowing
Yeah, I wish I could create myself
A cool machine or someone else
A lot less knowing

Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win
And tails I lose
Nothing to say
Much less to do
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Love can heal
And love can sting
Heads you lose
And tails I win
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Nothing to say
And much less to do

There's nothing to say
I get in the way
Unable to break obsession
There's nothing to say

I get in the way
Still unable to break obsession

Overall Meaning

The song "English Beefcake" by James is a reflection on love and relationships. The lyrics suggest that the ideal partner would be a machine, someone who could be programmed to always act in a way that benefits the relationship. The singer wishes that he could be that machine, but acknowledges that real life relationships are not always that easy. He reflects on the ups and downs of love and the pain that comes with it. The chorus follows a lovers' quarrel, where one person always ends up losing. The singer suggests that love can both heal and sting and is ultimately unable to break from the obsession.

The lyrics are a commentary on the difficulties of relationships and the idealistic desire for a love that is easy and painless. The singer wishes he could create a perfect partner who would always make things right, but acknowledges that love is unpredictable and often painful. The song also hints at the idea of control and how we try to control both our own emotions and those of others.

Line by Line Meaning

I wish I could create myself
I desire to have the power to create myself

A cool machine designed to help
A machine capable of providing assistance in a cool way

Not always hurting
Able to avoid causing pain always

Just plug me in and do the rounds
Connect me to the job and let me do it routinely

Impress your friends
Make your friends admire or respect you

Save yourself pounds
Save money for yourself

I'll not be wanting
I won't complain or ask for anything

I wish that things could be that way
I hope things were that easy

But every dog must have its say
Everyone is entitled to have an opinion and express it

The orchestra's tuning
The moment before starting the performance

I understand your suffering
I comprehend your pain and troubles

I felt the same sting in my heart
I had also experienced the same pain and sorrow

That's why I'm singing
That's the reason I'm singing this song

Drifting away as lovers do
Drifting apart, like how lovers sometimes do

Heads you win and tails I lose
No matter what happens, you always win, and I always lose

Nothing to say
I have nothing to say

much less to do
I have no idea what to do

Unhappy me unhappy you
Both of us are unhappy

I know you want it all to end
I understand that you want everything to be over

Transform a love into a friend
Turn a romantic relationship into a friendship

Magicians can do
Only magicians can do it

Gut feelings come
Strong emotions surface

Gut feelings go
Strong emotions fade away

Like rivers we have no control
Our emotions are uncontrollable, like rivers

They just keep flowing
They just keep going, non-stop

Love can heal
Love has the power to mend

And love can sting
Love can hurt and wound

Heads you lose
No matter what, you always lose

And tails I win
And I always win

Unhappy me unhappy you
We both are unhappy as things don't work out

Nothing to say
I'm speechless

And much less to do
I'm clueless what to do

There's nothing to say
There is just silence

I get in the way
I obstruct, I interfere

Unable to break obsession
Incapable of ending the fixation

There's nothing to say
Silence speaks volumes

I get in the way
I come in the way of things

Still unable to break obsession
Yet, I'm unable to break free from this fixation

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID JOHN BAYNTON-POWER, JAMES GLENNIE, MARK HUNTER, SAUL DAVIES, TIMOTHY BOOTH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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01Space4:49

02Falling Down3:36

03English Beefcake5:47

PT5M47S

James

04Junkie4:51

05Pleased To Meet You5:43

10Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)4:25

11Alaskan Pipeline5:58

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@ismailozay2173

2y↑3

I wish I could create myself
A cool machine designed to help
Not always hurting
Just plug me in and do the rounds
Impress your friends
Save yourself pounds
I'll not be wanting
I wish that things could be that way
But every dog must have its say
The orchestra's tuning
I understand your suffering
I felt the same sting in my heart
That's why I'm singing
Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win and tails I lose
Nothing to say
much less to do
Unhappy me unhappy you
I know you want it all to end
Transform a love into a friend
Magicians can do
Gut feelings come
Gut feelings go
Like rivers we have no control
They just keep flowing
Yeah, I wish I could create myself
A cool machine or someone else
A lot less knowing
Drifting away as lovers do
Heads you win
And tails I lose
Nothing to say
Much less to do
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Love can heal
And love can sting
Heads you lose
And tails I win
Unhappy me
Unhappy you
Nothing to say
And much less to do
There's nothing to say
I get in the way
Unable to break obsession
There's nothing to say
I get in the way
Still unable to break obsession

All comments from YouTube:

@ismailozay2173

5y↑30

I can't believe how such a good song is so underrated??!!

@garycollison3239

3y↑1

Back about four years ago on Netflix on X Files Ring the bell was played. Love the song. Played it for a few years About a year ago start listen to all their other stuff can't believe I never got into these guys back in the early 90s great band