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 âthe Light EPâ consisted of 5 tracks. (http://jamesleeofficial.com/)
Junkie
James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A junkie's sick, a monkey's strong, that's what's wrong.
Well, I guess he's been messing around downtown, so sad to see the man losing ground.
Winding down behind closed doors on all fours.
Mama, don't you call him my name, he can't hear you anymore.
Even if he seems the same to you, that's a stranger to your door.
Go on, ask him what's he come here for.
Oh my God, a monkey can move a man. Send him to hell and home again.
An empty hand in the afternoon, shooting for the moon.
It's halfway sick and it's halfway stoned. He'd sure like to kick but he's too far gone.
They wind him down with the methadone, he's all on his own.
But baby, don't you throw your love away, I hate to seem unkind.
It's only that I understand the man that the monkey can leave behind,
I used to think he was a friend of mine.
Oh, La la la la la la la la,
Oh, la la la la la la la la.
La la la, la la la, la la la la.
The lyrics in James's song "Junkie" present a vivid portrayal of a struggling addict. The first two lines allude to Ricky's drug usage, with "kicking the gong" referring to a common slang term for drug use. The chorus "A junkie's sick, a monkey's strong" reflects the challenging cycle of addiction where the user's body becomes dependent on the drug. The following verse provides a somber image of Ricky's downfall, "winding down behind closed doors on all fours." The lyrics paint a vivid and dark picture of his addiction, and the fact that he's hit rock bottom.
The second verse touches on how the addiction affects those around Ricky. The line "Mama, don't you call him my name, he can't hear you anymore" highlights the powerful hold that drugs can have on a person, showing how the addiction isolates the user from their loved ones. The last verse exposes the harsh reality that many addicts face, "They wind him down with the methadone, he's all on his own." The song's ending lyrics are left to interpretation but seem to capture the heartache and despair that comes with addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
Ricky's been kicking the gong, lickity-split, didn't take too long.
Ricky has been using drugs recklessly and rapidly, without any thought of the consequence.
A junkie's sick, a monkey's strong, that's what's wrong.
The drug addiction is making the person physically and mentally sick, while giving them a deceptive feeling of strength.
Well, I guess he's been messing around downtown, so sad to see the man losing ground.
The person has been indulging in drug use and it's painful to witness how it's taking a toll on their life.
Winding down behind closed doors on all fours.
The person is alone and helpless, consumed by drug use, left scrambling behind closed doors like an animal.
Mama, don't you call him my name, he can't hear you anymore.
The person has reached such an advanced stage of addiction that they don't even recognize their family anymore.
Even if he seems the same to you, that's a stranger to your door.
The person addicted to drugs, if seen, can look like the same person from the outside, but the addiction has turned them into an unrecognizable stranger.
Go on, ask him what's he come here for.
It's important to ask what caused the person to be there in the first place, and try to help them find a way out of drug addiction.
Oh my God, a monkey can move a man. Send him to hell and home again.
The drug monkey on a person's back can control them and move them further into hell or bring them back home to their senses, depending on the choices they make.
An empty hand in the afternoon, shooting for the moon.
The person has nothing tangible in hand but is chasing after a high that they perceive as something out of reach.
It's halfway sick and it's halfway stoned. He'd sure like to kick but he's too far gone.
The person is in a state where they are aware of the sickness but are too deep into it to come out of it easily.
They wind him down with the methadone, he's all on his own.
The person has to rely on drugs like methadone to come down and has to face the consequences of their addiction all alone.
But baby, don't you throw your love away, I hate to seem unkind.
If someone close to the person is struggling with addiction, don't give up on them because they need help and caring.
It's only that I understand the man that the monkey can leave behind, I used to think he was a friend of mine.
It's important to distinguish between the real person and the drug-addled creature that has taken over their body and mind. It's sad to see someone go down that path when they used to be someone we liked or admired.
Oh, La la la la la la la la, Oh, la la la la la la la la. La la la, la la la, la la la la.
A musical interlude.
Lyrics Š Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JEBUS HW Plainview
this and dxm go together like two psychedelic peas in a endless stream of lights,colorsandspace
Rick Sorian Cout
A numbness which leads me to the past: We play our games with knowing smiles,
unattached we can choose, we choose to lose it everytime.
edgardo gregorini
I have this album đ
Shanedangers
Methadone junkie here... it has made my life much better!!
Sam Sneed
Well that's the first song I heard that uses Pokemon in lyrics