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/)

Semaphore
James Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I may as well try semaphore
As words no longer work
This fool's feeling cornered
And he acted like a jerk

He'd tell you he was sorry
If that made good the hurt
It's too late now for sorry

It's too late now for words

We survive despite our desire to stray
Hell to pay, thought you knew my desires
It's innate, it's not going away
I hope you're not going away

It's a question of convenience
How pain, with time, will fade
Surrendered to acceptance
Dark night gives way to day

It was meant to be a gesture
That mark across your face
It's too late now for sorry
It's too late now for grace

We survive despite our desire to stray
Hell to pay, thought you knew my desires
It's innate, it's not going away

Hell to pay, thought you knew

Hell to pay, thought you knew
Thought you knew, thought you knew

Overall Meaning

The song Semaphore by James is a melancholic reflection on the inadequacy of words in expressing the emotions that the singer is feeling. Semaphore, a system of signaling with flags or lights, is juxtaposed with the failure of words as a means of communication, serving as a symbol of the need to find alternative ways of expressing oneself. The singer feels cornered, trapped by his own inadequacy and his inability to express himself properly. This feeling is compounded by his recent actions, which he perceives to be those of a jerk.

The song delves into the theme of regret and the sense of missed opportunities. The singer wishes he could apologize and make good the hurt he caused, but it is too late. The passing of time has made the pain fade, and he has surrendered to acceptance, despite the fact that the desire to stray is inherent within him. The line "It's too late now for grace" carries a poignant meaning, as it acknowledges that time and circumstance have eroded the possibility of redemption.

Overall, Semaphore is a song that conveys a sense of loss and missed opportunity, combined with a desire to connect and express oneself despite the challenges of being understood.

Line by Line Meaning

I may as well try semaphore
Since speaking words is no longer effective, I will attempt to convey my emotions through signals.

As words no longer work
Verbal communication is no longer capable of getting my point across.

This fool's feeling cornered
I am feeling trapped and uncertain of my next move.

And he acted like a jerk
My actions were inappropriate and unbecoming of me.

He'd tell you he was sorry
I regret what I have done and would apologize if it would ease the pain I caused.

If that made good the hurt
If saying sorry could fix what I broke, I would do so in a heartbeat.

It's too late now for sorry
Since the damage has already been done, it is too late to make amends.

It's too late now for words
There are no words that can change what has happened.

We survive despite our desire to stray
Despite our natural inclination to wander, we are able to endure.

Hell to pay, thought you knew my desires
I will face the consequences of my actions, but it is surprising that you did not understand my intentions.

It's innate, it's not going away
My desires are inherent and will not disappear.

I hope you're not going away
I want you to stay in my life, despite my mistakes.

It's a question of convenience
The ability to move on from pain is a matter of practicality.

How pain, with time, will fade
Through the passage of time, the intensity of pain will lessen.

Surrendered to acceptance
I have come to terms with what has happened and accept responsibility for my mistakes.

Dark night gives way to day
There is always hope that things will improve and brighten in the future.

It was meant to be a gesture
I intended my actions to symbolize something meaningful.

That mark across your face
The physical harm I caused you is a painful reminder of my misdeed.

It's too late now for shame
Feeling remorseful for my actions does not change the fact that I cannot make things better now.

It's too late now for grace
I cannot seek forgiveness for my wrongdoing now that it is too late to make amends.

Hell to pay, thought you knew
Despite the consequences I am facing, I believed you understood my intentions.

Thought you knew, thought you knew
I had assumed that you comprehended my actions, but it seems I was mistaken.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TIMOTHY BOOTH, JAMES PATRICK GLENNIE, JAMES LAWRENCE GOTT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS