Since 2005, and prior to his participation in The X Factor, he was a vocalist and guitarist in a number of bands, and later, as a solo artist as well as forming his own The James Arthur Band and James Arthur Project.
Arthur was born in Middlesbrough, England to English mother Shirley Ashworth and Scottish father Neil Arthur. James’ father was a delivery driver, but also used to be a DJ and a drummer for many years. Arthur’s parents split when he was just two-years-old and each settled with a new partner. Neil and Shirley were not on talking terms with each other for more than twenty years. But they agreed to attend the show together in a family reunion to attend their son’s performance.
Arthur first went to Ings Farm Primary School in Redcar, North Yorkshire. When he was nine, he moved with his mother Shirley and his step father Ronald Rafferty to Bahrain where he studied at the local British School of Bahrain for four years. When they split, Arthur, then 14, had to move back with his mother and his two half-sisters Jasmine and Neve to the UK to live in a modest house in Saltburn-by-the-Sea.Upon his return, he continued his studies at Redcar’s Rye Hills School.
Arthur has five siblings, an older brother called Neil Arthur, an older sister called Sian Arthur, and three younger sisters, Charlotte Arthur and Jasmin and Neve Rafferty.
Arthur has been writing and recording songs since he was 15 as an unsigned artist both solo and in many bands including:
Moonlight Drive - a Cleveland-based progressive, experimental, rock five-piece band with Arthur in lead vocals. The band was active between 2005 and 2008. They had recordings such as «Said You’d Be There», «Hole in My Heart» and «Tear Me Apart».
Cue the Drama - an alternative rock band based in Marske-by-the-Sea and active between 2005 and 2008. Recordings included «On the Radio 98KUPD», «It’s Killing Me», «I Reach You» and «It Hurts».
Save Arcade - a Middlesbrough alternative rock band made up of Arthur (vocals, guitar), Josh Brown (keyboards, vocals), Matthew Green (guitar), Alex Beer (bass, vocals), Travis Shaw (guitar, percussions, vocals) and Karl Dowson (drums). In 2009, the band released a three-track EP called Truth, carrying the title track «The Truth», as well as «Echoes» and «I Un-Proudly Present». In June 2010, the band released a five-track EP, Tonight We Dine in Hades, which in addition to the title track «Tonight We Dine in Hades» included «Superhero», «You Always Want a Fight», «Juliet Is Not Dead» and «She Aims to Please». Both releases were on the independent 57 Records UK.
Emerald Skye - a four-piece indie pop/rock band formed in March 2011 based in Redcar / Saltburn-by-the-Sea and made up of Arthur (guitar, vocals), Dean Harrison (piano, violin), Paul Gill (bass) and Save Arcade bandmate Green (drums).
Arthur also uploaded many of his own songs to Soundcloud and YouTube including an album entitled Sins by the Sea. In 2011, he auditioned for The Voice UK and made it into the final 200 contestants but no further.
In early 2012, he recorded songs and released two EPs as The James Arthur Band. The band consisted of Arthur (vocals and guitar), Jez Taylor (guitar), Chris Smalls (keyboards), Jordan Swain (drums) and Rich Doney (bass). In 2012, the band released The EP Collection CD with nine tracks with R&B, soul and hip hop influences, a compilation of tracks on both EPs. Arthur also released an EP named Hold On under the name The James Arthur Project in August 2012 in collaboration with John McGough. The tracks were written and arranged by McGough, and mixed by Matt Wanstall with all vocals by Arthur.
Arthur auditioned for The X Factor with an acoustic rendition of judge Tulisa Contostavlos’s «Young», before explaining his past, including spells in care and time spent on the streets after break-ups within his family. He also revealed his father and mother had not spoken to each other for over 20 years, and this was a reunion of sorts for them to attend his audition. After his judges’ houses performance of «I Can’t Make You Love Me», he was picked by his mentor Nicole Scherzinger as one of the 12 contestants for the live shows, and one of just three in the «Boys» category. After the second live show, Arthur suffered from an anxiety attack backstage. Whilst being treated at the studio, paramedics determined he did not need to go to hospital, and he was ordered back to his hotel to rest. He later returned for the results show the following. Arthur was in the bottom two in week 7 after performing «Can’t Take My Eyes Off You». He sang «Fallin’» for survival against Ella Henderson, with the judges going to deadlock after their vote was evenly split 2-2 (mentor Scherzinger and Gary Barlow voting to keep him, while Contostavlos and Louis Walsh voted in favour of Henderson). Arthur was then saved by the public vote. On 8 December, he made it through to the second night of the live finals.
Arthur won The X Factor on 9 December 2012, with 53.7% of the vote, against Jahméne Douglas who received 38.9% of the vote.
Can I Be Him
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken
Now you're all I want
And I knew it from the very first moment
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, I know you never saw me
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
I heard there was someone but I know he don't deserve you
If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you, no, no
I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips
It's all that I've been thinking about
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Oh, can I, can I be him?
Won't you sing it again?
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
Oh, sing it again, yeah
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
I swear that every word you sang, you wrote 'em for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there, will you be there?
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
The song "Can I Be Him" by James Arthur speaks about a person who has fallen in love with someone at first sight. The first verse shows how the moment this new person walked into the room, the singer's heart was stolen, and everything comes back to the realization that this is the only person they want. The second verse talks about how the person singing the song feels about the music the other person makes. The words are so profound it feels like they are referring to the singer personally, and it comes across as a private show that they're lucky to witness. They're wishing to hear the song again, and for it to be sung to them this time around.
The chorus of the song is the singer asking if they can be the one that the other person is speaking about in the stories. They jokingly ask to sing the song again, but they're inquisitive and ask for the other person to come forward and let them know if it's possible they could be the one. If they just say it, then perhaps they can be the one they want to be. The use of "Can I be him?" is incredibly vulnerable and shows how much the other person means to the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
You walked into the room and now my heart has been stolen
The singer's heart was taken by the person who just entered the room.
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken
The person reminds the singer of a time when they were not emotionally hurt and restored their emotional well-being.
Now you're all I want
The singer has an intense desire for the person they're singing to.
And I knew it from the very first moment
The artist knew they were attracted to the person from the moment they saw them.
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
The artist felt a deep connection when they heard a specific song and wants the person to sing it again because of the emotional impact it had.
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
The singer feels as though the person is singing directly to them because of how deeply they connect to the lyrics.
Like it was a private show, I know you never saw me
The singer feels as though they are the only one in the audience and that the person doesn't see them watching them sing.
When the lights come on and I'm on my own, will you be there to sing it again?
The artist wants to know if the person will be there for them when they need them most, just as the song was there for them.
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
The artist wants to be remembered by the person and included in their life story.
I heard there was someone, but I know he don't deserve you
The artist knows the person they're interested in is with someone else, but they believe that person does not deserve them.
If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you, no, no
The singer would never let anyone hurt the person they're interested in if they were together.
I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips, it's all that I've been thinking about
The artist wants to comfort the person they're interested in and express their affection for them.
Can I be the one
The singer wants to be the person the other is interested in and wants to be with them.
Oh, when you sing it again, can I be him?
The singer wants to be remembered and recalled whenever the person sings the song again.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Richard Parkhouse, George Tizzard, James Andrew Arthur, Negin Djafari
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lesterandrewpingol7385
You walked into the room and now my heart has been stolen
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken
Now you're all I want
And I knew it from the very first moment
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
I heard there was someone but I know he don't deserve you
If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you, no, no
I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips
It's all that I've been thinking about
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Oh, can I, can I be him?
Won't you sing it again?
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
Oh, sing it again, yeah
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
I swear that every word you sang, you wrote 'em for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there, will you be there?
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
@gra--
"Eu juro que cada palavra que você canta, você as escreveu para mim
Como se fosse um show privado, eu sei que você nunca me viu
Quando as luzes se acendem e eu estou sozinho
Você estará lá para cantá-la novamente?
Eu poderia ser aquele de quem você fala em todas as suas histórias
Posso ser ele?
Ouvi dizer que havia alguém, mas eu sei que ele não merece você
Se você fosse minha eu nunca deixaria ninguém te machucar, não, não
Eu quero secar essas lágrimas e beijar esses lábios"
uma parte da letra, para você refletir um pouco
não querendo tirar conclusões, mas acho que esse amigo não quer ser só amigo
@kdiddlesyt6228
LYRICS
You walked into the room and now my heart has been stolen
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken
Now you're all I want
And I knew it from the very first moment
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
I heard there was someone but I know he don't deserve you
If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you, no, no
I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips
It's all that I've been thinking about
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song and I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing, you wrote them for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Can I be the one
Oh, can I, can I be him?
Won't you sing it again?
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
Oh, sing it again, yeah
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
I swear that every word you sang, you wrote 'em for me
Like it was a private show, but I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there, will you be there?
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
@alone_17_
Can I Be Him
James Arthur
You walked into the room
And now my heart has been stolen
You took me back in time to when I was unbroken
Now you're all I want
And I knew it from the very first moment
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song
And I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing
You wrote them for me
Like it was a private show
But I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be him?
I heard there was someone, but I know he don't deserve you
If you were mine I'd never let anyone hurt you, oh, no
I wanna dry those tears, kiss those lips
It's all that I've been thinking about
'Cause a light came on when I heard that song
And I want you to sing it again
I swear that every word you sing
You wrote them for me
Like it was a private show
But I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there to sing it again?
Could I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be the one?
Can I be the one?
Can I be the one?
Oh, can I, can I be him?
Won't you sing it again
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
Won't you sing it again
Oh, when you sing it again
Can I be him?
I swear that every word you sing
You wrote them for me
Like it was a private show
But I know you never saw me
When the lights come on and I'm on my own
Will you be there, will you be there?
Can I be the one you talk about in all your stories?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
Can I be him?
@rusdiantopmusa
I do not know if there are people who think like me, that every James Arthur's song gives a very deep emotion. Many other great singers but James really made me dissolve in the atmosphere of the song. I mean, I really feel like I'm in the story of his songs even though I'm not feeling that way.
@RFTHajerakhaleel
yass❤
@dusvchfiwjsvfhskab6477
I completely Agree.
@alexisdan6116
Yeah I agree!
@nazirulirfan7260
rusdi , thats true bro
@tamannahussain7645
his raspy voice goes so well with the lyrics he writes
perfect!
@keitumetsemoloko1520
Man no matter how many times I play this, it always feels like I’m listening with fresh ears each time 😭
@tesalonikanaomi
ikr
@luvallu2322
I KNOW😫😫😫
@alejandra____
It happens to me too!