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.
Fade
James Arthur Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
one day, one day, one day it all will fade
empty moments sleepless nights, i think about you every night
wondering what went wrong
What we had would seem so right
but just as quick your out of sight
you talk to me with words like moving on
did it seem so simple to you
was I just another thing for you to do
did you ever mean the things you said
or was I just another notch on your bed
I thought you needed me too, I thought your feelings were true
I thought you head was in my space
but now you've proven me wrong
but I will rise and be strong
and one day soon this pain will fade, oh
one day, one day, one day it all will fade
I just wanted things to be so good
a simple life just simple love
something hard to find these days
but you thought life owed you more than this
with your magazines and shopping trips
one day your beauty will fade
did it seem so simple to you
was I just another thing for you to do
did you ever mean the things you said
or was i just another notch on your bed
I thought you needed me too, I thought your feelings were true
I thought you head was in my space
but now you've proven me wrong
but I will rise and be strong
and one day soon this pain will fade
I thought you needed me too, I thought your feelings were true
I thought you head was in my space
but now you've proven me wrong
and I will rise and be strong
and one day this pain will fade
one day, one day,one day it all will fade
“Fade” is a song by English singer and songwriter James Arthur, from his second studio album, “Back from the Edge”. The song reflects on a failed relationship and the pain that comes with it. The repetitive chorus, “one day, one day, one day it all will fade,” illustrates the hope that someday the heartache and memories will no longer be as present and overwhelming. The verses describe the empty moments and sleepless nights the singer experiences while thinking about the person who used to be his partner. He remembers the things they had shared and the moments that seemed so right, wondering if they had ever meant anything to the other person or if he was just a notch on their belt. Despite feeling confused and hurt, the singer decides to rise above the situation and move on, promising to come out stronger from the experience.
The chorus’s repetition indicates the singer's need for reassurance that the pain will fade away someday. The agony and confusion he feels in the initial moments of the breakup are encapsulated in the lines, “empty moments sleepless nights, I think about you every night, wondering what went wrong.” He is trying to piece together what happened and why it had to end the way it did. The singer is hopeful and optimistic about the future despite the pain in the present. The lines, “and one day soon this pain will fade, oh, one day, one day, one day, it all will fade…” reveals his hope that someday he will have moved on entirely and will no longer feel hurt by the breakup.
Perhaps the most poignant line in the song is “one day your beauty will fade”. It is a powerful sentence, illustrating that while physical appearances may be alluring, they are, unavoidably, fleeting. There is a beauty that comes with growing old and the memories that one makes, and it is this beauty that will never fade.
Line by Line Meaning
one day, one day, one day it all will fade
The singer believes that at some point in the future, everything will come to an end and fade away.
empty moments sleepless nights, i think about you every night
The singer spends many lonely moments with sleepless nights thinking about the person who left them.
wondering what went wrong
The singer is unsure what went wrong between them and the person who left them.
What we had would seem so right
The singer believed that the relationship they had was a good thing.
but just as quick your out of sight
However, the person they were in a relationship with left them unexpectedly.
you talk to me with words like moving on
The person who left the singer speaks about moving on as if they are not coming back.
did it seem so simple to you
The singer questions if the person who left them thought staying or leaving was an easy decision.
was I just another thing for you to do
The singer wonders if they were just a task on the ex-partner's to-do list.
did you ever mean the things you said
The singer questions the sincerity of the things their ex-partner said to them.
or was I just another notch on your bed
The singer thinks that the relationship was just a sexual conquest for the ex-partner.
I thought you needed me too, I thought your feelings were true
The singer believed that the ex-partner needed them and had genuine feelings for them.
I thought your head was in my space
The singer thought their ex-partner was emotionally in sync with them.
but now you've proven me wrong
However, the ex-partner has shown them that their assumptions were incorrect.
but I will rise and be strong
Despite the heartbreak, the singer will overcome it and be strong.
and one day soon this pain will fade, oh
The singer believes that in the near future, the pain they are feeling will subside.
a simple life just simple love
The singer wanted a simple life with a simple love that is hard to find these days.
something hard to find these days
It seems that finding simple love and a simple life is rare in modern times.
but you thought life owed you more than this
However, the ex-partner had different expectations for their life and their relationship.
with your magazines and shopping trips
The ex-partner was interested in materialistic things like magazines and shopping.
one day your beauty will fade
The singer acknowledges that their ex-partner's beauty will fade with time.
and one day soon this pain will fade
The singer still believes that the pain they feel will eventually fade away.
one day, one day,one day it all will fade
The song ends with the reminder that everything will eventually come to an end and fade away.
Contributed by Kylie V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nora Nedv
One day, one day,
One day, it all will fade
One day, one day,
One day, it all will fade
Empty moments, sleepless nights
Think about you every night
Wondering what went wrong
What we had once seemed so right
But just as quick you’re out of sight
You talk to me with words like moving on
Did it seem so simple to you?
Was I just another thing for you to do?
Did you ever mean the things you said?
Or was I just another notch on your bed?
I thought you needed me too
I thought your feelings were true
I thought your head was in my space
But now you’ve proven me wrong
But I will rise and be strong
And one day soon this pain will fade
One day, one day,
One day, it all will fade
I just wanted things to be so good
A simple life just simple love
Something hard to find these days
But you thought life owes you more than this
With your magazines and shopping trips
One day your beauty will fade
Did it seem so simple to you?
Was I just another thing for you to do?
Did you ever mean the things you said?
Was I just another notch on your bed?
I thought you needed me too
I thought your feelings were true
I thought your head was in my space
But now you’ve proven me wrong
But I will rise and be strong
And one day soon this pain will fade
I thought you needed me too
I thought your feelings were true
I thought your head was in my space
But now you’ve proven me wrong
And I will rise and be strong
And one day soon this pain will fade
One day, one day,
One day, it all will fade
LXXIV
Another brilliant song by James! Let me know your thoughts on this rare song below :) Make sure to drop a LIKE if you liked the video and SUBSCRIBE for more lyric videos and to help me reach 20k subs by the end of the year!! Thank you!
Wietske Hylkem
LXXIV super goed.
Wietske Hylkem
Wat een prachtige song,de tekst is schitterend.,mijn hart gaat er krachtiger van kloppen.De muziek roept zoveel gevoelens op.
Babara Brooks
One way communication will make the person whose been chasing you..eventually leave 😘🥰
Matt Davis
This song might be one of the realest songs I’ve ever heard, it’s relatable to anyone that’s gone through break ups. James Arthur.....the most underrated artist to ever make music.
Dawn Liimatainen
Love this song. So, much feeling.❤
EdugeBDroN
This man could be singing the grocery shopping list.
That voice is superhuman
jamngaih kim
And would still be a hit 😂😍😍
Jean billy
True words. Beautiful & heart felt.
Bisevino Nakhro
Why do I feel like James Arthur knows every of my feelings n sing what I feels 😢😢