James Durbin (born January 6, 1989) is an American singer from Santa Cruz, … Read Full Bio ↴James Durbin (born January 6, 1989) is an American singer from Santa Cruz, California. Durbin was a Top 4 finalist on the tenth season of American Idol. He was eliminated on Thursday, May 12th, 2011. The Love Me Bad Songfacts reports that his pitch-perfect voice and hard rocker's attitude made him one of the most popular contestants of the series. After finishing fourth, he signed to Wind-Up Records (Evanescence, Seether). Love Me Bad, Durbin's first single released from his debut solo album, Memories of a Beautiful Disaster, was released online on October 19, 2011.

Durbin was born to Judy Settle-Durbin. His father Willy Durbin, a musician, died of drug overdose when he was 9. He was diagnosed with Tourette's and Asperger's syndrome shortly after his father died. He has facial tics, some social awkwardness, and restricted interests.
He has a fiancée, Heidi whom he met in a bar and considered his 'rock'. They have a son together named Hunter.
In 2006, he performed in Santa Cruz-based children's theater group called Kids on Broadway and played the lead role in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Singin' in the Rain", as well as "West Side Story" in a production by All About Theatre, a Santa Cruz community theatre company. He was also the lead singer in a metal band called The Hollywood Scars. He said he has also done country music before.

James was invited to record and mix his amazing vocal talent with legendary producer/engineer/artist Alan Parsons (of The Alan Parsons Project/Beatles/Pink Floyd fame). Along with professional vocalist PJ Olsson, the group recorded James' vocals on Alan Parsons' song "We Play The Game," a collaboration with The Crystal Method.

Then only 19, James' drive, power, and musical insight were all too evident as he and Alan worked on recording a lead vocal and backing vocals on the Alan Parsons track from A Valid Path.

Idol Performances:
** Top 24: Personal Choice - You've Got Another Thing Comin' (Judas Priest)
** Top 13: Personal Idol - Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
** Top 12: Year You Were Born - I'll Be There for You (Bon Jovi)
** Top 11: Motown - Living for the City (Stevie Wonder)
** Top 11 Redux: Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) [[artist]Elton John]
** Top 9: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
** Top 8: Songs from the Movies - Heavy Metal (Sammy Hagar)
** Top 7: Songs from the 21st Century - Uprising (Muse)
** Top 6: Carole King - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles)
** Top 5: Songs from Then & Now: Closer to the Edge (30 Seconds to Mars) / Without You (Bandfinger)
** Top 4: Songs That Inspire / Leiber & Stoller Songbook: Don't Stop Believin' (Journey) / Love Potion No. 9 (The Clovers)

In 2016 Durbin and Alex Grossi of Quiet Riot worked on an album project "Maps to the Hollywood Scars". Volume 1 was released as a 5-song EP in February 2017. In March 2017, Durbin joined Quiet Riot, as their new lead singer. The band reported that their upcoming album, 'Road Rage' would be re-recorded prior to its release to feature Durbin on lead vocals. After recording a follow-up album, Durbin quit the band in September 2019. The album, 'Hollywood Cowboys', was released on November 8, 2019. In October 2020, Durbin revealed he had signed with Frontiers Records and was working on a "pure heavy metal" album. The Beast Awakens was released on February 12, 2021 under the Durbin moniker. Alongside Durbin, who performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the album also features drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Barry Sparks. In 2022, Durbin has joined forces with STRYPER members Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson (bass; also ex-FIREHOUSE) and RIOT guitarist Mike Flyntz in a new project called CLEANBREAK.

Fool for You
James Durbin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She flows like a butterfly and sings like a bee
And told me it's like BIG
Got me lookin' over my shoulder
I took that dress with good advice

She flirts with all my best friends
Somehow I never listen
Tell me,what' s it,what's it gonna do?

Still falling while I'm sleeping
She's on the lack of,lack of views
So tell me why,tell me why

You build me up,up to bring me down
Look at you,look at you baby
You call me in the kitchen to steel my time
Didn't you,didn't you baby?
And I'm just a game that you play with my head,girl
I bet you think you can get away with that
I bet you think you can get away with that
I'm just a fool for you,oh yeah

She makes rules when she's sexy
So tell me why?
Tell me why?

You build me up,up to bring me down
Look at you,look at you baby
You call me in the kitchen to steel my time
Didn't you,didn't you baby?
And I'm just a game that you play with my head,girl
I bet you think you can get away with that
I bet you think you can get away with that
I'm just a fool for you,oh yeah

Cause all I see is you and me and nothing's gonna change
But all I'm trying to say is enough for me
It's enough for me,it's enough for me

You build me up,up to bring me down
Look at you,look at you baby
You call me in the kitchen to steel my time
Didn't you,didn't you baby?
And I'm just a game that you play with my head,girl
I bet you think you can get away with that
I bet you think you can get away with that
I'm just a fool for you,oh yeah

You build me up,up to bring me down
Look at you,look at you baby
You call me in the kitchen to steel my time
Didn't you,didn't you baby?
And I'm just a game that you play with my head,girl
I bet you think you can get away with that
I bet you think you can get away with that

I'm just a fool for you,oh yeah
I'm a fool for you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of James Durbin's song Fool for You are about a woman who plays with the emotions of the singer. Through the use of metaphors, Durbin compares the woman to a butterfly, light and carefree, but also to a bee, capable of inflicting pain. She is confident in her sex appeal, telling him that she's like "BIG" (perhaps a reference to notorious rapper The Notorious B.I.G.), and flirts with all of his friends, yet he remains loyal to her. Despite her manipulative behavior and lack of commitment, he still finds himself falling for her, even while he sleeps.

The chorus of the song repeats the notion that the woman builds Durbin up only to bring him down, leading him to feel like a fool. He uses the image of her stealing his time to convey her selfishness and the fact that she only cares about what she can gain from their relationship. The bridge highlights his loyalty to her despite her mistreatment of him, as he sees only her and himself in their relationship, and the repetition of the chorus confirms his devotion to her.

Overall, the lyrics of Fool for You are a poignant representation of the power dynamics at play in a manipulative relationship, highlighting the singer's willingness to continue subjecting himself to emotional turmoil for the sake of his love interest.

Line by Line Meaning

She flows like a butterfly and sings like a bee
She is charming, light and free as a butterfly, and has a sweet singing voice like a bee.

And told me it's like BIG
She tells me it's like something big or important.

Got me lookin' over my shoulder
She makes me feel uneasy and suspicious, like I need to watch my back.

I took that dress with good advice
I listened to her advice about which dress to wear.

She flirts with all my best friends
She engages in romantic or sexual behavior with all of my close friends.

Somehow I never listen
Despite her behavior, I don't pay attention or take her seriously.

Tell me,what' s it,what's it gonna do?
I want to know what her intentions are and what she plans to do.

Still falling while I'm sleeping
I am still attracted to her even when I am not consciously thinking about her.

She's on the lack of,lack of views
She is focused on things that are lacking or absent, and doesn't have a clear perspective or outlook.

So tell me why,tell me why
I want to know why she behaves the way she does and what her motivations are.

You build me up,up to bring me down
You raise my hopes and expectations, only to disappoint me and let me down.

Look at you,look at you baby
I see you clearly and recognize your true nature.

You call me in the kitchen to steel my time
You distract me and waste my time by calling me to the kitchen for no good reason.

Didn't you,didn't you baby?
You did this intentionally and knowingly, didn't you?

And I'm just a game that you play with my head,girl
You manipulate me and use mind games to control me.

I bet you think you can get away with that
You are confident that you can deceive and control me without any consequences.

I'm just a fool for you,oh yeah
Despite all of this, I am still foolishly in love with you.

Cause all I see is you and me and nothing's gonna change
I am so blind to my feelings for you that I don't see anything else changing or affecting our relationship.

But all I'm trying to say is enough for me
I am satisfied with what I have and what I feel for you, even though it may not make sense or be healthy.

I'm a fool for you
I am completely infatuated and taken in by you, even though you treat me poorly.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: SCOTT CHRISTOPHER STEVENS, MICHAEL HALL, BOBBY CAMPBELL, DAVID FEISTER, JAMES DURBIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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