Cullum was born in Romford, East London. He was brought up in Hullavington, Wiltshire, and educated at the independent fee-paying Grittleton House School and the sixth form at Sheldon School. He then went on to study English Literature, and minored in Film Studies, at Reading University where he graduated with First Class Honours.
His mother, Yvonne, is a secretary of Anglo-Burmese origin, whose family settled in Wales after Burma's independence; his father, John Cullum, worked in finance. His paternal grandfather was a British Army officer, while his paternal grandmother was a Jewish refugee from Prussia who sang in Berlin nightclubs.
Cullum married British model Sophie Dahl at a country hotel in the New Forest National Park in England on 9 January 2010.
Cullum released his first album, Jamie Cullum Trio—Heard it All, in 1999, of which 500 copies were made. Due to their rarity, original copies have sold for as much as £600 on eBay. The success of Heard It All Before resulted in Cullum being invited to appear on Geoff Gascoyne's album Songs of the Summer.
After graduating from Reading University, Cullum released a best-selling album, Pointless Nostalgic, which stirred interest from Michael Parkinson[2] and Melvyn Bragg.
Just after Cullum made his first television appearance, on Parkinson in April 2003, he signed a £1m contract[3] for three albums with Universal, who beat Sony in a bidding war. Cullum's third album, Twentysomething, released in October 2003, went platinum and became the #1 selling studio album by a jazz artist in the United Kingdom. Cullum ended 2003 as the UK's biggest selling jazz artist of all time.[3]
Although primarily a jazz musician, he performs in a wide range of styles and is generally regarded as a "crossover" artist with his musical roots firmly based in jazz. Cullum draws his inspiration from many different musicians and listens to an eclectic mix of music from Miles Davis[4] to Tom Waits and many more. Cullum has belonged to several bands, ranging from banging drums in a hip hop group to playing guitar in rock bands such as Raw Sausage and The Mystery Machine, in his teenage youth. Cullum names his elder brother, Ben Cullum, as his biggest musical influence, and the two continue to collaborate extensively.
Cullum is well known not only for his abilities on the piano, but also for his unique entertainment style and charisma. One of the many things that features in Jamie's concerts is the "stompbox" (not to be confused with an effect pedal for guitars), made from a small wooden block. The stompbox is used to amplify a musician's tapping foot. Jamie found this in Australia and uses it to enhance upbeat and fast-paced songs such as Seven Nation Army originally by the White Stripes and "Gold Digger", originally by Kanye West. He is also often found using a looping machine. This plays a heavy part in Cullum's versions of Seven Nation Army and Teardrop by Massive Attack. Cullum is also often found beatboxing at most gigs.
As well as the White Stripes and Kanye West, Cullum has performed work by Massive Attack, Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Joy Division, Lady Gaga and many others. He has also performed with Kylie Minogue, Sugababes, Will.i.am and Burt Bacharach.
Cullum rarely works to a set list and on average his gigs last just over two hours. The gigs are largely improvised, rooted in jazz but not solely consisting of jazz music.
Cullum has played at many large music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival (in 2004 & 2009), Coachella 2005, 2006 South by Southwest, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl (performing with the Count Basie Orchestra) and the 2006 Playboy Jazz Festival. On the April 29th 2006 Cullum played his biggest ever crowd on Queensday in The Netherlands.
Discography:
1999 - Heard It All Before
2001 - Pointless Nostalgic
2003 - Twentysomething
2005 - Catching Tales
2009 - The Pursuit
2010 - Devil May Care
2013 - Momentum
2014 - Interlude
2018 - The song society playlist
2019 - Taller
2020 - The pianoman at christmas
2021 - The pianoman at christmas (The complete edition)
I Get a Hick Out of You
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you
Some get their kicks from cocaine
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrifically too
I get a kick every time I see you standing there before me
I get a kick though it's clear to me that you obviously do not adore me
I get no kick in a plane
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do
But I get a kick out of you
I get no kick from champagne
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you
Some get their kicks from cocaine
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrifically too
That I get a kick out of you
I get a kick every time I see you standing there before me
I get a kick though it's clear to me that you obviously do not adore me
I get no kick in a plane
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do
But I get a kick
She gives me a boot
I get a kick out of you
In the song "I Get a Kick out of You" by Jamie Cullum, the singer is reflecting on what brings them joy and excitement in life. They begin by listing off things that don't thrill them - champagne and alcohol - but then express confusion over the fact that they do get a kick out of the person they're singing to. The lyrics take a turn towards the dark as the singer acknowledges that some people may find their thrills through illegal drugs, but not them. The song ends on a playful note as the singer acknowledges that while they may not find joy in some of the more glamorous things in life, they do find it in the person they're singing to.
On a deeper level, the lyrics are commenting on the unpredictability and complexity of human emotions. The singer has a hard time understanding why they are drawn to this particular person, given that they seem to have nothing in common with them. It suggests that sometimes our emotions defy logic, and we can't always explain what we're feeling or why.
Line by Line Meaning
I get no kick from champagne
Champagne doesn't excite me
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all
I'm not impressed by just any type of alcohol
So tell me why should it be true
If I don't care for certain things, why do I care for you?
That I get a kick out of you
But I do find enjoyment in your company
Some get their kicks from cocaine
Some people find excitement in drugs like cocaine
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
I'm positive that if I tried cocaine just once
That would bore me terrifically too
I would also find it uninteresting
That I get a kick out of you
But being around you is still enjoyable to me
I get a kick every time I see you standing there before me
I feel a rush of excitement every time I see you in front of me
I get a kick though it's clear to me that you obviously do not adore me
Even though it's evident that you don't have feelings for me, I still enjoy being near you
I get no kick in a plane
I don't feel excited while flying in a plane
Flying too high with some gal in the sky
Flying at high altitude with a partner
Is my idea of nothing to do
To me, that's not thrilling or fun
But I get a kick out of you
Still, being with you brings me enjoyment
She gives me a boot
You might not feel the same way about me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Susan Gill
One of the best performances ever!!! This genius has off-the-charts talent, musicianship, fetterless delivery, creativity and also comes across as a really nice guy. Crazy about him! Always looking for new Jamie creations in the works. What a musical treasure.
superjfaith
scary talented...
AL VEER
🌅👏💓💓👏🌄😁
Lorena García
Que genio.
Felipe Morales
HOLA TUVE EL PLACER DE ESTAR EN ESTE CONCIERTO EN OXFORD UK
TOM NEEDHAM
As Conte Candoli would have said: Jamie's too much!!
Magda Veloso
Genius...#jamiecullum
Christopher Risch
starts at 2:25
Rosa Sparks
the glass of wine >
Bachiri Sofiane
Chikour