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)
London Skies
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Clear cut and pale on a cold winters day,
Shapes and cool light wander the streets like an army of strays,
On a cold winters Day.
Will you let me romanticize,
The beauty in our London Skies,
You know the sunlight always shines,
Patient moments you chill to the bone under infinite grays,
Vision hindered mist settling low like a ghostly ballet,
On a cold winter's day.
Will you let me romanticize,
The beauty in our London Skies,
You know the sunlight always shines,
Behind the clouds of London Skies.
Nothing is certain except everything you know can change,
You worship the sun but now,
Can you fall for the rain
Will you let me romanticize,
The beauty in our London Skies,
You know the sunlight always shines,
Behind the clouds of London Skies.
In the song 'London Skies' by Jamie Cullum, the lyrics paint a picture of a cold winter's day in London. The first verse uses vivid imagery to describe the shapes and cool light that wander the streets, almost as if they are an army of stray objects. The second verse continues this descriptive tone, painting a picture of patient moments that chill to the bone under infinite gray skies. As the mist settles low like a ghostly ballet, the singer asks whether he can romanticize the beauty in the London skies, and whether the listener agrees that the sunlight always shines behind the clouds.
There is a sense of vulnerability in the lyrics, as the singer acknowledges that nothing is certain except that everything can change. The final line of the song asks the listener to worship the rain, deviating from the typical idealization of sunshine. The lyrics showcase a love for the constantly shifting beauty of London's skies, even if it means embracing the rain rather than simply basking in the sunlight.
Line by Line Meaning
Paint a picture,
Jamie Cullum sets the scene for the song
Clear cut and pale on a cold winters day,
The image that Jamie Cullum is painting in our minds is a clear and concise one, very simple but powerful
Shapes and cool light wander the streets like an army of strays,
The shapes and cool light are the cold streetlights and they seem to wander like random people on the streets
On a cold winters Day.
The cold winter day creates a specific feeling and causes the images to be clearer
Will you let me romanticize,
Jamie is asking if his audience will allow him to create a romanticized version of London
The beauty in our London Skies,
Jamie is pointing out the beauty that lies within the grey skies over London
You know the sunlight always shines,
Jamie is saying that even though the skies can be grey and overcast, the sun is always there, behind the clouds
Behind the clouds of London Skies.
Jamie finds beauty, even in the greyest of skies
Patient moments you chill to the bone under infinite grays,
Jamie is describing the feeling of the person walking on the streets on a cold day, where the skies stretch out to infinity.
Vision hindered mist settling low like a ghostly ballet,
The mist hanging low also makes it seem as though someone is performing a ballet
On a cold winter's day.
The coldness of the winter day makes everything seem bleaker
Nothing is certain except everything you know can change,
Jamie is saying that nothing is certain and no matter how much we know, things will always change
You worship the sun but now,
Jamie is referencing how people are always in awe of the sun but people should also learn to appreciate the rain
Can you fall for the rain
Jamie asks if it's possible for his audience to feel the same way about the rain as they do about the sun
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GUY CHAMBERS, JAMIE CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BloozeDaddy76
My mom became a huge Cullum fan a few years ago and this song is her favorite that I'll always associate with her everytime I hear it. She passed away a year ago but got the chance to see Jamie in concert in 2006 and said he put on the best live show she ever saw.
Joaquin Barina
I also have been into him since I was like 5.
Joaquin Barina
I’m so sorry for your loss😭
Tina Santos
Lembro da primeira vez que ouvi essa música em 2006 e até hoje amo.
Seong Hang
Accidentalmente descubrí ésta joya de track
marcyboy
Jamie Cullum is amazing! I dont like all of his songs but his talent is outstanding and the songs I do love by him are great! :)
cheree stewart
i love jamie cullum. he is a unique jazz musician.
Elenka Bahnová
Love this song, it´s awesome!! I feel that I fly in the skies, Jamie Cullum is the best musician, Love his songs & his charisma
TvanKesteren
almost a year ago i went to london. 4-day-trip. The colours of london and fall are like heaven. It's weird. Every city has it's own heart beating. You can't compare london with paris and Rome, New York with Amsterdam and Rotterdam with Berlin.
Layla
I haven't heard this song in soo long! so when i found it again i actually started tearing up! sooo beutiful