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)
Music Is Through
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you've gotta pin me down
Cover everything you see,
In the sweat that I could drown
Watch it fall and let it die,
The rain will cut you open now
All the words are plagiarised,
If you look like you wann, baby I don't
Mind if I do
Girl I got your number,
Call you when the music is through
If you look like you wanna, baby I don't
Mind if I do
Girl I've got your number,
Call you when the music is through
If you wanna fuck with me,
Lord you'll never bring me down
All the things you never see,
In the sweat I could drown
If you wanna fuck with me,
Then you gotta get me down
All the things you never see,
In the sweat I could drown
If you look like you wanna,
Baby I don't mind if Id do, do, do
Girl I've got your number, call you when the
Music is through, through, through
If you look like you wanna, baby I don't
Mind if I do, do, do
Girl I've got your number, call you when the
Music is through, through, through
If you wanna get with me,
Then you've gotta pin me down
Everything you see's for free,
In the sweat I could drown
If you look like you wanna,
Baby I don't mind if I do, do, do
Girl I've got your number, call you when the
Music is through, through, through
If you look like you wanna,
Baby I don't mind if I do, do, do
Girl I've got your number, call you when the
Music is through, through, through
The lyrics to Jamie Cullum's "Music Is Through" are open to interpretation, but at their core, they seem to be about the intense, almost visceral experience of music and the emotions it evokes. The opening lines suggest that the singer is looking for something intense and committed, as they tell their potential partner to "pin them down" and "cover everything you see." Then there is the suggestion that music itself can create an overwhelming sensation, inducing a state of drowning while the rain employs beautiful imagery.
There is a sense of ownership and power throughout the song as the singer tells their partner "If you wanna fuck with me, Lord you'll never bring me down." This may suggest that the singer is confident and unbreakable, imbued with a fierce sense of determination. The repetition of the line "If you look like you wanna, baby I don't mind if I do" may suggest that the singer is in a state of heightened arousal, ready for whatever experiences life brings them. At the same time, the phrase "call you when the music is through" adds a note of ambivalence, as if the singer is reluctant to engage in anything too serious or long-lasting.
Line by Line Meaning
If you wanna get with me
If you want to be with me
Then you've gotta pin me down
Then you have to catch me and hold me tight
Cover everything you see
Embrace and envelop every aspect of me and my world
In the sweat that I could drown
With such intense passion that I almost suffocate in emotion
Watch it fall and let it die
Let it all crumble and disappear
The rain will cut you open
The harsh reality will reveal itself and wound you
All the words are plagiarised
All the expressions of love have already been expressed before
They crystallise your tears somehow
They capture and preserve the pain in your tears
If you look like you wanna, baby I don't
If it seems like you want me, I don't mind
Mind if I do
I'll accept you
Girl I got your number
I have a read on you
Call you when the music is through
I'll be there for you after the passion and excitement fades
If you wanna fuck with me
If you want to play with me
Lord you'll never bring me down
You will never be able to control me
All the things you never see
The hidden parts of me
If you wanna fuck with me, then you gotta get me down
If you want to engage with me, you have to be able to handle my intensity
If you look like you wanna
If it appears that you want me
Then you've got to catch me first
Then you have to pursue me
Everything you see's for free
Everything I have to offer is available for you to explore
If you look like you wanna, baby I don't mind if I do
If you seem interested, I don't see a reason not to pursue you
Girl I've got your number
I have a read on you
Call you when the music is through
I'll be there for you when the passion fades
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN CULLUM, JAMIE CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Juan Fernández de la Pradilla Valdemoros
Does anyone know why this song doesn’t appear on Spotify? 😢💔
alan callaghan
Who cares it’s on here, what a tune ...
McGrey
No:( I'm suffering from the same problem... Can't play it on there
Margarida Ferreira
fell in love with this music the first time I heard it - definitely one of my favorites of this album <3
paulcorgan
This is the perfect running song, I workout to it everyday- incredible
alan callaghan
paulcorgan never thought of that will try it next time on my spin bike
lalala7430
this song is just AMAZING.Actually, Jamie is amazing!
Maartje Ramselaar
Só musical !!!!!! one of my favorites!
jordiApm1
I love this song!!!
Emily McPherson
Amazing song, thank you for posting!