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)
My Yard
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I will meet you right outside.
I got some DVD's and a couple of beers,
If you want to,
We can stay up all night.
It's nothing fancy, just a little couch and me
And conversation for your mind.
Of the things that we both talked about last time.
[Chorus]
Take a trip to my yard
Don't you know the grass is greener on the other side?
Take a trip to my yard
Don't you know the love that you've been dreaming of is mine?
I'll be your neighbor at the other end of town
And the benefits you soon will find.
So let's enjoy the fact that we're on our own
And we will answer to nobody else this time.
Tonight might be nothing but the moon and me
Any time that we take the script and flip it baby
Take a trip to my yard
[Chorus]
In Jamie Cullum's song "My Yard," he invites someone to come over to his place and hang out with him. He offers up the possibility of watching DVD's and having a few beers while exploring all the possibilities of their conversation. This is not a fancy date, just an invitation to spend time together and to get to know each other better. Jamie Cullum emphasizes the fact that they are on their own and have nobody else to answer to this time. He emphasizes the idea that they would have fun and be able to explore different possibilities with each other. This is an invitation to connect with someone in a private, low-key setting.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea that the grass may be greener on the other side, and there is an opportunity to experience the love that you've been dreaming of. Jamie Cullum is positioning himself as the one who can offer this, and he encourages the person he is inviting to take a trip to his yard to experience it. He offers up the possibility of a new experience, and he emphasizes the idea of exploring and finding new opportunities.
Overall, "My Yard" is a low-key, private invitation to spend time with someone, to explore new possibilities, and to connect in a real, meaningful way. Jamie Cullum emphasizes the idea that they are on their own and that they have no one else to answer to. He offers up the possibility of experiencing something new and different, and he positions himself as the one who can offer this.
Line by Line Meaning
So hail a taxi cab and come around here
Please call for a taxi and come to my place
And I will meet you right outside.
I will come to meet you at the doorstep
I got some DVD's and a couple of beers,
I have some DVDs and some drinks ready
If you want to,
Please let me know if you are interested
We can stay up all night.
We can spend the whole night together
It's nothing fancy, just a little couch and me
My place is simple, with just a couch and me
And conversation for your mind.
But I can offer you stimulating conversation
So let's explore all the possibilities
Let's not hold back and see where this goes
Of the things that we both talked about last time.
We can continue the topics we discussed before
Take a trip to my yard
Come visit me at my place
Don't you know the grass is greener on the other side?
You might find that my place is better than yours
Take a trip to my yard
Come visit me at my place
Don't you know the love that you've been dreaming of is mine?
I can offer you the love you've been dreaming of
I'll be your neighbor at the other end of town
Although we live far apart, I am here for you
And the benefits you soon will find.
I can provide you with many advantages
So let's enjoy the fact that we're on our own
Let's appreciate the freedom we have now
And we will answer to nobody else this time.
We don't have to answer to anyone but ourselves
Tonight might be nothing but the moon and me
We might just be under the moonlight together
Any time that we take the script and flip it baby
We can improvise and make things exciting
Take a trip to my yard
Come visit me at my place
[Chorus]
Refrain repeat
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TERON BEAL, BEN CULLUM, JAMIE CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind