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)
The Seer's Tower
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe,
I see the fire, I see the end.
Seven miles above the earth,
There is Emmanuel of mothers.
With his sword, with his robe,
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rips and rips.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
Oh my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us.
Still I go to the deepest grave,
Where I go to sleep alone
The lyrics of "The Seer" by Jamie Cullum reflect a sense of existentialism and apocalyptic visions. The "tower above the earth" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the human mind, and the view it offers represents the vastness of our imagination and the potential to see beyond the mundane reality. However, with this insight comes a realization of the end of our existence, as the singer sees "the fire" and "the end." The use of the word "we" suggests a collective endeavor, but the purpose of building the tower for Emmanuel is not clear. The mention of Emmanuel, which is a name meaning "God is with us" in Hebrew, adds a spiritual dimension to the song.
The second stanza shifts the focus to a more specific image of Emmanuel as a warrior figure who divides "man from brothers" using a sword and a robe. This could be a reference to the biblical figure of Jesus Christ, who was also referred to as Emmanuel, and his role as a judge in separating the righteous from the wicked. The singer seems to be waiting for something significant to happen, as hinted by the repetition of "we wait until it rips and rips." The last two lines of this stanza also shed some light on the singer's family background, as they mention a betrayal by the mother but also a loving father.
The final stanza evokes a sense of melancholy and isolation, as the singer describes going to the "deepest grave" to find solitude. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for seeking inner peace by facing one's own mortality. The song does not provide a clear answer to what it all means but leaves room for the interpretation and contemplation of life's mysteries.
Line by Line Meaning
In the tower above the earth,
Referring to a tower built high up that offers a panoramic view of the surroundings.
There is a view that reaches far
The view from the tower offers a clear perspective of what is happening far away.
Where we see the universe,
From the vantage point of this tower, we can see the vastness and complexity of the universe.
I see the fire, I see the end.
From up high, a metaphorical fire can be seen, heralding the end of something.
Seven miles above the earth,
Elucidating that Emmanuel is found in the heavens, a great distance from the earth.
There is Emmanuel of mothers.
Emmanuel here can be interpreted as Jesus Christ, using maternal symbolism to refer to him.
With his sword, with his robe,
Using two symbols associated with Jesus Christ, the sword may represent divine judgement or truth, while the robe can be seen as symbolizing forgiveness or redemption.
He comes dividing man from brothers.
This line suggests that through his sword of judgement, even those who are blood-related will be separated from each other.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
The tower being mentioned in the first stanza is established here to point out that it was constructed specifically for Emmanuel/Jesus Christ.
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rips and rips.
An enigmatic line that potentially refers to earthly powers, perhaps man-made systems or governments, waiting until they inevitably fall apart.
Oh my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us.
A personal reflection on family relationships, where the singer acknowledges a betrayal by their mother but feels that their father provided love and care.
Still I go to the deepest grave,
The artist may be contending with grief or pain, and is shown coming to peace with it by burying it deep inside.
Where I go to sleep alone
The deepest grave mentioned in the previous line seems like a metaphor for a place of emotional solitude where the singer can find rest.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Sufjan Stevens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cynthia Strasse
" ... still I go to deepest grave, where I go to sleep alone ... "
Shimmering within in utter reverence, awe and thankfulness.
Praised be EMMANUEL° Namaste
Brooks Steffy
Cynthia Strasse that’s the line right there
Negative Capability
Incredible beauty of resonance indeed, multifaceted in deepest layers achieved in combining the lyrics with Nina's riff which brought forth endless strata of not only comprehension but added apprehension to the allegorical statement underneath ° namaste
Moshe Bigelow
I'm so in love with this song. If my hip worked I'd so dance to this
Juan Martinez
Esta canción le gustaba mucho a mi abuelo , gran performance ....!!!!
BRUNKE
Love this song!
ilioh
Just amazing!
Jamie no doubt you are a unique, fantastic, amazing, impressive musician ^^
Ashley Rose
Oh my this is so good!! 😭😭😭💜
Cynthia Strasse
Happy Sacred Epiphany's Day for Mr. Jamie Cullum and his family January 6th, 2017
good in green
Favorite song of his