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)
These are the Days
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me the taste
Give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun
And I feel fine.
Sometimes when the nights are closing early
Even though now you don't want to know me
I get on by, and I go the extra mile.
These are the times of love and meaning
Ice of the heart melted away and found the light
These are the days of endless dreaming
Troubles of life are floating away like a bird in flight.
These are the days that I've been missing
Give me the taste give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun and I feel fine
The lyrics of Jamie Cullum's song These Are The Days describe a sense of nostalgia and a longing for the good times, despite the hardships that life can bring. The opening line "These are the days that I've been missing" highlights a sense of yearning for something that has passed, while "Give me the taste, give me the joy of summer wine" is an allusion to reliving happy memories. The chorus continues this sentiment with "These are the days that bring new meaning, I feel the stillness of the sun and I feel fine," reflecting a sense of contentment and peace.
The second verse is more reflective, with the opening line "Sometimes when the nights are closing early, I remember you and I start to smile." This implies a sense of sadness or loss, but the joy of the memories outweighs the melancholy. The line "Even though now you don't want to know me, I get on by, and I go the extra mile" suggests a personal challenge that the songwriter has faced, but he is able to move forward with strength and resilience.
Overall, the song speaks to the human experience of looking back on the past and longing for the good times, while also acknowledging the struggles that come with life. The lyrics are both reflective and hopeful, encouraging listeners to find joy in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
These are the days that I've been missing
The present moments are precious and he realizes that he has been longing for these days.
Give me the taste
He longs for experiencing things he enjoys again.
Give me the joy of summer wine
He wants to feel happy and carefree like he did during past summers.
These are the days that bring new meaning
The current days hold new significance for him and change his outlook on life.
I feel the stillness of the sun
He feels the calmness of the sun and the world around him.
And I feel fine.
He is content with his life in the present.
Sometimes when the nights are closing early
In moments of solitude, he reflects on his past.
I remember you and I start to smile
Thoughts of a past love bring him happiness.
Even though now you don't want to know me
He has accepted that his past love does not feel the same way anymore.
I get on by, and I go the extra mile.
He moves forward despite hardships and strives to put in extra effort to improve his life.
These are the times of love and meaning
He recognizes that this moment in his life is full of love and purpose.
Ice of the heart melted away and found the light
He has overcome emotional barriers and found happiness.
These are the days of endless dreaming
He is free to dream and feel hopeful for the future.
Troubles of life are floating away like a bird in flight.
His hardships are fading away and he feels lighter and free.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BEN CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eli March
These are the days that I've been missing
Give me the taste give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun and I feel fine
Sometimes when the nights are closing early
I remember you and I start to smile
Even though now you don't want to know me
I get on by, and I go the extra mile
These are the times of love and meaning
Ice of the heart has melted away and found the light
These are the days of endless dreaming
Troubles of life are floating away like a bird in flight
These are the days
These are the days
These are the days
I've thought you said that love would last forever
Leave and that the tears would end for good
I told you that we get through any weather
Maybe that didn't work out
But we did the best we could
These are the days that I've been missing
Give me the taste give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun and I feel fine
Julian Vickery
"These Are The Days" by British singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum (from "Twentysomething", his second studio album, released in 2003 in Europe, and in 2004 in the United States. https://youtu.be/8RXVIMjNJCg
A song of summer love, lost.
Lyrics:
These are the days that I've been missing
Give me the taste
Give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun
And I feel fine.
Sometimes when the nights are closing early
I remember you and I start to smile
Even though now you don't want to know me
I get on by, and I go the extra mile.
These are the times of love and meaning
Ice of the heart melted away and found the light
These are the days of endless dreaming
Troubles of life are floating away like a bird in flight.
These are the days that I've been missing
Give me the taste give me the joy of summer wine
These are the days that bring new meaning
I feel the stillness of the sun and I feel fine
Epic Gardening
Smoothest voice out there - god damn
MlekoChan
I don't know what's with this guy but everybody, who listen to Jamie for the first time instantly fall in love with him and his music.
Amy McLelland
It’s called talent.
Acvsdfe4532
nope
BigKuriboh
Nope
Thomas Akdeniz
I'm 14 and I grew up listening to music like this and I dont understand how some people can prefer modern day "pop/hiphop" crap to this. Jazz is the most pure, joyful sounding music and will never be replaced by anything. I really appreciate artists like Jamie Cullum who keep it alive. Thank You Jamie!
Amy Jo Michalek
wherever i am...whatever mood i'm in..this song instantly puts a smile on my face. i LOVE how music can do that...Jamie is truly a musician.... :)
TheRanhughes
This song takes me back to the year 2004. My ex wife and I had just moved to Pennsylvania from Texas. Life was great. Two years later, we were divorcing after 16 years of marriage. I listened to this album all the time during that part of my life. All of the emotions that I felt at that time come flooding back to me when I hear any of the tracks from that album.
Maggie Mogul
TheRanhughes Great song, make more memories, then those will be the days. (:
llamawizard
Why the divorce?