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)
What a Difference a Day Makes
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twenty-four little hours
Bought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain
My yesterday was blue dear
Today I'm a part of you dear
My lonely nights are through dear
Since you said you were mine
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss that thrilling kiss
It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you, is you
My yesterday was blue dear
Still I'm a part of you dear
My lonely nights are through dear
Since you said you were mine
Oh, and what a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss that thrilling kiss
It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you, is you, is you
"What a Difference a Day Makes" is a song originally written in Spanish by Mexican songwriter, Maria Grever, with the title "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" (When I Return to Your Side). The song is a love song about how one day can change someone's life completely. The lyrics talk about how the singer's life was sad and full of rain, but then everything changed with a new love.
The first verse of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. It's about how in just a day, everything changed for the better. The sun and the flowers are symbols of happiness, and it shows that the singer's life went from sad and gloomy to bright and colorful. In the second verse, the lyrics state that the singer's life was lonely before they met this person, but now they are together and no longer alone. The chorus repeats the idea that one day made all the difference, and that the person singing the song is now in a state of bliss.
The song's message is that love can change someone's life in a single day. It's a beautiful sentiment, and the song is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, love can brighten everything up. The song has a classic jazz feel to it, with a slow tempo and melodic piano playing. Jamie Cullum's version of the song adds a modern twist, with the introduction of electronic beats and a more up-tempo beat.
Line by Line Meaning
What a difference a day made
It's remarkable how much has changed in just one day
Twenty-four little hours
A brief amount of time, but enough to create a huge impact
Bought the sun and the flowers
Replaced gloom with happiness
Where there used to be rain
The bad times have passed and now there's good
My yesterday was blue dear
I was unhappy before
Today I'm a part of you dear
Now I feel connected to you
My lonely nights are through dear
No more loneliness in my life thanks to you
Since you said you were mine
Since we became a couple
Oh, and what a difference a day made
It's amazing how much things have changed in just one day
There's a rainbow before me
There's hope and promise now in my life
Skies above can't be stormy
The future is bright and there won't be any troubles
Since that moment of bliss that thrilling kiss
Since the moment we experienced pure joy and passion
It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
Romance can make life so much better
And the difference is you, is you
The change in my life is all thanks to you
Writer(s): Stanley Adams, Jeremy S. Stover, Maria Grever Copyright: Universal Music - Z Tunes LLC, WB Music Corp., Edward B Marks Music Company
Contributed by Isabella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bora Kemal Yüksel
What a difference a day made, 24 little hours
Bought the sun and the flowers, where there used to be rain
My yesterday was blue dear
Today I'm a part of you dear
My lonely nights are through dear
Since you said you were mine
And, what a difference a day made
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you (is you)
My yesterday was blue dear
Still I'm a part of you dear
My lonely nights are through dear
Since you said you were mine
Oh what a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss
It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you (is you, is you
rainbowphd
How can something like this not get under your skin. He grabs hold of the essence which keeps body and soul together and plays with it.
Berenice Chaves
O Jamie trouxe a juventude que eu achava esquecida no jazz... Um jovem gigante na pura beleza desse gênero. Great!
Cleber Rodrigues
Berenice Chaves com certeza esse cara é espetacular
Ad Astra
He is a great singer but he's also an amazing jazz pianist. Wow.
missatrebor
Jamie is as much at home in a jazz club as on the big podia. Unique singer and great pianoplayer. Bravo, indeed.
Hettie Els
So absolutely excellently and beautifully performed .
Pure soothing to listen to many times over. Thankyou
Leticia Vivacqua
É a melhor versão desta música . A interpretação dele supera todas que ouvi até hoje . Amo essa música !!!!
Sub Par Golf
not enough of this any more in music. its called talent!
Dave Stoecklein
I love how he does the same song always different to the studio version. Great improvisations! Vocals and Piano. Respect to his creativity!
Stella Moreno
I love, love this song and I love Jamie’s voice its like silk. He can sing any song and make it his own.