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)
When I Get Famous
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're gonna cut through the windows
Ain't no one messing with my plans
Right now my star is in limbo
Sit back and watch my scrawny frame
Invade your feelings
All the years you caused me pain
I've got some wounds that need healin
Well you were just too damn aloof
Wearing your Morrissey t-shirt
The kind of girl that's born for youth
Well that's a blessing and some curse
I tell you son beware of those
Who peak too early
Cause all that magic can't be froze
And now it's you who ain't worthy
So baby when I get famous
Everybody's gonna see
Oh oh oh
You never really knew me
Does it make sense to simplify
Now we're knotted in riddles
But I don't care, do you know why
The girls are falling like skittles
Whoever said you needed rights
To tame your beauty
I'll say goodbye to lonely nights
Girls form an orderly queue please
So baby when I get famous
Everybody's gonna see
Oh oh oh
You never really knew me
So given knowledge, given time
I'd take us out of recession
I'd tell the world that all was fine
And that there freedom's a blessing
Cause when I'm looking from the top
You'll all seem smaller
Ain't that what all us humans want?
To stand that little bit taller
So baby when I get famous
Everybody's gonna see
Oh oh oh
You never really knew me
The lyrics of When I Get Famous by Jamie Cullum seem to be about an individual who is confident in their abilities and is hoping to become successful in order to prove a point. The opening line, “there's diamonds hiding in my hands”, is an indication that the person is skilled and talented, and is just waiting for the right opportunity to show it to the world. The line, “ain't no one messing with my plans” also indicates a strong sense of determination and focus towards achieving their goals.
The lyrics also seem to touch upon the idea of revenge and closure. The line, “all the years you caused me pain, I've got some wounds that need healing” indicates that the person has had a troubled past and is hoping that success will bring some sort of relief or closure. Additionally, the line “you were just too damn aloof” is directed towards someone who may have contributed to their troubled past, and is a sign of resentment towards that person.
The final lines, “so baby when I get famous, everybody's gonna see, you never really knew me,” is a message to anyone who doubted or underestimated the person’s abilities. It's a declaration that they will soon be in the spotlight and everyone will see just how talented and capable they are.
Line by Line Meaning
There's diamonds hiding in my hands
I have immense talent and potential that is yet to be discovered
They're gonna cut through the windows
My talent will catch everyone's attention and will be undeniable
Ain't no one messing with my plans
I am confident in my abilities and no one can bring me down
Right now my star is in limbo
I am still trying to make it big in the music industry
Sit back and watch my scrawny frame
I may not look like a star yet, but my talent will speak for itself
Invade your feelings
My music will touch people's hearts and emotions
All the years you caused me pain
I have been through difficult times, but I am determined to succeed
I've got some wounds that need healin
I have some emotional scars that need to be healed
Well you were just too damn aloof
You were too cool and distant towards me
Wearing your Morrissey t-shirt
You had a certain style that was a bit pretentious
The kind of girl that's born for youth
You were young and carefree, but maybe not ready for something serious
Well that's a blessing and some curse
Being young and carefree is great, but it also has its downsides
I tell you son beware of those
I'm warning you to be cautious of people like that
Who peak too early
People who have early success may not be able to sustain it
Cause all that magic can't be froze
Early success can create unrealistic expectations that may be hard to live up to
And now it's you who ain't worthy
You missed out on the opportunity to be with me because you didn't show me the love and support I needed
Does it make sense to simplify
Is it better to take a simple approach?
Now we're knotted in riddles
Our relationship is complicated and confusing
But I don't care, do you know why
I don't care about the complications because I have other options
The girls are falling like skittles
Women are attracted to me because of my talent and success
Whoever said you needed rights
Who said you need to have everything figured out?
To tame your beauty
To control your attractiveness
I'll say goodbye to lonely nights
I will no longer be alone because I will have many admirers
Girls form an orderly queue please
Women, please form a line to show your interest in me
So given knowledge, given time
If I have the resources and time to do so
I'd take us out of recession
I would help improve the economy
I'd tell the world that all was fine
I would spread a positive message to the world
And that there freedom's a blessing
And that freedom is something to be grateful for
Cause when I'm looking from the top
When I am successful and have achieved all my goals
You'll all seem smaller
My problems and challenges will seem insignificant from that perspective
Ain't that what all us humans want?
Isn't that what we all strive for in life?
To stand that little bit taller
To feel a sense of pride and accomplishment
So baby when I get famous
When I become successful
Everybody's gonna see
Everybody will recognize me and my talent
You never really knew me
You didn't support me when I needed it and missed out on being a part of my success
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMIE PAUL JOSEPH CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind