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)
You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're nobody till somebody cares
You may be king, you may posses the world and it's gold
Gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old
The world isn't the same, you'll never change it
As sure as the sun shines above you
You're nobody till somebody loves you
So find yourself somebody to love
You're nobody till somebody loves you
You're nobody till somebody cares
You may be king, you may posses the world and it's gold
But gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old
The world isn't the same, you'll never change it
As sure as the sun shines above you
You're nobody till somebody loves you
So find yourself somebody
You don't need just anybody
Find yourself somebody to love
The lyrics of Jamie Cullum's "You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You" speaks to the truth that love and connection are the most valuable and essential things in life. The opening lines, "You're nobody till somebody loves you/ You're nobody till somebody cares," don't diminish anyone's worth but rather point out the importance of the presence of love in one's life. Although riches and power may make you feel important or significant, they cannot replace the feeling of someone who truly loves and cares for you. The lines, "You may be king, you may possess the world and it's gold/ Gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old," reveal the futility of chasing after material wealth without the love and connection with others. The song also alludes to the idea that it's impossible for an individual to change the world significantly. Instead of looking outward to create a world of love, the song advises to "find yourself somebody to love," keeping the focus on the importance of love in an individual's life.
The song offers a much-needed reminder that true happiness and purpose are derived from love and the relationships we build with others. It encourages listeners to seek love and connections instead of material possessions and worldly success. In conclusion, Jamie Cullum's "You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You" is a beautiful and powerful song that urges us to prioritize love and relationships over anything else, and to never underestimate the power of human connection in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
You're nobody till somebody loves you
Your worth is defined by the love you receive from others.
You're nobody till somebody cares
You need people to care about you to have value in society.
You may be king, you may posses the world and it's gold
No amount of wealth or power will make you feel loved.
Gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old
Material possessions cannot provide you with lasting happiness.
The world isn't the same, you'll never change it
The world is inherently flawed, and you can't change it.
As sure as the sun shines above you
This statement is an eternal truth.
You're nobody till somebody loves you
Your worth is defined by the love you receive from others.
So find yourself somebody to love
You need to find someone who loves you to feel valuable.
You're nobody till somebody loves you
Your worth is defined by the love you receive from others.
You're nobody till somebody cares
You need people to care about you to have value in society.
You may be king, you may posses the world and it's gold
No amount of wealth or power will make you feel loved.
But gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old
Material possessions cannot provide you with lasting happiness.
The world isn't the same, you'll never change it
The world is inherently flawed, and you can't change it.
As sure as the sun shines above you
This statement is an eternal truth.
You're nobody till somebody loves you
Your worth is defined by the love you receive from others.
So find yourself somebody
You need to find someone who loves you to feel valuable.
You don't need just anybody
It's important to find someone who truly loves you and values you.
Find yourself somebody to love
Your worth is based on finding someone who loves you for who you are.
Writer(s): STOCK LARRY, CAVANAUGH JAMES, MORGAN RUSS
Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.