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)
aNYway
Jamie Cullum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding it together through a futuristic world that can't be much worse
What did you say, what did you do, what did you lose
You know that love ain't gonna make itself
Sleep through the day, nothing to prove, how do you choose
With all the colors taken off the shelf
Cut me I will still bleed, still bleed
When you've burned through the lies
All the jokes all the rhymes
No one's gonna stop you from falling
Though I'd do it anyway, 'cause there's nothing left for us to say
I know I shouldn't but I did it anyway
Always remember the terrorists of time well they ain't friendly
All those decisions baby, their empty sound rings so profoundly
Summers they ache, summers they break, summers they waste
Your empty body of the bitter tears
You've run around, chasing a sound, you've never found
To keep you going through the leaner years
Patience ain't a virtue, virtue
Dreamers can't hurt you, hurt you
If you live through it all
May as well lose it all
Nothing's gonna stop you from falling
Though I'd do it anyway, 'cause there's nothing left for us to say
I know I shouldn't but I did it anyway
In the first verse, Jamie Cullum describes a person who is wearing a t-shirt with meaningless words on it, and yet somehow this person seems to keep it together in a world that has become increasingly complex and advanced. He then asks a series of questions about what the person had said, done or lost, and suggests that love is not going to happen on its own. He talks about feeling helpless and unable to prove anything, and uses the metaphor of taking colors off the shelf to describe feeling empty and lacking inspiration. In the chorus, he says that despite everything, nobody can stop you from falling, and yet he still wants to keep going anyway.
In the second verse, Cullum talks about the passage of time and the decisions that we make that sometimes have no consequence. He talks about how summers can be both joyful and painful, and how they often leave us feeling empty. He suggests that sometimes we chase after something we've never found, just to keep us going in the hard times. He then follows up with the chorus, suggesting that living through it all, even if we lose everything, is better than not living at all.
Line by Line Meaning
Two bit philosopher with pointless proclamations on his t-shirt
A person who claims to have philosophical ideas that are not significant, as evident in the messages on their t-shirt.
Holding it together through a futuristic world that can't be much worse
Making an effort to stay strong and survive in a world that is advanced but not necessarily better than the past.
What did you say, what did you do, what did you lose
Reflecting on things said or done and the resulting consequences or losses.
You know that love ain't gonna make itself
Acknowledging that taking action is necessary to achieve love rather than waiting for it to happen.
Sleep through the day, nothing to prove, how do you choose
Feeling idle and not driven by any particular goal, unsure how to proceed.
With all the colors taken off the shelf
Feeling life is dull and lacking vibrancy or inspiration.
I ain't gonna mind read, mind read
Not willing to guess or assume what others are thinking without clear communication.
Cut me I will still bleed, still bleed
Acknowledging vulnerability and resilience despite being hurt.
When you've burned through the lies
Not being fooled anymore after discovering the truth behind certain situations or people.
All the jokes all the rhymes
All the fun and lightheartedness is gone.
No one's gonna stop you from falling
No one will prevent or stop one from experiencing a downturn or failure.
Though I'd do it anyway, 'cause there's nothing left for us to say
Taking action or making decisions even though there is nothing else to discuss or express.
I know I shouldn't but I did it anyway
Acknowledging the lack of justification for taking an action, but still doing it anyways out of compulsion or desire.
Always remember the terrorists of time well they ain't friendly
Warning not to forget that time can be destructive and unforgiving, with negative consequences.
All those decisions baby, their empty sound rings so profoundly
Reflecting on choices made that ultimately led to emptiness or unsatisfactory outcomes.
Summers they ache, summers they break, summers they waste
Summer months can bring emotional pain, destruction, or idleness.
Your empty body of the bitter tears
A body devoid of fruitful experiences and instead filled with negative emotions.
You've run around, chasing a sound, you've never found
Chasing after something that does not exist or cannot be grasped despite efforts.
To keep you going through the leaner years
Trying to find a source of support or motivation during difficult or trying times.
Patience ain't a virtue, virtue
Patience is not always helpful or necessary.
Dreamers can't hurt you, hurt you
People with no realistic perspectives or expectations cannot cause harm.
If you live through it all
Having the perseverance to endure all life's difficulties and obstacles.
May as well lose it all
There is a sense of resignation or acceptance that anything can be lost despite efforts to preserve it.
Nothing's gonna stop you from falling
Despite best efforts to avoid failure or setbacks, it still remains a possibility.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANGELA R GRANT, JAMES SAMUEL III HARRIS, JAMES HARRIS III, TERRY LEWIS, JAMES WRIGHT, JAMES QUENTON WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vanessa De Paula
E Sentindo cada toque de seu som........ ele vibra algo ....inexplicável.
JonahUponTheHill
All the indie music recently has been taking on this evolution- we are now living in a time where we have the sound of the 80's 70's and 60's, people like this are saving music.
Gunnar Oden
You inspire me so much as a songwriter Jamie!
Angela Sánchez Olguin
Cómo es posible que aún no esté en Spotify 😢
Milad Khosseini
This is the best track from the album!
Putra Wiranggaleng
Been crazy listening to this for this week. It makes my morning joyful.
ImJasonForever
Oh my gosh I absolutely love all of these new songs!
Sandy Heredia
this is amazingly energetic! love it!
Mary-Ann Durant
This is an absolute tune!! love!!
Ihda Ida
Love it soooo much!!!