A musician and lyricist of uncommon and mature gift, and one blessed with a gloriously fluid and expressive voice, Lawson was born and raised in Plymouth in what was he says a resolutely non-musical household. “No-one sang or played anything. We didn’t have any records. My dad would listen to Radio 2 a bit but that was the extent of it. And this was back in the days before the station got really good. There was nothing in what I heard that spoke directly to me.” Then the elder of his two brothers hit adolescence and things began to change: “He got me into The Smiths, The Housemartins, the Jackson 5 ...” A disparate trio of early influences, you might think, but Jamie says not really. “They’re all very big on melody. And Morrissey and the young Michael Jackson both have a real passion to the way they sing.”
Aged eight, he asked for and received his first guitar. Early on in secondary school, he was invited to join his first band. “We were quite a dedicated little bunch, rehearsing every lunchtime when the rest of the class was out playing football. It was pretty much all covers, of course ... R.E.M., the Chilli Peppers, some Hendrix. By the time I was 15 we had quite a wide repertoire of other people’s badly-done songs.” He was writing material of his own too, “all of it terrible to start with, of course. I’d be 17 at least before I came up with anything good.” And he was singing, though mainly in unconscious impersonation of Michael Stipe. “My own voice took a while to find. I had to stop trying to replicate someone else’s tricks.”
When he did properly uncover it, that voice proved to be something very special indeed. No one who has heard him sing live would disagree (and in addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, he has played with artists including The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, as well as having been chosen as opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua). Even-keeled, even undemonstrative offstage, he comes alive in front of an audience and in the service of his songs. “American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel has been a big influence, in the sense that he sings with his whole body and puts so much into his performance. The difference is that my voice is sweeter and more pure.”
There was a brief and half-hearted attempt at following a different career path. But unhappy and unfulfilled in his earliest weeks at Art College, Lawson sought the advice of a counsellor who then asked him, ‘So what do you want to do with your life?’ “And when I said that I wanted to be a singer she told me, ‘Then go and do it!’ which totally surprised me but which was absolutely the right thing to say. I met that woman just once and for five minutes. I don’t even know her name. But she showed me what I had to do.” And via a geographically circuitous route that has taken in Dublin, Cornwall and now London and during which both his song writing skills and stagecraft have increased by leaps and bounds, he has done it.
Lawson is not just a singer but also an exceptionally blessed and affecting one. His voice and songs have proven to work equally beautifully and well whether in a tiny indoor venue like London’s 12 Bar Club or outdoors before 10,000 people. “And the simple fact is that I love to sing,” he says. “I love the intimacy of live performance. I love drawing people into my mood. I love bringing them to where I am.”
Alan Jackson.
The Times
London.
All Is Beauty
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was thinking we were alight
Stars shine with particular style
Just enough to see how you smile
All is beauty
All is beauty
All is beauty for miles
And miles now
Love it is a delicate rhyme
You pull me in and said: "Now you're mine"
Kissed me in the rain and I sighed
Sometimes I don't know how to hide
From all this beauty
All this beauty
All this beauty inside
Inside
Inside now
Feels like I'll burst and explode any minute now
For our heart can hold what is in it now
The mess that we make
It will be glorious
The mess that we make
Just the two of us
All is beauty
All is beauty
All is beauty in trust
We drank enough to drown a small town
Awoke to see you as you came round
Smiling like you just didn't care
I kissed you so to prove you were there
All is beauty
All is beauty
All is beauty everywhere
The lyrics to Jamie Lawson's song "All Is Beauty" describe a moment of euphoria between two people in love. The first verse sets the scene with a romantic description of the stars shining just enough to see the other person's smile. The chorus repeats the phrase "all is beauty" several times, emphasizing the positive and uplifting feeling of being with someone you love. The second verse describes how the singer fell in love with the other person ("Love it is a delicate rhyme, you pull me in and said: 'Now you're mine'"), and even when things get uncertain ("Sometimes I don't know how to hide"), they both feel that all is beautiful and worth cherishing.
The bridge of the song hints at the intensity of the emotions involved ("Feels like I'll burst and explode any minute now"), but the optimism and joy of being in love shines through ("The mess that we make, it will be glorious"). The final verse is another snapshot of a happy moment shared between the two people ("We drank enough to drown a small town, awoke to see you as you came round, smiling like you just didn't care"), and once again, the chorus repeats the uplifting message that "all is beauty."
Overall, the song celebrates the transformative power of love, and suggests that even in the midst of chaos, uncertainty, and imperfection, there is something beautiful and worthwhile to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
There inside a moment of time
In a fleeting moment
I was thinking we were alight
I felt we were in sync
Stars shine with particular style
The stars dazzled in a special way
Just enough to see how you smile
The stars shone brightly enough to illuminate your smile
All is beauty
Every aspect is beautiful
All is beauty for miles
The beauty extends far and wide
Love it is a delicate rhyme
Love is a gentle and intricate expression
You pull me in and said: "Now you're mine"
You drew me close and claimed me as your own
Kissed me in the rain and I sighed
We kissed amidst the rain and I let out a contented sigh
Sometimes I don't know how to hide
I struggle with expressing my emotions discreetly
From all this beauty
Because of all the beauty
All this beauty inside
All this beauty I feel internally
Feels like I'll burst and explode any minute now
I'm overwhelmed by my emotions
For our heart can hold what is in it now
Our hearts are capable of carrying our current feelings
The mess that we make
The chaotic situation we create
It will be glorious
It will be beautiful and impressive
Just the two of us
Only the two of us are involved in this mess
All is beauty in trust
Trust is a beautiful thing
We drank enough to drown a small town
We drank excessively
Awoke to see you as you came round
I woke up to witness your awakening
Smiling like you just didn't care
You were smiling like nothing else mattered
I kissed you so to prove you were there
I kissed you as a confirmation that you were real
All is beauty everywhere
Everywhere around us is beautiful
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMIE LAWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andrew Horne
The Mahogany sessions never fails to introduce me to the best talent. 👍
Jacobb Alexander
+Andrew Horne For sure. James Bay, JP Cooper, Jamie Lawson, Justin Nozuka. I love it haha.
Emily Bergeron
Can't believe I am seeing him next Wednesday as the opening act for my Ed Sheeran concert! Love him!
Zsolt Homonnai
it's been a long wait to see another J.L. song on Mahagony session.All I can say is it was well worth it. His voice and the tenderness of his melodies are pure talent. Thank you and also big thanks go to Mahagony sessions.
Dan James
Mahogany Sessions sometimes tend to feature artist that I perceive to be artificial. This is beautiful though. He performs very naturally without any gimmicks. Just a soothing voice and an acoustic guitar. Very well done.
Sherquan Beckles
Starting September off right Mahogany! This is beautiful. Perfect for the weather I'm having too.
Dallas Coryell
Honestly I was holding my breath, waiting for the girl in the song to die like in "I Wasn't Expecting That". Soooo glad this one had a happy ending! :) Beautiful song!
Emily Bergeron
Just saw him last night with Ed! Best night of my life. He was truly amazing.
Jen E
I love sessions! perfect song for me atm :)
David Moore
All his songs seem to come across as lovingly written for someone who means a lot to him. It's a nice glimpse into his world