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.
Last Night Stars
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's only a bright blue sky
Covering us
Last night stars are faded
There's only a bright blue sky
To cover you now
If i knew the words
We could learn how to live
And what am i supposed to do
What am i supposed to do
Last night stars have faded
There's only a bright blue sky
To cover you now
Last night stars have faded
There's only a bright blue sky
To cover you now
If i knew the signs
We could tell how to live
Without you
And what am i supposed to do
What am I supposed to do
Living without you
Its complicated
Flames rise high
Its complicated
Burns into the sky
Is there somewhere to save this
The lyrics to Jamie Lawson's song Last Night Stars seem to describe a situation where the singer is experiencing heartache after a breakup. The stars from the previous night have faded and there is only a "bright blue sky" to cover them, symbolizing the end of a relationship and the start of a new day. The singer wishes they knew the right words or signs to live without the person they lost but they are struggling to find their way. They express their pain with the repeated question "what am I supposed to do?"
The chorus seems to hint at the complexity of the situation, where the singer tries to come to terms with their emotions. They feel like the flames of their love have risen high but it has now burnt into the sky, leaving behind only ashes. Despite all the heartbreak and pain, they plead for someone to save their relationship or find a way to fix things.
In summary, Jamie Lawson's Last Night Stars portrays a moving depiction of loss, heartache, and the struggle to move on after a relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night stars are faded
The stars from the previous night are no longer visible.
There's only a bright blue sky
The sky is now just blue with no stars.
Covering us
The blue sky is above us.
Last night stars are faded
The stars from the previous night are no longer visible.
There's only a bright blue sky
The sky is now just blue with no stars.
To cover you now
The blue sky is above you specifically.
If i knew the words
If I had the right words to say.
We could learn how to live
We could figure out how to exist.
Without you
In the absence of your presence.
And what am i supposed to do
What actions should I take to move forward?
What am i supposed to do
Reiteration of uncertainty and confusion regarding the situation.
Last night stars have faded
The stars from the previous night are once again mentioned as no longer visible.
There's only a bright blue sky
The sky is still blue with no stars.
To cover you now
The blue sky is above you, the subject of the song.
Last night stars have faded
The stars from the previous night are once again mentioned as no longer visible.
There's only a bright blue sky
The sky is still blue with no stars.
To cover you now
Reiteration of the blue sky being above the subject of the song.
If i knew the signs
If I had the right indications to follow.
We could tell how to live
We could learn how to exist in this situation.
Without you
In the absence of your presence.
And what am I supposed to do
Reiteration of the confusion and uncertainty regarding the situation.
What am I supposed to do
Reiteration of the uncertainty regarding the situation and what actions should be taken.
Living without you
The act of existing without the subject of the song.
Its complicated
The situation is complex and difficult.
Flames rise high
Emotions and tensions are heightened.
Its complicated
Reiteration of the situation being complex and difficult.
Burns into the sky
The situation is intense and impactful.
Is there somewhere to save this
Is there a way to salvage this situation?
Contributed by Parker S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
$200 Marketing
Just discovered you Jamie and loving it.
Tammy Forrett
unique voice. love it
awakeningcry
i CAN'T not cry everytime i listen to this.
I saw him live back in 2004 but the only song I remember from that set was one that repeated one particular line over and over again. It must have been this one.
I went up to him afterwards and said "that just about hit the spot". SO glad he finally came good after all these years.
ElizabethRoisin
My ALL TIME favourite :D
Mary Hallissey Sullivan
legend
Lisa McGrath Photography
💖
MiisterrMurray
fuuuuuck mee this is unbelievable