Who We Used To Be
James Blunt sings about great love and deep pain
On his new album “Who We Used To Be” James Blunt sings very personal songs. photo
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
James Blunt has had the cuddly singer stamp since “You’re Beautiful”. The Brit also shows great feelings on his new album. And it is becoming more private than ever before.
A man with long hair sits shirtless on a snow-covered ground and sings in a tearful voice: “My life is brilliant, my love is pure.” Many will still remember this scene from the music video for the kitsch song “You’re Beautiful” that launched the career of James Blunt really gets going. Today the 49-year-old wants to be more than the British cuddly singer.”Who We Used To Be” is the name of his new album.
“I write about life and love, ups and downs, addictions, wars, my children, my wife. Yes, I sang ‘You’re Beautiful’. But now I send bigger messages, also about love,” says Blunt in an interview with the German Press Agency.
Blunt talks about his life
The ten songs on “Who We Used To Be” are a mix of ballads and up-tempo songs that are consistently catchy. The happy dance song “Beside You” tells of the happiness he found in his wife Sofia after a long search. The two have been married for nine years.
“All the songs on the album are about what I’m experiencing right now,” says Blunt. This also includes the memories of his wife’s miscarriage, which he touchingly describes in “The Girl That Never Was”.
“I know we’ll never know you. I know we’ll never hold you. I’ll never be able to show you my love,” Blunt sings in the song. He doesn’t want to go into more detail about the stroke of fate in the conversation because he feels uncomfortable with it.
“It was very easy to write about in a painful way. Because it’s about something I’ve experienced. Many people who want to start a family go through such a roller coaster ride. There are successes, but also failures.”
Remembering Carrie Fisher
In “Dark Thought,” Blunt emotionally remembers his good friend Carrie Fisher. The US actress (“Star Wars”) died in 2016. He lived in her house for years when he worked in America. “Her death left a deep hole in my life and I found it very difficult to write a song about this incredible woman.”
The British storyteller, who turns 50 in February, is sometimes profound, sometimes kitschy on “Who We Used To Be” and remains recognizable thanks to his distinctive, high voice. In March Blunt is coming to Germany for several concerts.