James Blunt: Back to Bedlam

James Blunt’s English, half-throaty, half-nasal tones can be heard all over the radio, thanks to his lyrics and diverse musical talents—the guy plays the guitar, keyboard, marimba and oh yeah, he sings! Checking out his latest album, “Back to Bedlam� sings to love and loss, and bears interesting Song of Solomon-type allusions to a relationship between a man and a woman.

In “High,� Blunt wakes to a beautiful dawn, desiring to see the other because he’d be lonely without them. The recognition that he is happiest with this other speaks to his own reliance on their relationship: “sometimes it’s hard to believe you remember me.� Already, I’m able to recognize the same sentiments we may have toward God—you mean I matter enough to be recognized individually by the God of the universe? Amazing! More interesting is Blunt’s question: “Do you remember the day when my journey began?/Will you remember the end of time?�

We descend momentarily with the radio hit “You’re Beautiful� that accompanies a rather strange music video, and precedes the goofy Cheech and Chong, “Wisemen� song. In “Goodbye My Lover,� he rather roughly ditches a lover but admits that “You touched my heart you touched my soul/You changed my life and all my goals.� From a spiritual standpoint, no relationship can be entered into or left without something being taken and something left behind. Relationships are eternal for better or worse, and Blunt’s transition from the beginning to the end of the song is dramatic. He closes by telling the ex-lover that he is hollow without her, but first admits, “I’d spend a lifetime with you/I know your fears and you know mine./We’ve had our doubts but now we’re fine./And I love you, I swear that’s true./I cannot live without you.� Once again, human or divine, this relationship has shaped him dramatically and cannot be forgotten easily.

Blunt longs to shake off the falsity that clouds his own image and his communication in “Tears and Rain,� to surrender his soul instead of running to avoid trouble and pain. He alludes to the character of Dorian Gray, a shape shifter from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen who never stayed comfortable in one appearance but was forever changing. Blunt’s longing is to choose between Heaven and Hell, to save his soul, and overcome his fear. Like Nelson Mandela’s 1994 address, Blunt recognizes his fear of going unnoticed and being left alone.

His struggle continues in “Out of My Mind,� while both “So Long, Jimmy� and “Billy� represent stories that explain his fears. “The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late. Old doors are closed but he’s always mine. To relieve time in his mind,� sings Blunt. The fear that he has somehow driven himself by his own mistakes too far from peace and contentment drives him to sorrow. Blunt seems almost despondent—but “Cry� brings him back through introspective reflection. “I have seen peace. I have seen pain. Resting on the shoulders of your name. Do you see the truth through all their lies? Do you see the world through troubled eyes?� These questions are similar to the questions that one might ask God, reflecting on the good and evil done in His name, along with the perspective that He might share on how the world turns right now…

Finally, closing with what seems to be an anti-Bush song, “No Bravery,� Blunt has proven to be introspective and clever in the ‘pictures’ he has shared from his perspective. His sound will either work for you or it won’t, but his straightforwardness is to be commended.