The Real Reason James Blunt Regrets His Biggest Song
For any musician, it can be thrilling to finally land it big with a hit song. What's less thrilling is if that song does not quite match up with the artist's initial expectations. Sometimes, musicians are embarrassed by their first singles as they develop and mature in their craft. Other times, the whims of record labels and producers may take precedence over genuine artistry. In either case, plenty of singers are known for popular songs from which they would rather distance themselves.
Such is the case with British singer-songwriter James Blunt. In 2005, Blunt went from relative obscurity to sudden notoriety with his love song, "You're Beautiful." The chart-topping track, which was featured on his 2004 debut album Back to Bedlam, sold more than four million copies worldwide and was the U.K's best selling album of that decade, but it is still a song Blunt would rather forget. "Everyone goes, 'Ah, he's so romantic. I want 'You're Beautiful' as my wedding song.' These people are f***ed up," Blunt told HuffPost in 2017. But why the acrimony for the smash hit? Keep reading to learn the real reason Blunt regrets his biggest song.
James Blunt is annoyed by his hit tune
"You're Beautiful" is one of most successful love songs in the world, but its creator, James Blunt, isn't a fan. Living up to his last name, the star did not hold back on his feelings when he branded the track as "annoying" in 2014 (via Hello! Magazine). Blunt explained that because it was "force-fed" down people's throats throughout much of the 2000s, it lost its maudlin charm. "I think, at the end of the day, I was marketed by a record company to appeal to women during Desperate Housewives' commercials and you lose 50 percent of the population in doing so," Blunt added.
With lyrics like "My life is brilliant, my love is pure / I saw an angel, of that I'm sure," the song paints Blunt in an overly earnest light. And the fact that he appeared sad, shirtless, and shoeless in the ballad's accompanying music video did not exactly help matters! Nowadays, Blunt would like his fans to know that he is anything but serious. "I have a couple of over-emotional miserable songs that I'm known for, but I think it's turned that corner now," Blunt explained. "People can see I don't take myself that seriously."
'You're Beautiful' isn't the romantic ballad people think it is
"You're Beautiful" annoys James Blunt for another reason: it is not quite the romantic ballad people think it is. While countless fans have slow-danced to it at weddings, or romanced their partners with soulful renditions of the song, these people may be missing the bigger picture. In fact, Blunt resents the fact that it has caused people to label him as a romantic. "You get labeled with these things like, 'Oh, James Blunt. Isn't he just a soft romantic?' Well, f**k that. No, I'm not. 'You're Beautiful' is not this soft romantic f***ing song," the artist clarified to HuffPost.
Just as The Police's classic hit "Every Breath You Take" is widely held to be a love song, even after lead singer Sting came clean about its sinister undertones, "You're Beautiful" has a darker meaning. "It's about a guy who's high as a f***ing kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else's girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him, and he should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv," Blunt revealed to HuffPost. Maybe this backstory will cause fans to hear the song in a new light.