1973

Will Work for Sleep

1973 by James Blunt

"Yo whatever happened to this guy? I dug his music back in the day, but haven't heard much from him since the early 2000s."

Yeah, I dunno. James Blunt had a #1 hit with You're Beautiful back in 2004, but I haven't heard of him since then. His subsequent three albums (2007, 2010, 2013) received mixed or positive reviews, and they did alright in Europe, but nothing else stuck in the USA quite like his break-through hit (x).

I miss him.

Blunt is actually pretty interesting. He was in the military for six years before pursuing a career in music. He is a pilot, and he likes motorcycles. Although he lives in Ibiza, Blunt owns a chalet in Switzerland, where he opened a restaurant. There's a ski lift named after him.

Honestly, just read through his Wikipedia page. It's a trip.

Getting back into the music, 1973 is a great jam. Blunt's voice is gentle as he remembers this girl - Simona, who's based on a girl he met in a club in Ibiza - and his past relationship with her. It's sweet and nostalgic.

The track hides several other song references among its lyrics, including allusions to It's the Same Old Song, Here We Go Again, and the classics I Can See Clearly Now and As Time Goes By.

The big question has got to be "Why 1973?"

Luckily, he has an answer: "Well I was born in 1978. So I wrote it about a girl called Simona in a song about a nostalgic moment - it's a celebration of something we did last year in Ibiza. And Pacha originally opened in 1973, but 1973 was also a great year for music, so many fantastic albums came out at that time" (x).

I'm a little skeptical because Wikipedia actually lists Blunt's birth year as 1974 (x). So, um?? I told you he was an interesting dude.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
You're getting older;
your journey's been
etched on your skin.

Verdict:
I wanna listen to this 1973 times.