You’re Beautiful – James Blunt and spoofs
James Blunt, English singer/songwriter, has topped music video charts around the world with his single, “You’re Beautiful”, from the album, Back to Bedlam. Blunt’s sudden rise to fame, along with his saturation of British and North American airplay, has led to both popularity and a certain level of resentment from fellow singers. The music video has attracted more than the usual number of parodies.
The music video features James Blunt in a stark icy setting, winter sky above, snow and rain falling around him. As the video progresses we become aware that he’s standing on an ice-covered cliff, the sea in the background, with seagulls in the sky above. He sings about seeing his girlfriend on the crowded subway with another man. He realises that the she has moved on and that he will never be together with her again.
Blunt begins the video dressed in a black hoodie and trousers. Gradually he peels off each layer of his clothes, ending up with just a pair of pants. He sits down on the ice and takes all his possessions out of his pockets, laying them beside him on the ice.
At the end of the music video Blunt turns and dives over the edge of the cliff, plummeting into the freezing water below. As he enters the water we hear him sing that it’s time to face the truth that he will never be with the woman he’s been calling beautiful.
The video ends ambiguously. Is this an act of suicide? Or will he survive? Blunt hasn’t confirmed either interpretation.
Beautiful Production
Filming for the music video was shot in Palma, Mallorca, off the coast of Spain in the Mediteranean. The video was directed by Sam Brown with producer Kat Armour-Brow at Flynn Productions who host the second half of You’re Beautiful in Quicktime format (6.5 mb). Cinematographer was Robbie Ryan -- see Kodak MTV Video Award Profile.
“You’re Beautiful” has been nominated for best cinematography in a video in the 2006 MTV Music Video Awards. It won ‘Song of the Year’ in the 2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, as well as worst album in the 2006 NME Awards.
You’re Beautiful Lyrics
My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I’m sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won’t lose no sleep on that,
‘Cause I’ve got a plan.
You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful, it’s true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don’t know what to do,
‘Cause I’ll never be with you.
Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
F***ing high,
And I don’t think that I’ll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.
You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful, it’s true.
I saw you face in a crowded place,
And I don’t know what to do,
‘Cause I’ll never be with you.
You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful, it’s true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it’s time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.
You’re Beautiful Spoofs
Jon Culshaw, from BBC comedy show Dead Ringers, put together a spoof video called “It’s Bloody Cold”, available on Youtube. Culshaw recreates the James Blunt sequence but wears inflatable buoyancy aids around his arms as he jumps off the ice into a swimming pool.
My life is rubbish
My life is tough
The other singers pick on me
Nick all of my stuff
They don’t think I’m one of them
That’s not fair
Just ’cause I’ve got a girly voice
and silly hair
I told them I’m a soldier
I’ve been in a war
But none of them believe me
and laughed even more.
Robby said to prove I’m tough
that I should go and take my coat and top off
and stand in the snow
It’s bloody cold
It’s bloody cold
It’s bloody cold out here
And if I pass Sir Robby’s test
maybe he’ll be so impressed
And it might help my career
Last into next year
Noel and Liam Gallagher
won’t let me in their gang
Morrissey keeps telling me
James Blunt is rhyming slang
And David says the only way
to prove I’m cool
is jumping with my trousers on
into a swimming pool
It’s bloody cold
It’s bloody cold
It’s bloody cold God knows
But if it means I can hang
with the coolest singers gang
it’s worth it I suppose
OK then here goes.
Nicole Parker performed a spoof of “You’re Beautiful’ on MadTV, wearing a prosthetic male chest, available as I’m Beautiful at YouTube (no longer available because of a copyright claim by Warner Music). She sings “My voice is crazy, if you listen I sound kind of like an alien. But my voice intoxicates you, as I stand here in the snow. And you’re lucky ’cause I’m gonna take off five shirts in a row. I’m beautiful.” At the end her version of Blunt refuses to jump over the cliff as it would be a crime against humanity to lose such a beautiful body and voice.
Radio comedy show Morning Sidekick developed a spoof version of You’re Beautiful, singing about office work conditions, with an animated text video My Cubicle at YouTube. See Life After Coffee for lyrics and mp3.
Kevin Sage provides a parody music video in which he mistook a man for a woman after drinking too much beer -- available at YouTube. “She was beautiful… I swear”. See Kevin’s site for lyrics and mp3.
Weird Al Yankovic has a spoof, “You’re Pitiful” which he intended to put include on his album, Straight Out of Lynwood, until the record company got cold feet. He has put a number of links to the mp3 on his official site, www.weirdal.com.
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Will someone tell me where I might purchase the video of You’re Beautiful?
Cathy you can purchase the video as part of the single CD – see the Amazon UK ad in this post.
Do they have like the piano notes on this web?
james blunt sos lo + aguante ARGENTINA (Formosa capital)chauuu saludos a alejandro bonnet
esta k se rompe, no me estraña, con el hielo, esk me lo tiraría,weno dew huevon
james is a great singer and i congratulate him as a suppoter.he must be proud of himself.he must keep singing like the way he sing at all the time.i love this lovoly song said beatiful.i congratulate him twice again.
I have heard a version of “you’re beautiful” but it was a comedian talking through the song – it was recorded live – i think he was australian or from new zealand and i think his name was Tom but I’m damned if I can remember his last name! Help please!
Tom Gleeson was the comedians name…
http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2006/james-blunt-p1.php
The idiot who wrote this article said: Blunt…peels off each layer of his clothes, ending up with just a pair of shorts.
How can anyone mistake a pair of pants for a pair of shorts?
Hey asswipe, get a pair of glasses, you’re blind as a bat.
youre voice is very ok
hello im one of the fans of you
please send me some of your best pictures
that is very beautiful
and this is true…
As opposed to what this post says:
* the lyrics do not imply that the girl was his girlfriend
* the lyrics, as per the CD, says
She could see from my face that I was,
Fucking high
* he is wearing pants, not shorts
* the cliff could be any of polished-white material, not just ice. In fact running on ice would be really difficult.
hi. ithink james has silky voice. i love you james because when i listen your songs ill cry.
it takes me to heaven! I’ve always had a thing for man boobs! This video really does it for me……………………
Get a life u sad bastard!
i like James Blunt so much! like his songs, like his voice! albume sing ayar apik banget
hello james blunt i love you boy i love youuuu cat
These lyrics do not work to the tune…
there not the sme as on youtube!