Elizabeth, serious advice: you're going to get a lot of recommendations for a James Blunt song called "The Girl Who Never Was". DO NOT listen to this until AFTER your new baby arrives. Not Kidding...❤
Before anyone else spews the "Don't plug Better Help" rubbish, yes, Elizabeth has (as have I) researched the claims against the service. There was a somewhat dubious .gov article that basically claimed that they push targeted advertising to anyone who's browsing history suggests they were interested in help with mental issues. They'd addressed these issues over a year ago, they've hardened their security, and anyone saying otherwise is simply parroting disinformation. We now return you to our regularly scheduled whacka-whacka-whacka.
Better Insurance coverage and more Dr.'s Participating in Networks would negate the need for BH. Also Would love to hear reactions to Freya Ridings - Arcane Soundtrack Season 2.
His father was dying of stage 4 kidney disease at the time of the vid. However, a cousin saw the vid and decided to offer his kidney. As of my last check, dad is doing great. The rest of us however, are hot messes.
I feel kind of fortunate in a dark way. My mother went in her mid 60's from her normal energetic self to dead from systemic infections in less than a day. My grandmother went in her early 90's a little slower, but still died less than five days after falling sick and only a couple of months after my mother. I hope I go from me to gone in a short a time as they did, to reduce the drain and strain on what little family I have left.
His dad had donate a kidney in the past too. So he only had the one Kidney. Seems like they have a remarkable family with a very profound sense of duty and empathy.
There was a report on the radio this morning about using pig kidneys for transplant. It seems that the kidney shortage problem may be getting solved in the next few years. The pigs are genetically modified so that they don't look like foreign cells to any tissue type human. They have to be raised in a very isolated and controlled environment to make sure there are no viruses.
I first met James Blunt when we were both serving in the Balkans during the war there (He was a lieutenant and was a corporal in the British Army.) He was not only a great Troop commander but a kind bloke with a huge amount of empathy for people.
@@DisregardedHappiness He didn't just serve, he led the the first Nato unit into Pristina, and was in the lead vehicle. Was told to take military action against Russians that had entered the airport, by General Wesley Clark, but refused, as this may have started WW3. Eventually they just surrounded it and cut them off from supplies, so got access anyway.
My dad lived with me for the past 7 years. I drove out to Kansas and packed up his stuff, and moved him to Utah. He had cancer. He passed away in April of this year. I would sit in his room all night to make sure his oxygen stayed on. Fed him. Washed his feet. Read to him. Made sure to keep him meidcated in the end. I sang this song to him. I miss him so much. I hope I chased the monsters away....
Damn this comment hit me harder than the song did. What an incredible person you are to have taken care of your parent like that. I see too many people online these days talking about how children don't "owe" their parents anything, but I couldn't disagree more. If your parents were good parents and took care of you for 18 years and did the best they could, then absolutely children should be there for them when they are too old to care for themselves. I can't imagine how scary it must feel to be so frail and sick and I definitely can't imagine feeling that way alone. As a mom with 4 underage children, I hope I never need them to take care of me like that, but I also hope that they'd love me enough to do it.
My wife walked in on me sobbing while listening to the this and after coming to understand why, set up a family vacation to see my 76 year old father who lives 5 states away. And she is far from a sentimental person. This was pure practicality. She's my hero. ❤
My mom and dad are 77 and 75, respectively. They don’t live far, but my own family life and my own kids’ activities get in the way of seeing them when I can. Every time I hear this song it reminds me to reach out. I can only imagine how many family dynamics have achieved “no need to forgive, no need to forget” because of this song. Glad it inspired you.
As my Mom was losing her battle to cancer, I was taking care of her, but morphine had her thinking I was her Dad...she'd never seen, so I acted like he was a good Dad, finally there, taking care of her...
Been thinking about this comment for a few hours now. It sounds like an incredible gift and a mercy for your Mom. I don't know if it made things harder or easier for you at the time but I hope you can take comfort now knowing you gave her that experience.
@bobblebardsley I thank you for this, & for your time thinking about us. You are good to other people, so I hope other people are good to you as well...
@@maggedo-x1s Thank you so much. I think of kindness like I think of hugs: If I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we each have what we started with. But you can give a hug and receive a hug, and you have two hugs in total. I like to think kindness grows in the same way. It's never wasted, especially on family or on anyone we love.
This hit me like a truck. My dad died of cancer 2 weeks ago... Last thing I said to him was to go to sleep and he just said OK... RIP dad... taking care of the monsters...
I am sorry for your loss. My Dad died in 2007 of pancreatic cancer. My sister and I were both there. We both told him to so to sleep and we could see him resisting. This song just rips my heart out. I had never heard James until a few months ago.
I had never heard this song before this video. I lost my dad last year. We had been estranged for my entire adult life but when I was facing homelessness he let me stay in his home, where I was the day that he died. I wish we could have had closure before his mind became too sick to understand much of what anyone was saying to him but when he was lucid he said he was so happy that I was there and I just smiled and said I love you dad. As far as he was concerned I was happy and we were ok. I was burning up inside. So for the past year and a half I really have not properly grieved. I think I am able to now. Thank you.
Regrets are so hard, unresolved issues with parents that die. I’ve lived it. I’m still working through. Prayer helps. I (and the church) teaches the dead aren’t gone, they are just somewhere else, but can still hear us. It’s why we talk to Saints and ask for them to pray for us. Your Dad can still hear you. I’ve had conversations with my mom. It is real and helpful.
His song "Goodbye My Lover" used to be the one that tore my heart out the most, but then he released "Monsters". I have officially requested my son to play this at my funeral. Also from him is "Carry You Home" for the veterans who have lost friends to war, and "You're Beautiful", a nod to those of us that live on the periphery of society that day dream about being with someone beautiful.
"Goodbye My Lover" is heartbreaking, when you lost the love of your life. For silly reasons. I regret that for the rest of mine... ruclips.net/video/MfYx2Yg8imw/видео.html
It made me think of my mother more than my father. The last words from me that I am sure my mother heard were something like "I am here. The others have all gone to get something to eat". She fell asleep after that and the next day was very drugged. It was the next night she passed.
When they recorded this there was one take , in James Blunts house i believe at the end everyone was in tears when Blunt Snr said why is everyone crying im still here
I love James Blunt 's music. Lots of people make fun of him, saying that his voice is annoying. But I can't listen to his songs without feeling them, they dont become background noise, and I think that takes a lot of talent.
Blunt explained to Apple Music: "I idolized this man throughout my childhood, but as we grew older, I realized that he had his own fallibilities, and that's an awesome thing to see because you suddenly can become friends then. And then obviously as parents get older, the responsibility starts to weigh on the children that look after them. Although that can be painful, there's something beautiful about it, too." Blunt wrote and recorded the song without telling his father. According to an Event magazine interview, when Blunt played it for him in a room with just the two of them there, he responded, "That's the way it is."
Elizabeth……. I had never heard this song before, and it absolutely GUTTED me. Someone stepped into my office and I had to explain why I was sobbing alone at my desk to this concerned colleague. Thank you for providing such lovely and insightful content, and thanks for taking this 4:21 of beautifully gut wrenching music and turning it into an extended tear fest. 😅 ❤
So, THE James Blunt story. During the conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s, the Russians sent a flying column to occupy Pristina airport in a kinda desperate gambit to gain some relevancy. The commander of the NATO forces in Bosnia, US General Wesley Clarke, lost it, and ordered General Sir Mike Jackson, commander of the British force, to go to Pristina and evict them using any force neccessary. General Jackson refused the order (allegedly using some very choice language!), on the grounds that it was a ridiculous and dangerous over-reaction, and he wasn't going to start WWIII over some tiny airport in the middle of nowhere. He walked out of Clarke's office and got straight on the satellite phone to British command at Northwood. They told him to do nothing and referred the matter to No.10, who then spoke to the White House. Within a couple of hours, everyone in the chain had supported General Jackson's decision, and within 48 hours General Clarke was on a plane home. Years later, a now-retired General Jackson was on a chat show promoting his autobiography, and told the above story. After his segment, James Blunt sang a song, and then came over to the sofa to be interviewed. However before the host could say anything, Blunt said, "before we start, I just want to say thank you to General Jackson for saving my life." Sir Mike looked a bit confused, and then Blunt explained, "I was the commander of the Scimitar light tank that would have been the first vehicle up the road to Pristina Airport..." 🤣 RIP General Sir Mike Jackson, who passed away earlier this year.
This song cuts me off at the knees. It is pure catharsis. We all have traumas and struggles. My father is the big one. I'm a Dad of a wonderful 20 year old daughter, and knowing we will all, every one of us die, the love and sadness is overwhelming some days. PLEASE, tell your children how proud of them you are. Life is short. Don't go a day without love, especially for yourself and tour children.❤
I ADORE James Blunt. He's genuinely an awesome human. One of the best Twitter feeds as people love to toss insults at him but he's too witty to let them slide without a playful smack.
I've seen this so many times & I always assume that I won't cry "this time" because I know what to expect. Yet it gets me every single time. It's so raw and simple and the vulnerability of it is beautiful.
I lost my father 2 weeks ago. I stumbled across this today and I am so thankful. Full of tears, but thankful. I've never heard the song, but it has touched me so deeply and profoundly. I only wish I had one more day with him.
A perfect example of the difference between the art and the artist. Personally his music leaves me cold, he however, seems to be the very definition of a top bloke and a gentleman. A wicked sense of humour and a willingness to engage with his fans draws only respect from me. This song however, is something of a gamechanger in that he accesses emotions that most men aren't necessarily comfortable with...to our detriment. Well done sir, and bravely done Ms. It reduces me to inarticulacy. How you stay focused enough to analyse it is a testament to your professionalism.
if you want another example of a song of his that's totally different to his usual stuff and provokes an emotional response without being some sappy lovesong, check out No Bravery
One of the amazing things is that his formal training isn't musical, it's military. He graduated from Sandhurst, and Captain Blount was a tank commander in Kosovo. He did, however, had his guitar strapped to his tank. 😊
I love that the first time we hear the chorus it's just James singing. Second time it's two-part harmony and the third time its the full choir. This may be the hundredth time I've heard this song and then it would be hundredth time I've cried. I loved my father but we didn't always get along when I was growing up. We didn't fight, but we just disagreed on so many things. Later in life I took him on a series of small vacations to spend some time together and see the sites around the Great Lakes (we're from Michigan) and we were able to talk through a lot of our past. At the end of the last scheduled trip he told me how proud he was of me and how glad he was we got to clear the air. He passed away from a massive heart attack a few weeks later and I am so grateful we had resolved our differences.
I love this song. I couldn’t imagine how hard that was to be singing this song with his dad right next to him don’t know he’s there til end of song. Thank you for reacting to this song ❤
😭 This is so beautiful! Beautifully emotional, written and sung. As well as your reaction Elizabeth, beautiful, one of if not the best you have done. 🫶
I'd recommend Mike and the Mechanics - The Living Years. It's in a similar vein to this. Also can't believe you've never done Simply Red - Holding Back the Years. That's another classic.
There's so much lore to this song that you probably either already know or are about to get in other people's comments, but it really changes the way it hits on subsequent listens, which is something I found pretty unique about it. I actually think you drew the short straw here because as emotional as it is on a single play through, playing parts of it over and over and really getting deep into it must have been even more challenging. The story behind it very closely mirrors something I've just been through (and have been going through since 2016) so the first time I heard it, I just played it about 20 times and cried. James Blunt gets mocked a lot in the UK for no apparent reason but he's an exceptional vocalist and should be a national treasure. Most people know him for 'You're Beautiful', my recommendations would be 'Goodbye My Lover' and '1973'. Thank you for such a sincere reaction and analysis ❤
we sang this song with our father last year a month and a half before his death. I was able to be there to hold his hand in his last 45 minutes of life as the song mentions. thank you for your strength and emotional maturity and musical intelligence to put into words so many things you felt deeply. I cried again with you while listening. I miss my dad a lot ❤
The lyrics are such a gut punch because they immediately take grown men back to that time when they were a child and their dad was the one trying to calm their fears before bedtime. Reversing the roles of father and child is such a powerful way to convey these emotions.
It is his father, it is a sad song, but it does have a happier outcome, his dad was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic kidney disease and without a donor kidney would die, as a result of the song and a plea for a donor one was found and his father had a transplant and is doing well. Fantastic reaction, if you go down a James Blunt rabbit hole, do not watch "The girl who never was" that's not one for expecting parents, at all. Some slightly bouncier songs, 1973 and bonfire heart are good. In fact I think you'll particularly like bonfire heart, it's a cute video and he flexes his range a bit and it's quite upbeat and light.
"The girl who never was" is just brutal, I'm not sure if it hits harder than "Mosters" but I could see it pushing people over the edge if there not prepared for its subject matter.
Wow....James' powerful composition tells my story. The man who raised me was not my biological father. He married my Mum when I was five years old. Ten months later on 24 February 1954, Mum gave birth to my half-brother around 3:00 AM Our next door neighbors watched over me as I slept. I remember when he came home from the hospital like the event happened yesterday. He came into my bedroom and gently picked me up, holding me close in his tanned, strong arms. He looked me in the eyes, smiling from ear to ear. Laughing, he spoke in his soft Southern drawl: "Stevie'boy, you have a brand new baby brother!" I knew in my heart of hearts, at that point in time, I had a real Father. He passed away from a massive stroke on 10 October, 2005. I never did get a chance to say thank you and goodbye. James' song says it for me..... Thank You.
I lost my mom in September to a long and brutal battle with Alzheimer's. She kept smiling through it all, despite years of pain and confusion. She was a single parent, and sacrificed all her spare time and energy for me as I grew up. This song hits extra hard right now. I love you mom, and miss you lots 😢💔
This song is a lot - I lost my dad not that long ago to cancer and my Mum to sepsis from a UTI and this song and Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran are both songs that reduce me to a sobbing mess. I honestly dont know how he got through the song with his Dad sitting right there. This was genuinely his goodbye to his Dad. As luck would have it the song caused a relative to get tested and was a match and one organ donation later his Dad survived. The song literally saved his Dad's life.
I've wanted to see you react to this song for a couple of years now. Your thumbnail says it all! I was wrecked by this song when I first heard it, and then I binged🎉 others' reactions to it for quite some time. When I saw you hadn't reacted to it yet, I really hoped to see that someday. Thanks so much for doing this!
same! sometimes you just need to wallow.. my dad is gone 22 years and it still hurts that i didnt get as much time with him as i had liked as an adult, i was 20 and immature.. im just happy to have the last days with him by his side
The Girl that Never Was is also one that pulls on your heartstrings but recommending that one would be hard to do, seeing as Elizabeth has a baby on the way.
The first time I heard this song was about two years ago when the wonderful Iam Tongi performed it as his audition on American Idol, just a couple months after his father (and singing partner) died. Then I found this original. Everything about this song reminds me of my own father's last few days... And this is exactly what it felt like. Like it was my turn to watch over him, to chase his monsters away. I love him and miss him so much. My light and my rock...
James's production company wanted him to re record the whole song and auto tune/correct it. But he refused and did it in one take and wanted it to be as bare and raw as possible. All the tears and imperfections are real. To be sure, the emotions were getting through! The phrase "I'm not you're son and you're not my father" is what they used to say to each other when James was deployed at war being an army officer like his dad. Struggling to share emotions and say bye to each other. Like most british men and the stiff upper lip we struggle to talk about our emotions.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I'd never heard this song or James Blunt before that I'm aware of. I lost my father to cancer 4 months ago. He also had kidney cancer, but his spread to his bones and there wasn't much time. I was able to visit him (half-way across the country) about a month and a half before he passed. I wasn't there at the very end, but most of the family was. James is lucky his father survived, but I'm glad he was able to put his feelings into this song. From the title, I thought it was going to be about something totally different. It was like stepping on a land mine for me. Very painful, but therapeutic. Anybody who can put so much emotion in only a few notes is very good at their craft.
It’s my father’s funeral tomorrow morning, this song is a word perfect story of my fathers battle with Alzheimer’s & it was my turn to chase the monsters away … I love & miss you Dad 🙏🏻😔x
Being that my 16 year old son and I are the only family (blood) we have left in our lives and I'm 58 years old, I just can't hear this song right now. 😢💔
From those of us who can’t afford to be a Patreon member, thank you. Everyone needs to experience one of the most raw performances ever recorded at least once. I love you dad
James Blunt’s music is so underrated. He’s a really nice man. If you ever get chance to hear him live then do it. My whole family have seen him, ranging in a wide span of years, he appeals to everyone. God bless you James.
I will try to get through it. Lost my Dad 6 yrs ago. We had that kind of relationship. I live in SC and he was in PA. I didn't get there on time to say goodbye. 😢 This song makes me cry everytime.
Me too. My dad was battling prostate cancer the whole time I was working on my master's degree - 5 hours away. I wanted to set aside school and come home and help mom and dad - and my little sister who was only 5 and seeing dad go through so much. But, he really wanted me to finish. I did and started my career just two weeks before he passed away. I only got to spend one week at home between finishing my masters and moving away. I drove out the driveway that morning knowing it was the last time I would see him. I know it was important for him to see me finish - but I would have given anything to have that chance to help and have time with him. That was back in 1987 and it still hurts.
Well, that was a fun lunch to cry the entire way through! Most of us were introduced to James Blunt through the heartbreak song “You’re beautiful”, and I’m sure many of us would love to see you experiencing it.
I still cry when listening to this song, no shame at all in that, great songs and great delivery makes you cry, smile, jump up and down, do a spin, and everything in-between. James Blunt first arrived on the scene for me with his performance of his song 'you're beautiful ' at Glastonbury, however his video is brilliant also. Elizabeth please play/review this one please. Thanks
Loved your empatic and honest reaction. I ugly cried when I saw/heard this video for the first time (still happens). His looking straight into the camera and doing the song in one take, through his tears, is so incredible strong and vounerable at the same time.
“I’m not your son. You’re not my father. We are just two men saying goodbye.’ Is what they would say to each other when they went on deployment. Both James Blunt and his father were in the military, and being stoic military men, they suppressed their emotions when saying goodbye. Which makes it harder when you might have to say that final goodbye.
He’s touring in the U.S. in 2025. I’m seeing him in the summer. I can’t wait. I don’t think he tours that often in the U.S. but I might be wrong. I’m just so happy to be seeing him live.
@The Charismatic Voice Please please please go down this rabbit hole of James Blunt. The Back to Bedlam Live album is a must. No bravery is a powerful one. That album is nothing but brilliant.
Lost my dad 5 years ago very suddenly. Never got to say goodbye or anything. He was my best friend and I miss him everyday. I sometimes find myself getting angry out of jealousy at others that know it's coming and get to say their goodbyes, but I've learned life doesn't work the way we want to. I've also learned that no one is truly gone until their name is said for the last time. Tell the stories of the ones you miss, they will live on forever.
We have seen Alzheimer’s in our family. It is an awful disease. This song expresses the emotion of having to watch loved ones who will die twice, and the burden of caring for the person whose relationship you have lost. This is very cathartic.
He seems to be a very socially competent man. He knows his voice is different and he is humble in saying that the emotion he can portray is his currency. So many songs that i myself have cried sing to on his albums Some kind of trouble and All the lost souls. His music has meant a lot for me in my late teenage years. A real sociologist in music form! From another sociologist.
@TheCharismaticVoice you really need to review the live duet of James Blunt and Iam Tongi singing “Monsters” in honor of Iam’s father who passed away but gave his son the courage to follow his dream and pursue his musical career. It’s so powerful and it shows how much of a good person James truly is.
Although we'd been very close, this reminds me so much of the promises I made to my father to protect my mother & our family as he suffered the closing stages of cancer and we both knew his final time approached.
I already have tears in my eyes from the thumbnail alone... I so love James Blunt and "Monster" is one of his absolute best songs. So glad you're doing this - and afraid to watch it at the same time. 😢❤
Not sure if anyone explained it yet but basically James used to serve in the British Army as a Captain and was deployed to Kosovo in the late 1990s. The lines: " I'm not you son, you're not my father, we're just 2 grown men saying goodbye, no need to forgive, no need to forget, i know you're mistakes and you know mine" is a reference to how his father said goodbye to him when he was deploying to Kosovo. His father, who himself had served in the military, said "I'm not your father, you're not my son, we're just 2 grown men saying goodbye" as a form of respect and acknowledgement that James had grown into a capable grown man and also that when he's out there on his own he can't come run to his dad, he has to take care on of himself out in the warzone.
I was driving to the airport to see my sick dad in summer of 23 and this came on the radio for the first time me hearing. It was playing at that moment,not by coincidence. I never cried so damn hard in my life. I lost him that October. Every time I hear it I'm right next to him. This song is a miracle imo.
I love James Blunt - he has SUCH a unique voice From memory, when they filed that video the cast and James were in bits at the end (and one take) whereas his Dad was still quite composed
If you really want to here his voice live, just him and a piano, no processing, where you can see his mouth and everything you really should check out his performance of "Goodbye My Lover" Live at the Oxford Union Hall 2016. He sings just as good if not better live than in the studio. He really is criminally underrated
This song gets me emotional every time. I watched my Dad die from cancer for six years. Luckily I was able to say good bye to him. Thank you Dad, I love you 🥺!
I take care of my son, and I always will... until I can't. My monster is that no one will be here to take care of him after I am gone. This moment won't be a moment of letting go for me. I'll die knowing what I have left behind.
I am a single mother of an adult son with autism. I get you. I’m in my late 50’s so I’m making plans. I found someone who agreed to be legal guardian when Im gone. We are moving to a city where that person lives so my son will be over that adjustment before I’m gone. Planning helps me not worry so much. So does prayer. I will pray for you.
I'm actually surprised young lady that you haven't reacted to this song thus far..as someone who has lost so many loved ones i watch this video to regain my humanity that I'm not as cold as i portray
I wish I'd known about this song sooner. A couple of years ago I lost my uncle, who was more of a father to me than my actual father. My uncle, without hyperbole, saved my life, he rescued me from the darkest moment of my life, at a time when I was seriously considering giving up. He encouraged and supported me where my own father alienated his entire family. Watching my uncle rapidly deteriorate in the final weeks of his life crushed me, and even now, more than two years later, I still feel the impact of the loss... hearing this song brought everything to the fore and reminded me of the last days when he had lost all ability to communicate... he look so frail and scared... and I could do nothing but sit by his bedside watching the once strong, kind, selfless man slowly fade. It breaks my heart that I couldn't do anything to alleviate the fear he was feeling. I miss him so much...
I’m 42yrs old, and I still have my dad Iv heard this song a million times, and every damn time I hear it, it makes me think of my dad, and a time will come when I have to deal with that time he is singing. I’m not ready….and I pray to god to give me the strength I need to get thru it.
Recently lost my dad and I'm watching this video at work trying to hold it together. Wow, what an incredible song. I'll have to listen to it when I can let go.
Sorry Elizabeth, I couldn't get through this! Even though my Dad died 12 years ago. Bravo for completing the video, it is always a joy to hear your insights and see your reactions to music, it truly does make me appreciate music more.
I’m just amazed you held out from crying for so long. This song resonates so much with me and brings me back to the last few weeks of my own father’s life where we spoke more to each other than in my whole adult life
Thank you for this reaction. He so masterly takes us along this painful road of a final goodbye. I love this song, never had the chance to say a proper goodbye to my father. Every man especially I see react to this song are crying their eyes out. I don't think I have yet experienced another song that has such a deep emotional impact especially on men. Beautiful, just beautiful
Thankyou so much for reviewing this Elisabeth. It's rare that I shed a tear these days but my this one opened the taps. The lyrics alone are epic, add the emotion of the voice and piano and it escalates somewhat more. This brings so may emotions of the past to the surface that I had supressed and I am grateful for that. I just wish I had more time with my dad before he passed. I feel the guilt for moving so far away for work and not being closer to him as the decades went by. He looked after me and raised me as a child but I didn't pay that back as much as I would have wanted. No excuses.
I lost my dad to asbestos based cancer in December 2015 and I have listened to so much music with him, and even though he passed at the age of 70 he was still a very young soul eg he could walk the hind legs of a horse and he was also still very active in general. However he enjoyed listening to James Blunt because my dad said he had the heart and soul of someone much older than he was. He also had a lot of respect for him because he was in the British Army and had his guitar attached to the side of his vehicle. My dad’s favourite song was Your Beautiful by James Blunt.
Thank you for reacting to this video Elizabeth. You are right. This is a very emotionally powerful music video. It is the saddest song on your channel since you reacted to Johnny Cash perform Hurt.
Amazing singer in every song he has done. Another heart breaking song he done is called. The girl that never was. Monsters we can all relate to. The girl that never was. Is something I fortunately never experienced but he makes it like it was
If you guys get a chance, a young man covered this song on American Idol as his audition, his name is Iam Tongi, and James Blunt has gone on record to say that he loves his version. It is so emotional and gut wrenching just like James’s original. He even partnered with the other guy to sing the song with him too.
Omg... I was at his concert less than 2 weeks ago. Hearing this song live, it's impossible not to cry. The simplicity of the lyrics is so striking and having a someone very close to me going through a diagnosis now, it broke me for a while...
His voice is just phenomenal, and you do a great job analyzing why, despite the tears and emotions. How could anybody hear this and not cry, though? I agree, the writing is excellent, and the delivery, even better. One thing I noticed which no reactor has mentioned, toward the beginning there are a couple of words that end in 's'' and he produces a sort of almost whistle sound on those that I find fascinating. I agree, he really leans into the vowels with lots of power, that most vocalists don't, or can't do. Amazing stuff.
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Elizabeth, serious advice: you're going to get a lot of recommendations for a James Blunt song called "The Girl Who Never Was". DO NOT listen to this until AFTER your new baby arrives. Not Kidding...❤
Listen to “Carry you home” by James Blunt, very emotional, apparently inspired by the death of a friend (fellow officer, apparently an American lady)
Yes yes yes I have two therapy practices, I needed the therapist that therapists use.
Before anyone else spews the "Don't plug Better Help" rubbish, yes, Elizabeth has (as have I) researched the claims against the service. There was a somewhat dubious .gov article that basically claimed that they push targeted advertising to anyone who's browsing history suggests they were interested in help with mental issues. They'd addressed these issues over a year ago, they've hardened their security, and anyone saying otherwise is simply parroting disinformation.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled whacka-whacka-whacka.
Better Insurance coverage and more Dr.'s Participating in Networks would negate the need for BH. Also Would love to hear reactions to Freya Ridings - Arcane Soundtrack Season 2.
His father was dying of stage 4 kidney disease at the time of the vid. However, a cousin saw the vid and decided to offer his kidney. As of my last check, dad is doing great. The rest of us however, are hot messes.
I feel kind of fortunate in a dark way.
My mother went in her mid 60's from her normal energetic self to dead from systemic infections in less than a day. My grandmother went in her early 90's a little slower, but still died less than five days after falling sick and only a couple of months after my mother.
I hope I go from me to gone in a short a time as they did, to reduce the drain and strain on what little family I have left.
His dad had donate a kidney in the past too. So he only had the one Kidney. Seems like they have a remarkable family with a very profound sense of duty and empathy.
There was a report on the radio this morning about using pig kidneys for transplant. It seems that the kidney shortage problem may be getting solved in the next few years. The pigs are genetically modified so that they don't look like foreign cells to any tissue type human. They have to be raised in a very isolated and controlled environment to make sure there are no viruses.
@@FrankHaney-b9yoh wow, that's even more of an amazing story
I first met James Blunt when we were both serving in the Balkans during the war there (He was a lieutenant and was a corporal in the British Army.) He was not only a great Troop commander but a kind bloke with a huge amount of empathy for people.
Wow I did not expect he served during the war
Well spoken, Sir.
@@DisregardedHappiness He didn't just serve, he led the the first Nato unit into Pristina, and was in the lead vehicle. Was told to take military action against Russians that had entered the airport, by General Wesley Clark, but refused, as this may have started WW3. Eventually they just surrounded it and cut them off from supplies, so got access anyway.
Yes mate. If more people knew about how he served he'd have alot more slack. But he's seen as a joker
😭@@jars6230
he wrote an amazing song about that time called, No Bravery
My dad lived with me for the past 7 years. I drove out to Kansas and packed up his stuff, and moved him to Utah. He had cancer. He passed away in April of this year. I would sit in his room all night to make sure his oxygen stayed on. Fed him. Washed his feet. Read to him. Made sure to keep him meidcated in the end. I sang this song to him. I miss him so much. I hope I chased the monsters away....
You are a very good son.
Damn this comment hit me harder than the song did. What an incredible person you are to have taken care of your parent like that. I see too many people online these days talking about how children don't "owe" their parents anything, but I couldn't disagree more. If your parents were good parents and took care of you for 18 years and did the best they could, then absolutely children should be there for them when they are too old to care for themselves. I can't imagine how scary it must feel to be so frail and sick and I definitely can't imagine feeling that way alone. As a mom with 4 underage children, I hope I never need them to take care of me like that, but I also hope that they'd love me enough to do it.
You did. I promise.
Good man.
You definitely did - and showed him such love.
My wife walked in on me sobbing while listening to the this and after coming to understand why, set up a family vacation to see my 76 year old father who lives 5 states away. And she is far from a sentimental person. This was pure practicality.
She's my hero. ❤
❤❤🫂
❤❤👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 thats a good wife God bless
WOW ❤
Yaaashhh!
❤
My mom and dad are 77 and 75, respectively. They don’t live far, but my own family life and my own kids’ activities get in the way of seeing them when I can. Every time I hear this song it reminds me to reach out. I can only imagine how many family dynamics have achieved “no need to forgive, no need to forget” because of this song. Glad it inspired you.
If you could interview James, it would be epic. He’s such a decent guy.
if that ever happened i would totally be there for it. net even kidding, i would pay to see it!🙂
I think that could be an amazing conversation between these two
Yes! That could be an interesting thing to see.
The guy never gets the respect he deserves from the music snobs but I appreciate it. He also comes across as a stand up bloke so that's a bonus 👌
He's also the King of Twitter!
Agreed mate
He’s a great dude
Completely agree!
Apparently he made a decision that may have prevented WW 3 . Look at the above comments on this video about his military service
As my Mom was losing her battle to cancer, I was taking care of her, but morphine had her thinking I was her Dad...she'd never seen, so I acted like he was a good Dad, finally there, taking care of her...
Been thinking about this comment for a few hours now. It sounds like an incredible gift and a mercy for your Mom. I don't know if it made things harder or easier for you at the time but I hope you can take comfort now knowing you gave her that experience.
@bobblebardsley I thank you for this, & for your time thinking about us. You are good to other people, so I hope other people are good to you as well...
@@maggedo-x1s Thank you so much. I think of kindness like I think of hugs: If I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, we each have what we started with. But you can give a hug and receive a hug, and you have two hugs in total. I like to think kindness grows in the same way. It's never wasted, especially on family or on anyone we love.
This hit me like a truck. My dad died of cancer 2 weeks ago... Last thing I said to him was to go to sleep and he just said OK... RIP dad... taking care of the monsters...
I am sorry for your loss. My Dad died in 2007 of pancreatic cancer. My sister and I were both there. We both told him to so to sleep and we could see him resisting. This song just rips my heart out. I had never heard James until a few months ago.
Sorry for your loss 😢
@@erpece so sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your loss
I had never heard this song before this video. I lost my dad last year. We had been estranged for my entire adult life but when I was facing homelessness he let me stay in his home, where I was the day that he died. I wish we could have had closure before his mind became too sick to understand much of what anyone was saying to him but when he was lucid he said he was so happy that I was there and I just smiled and said I love you dad. As far as he was concerned I was happy and we were ok. I was burning up inside. So for the past year and a half I really have not properly grieved. I think I am able to now. Thank you.
Regrets are so hard, unresolved issues with parents that die. I’ve lived it. I’m still working through. Prayer helps. I (and the church) teaches the dead aren’t gone, they are just somewhere else, but can still hear us. It’s why we talk to Saints and ask for them to pray for us. Your Dad can still hear you. I’ve had conversations with my mom. It is real and helpful.
His song "Goodbye My Lover" used to be the one that tore my heart out the most, but then he released "Monsters". I have officially requested my son to play this at my funeral. Also from him is "Carry You Home" for the veterans who have lost friends to war, and "You're Beautiful", a nod to those of us that live on the periphery of society that day dream about being with someone beautiful.
Also "The Girl That Never Was" for those that have experienced a miscarriage.
You ought to watch his "The girl that never was" video. A heartbreaker and a tearjerker.
His best song,so relatable to most people.
"Goodbye My Lover" is heartbreaking, when you lost the love of your life. For silly reasons. I regret that for the rest of mine...
ruclips.net/video/MfYx2Yg8imw/видео.html
agreed
Much love to everyone who is missing their father today
It made me think of my mother more than my father. The last words from me that I am sure my mother heard were something like "I am here. The others have all gone to get something to eat". She fell asleep after that and the next day was very drugged. It was the next night she passed.
When they recorded this there was one take , in James Blunts house i believe at the end everyone was in tears when Blunt Snr said why is everyone crying im still here
I came here to say this...
I love James Blunt 's music. Lots of people make fun of him, saying that his voice is annoying. But I can't listen to his songs without feeling them, they dont become background noise, and I think that takes a lot of talent.
me too❤
Blunt explained to Apple Music: "I idolized this man throughout my childhood, but as we grew older, I realized that he had his own fallibilities, and that's an awesome thing to see because you suddenly can become friends then. And then obviously as parents get older, the responsibility starts to weigh on the children that look after them. Although that can be painful, there's something beautiful about it, too."
Blunt wrote and recorded the song without telling his father. According to an Event magazine interview, when Blunt played it for him in a room with just the two of them there, he responded, "That's the way it is."
Every son lives for those two arm pats his dad gives him at the end of this video. I wish I could feel that from my dad one more time.
Elizabeth……. I had never heard this song before, and it absolutely GUTTED me. Someone stepped into my office and I had to explain why I was sobbing alone at my desk to this concerned colleague. Thank you for providing such lovely and insightful content, and thanks for taking this 4:21 of beautifully gut wrenching music and turning it into an extended tear fest. 😅 ❤
So, THE James Blunt story.
During the conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s, the Russians sent a flying column to occupy Pristina airport in a kinda desperate gambit to gain some relevancy. The commander of the NATO forces in Bosnia, US General Wesley Clarke, lost it, and ordered General Sir Mike Jackson, commander of the British force, to go to Pristina and evict them using any force neccessary. General Jackson refused the order (allegedly using some very choice language!), on the grounds that it was a ridiculous and dangerous over-reaction, and he wasn't going to start WWIII over some tiny airport in the middle of nowhere. He walked out of Clarke's office and got straight on the satellite phone to British command at Northwood. They told him to do nothing and referred the matter to No.10, who then spoke to the White House. Within a couple of hours, everyone in the chain had supported General Jackson's decision, and within 48 hours General Clarke was on a plane home.
Years later, a now-retired General Jackson was on a chat show promoting his autobiography, and told the above story. After his segment, James Blunt sang a song, and then came over to the sofa to be interviewed. However before the host could say anything, Blunt said, "before we start, I just want to say thank you to General Jackson for saving my life." Sir Mike looked a bit confused, and then Blunt explained, "I was the commander of the Scimitar light tank that would have been the first vehicle up the road to Pristina Airport..." 🤣
RIP General Sir Mike Jackson, who passed away earlier this year.
Incredible. Thank you for the story! I only knew about his days in the army from his appearance on Top Gear
I will never be able to listen to this song without crying, the emotion is just so strong.
This song cuts me off at the knees. It is pure catharsis. We all have traumas and struggles. My father is the big one. I'm a Dad of a wonderful 20 year old daughter, and knowing we will all, every one of us die, the love and sadness is overwhelming some days. PLEASE, tell your children how proud of them you are. Life is short. Don't go a day without love, especially for yourself and tour children.❤
James was a serving Officer in the army. His song No Bravery about his experiences in Kosovo is worth a listen.
Yes but it only rates not being called a "sad song" if you call it "an angry song". The anger at the waste is so clear.
Thanks for this video, it made me realize I have still time to tell my dad I love him before regretting never having done it ♥
I don't know what wrecked me more: the song or the comments of people who told their stories here.... Lots of love to all of you
I ADORE James Blunt. He's genuinely an awesome human. One of the best Twitter feeds as people love to toss insults at him but he's too witty to let them slide without a playful smack.
I've seen this so many times & I always assume that I won't cry "this time" because I know what to expect. Yet it gets me every single time. It's so raw and simple and the vulnerability of it is beautiful.
every single damn time! i havent even watched it yet and reading the comments while thinking about it i am fighting back the tears! sheesh
Same here. I have heard this dozens of times and I still tear up.
@@johnlombardo7816 It's a good one to watch if you're just needing a good cry though!
every time ❤
I lost my father 2 weeks ago. I stumbled across this today and I am so thankful. Full of tears, but thankful. I've never heard the song, but it has touched me so deeply and profoundly. I only wish I had one more day with him.
A perfect example of the difference between the art and the artist. Personally his music leaves me cold, he however, seems to be the very definition of a top bloke and a gentleman. A wicked sense of humour and a willingness to engage with his fans draws only respect from me. This song however, is something of a gamechanger in that he accesses emotions that most men aren't necessarily comfortable with...to our detriment. Well done sir, and bravely done Ms. It reduces me to inarticulacy. How you stay focused enough to analyse it is a testament to your professionalism.
if you want another example of a song of his that's totally different to his usual stuff and provokes an emotional response without being some sappy lovesong, check out No Bravery
One of the amazing things is that his formal training isn't musical, it's military. He graduated from Sandhurst, and Captain Blount was a tank commander in Kosovo. He did, however, had his guitar strapped to his tank. 😊
I would recommend "the girl that never was" as a next james blunt analysis.
bring tissues for that one too
I love that the first time we hear the chorus it's just James singing. Second time it's two-part harmony and the third time its the full choir. This may be the hundredth time I've heard this song and then it would be hundredth time I've cried. I loved my father but we didn't always get along when I was growing up. We didn't fight, but we just disagreed on so many things. Later in life I took him on a series of small vacations to spend some time together and see the sites around the Great Lakes (we're from Michigan) and we were able to talk through a lot of our past. At the end of the last scheduled trip he told me how proud he was of me and how glad he was we got to clear the air. He passed away from a massive heart attack a few weeks later and I am so grateful we had resolved our differences.
I wasn't prepared to be bawling at 9:30AM on a Tuesday, but here we are🥺
It prove we are human. For me it is just after lunch. I don't think the time of day matters.
I love this song. I couldn’t imagine how hard that was to be singing this song with his dad right next to him don’t know he’s there til end of song. Thank you for reacting to this song ❤
😭 This is so beautiful! Beautifully emotional, written and sung. As well as your reaction Elizabeth, beautiful, one of if not the best you have done. 🫶
I'm an old school type of man, who rarely shows his emotions, but this song breaks me up every time, can't watch it without shedding a tear
I'd recommend Mike and the Mechanics - The Living Years. It's in a similar vein to this. Also can't believe you've never done Simply Red - Holding Back the Years. That's another classic.
There's so much lore to this song that you probably either already know or are about to get in other people's comments, but it really changes the way it hits on subsequent listens, which is something I found pretty unique about it. I actually think you drew the short straw here because as emotional as it is on a single play through, playing parts of it over and over and really getting deep into it must have been even more challenging. The story behind it very closely mirrors something I've just been through (and have been going through since 2016) so the first time I heard it, I just played it about 20 times and cried. James Blunt gets mocked a lot in the UK for no apparent reason but he's an exceptional vocalist and should be a national treasure. Most people know him for 'You're Beautiful', my recommendations would be 'Goodbye My Lover' and '1973'. Thank you for such a sincere reaction and analysis ❤
Also the standalone "oh..." before each verse is so brutal, it's like the pretty piano instrumental is over, here comes the pain again.
we sang this song with our father last year a month and a half before his death. I was able to be there to hold his hand in his last 45 minutes of life as the song mentions. thank you for your strength and emotional maturity and musical intelligence to put into words so many things you felt deeply. I cried again with you while listening. I miss my dad a lot ❤
The lyrics are such a gut punch because they immediately take grown men back to that time when they were a child and their dad was the one trying to calm their fears before bedtime. Reversing the roles of father and child is such a powerful way to convey these emotions.
It is his father, it is a sad song, but it does have a happier outcome, his dad was diagnosed with stage 4 chronic kidney disease and without a donor kidney would die, as a result of the song and a plea for a donor one was found and his father had a transplant and is doing well. Fantastic reaction, if you go down a James Blunt rabbit hole, do not watch "The girl who never was" that's not one for expecting parents, at all. Some slightly bouncier songs, 1973 and bonfire heart are good. In fact I think you'll particularly like bonfire heart, it's a cute video and he flexes his range a bit and it's quite upbeat and light.
"The girl who never was" is just brutal, I'm not sure if it hits harder than "Mosters" but I could see it pushing people over the edge if there not prepared for its subject matter.
Wow....James' powerful composition tells my story.
The man who raised me was not my biological father. He married my Mum when I was five years old. Ten months later on 24 February 1954, Mum gave birth to my half-brother around 3:00 AM Our next door neighbors watched over me as I slept. I remember when he came home from the hospital like the event happened yesterday. He came into my bedroom and gently picked me up, holding me close in his tanned, strong arms. He looked me in the eyes, smiling from ear to ear. Laughing, he spoke in his soft Southern drawl:
"Stevie'boy, you have a brand new baby brother!"
I knew in my heart of hearts, at that point in time, I had a real Father. He passed away from a massive stroke on 10 October, 2005. I never did get a chance to say thank you and goodbye.
James' song says it for me..... Thank You.
You should look at his song the girl that never was , it sad as hell but utterly beautiful, and as a parent of two girls. It gets me every time
I lost my mom in September to a long and brutal battle with Alzheimer's. She kept smiling through it all, despite years of pain and confusion. She was a single parent, and sacrificed all her spare time and energy for me as I grew up. This song hits extra hard right now. I love you mom, and miss you lots 😢💔
This song is a lot - I lost my dad not that long ago to cancer and my Mum to sepsis from a UTI and this song and Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran are both songs that reduce me to a sobbing mess.
I honestly dont know how he got through the song with his Dad sitting right there. This was genuinely his goodbye to his Dad. As luck would have it the song caused a relative to get tested and was a match and one organ donation later his Dad survived. The song literally saved his Dad's life.
I've wanted to see you react to this song for a couple of years now. Your thumbnail says it all! I was wrecked by this song when I first heard it, and then I binged🎉 others' reactions to it for quite some time. When I saw you hadn't reacted to it yet, I really hoped to see that someday.
Thanks so much for doing this!
same! sometimes you just need to wallow.. my dad is gone 22 years and it still hurts that i didnt get as much time with him as i had liked as an adult, i was 20 and immature.. im just happy to have the last days with him by his side
The Girl that Never Was is also one that pulls on your heartstrings but recommending that one would be hard to do, seeing as Elizabeth has a baby on the way.
I adore that song, but my wife can't listen to it.
It’s incredible but she should absolutely not listen to that while pregnant.
Also No Bravery and Carry her home
Yes, beautiful song, but please, do not listen to it right now.
The first time I heard this song was about two years ago when the wonderful Iam Tongi performed it as his audition on American Idol, just a couple months after his father (and singing partner) died. Then I found this original. Everything about this song reminds me of my own father's last few days... And this is exactly what it felt like. Like it was my turn to watch over him, to chase his monsters away. I love him and miss him so much. My light and my rock...
James's production company wanted him to re record the whole song and auto tune/correct it. But he refused and did it in one take and wanted it to be as bare and raw as possible. All the tears and imperfections are real. To be sure, the emotions were getting through! The phrase "I'm not you're son and you're not my father" is what they used to say to each other when James was deployed at war being an army officer like his dad. Struggling to share emotions and say bye to each other. Like most british men and the stiff upper lip we struggle to talk about our emotions.
This breaks this metal head every damn time inside a minute 😢 such a beautiful song
I wasn’t ready for this one. But thanks. My dad was my favorite person in the world.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I'd never heard this song or James Blunt before that I'm aware of. I lost my father to cancer 4 months ago. He also had kidney cancer, but his spread to his bones and there wasn't much time. I was able to visit him (half-way across the country) about a month and a half before he passed. I wasn't there at the very end, but most of the family was. James is lucky his father survived, but I'm glad he was able to put his feelings into this song. From the title, I thought it was going to be about something totally different. It was like stepping on a land mine for me. Very painful, but therapeutic. Anybody who can put so much emotion in only a few notes is very good at their craft.
You're ballin', I'm ballin', we're all ballin'. Such powerful lyrics and performance.
It’s my father’s funeral tomorrow morning, this song is a word perfect story of my fathers battle with Alzheimer’s & it was my turn to chase the monsters away … I love & miss you Dad 🙏🏻😔x
That has to be a scary way to go. Bless you.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Sorry, for your loss. Have strenght tomorrow; bless!
I’m so sorry for your loss 💔
I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending you strength and love in these dark times.
Being that my 16 year old son and I are the only family (blood) we have left in our lives and I'm 58 years old, I just can't hear this song right now. 😢💔
Prayers and a big hug.
This song reflects the farewell to my father, I have to cry every time I hear it.😪
What a beautiful reaction from you...😊
From those of us who can’t afford to be a Patreon member, thank you. Everyone needs to experience one of the most raw performances ever recorded at least once. I love you dad
James Blunt’s music is so underrated. He’s a really nice man. If you ever get chance to hear him live then do it. My whole family have seen him, ranging in a wide span of years, he appeals to everyone. God bless you James.
I will try to get through it. Lost my Dad 6 yrs ago. We had that kind of relationship. I live in SC and he was in PA. I didn't get there on time to say goodbye. 😢 This song makes me cry everytime.
Me too. My dad was battling prostate cancer the whole time I was working on my master's degree - 5 hours away. I wanted to set aside school and come home and help mom and dad - and my little sister who was only 5 and seeing dad go through so much. But, he really wanted me to finish. I did and started my career just two weeks before he passed away. I only got to spend one week at home between finishing my masters and moving away. I drove out the driveway that morning knowing it was the last time I would see him. I know it was important for him to see me finish - but I would have given anything to have that chance to help and have time with him. That was back in 1987 and it still hurts.
Well, that was a fun lunch to cry the entire way through! Most of us were introduced to James Blunt through the heartbreak song “You’re beautiful”, and I’m sure many of us would love to see you experiencing it.
I still cry when listening to this song, no shame at all in that, great songs and great delivery makes you cry, smile, jump up and down, do a spin, and everything in-between. James Blunt first arrived on the scene for me with his performance of his song 'you're beautiful ' at Glastonbury, however his video is brilliant also. Elizabeth please play/review this one please. Thanks
Loved your empatic and honest reaction. I ugly cried when I saw/heard this video for the first time (still happens). His looking straight into the camera and doing the song in one take, through his tears, is so incredible strong and vounerable at the same time.
Wooowwww great pick. This is probably the most emotionally impactful song I've ever heard.
“I’m not your son. You’re not my father. We are just two men saying goodbye.’ Is what they would say to each other when they went on deployment. Both James Blunt and his father were in the military, and being stoic military men, they suppressed their emotions when saying goodbye. Which makes it harder when you might have to say that final goodbye.
He’s touring in the U.S. in 2025. I’m seeing him in the summer. I can’t wait. I don’t think he tours that often in the U.S. but I might be wrong. I’m just so happy to be seeing him live.
Now check out Iam Tongi's cover when he audition for American Idol. So good James blunt joined him to reprise it later in the competition.
American Idol
@The Charismatic Voice Please please please go down this rabbit hole of James Blunt. The Back to Bedlam Live album is a must. No bravery is a powerful one. That album is nothing but brilliant.
You put your heart and soul into everything that you do. Well done, Elizabeth.
Your timing... Tomorrow marks 1 year since my dad passed. My mom passed 2 months later. This song gets me.
Lost my dad 5 years ago very suddenly. Never got to say goodbye or anything. He was my best friend and I miss him everyday. I sometimes find myself getting angry out of jealousy at others that know it's coming and get to say their goodbyes, but I've learned life doesn't work the way we want to. I've also learned that no one is truly gone until their name is said for the last time. Tell the stories of the ones you miss, they will live on forever.
We have seen Alzheimer’s in our family. It is an awful disease. This song expresses the emotion of having to watch loved ones who will die twice, and the burden of caring for the person whose relationship you have lost.
This is very cathartic.
He seems to be a very socially competent man. He knows his voice is different and he is humble in saying that the emotion he can portray is his currency. So many songs that i myself have cried sing to on his albums Some kind of trouble and All the lost souls. His music has meant a lot for me in my late teenage years. A real sociologist in music form! From another sociologist.
@TheCharismaticVoice you really need to review the live duet of James Blunt and Iam Tongi singing “Monsters” in honor of Iam’s father who passed away but gave his son the courage to follow his dream and pursue his musical career. It’s so powerful and it shows how much of a good person James truly is.
Bump
Although we'd been very close, this reminds me so much of the promises I made to my father to protect my mother & our family as he suffered the closing stages of cancer and we both knew his final time approached.
I chose this song at my dad's funeral, he was always a fan James blunts music and the song is just too fitting
I already have tears in my eyes from the thumbnail alone... I so love James Blunt and "Monster" is one of his absolute best songs. So glad you're doing this - and afraid to watch it at the same time. 😢❤
Not sure if anyone explained it yet but basically James used to serve in the British Army as a Captain and was deployed to Kosovo in the late 1990s.
The lines: " I'm not you son, you're not my father, we're just 2 grown men saying goodbye, no need to forgive, no need to forget, i know you're mistakes and you know mine" is a reference to how his father said goodbye to him when he was deploying to Kosovo. His father, who himself had served in the military, said "I'm not your father, you're not my son, we're just 2 grown men saying goodbye" as a form of respect and acknowledgement that James had grown into a capable grown man and also that when he's out there on his own he can't come run to his dad, he has to take care on of himself out in the warzone.
Never happened. They never said anything of the sort to each other and there is no record of James claiming they did. Internet bullshit.
Your source?@@jedislap8726
And...by the way.... what's your point? Why do you care to pretend you have the real info. Relative to this ....who the f cares?
I was driving to the airport to see my sick dad in summer of 23 and this came on the radio for the first time me hearing. It was playing at that moment,not by coincidence. I never cried so damn hard in my life. I lost him that October. Every time I hear it I'm right next to him. This song is a miracle imo.
I love James Blunt - he has SUCH a unique voice
From memory, when they filed that video the cast and James were in bits at the end (and one take) whereas his Dad was still quite composed
If you really want to here his voice live, just him and a piano, no processing, where you can see his mouth and everything you really should check out his performance of "Goodbye My Lover" Live at the Oxford Union Hall 2016. He sings just as good if not better live than in the studio. He really is criminally underrated
This song gets me emotional every time. I watched my Dad die from cancer for six years. Luckily I was able to say good bye to him. Thank you Dad, I love you 🥺!
I take care of my son, and I always will... until I can't. My monster is that no one will be here to take care of him after I am gone. This moment won't be a moment of letting go for me. I'll die knowing what I have left behind.
I am a single mother of an adult son with autism. I get you. I’m in my late 50’s so I’m making plans. I found someone who agreed to be legal guardian when Im gone. We are moving to a city where that person lives so my son will be over that adjustment before I’m gone. Planning helps me not worry so much. So does prayer. I will pray for you.
I'm actually surprised young lady that you haven't reacted to this song thus far..as someone who has lost so many loved ones i watch this video to regain my humanity that I'm not as cold as i portray
omg I've been waiting for you to check Jame's music and it's finally happening!! Cannot wait to see your analysis and reaction❤
I wish I'd known about this song sooner. A couple of years ago I lost my uncle, who was more of a father to me than my actual father. My uncle, without hyperbole, saved my life, he rescued me from the darkest moment of my life, at a time when I was seriously considering giving up. He encouraged and supported me where my own father alienated his entire family. Watching my uncle rapidly deteriorate in the final weeks of his life crushed me, and even now, more than two years later, I still feel the impact of the loss... hearing this song brought everything to the fore and reminded me of the last days when he had lost all ability to communicate... he look so frail and scared... and I could do nothing but sit by his bedside watching the once strong, kind, selfless man slowly fade. It breaks my heart that I couldn't do anything to alleviate the fear he was feeling. I miss him so much...
I don't know your uncle but I love him already. To recognize you needed help and to step in is awesome.
I’m 42yrs old, and I still have my dad Iv heard this song a million times, and every damn time I hear it, it makes me think of my dad, and a time will come when I have to deal with that time he is singing. I’m not ready….and I pray to god to give me the strength I need to get thru it.
Recently lost my dad and I'm watching this video at work trying to hold it together. Wow, what an incredible song. I'll have to listen to it when I can let go.
I am so sorry for your loss sir may your dad rest easy in peace
I've been waiting for you to get round to James Blunt. So glad you have. So much Emotion, Carry you home is another great song.
Sorry Elizabeth, I couldn't get through this! Even though my Dad died 12 years ago. Bravo for completing the video, it is always a joy to hear your insights and see your reactions to music, it truly does make me appreciate music more.
I’m just amazed you held out from crying for so long. This song resonates so much with me and brings me back to the last few weeks of my own father’s life where we spoke more to each other than in my whole adult life
Thank you for this reaction. He so masterly takes us along this painful road of a final goodbye. I love this song, never had the chance to say a proper goodbye to my father. Every man especially I see react to this song are crying their eyes out. I don't think I have yet experienced another song that has such a deep emotional impact especially on men. Beautiful, just beautiful
Thankyou so much for reviewing this Elisabeth. It's rare that I shed a tear these days but my this one opened the taps. The lyrics alone are epic, add the emotion of the voice and piano and it escalates somewhat more. This brings so may emotions of the past to the surface that I had supressed and I am grateful for that. I just wish I had more time with my dad before he passed. I feel the guilt for moving so far away for work and not being closer to him as the decades went by. He looked after me and raised me as a child but I didn't pay that back as much as I would have wanted. No excuses.
This is a song that hits men so much harder than women. He nails so much about the father/son relationship. I break down every single time.
I lost my dad to asbestos based cancer in December 2015 and I have listened to so much music with him, and even though he passed at the age of 70 he was still a very young soul eg he could walk the hind legs of a horse and he was also still very active in general. However he enjoyed listening to James Blunt because my dad said he had the heart and soul of someone much older than he was. He also had a lot of respect for him because he was in the British Army and had his guitar attached to the side of his vehicle. My dad’s favourite song was Your Beautiful by James Blunt.
I passed more than one bad break up with James' "Same Mistake", a very talented artist with a very interesting life story ❤❤❤
Thank you for reacting to this video Elizabeth. You are right. This is a very emotionally powerful music video. It is the saddest song on your channel since you reacted to Johnny Cash perform Hurt.
I requested this months ago, and here we are! So excited for this one.
Amazing singer in every song he has done. Another heart breaking song he done is called. The girl that never was. Monsters we can all relate to. The girl that never was. Is something I fortunately never experienced but he makes it like it was
If you guys get a chance, a young man covered this song on American Idol as his audition, his name is Iam Tongi, and James Blunt has gone on record to say that he loves his version. It is so emotional and gut wrenching just like James’s original. He even partnered with the other guy to sing the song with him too.
Omg... I was at his concert less than 2 weeks ago. Hearing this song live, it's impossible not to cry. The simplicity of the lyrics is so striking and having a someone very close to me going through a diagnosis now, it broke me for a while...
'The girl that never was' is just as, if not more emotional as this one. That too was written from a personal experience.
His voice is just phenomenal, and you do a great job analyzing why, despite the tears and emotions. How could anybody hear this and not cry, though? I agree, the writing is excellent, and the delivery, even better. One thing I noticed which no reactor has mentioned, toward the beginning there are a couple of words that end in 's'' and he produces a sort of almost whistle sound on those that I find fascinating. I agree, he really leans into the vowels with lots of power, that most vocalists don't, or can't do. Amazing stuff.