Musical Photographs: James Morrison Reflects on the Road to His Greatest Hits
Monday, 14 February 2022
Written by Simon Ramsay
If a picture can tell a thousand words, a song can conjure a vault’s worth of memories. Just ask James Morrison, who recently embarked on a rewarding, flashback-filled trip through his catalogue when he re-recorded some of his best-loved tunes for a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection with a twist. Emotionally vibrant and wonderfully performed, without jettisoning what fans love about the originals, these versions feel like the work of a seasoned musician who’s finally at home in his skin.
It’s a familiar tale: young hopeful strikes big straight out of the gate, garners numerous accolades and gets to enjoy all the trappings fame has to offer. Alas, their dizzying upward trajectory is rarely sustained and usually comes at a cost. The pressure to remain successful becomes relentless and, more often than not, those kids get railroaded into doing exactly what the people in charge of their careers want them to.
That was the kind of double edged sword a 21-year-old Morrison encountered after his 2007 debut album, ‘Undiscovered’, rocketed him into the public consciousness. Although the former Brit Award winner had fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a musician, there was never enough time and space for his artistry to develop in the way he would have liked.
It wasn’t until the singer-songwriter’s last effort, 2019’s ‘You’re Stronger Than You Know,’ that the man Paul Weller cites as ‘one of the great British vocalists’ finally crafted the album he’d always wanted to make. Confident, at ease, and completely unburdened by outside expectations, the joy, maturity and warmth flowing through that record has subsequently been injected into rebooted versions of mega smashes like You Give Me Something, Broken Strings and Won’t Let You Go.
We caught up with the now 37-year-old ahead of his spring UK tour to discuss how he reinvigorated his signature hits, while also hearing about the highs and lows of the last 15 years and why, in the not too distant future, he might need to start dressing in black, like a certain country legend.
Die-hard fans usually own all their favourite artist’s studio albums, so forking out for a ‘Greatest Hits’ with one or two new songs can be frustrating. This release delivers something that’s worth their while.
That’s it. I didn’t feel good about putting those recordings on an album with two new songs. It didn’t make me excited. So the only other option was to look at re-recording them and trying to put some life back into them, just update them with my live band to make it sound like how I’d do it now. If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have done them like I have this time. There are always gonna be people that prefer the originals, but it’s nice to offer something new. I still feel proud of these songs. They still sound pretty good and, whether it’s a few lines here or there, I captured the truth of what I was going through at the time.
How do the two new songs fit a collection which marks the end of one chapter of your career and ushers in the next?
It’s kind of a segue and you get a bit of both. Don’t Mess With Love is more connected to the re-recordings on the album, but Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? is me trying something. I wanted the old songs to bookend that part of my career and, also, go into the next part, which is trying to write new songs that feel good and put me in a different space, a different zone, than people have heard me. That’s what I’m trying now, to fill in the blanks of ‘what haven’t I done?’, ‘what do I want to do?’, ‘where am I going?’ You’re only as good as your last song so I try to keep moving forwards.
We all learn so much during the course of our lives, but can never go back with that knowledge and apply it to earlier situations. Yet, artistically, you’ve done just that.
That’s what was exciting. It was an opportunity to fix a few things, almost like I was the little brother and now I’m the older brother. It’s been nice but, equally, frustrating that it will never end. I could keep tweaking those songs for the rest of my life and still wouldn’t be happy, so it’s a difficult one. But it was an enjoyable process and out of it came some nice re-recordings of songs people know. It will allow them to listen again with fresh ears and go through that nostalgic trip, hopefully with me. Like what I went through, picturing all the different places I’ve played the songs, going from 21 to 37, and how much has happened in those years. It’s nice to have a nostalgia trip.
Have the meanings of any of those tunes changed over the years?
You Give Me Something, I remember when we first finished that I didn’t feel remarkable about it. I didn’t feel ‘this is the one.’ But as the years have gone on I realise it’s quite memorable because people know it as soon as I play those first two chords of the intro. I love that. I’m stoked that I've got a few signature songs I can play and, right from the top, people know what they are and go ‘Ah, that’s James Morrison.’ That’s what I wanted. I like being in the background, like a family member or friend people can rely on.
Were there any songs you felt you hadn’t done justice to originally that you’ve put right here?
No, but there are definitely songs I wish I’d done slightly differently. It’s so annoying. Like a painting, you can always add to it, take away shade and put more darkness in there. It’s hard to let go and it wasn’t always a pleasant experience. I’d panic about it a lot. I’d listen to the tunes late at night and think ‘these aren’t good enough’ and just punish myself. I tried not to do that this time and, overall, feel good about the songs.
The job was to try and get it to sound live, but not so live so it’s rambunctious and untidy. It’s still got a studio sound to it. The vocals sound raw and not over produced. It’s just got to have a vibe. It’s got to sound like you give a shit, like you mean it, or you’re trying your best. I came away feeling every one of those songs had a vibe. It’s still got that rawness and naivety, but done in a way that’s older and those two things together make it sound quite nice: a pro band playing songs that were written by some kid.
I once heard a songwriter say when you write songs, initially, they’re like babies you’re sending out into the world. And then, as you tour them they grow up and start to develop and exhibit their own personalities.
Songs are like a subconscious thought and then you flesh it out. When you look back on those thoughts, if you’ve written the song well enough, it takes you straight back to how you were thinking and feeling at the time. It’s nice to sing songs that, when I was writing them I was heartbroken, or had lost my dad or my partner wasn’t feeling good, and to know I came through all that. When you sing them again it’s quite satisfying, like musical photographs. I like looking at old photos and have so many thoughts when I hear You Give Me Something, Broken Strings or any of those old ones. It brings back so many memories, when I played the songs at a concert for Diana or on Jools [Holland]. All the things I’ve done flash before my eyes when I hear them. It was nice to have those experiences when I was re-recording them.
During your early years you were expected to conform and fit a certain mould. Although obviously successful, did that hinder your development with regards finding your artistic voice?
Definitely. I was young, only 21, and went from being a super-shy person to being on screen. It was a big jump for me. I had success in the beginning and was expected to fulfil certain things, sell certain amounts of records, so the pressure was on. It’s a difficult path to tread because you can be fighting against a lot of people saying one thing and you’re saying another, so it takes time to find your confidence in that arena. It’s a lion’s den. You can strike out if you’re too pushy and strike out if you’re not fulfilling what they want you to. I just saw it as my opportunity to do the thing I love and didn’t want to lose that. I was shy and just did as I was told. I’m still learning, to be fair, still figuring it all out. But I’m proud of what I’ve done and how I handled that time.
Was there ever a fear about releasing a few hits before vanishing?
I said to both my managers in the beginning, ‘I’m not gonna do it if I’m gonna end up being some one hit wonder.’ My goal was always to have a career playing live, writing music and trying to sell albums. It’s a difficult place to try and be good. Trying to do it, trying to stay focused and motivated is one thing, and actually being good, selling tickets and all that stuff is another. So it’s not always as easy as you’re doing well or not doing well. It’s fluid and changes a lot. That’s the reason I feel I’m still here. My base has never changed. I’ve always done it for the music and because I wanted to sing well on songs people relate to and that help them, in some way, figure out some shit. My stuff is only good when you’re going through some shit and need someone to say, ‘I know what that feels like.’
You seem in a good place right now, but you’ve also said music is emotional therapy for you. Do you ever worry that becoming too content might cause the creative well to dry up?
I don’t think I’ll ever be too content. My life isn’t as easy as you’d think. Yeah, I’ve got financial stability, for now. But a career in music is a dangerous thing. It’s not super reliable unless you work your ass off and keep trying to make it work, keep changing and evolving. It’s a constant process. I could see myself still touring. I could see myself not touring. I love music but I can play music at home. I don’t need to go out and tour all the time just to feel good about myself. Equally, when I’m not doing it, I really miss it. In lockdown I realised how much I love touring and how lucky I am to still be able to do it.
If we talk again in another 15 years, when you’re promoting ‘Greatest Hits 2’, what would you like your career to look like then?
There’s definitely areas I could tread in that I haven’t yet. I definitely want to write more uptempo, rockier stuff. Not ‘rock’ as such, but stuff that’s got a bit more oomph to it. There’s loads I want to do. Keep creating, see where I can take it and branch away from just ‘emotional songs’ all the time. Sometimes you just want something you can sing along to loud. I’d like to take you on more of a lyrical journey too. I like stories and lyrics that give you little tips or say something beautiful. More stories, more storytelling, more country storytelling. I’d like to end up like Johnny Cash!
James Morrison Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu March 10 2022 - SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion
Fri March 11 2022 - IPSWICH Ipswich Regent Theatre
Sat March 12 2022 - CARDIFF St David's Hall
Mon March 14 2022 - LEICESTER De Montfort Hall
Tue March 15 2022 - OXFORD New Theatre
Thu March 17 2022 - BOURNEMOUTH Pavilion Theatre
Fri March 18 2022 - FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Hall
Sat March 19 2022 - STOKE Victoria Hall
Mon March 21 2022 - MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall
Tue March 22 2022 - BATH Bath Forum
Fri March 25 2022 - STOCKTON Globe Theatre
Sat March 26 2022 - LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall
Mon March 28 2022 - CAMBRIDGE Corn Exchange
Tue March 29 2022 - BIRMINGHAM Symphony Hall
Wed March 30 2022 - NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall
Fri April 01 2022 - SHEFFIELD City Hall
Sat April 02 2022 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 City Hall
Mon April 04 2022 - BRIGHTON Brighton Dome
Tue April 05 2022 - READING Reading Hexagon
Wed April 06 2022 - LONDON London Palladium
Fri April 08 2022 - EDINBURGH Usher Hall
Sat April 09 2022 - ABERDEEN Music Hall
Sun April 10 2022 - GLASGOW Royal Concet Hall
Fri July 08 2022 - LONDON Royal Botanic Gardens
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