Wisemen

Album: Back to Bedlam (2005)
Charted: 23
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When asked about the song's meaning, James Blunt told I Like Music in 2005: "'Wisemen' is about escaping from society's pressure to conform, and going off to do your own thing, taking your vices with you."

    Blunt wrote the track with London-based songwriters Jimmy Hogarth and Sacha Skarbek, who also teamed up to co-write the previous single, "Goodbye My Lover." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Aline - Montreal
  • Two music videos were made. The first, directed by Mark Davis, finds Blunt and his band performing at the Cafe de Paris, where the singer is captivated by a woman in a green dress, then kidnapped by three masked men.

    In the second clip, directed by Paul Minor, Blunt drives to a forest (the same location as the "High" video) and burns his passport and other identifying papers. As they go up in flames, so does he. According to the Making Of video, the car Blunt drives is a 1971 Jensen FF.
  • Blunt sings of three wise men who've "got a semi by the sea." What exactly is a semi by the sea? It's a semi-detached house. In the Davis video specifically, it's a semi-detached shack made out of scraps of wood. James ends up trapped in this shack with three exaggerations of himself.
  • This was initially released as a single in 2005 and peaked at #44 on the UK chart. After the success of "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye Lover," it was re-released the following year and had a much better showing, climbing to #23.
  • This was used in the British sitcoms Gavin & Stacey (Episode #2.2 - 2008) and The Inbetweeners ("Bunk Off" – 2008), when Simon attempts to drunkenly express his love to childhood friend Carli.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.