In 2006, the song won an Ivor Novello Award for airplay. When released as the debut single from Back to Bedlam in Canada and the United States, it reached number one on both charts and received widespread airplay.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the song reached number one and number two respectively. It was released as the second single from the album in 2005. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, Back to Bedlam (2004). Blunt recounts his harrowing experiences as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo on the closer, "No Bravery," and it's a shock to hear all of the romantic lyricism that informed Bedlam up to this point reduced to "Old men kneel and accept their fate/Wives and daughters cut and raped/A generation drenched in hate," but it's damn effective - as is the majority of this fine debut."You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It's a pace that would sink some records, but Bedlam's perfectly rendered, under-40-minute run time ensures that the listener doesn't suffer from a melancholic overdose. Opening track "High" sets a determined mid-tempo pace that rarely wanes - it's like an acoustic version of "Drive" by the Cars with a Coldplay chorus. Predictable but effective four-chord guitar motifs are the chosen vehicle for the ex-Royal Armed Forces soldier, and when they connect ("Wiseman," "Goodbye My Lover," "You Are Beautiful"), it's like a "Dear John" letter from a lover who you know will remain a close but ultimately guarded friend. While his parched and effeminate falsetto recalls Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart with a healthy dose of Antony and the Johnsons, it's the late Elliott Smith who casts the largest shadow on Back to Bedlam. Soulful British crooner James Blunt's wistful debut infuses the listener - in this order - with rainy-day hope, the wistful comfort of unattainable love, and finally, world-weary resignation.
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