James Blunt, or rather his music, was a memorable part in the story of the 2022 Parliament protests. Now, it's New Zealand's turn to feature in his story. Photo / Getty Images
James Blunt, or rather his music, was a memorable part in the story of the 2022 Parliament protests. Now, it's New Zealand's turn to feature in his story. Photo / Getty Images
At the height of New Zealand’s battle against Covid-19 Omicron, Parliament protesters camped out in front of the Beehive for 23 days, causing then-Speaker Trevor Mallard and law enforcement to resort to creative methods to get them to move along.
It was called the Barry Manilow effect, and heard songs from Manilow, the Macarena and, Frozen’s Let It Go blast from Parliament speakers at all hours of the day and night. But when the efforts didn’t work, popular English musician James Blunt offered to lend a helping hand.
Never one to miss an opportunity for a self-deprecating joke, Blunt, 50, tagged the NZ Police on X, “Give me a shout if this doesn’t work @nzpolice,” the British singer wrote, alongside a BBC article on how Manilow’s music is being used to try to repel Parliament protesters.
Blunt’s tweet immediately went viral in New Zealand, with people calling the singer a “top bloke” and applauding his “sense of humour”.
Mallard also appeared to appreciate the tweet, and before long, the speakers were blasting You’re Beautiful, the 2004 song that regularly features in “world’s worst songs” playlists.
Unfortunately for law enforcement and Parliament, the tune was a hit with protesters who were captured holding hands, singing along to the lyrics and some even cheered when the song began playing. Now, Blunt has shared his thoughts about the historic moment in Aotearoa’s history, calling the protesters “really f**ked up”.
Using clips from the event as the introduction for his recently released Netflix documentary, James Blunt: One Brit Wonder, the Grammy-nominated star revealed he was rather surprised to learn his song was received in the complete opposite way than what he and law enforcement expected.
“They were dancing along and singing along,” he says, appearing rather bewildered. “Truth is, they liked it.”
Despite the seeming compliment from the protesters, Blunt didn’t take it as such and quickly added, “They’re really f****d up, aren’t they? They’re anti-vax and they’re pro-Blunt”.
You’re Beautiful was the third single released off Blunt’s debut album, Back to Bedlam and is rumoured to be about his ex-girlfriend Dixie Chassay. Blunt has never confirmed the theory.
Ed Sheeran and James Blunt attend the premiere screening of 'James Blunt: One Brit Wonder'. Photo / Getty Images
He has however revealed the truth behind the song, telling the Guardian in 2020, that he walked past his ex-girlfriend with another man at the tube station and raced home, “Our eyes met, but we just walked past each other, and I went home and wrote the words to ‘You’re Beautiful’ in two minutes,” he said.
The song saw huge industry success, launching the album up the charts and has since become Blunt’s biggest hit in America to date. Reaching number one on the Billboard 100 for one week in November 2005, it was the first time a British artist had dominated the Hot 100 since Sir Elton John released Candle in the Wind - a Princess Diana tribute in 1997.
Despite the popularity of the timeless song, it has faced fierce backlash over the years and was even named the seventh most annoying song of all time by Rolling Stone readers.
James Blunt released Back to Bedlam in 2004. Photo / Getty Images
Blunt spoke to Hello! magazine about the backlash in 2014: “There was one song that was force-fed down people’s throats – You’re Beautiful – and it became annoying,” he admitted. “And then people start to associate the artist with the same word.”
Regardless, the single encouraged the popularity of Back to Bedlam, effectivelycatapulting the then-30-year-old Blunt to worldwide success. It became the highest-selling album of 2005 in the UK, with over 2.4 million copies sold, and debuted in the number one spot in multiple countries, including New Zealand.
Blunt’s Netflix documentary is an overview of the star’s early days of fame and what led him to the stage, including his stint in the army.
Lillie Rohan is a London-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things reality TV, films and music.
