Emily

Album: It'll All Make Sense in the End (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is an emotional ballad dedicated to the daughter James Arthur might have one day. He sings the heartfelt lyrics directly to the imaginary Emily, picturing how she will inspire his songs and make him a "better man."
  • During the first verse, Arthur hopes his well-publicized dark past won't hinder their relationship.

    And if you ever read the things they wrote
    I hope that you can let them go
    I was living in a different world
    Before I had my little girl


    After winning the UK version of X Factor in 2012, James Arthur struggled to adjust to his new fame. He struggled with drugs, anxiety, and depression, and made several contentious remarks on social media.
  • Arthur released "Emily" on September 24, 2021 as the fourth single from his fourth album, It'll All Make Sense In The End.
  • James Arthur wrote the song with the production duo Red Triangle and singer-songwriter James "Yami" Bell. The same quartet penned It'll All Make Sense in the End's lead single, "Medicine."
  • Arthur said the song arose from conversations about having children. "Would I even be a good dad? What if they read about all the s--t I've been through? It doesn't matter because ultimately I'm the guy who's going to be there for you all your life."
  • During lockdown, James Arthur wrote "Emily" amid an intense three-month period of writing songs. Making music was a form of therapy for him.

    "Like everyone, I was forced to reflect and that made my mental health go a bit sideways," he told Officialcharts.com.
  • James Arthur later revealed he wrote "Emily" while his partner, Jessica Grist, was pregnant. The lyrics were meant to tell the child that the singer had been "living in a different world" until she came along. Sadly, Jessica had a miscarriage and lost the baby. Asked on Andy Jaye's An Hour With podcast if Arthur wrote "Emily" for a future daughter, he replied: "To be honest, when it first came out I sort of billed it as that, but I spoke to my partner, and at the time it was a realistic prospect."

    "Sadly it didn't work out," he continued. "It wasn't far, it was a couple of months and she had an ectopic pregnancy. So she lost the child, and I didn't really want to talk about it."

    "But she actually said, 'I think it's really important that you do,'" he added, "just because there's so little information, and I would echo that actually."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.