Audio Interview: James Blunt

James Blunt, muse to Elton John, former protector of the Queen and sometimes pop star recently dropped by the Rolling Stone offices for one clear purpose: "I came for a free lunch," Blunt joked. Surrounded by sandwiches and the Rolling Stone staff, he fielded questions about everything from his past as a soldier, to his plans for recording album number two, to the identity of the woman who inspired his heartbreaker hit "You're Beautiful." Blunt, who is off to Europe for a summer tour, explained why he never gets sick of performing "You're Beautiful" night after night after night: "Every single night the song continues to get me laid."

Before discovering the side benefits of a hit song, Blunt studied engineering at Bristol University, then honored a long-standing family tradition by serving as a soldier in the Queen's army (Blunt's father is a recently retired colonel). Eventually, Blunt found himself in Kosovo with the NATO peacekeeping force, an experience that has informed many songs on his debut, Back to Bedlam. He left the army in 2002 and became a full-time musician, quickly drawing the attention of such industry heavies as producers Linda Perry and Tom Rothrock (who produced Bedlam). For more on the songwriter's rise to fame (including his musical experience in Carrie Fisher's bathroom), listen to the interview.

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

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