Wisemen

This article is about the song by James Blunt. For other uses of the term, see Wise men (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Wiseman (song), a song by Frank Ocean.

"Wisemen"
Single by James Blunt
from the album Back to Bedlam
Released7 March 2005 (2005-03-07)
Length
  • 3:42 (album version)
  • 3:17 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • James Blunt
  • Jimmy Hogarth
  • Sacha Skarbek
Producer(s)
James Blunt singles chronology
"Goodbye My Lover"
(2005) 		"Wisemen"
(2005) 		"No Bravery"
(2006)
Music video
"James Blunt - Wisemen" on YouTube

"Wisemen" is a song written by British singer James Blunt, Jimmy Hogarth and Sacha Skarbek for Blunt's debut album, Back to Bedlam. The song was produced by Tom Rothrock and Jimmy Hogarth. The song was released as the third single in March 2005 and reached the top 50 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 44. Following the success of "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", "Wisemen" was re-released in March 2006, reaching number 21 in New Zealand and number 23 in the UK. The song was met with positive reviews.

Release

[edit]

"Wisemen" was first released on 7 March 2005[1] on three physical formats. The CD single includes an exclusive live performance of "No Bravery". The DVD includes the original video for "Wisemen", exclusive "Making Of" footage and a live audio recording of "Out of My Mind". The 7-inch vinyl includes a live performance of "Billy". The re-release, issued on 13 March 2006,[2] was also available on three physical formats, containing a similar track listing. CD1 includes a live performance of "Out of My Mind", taken from the initial DVD single; CD2 includes the live performances of "No Bravery" and "Out of My Mind", plus the video for "Wisemen"; and the limited edition one-sided 7-inch vinyl features "Wisemen" only. In Australia, the single was released on 17 April 2006.[3]

Chart performance

[edit]

During its original release, "Wisemen" became Blunt's first single to chart within the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 44. Following its UK re-release, the song became his fourth top-40 single when it peaked at number 23 on the same chart, spending a total of six weeks in the top 75. It reached number 11 in Australia and became his third single to reach the top 20. In Canada, the song became an airplay hit, reaching number three on the BDS Airplay chart.

Music videos

[edit]

The first music video, released in tandem with the first UK release of the single, has Blunt and his band performing in the Café de Paris. The only occupants of the café are three middle-aged men, supposedly businessmen, who are accompanied by a young woman. The woman stands and begins to dance in the middle of the room but is ignored by the men. Three masked men, supposedly the wisemen, then enter and kidnap Blunt, putting him into a car and driving to the shore where he is imprisoned in a hastily constructed shack by the seaside, in reference to the lyric, "Those three wisemen, they've got a semi by the sea." The masks were constructed from moulds cast from Blunt's own face. The second version, which was released in tandem with the UK re-release of the single, has Blunt burning his personal papers and passport in a forest before slowly internally combusting. This video has been released to the US market. During a guest-hosting slot on the BBC2 programme "Never Mind the Buzzcocks", Blunt was asked what the line meant and said that "Semi" referred to a "semi-automatic rifle".

Track listings

[edit]

2005

[edit]

CD

  1. "Wisemen" - 3:45
  2. "No Bravery" (Live) - 3:24

DVD[4]

  1. "Wisemen" (Audio) - 3:45
  2. "Wisemen" (Video) - 3:50
  3. "High" (Video) - 3:45
  4. "Wisemen" (The Making of the Video) - 3:00

7-inch vinyl

  1. "Wisemen" - 3:45
  2. "Billy" (Live) - 4:12

2006

[edit]

CD1

  1. "Wisemen" - 3:45
  2. "Out of My Mind" (Live at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC) - 3:22

CD2[5]

  1. "Wisemen" - 3:45
  2. "No Bravery" (Live) - 3:16
  3. "Out of My Mind" (Live at the Bowery Ballroom, NYC) - 3:00

7-inch vinyl

  1. "Wisemen" - 3:45

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[34] Gold 4,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 400,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Reviews: Singles". Music Week. 26 February 2005. p. 23.
  2. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 March 2006. p. 29.
  3. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 17th April 2006" (PDF). ARIA. 17 April 2006. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ^ "James Blunt Wisemen UK 3 DISC CD/DVD SET (542826)". Eil.com. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  5. ^ "JAMES BLUNT-WISEMEN-3 TRACK SINGLE-BRAND NEW-COLLECTABL | eBay". Cgi.ebay.co.uk. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "James Blunt: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  8. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  9. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  10. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  11. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  12. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  13. ^ "R&R Canada AC Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1663. 23 June 2006. p. 57.
  14. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. ^ "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1653. 14 April 2006. p. 28. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  16. ^ "R&R Canada Hot AC Top 40" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1659. 26 May 2006. p. 55. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  17. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  18. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 06. týden 2006 in the date selector. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  19. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography James Blunt". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 19 2006" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  23. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  24. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  26. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200641 into search.
  27. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  28. ^ "James Blunt – Wisemen". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  29. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2006". ARIA. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Classifica annuale 2006" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  31. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2006". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2006" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  33. ^ "2006 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Guld Og Platin November/December/Januar". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – James Blunt – Wisemen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
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