TanyaB все записи автора
Cameron Adams
May 05, 2007 12:00am

Michael Buble sings about all that he knows. He never had this problem when he had only covers in his repertoire.

Buble's first widely released original single, Home, graphically detailed his relationship with girlfriend Debbie Timuss, with lines directly touching on their lives.

The lyrics struck chords globally and became a worldwide hit.

The problem was, by the time Buble was in Australia and Home was shaping up to be his biggest hit, his relationship with Timuss was over.

Yet he had to relive the song – and the freshly snuffed relationship – every night on stage.

"At first it was weird," Buble says. "It was really tough and emotional. It's a very autobiographical song. It was art imitating life imitating art."

At times it looked like he was almost going through the motions performing the song.

"That can happen," Buble admits. "You can protect yourself. We'd had a long relationship and it'd just ended. But I'm glad I got through it."

As in all great stories, there is a happy ending. Buble met someone else, Emily Blunt, and Timuss also has a new partner.

So good are things between the former lovers that Buble has written a song about the situation on his third album, Call Me Irresponsible.

The song, Lost, became his therapy – an anthem for a broken heart without venom.

"I wanted to write an anthem for love that didn't work out," Buble says. "A song for relationships that end but where you don't want to discard this person you obviously still care for. Just because you're not together doesn't mean you won't love them forever."

Lost was started in Melbourne's Como hotel, then finished with Canadian songstress Jann Arden.

"I'd written bits of lyrics in Melbourne and put it away," Buble says. "I was literally getting choked up. I took it to Jann, she came up with 'We'll get lost together' and it was perfect. I didn't want it to be sad, I didn't want people to hear it and slash their wrists. I wanted it to be uplifting."

Buble played the song to his ex-girlfriend before its release.

"She bawled her eyes out," Buble says. "It was a tribute to us. It would be really callous of me to pretend this history didn't happen."

The flipside of Lost is Everything, a song inspired by Buble's girlfriend, 24-year-old British actor Emily Blunt. The pair met at the Logies last year; Buble was there for promotion, Blunt there making a movie. Buble thought she worked for the BBC. Blunt had a boyfriend. Buble was still nursing a broken heart. Nothing happened.

Then a few months later Blunt came to a Buble show in Los Angeles.

"I wasn't in great shape mentally, nor was she. We'd both come out of long relationships," Buble says. "We took it slowly, became friends first, which is something I've not done too often. And it's been great."

He first had to do some research on his new friend.

"First I thought she was some struggling actress like any girl you meet in LA. Then I saw her in My Summer of Love. I got intimidated. This is not just an actor. She's a strong actor with incredible instincts. It's scary how good she is.

"Then I saw Gideon's Daughter. It wasn't a fluke. Then I saw Devil Wears Prada and she almost stole that movie from Meryl Streep.

"She could be one of the great actresses of our time. She's incredible. Every time I see one of her movies I fall in love with her all over again."

Buble glows when speaking of Blunt; something anyone who saw the pair at the Golden Globes this year would have noticed.

When Blunt won for Best Supporting Actress for Gideon's Daughter, Buble was easily the happiest man in the room.

"That was the greatest night of my career," Buble says. "Seriously. I've never felt like that before. I was crazy. She's so British, so reserved.

"I kept saying, 'Do you know what you've done?'. I kept saying, 'You're a Golden Globe winner, they can't take that away from you'. For one day I got to feel like my family gets to feel. I understood what my Mum and Dad and grandparents say when they tell me they get more joy out of seeing me succeed than I do. I'd say, 'Oh, come on' but it was like an epiphany.

"I was so full of pride – it's overwhelming to see a person you love do so well."

Buble may have sold millions of his two previous albums, but it hasn't gone to his head.

"At no point have I celebrated the success of the last two records and nor will I celebrate the success of this one, if it's successful," he says. "The second it comes out I'll go to work, I'll tour. And my mind is already on the next record. Coming up with great ideas."

The crooner says it's all about self-preservation: "I just don't think I can afford to get lazy."

Buble's new album has two originals – one more than the previous album. They mix with covers that range from Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight to Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man, Elvis Presley's Always on My Mind and Mel Torme's Comin' Home Baby.

But don't expect an album of all original material.

"With success you can become self-indulgent. I wouldn't be happy singing all originals," he says.

"It's just not me. Maybe that'll bite me in the butt, but my passion comes from interpreting the greatest songs ever written.

"I get everyone coming to my show – gay, straight, black, white, and they all bop to the same songs.

"It's a testament to the music."

Source