James Blunt is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his breakout album Back to Bedlam with an October 11th re-release, and it comes with a promise: If fans can take the record to the top of the UK album charts, Blunt will change his name to “whatever the public want.”
“I have signed up to changing my name to whatever the public want – they can change my name,” Blunt told Radio X’s Chris Moyles in a recent interview. “It’s a genuine thing. I swear on my life and the life of my one fan – Brian from Glasgow – I will change my name should it hit number one.”
He clarified that he is, in fact, not kidding about this. “I swear on Brian’s life and my life. To whatever the public want – and of course the public are going to kind, they’re not going to go for anything that rhymes with Blunt are they? But you know, as long as it’s not, you know, Blunty McBluntface.”
It’s certainly a sales tactic, but it’s also a way for Blunt to keep his fans engaged over 20 years into his career. Plus, Back to Bedlam already spent 10 weeks atop the UK charts when it was originally released, so perhaps Blunt feels the album still has some legs after all this time. The album featured “You’re Beautiful,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005, as well as other hits “High” and “Goodbye My Lover.” “I’ve released seven studio albums, but Back To Bedlam was the one people actually bought,” Blunt has said about the album.
Blunt is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Back to Bedlam with a UK/EU tour kicking off in February 2025; get tickets to see James Blunt here. As for his potential new name, maybe he was onto something with “Blunty McBluntface” — it has a nice ring to it.
Back to Bedlam will be re-released for its 20th anniversary on October 11th; pre-orders are on-going.