Monsters (James Blunt song)

James Blunt's father Charles Blount was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease. The disease is incurable without a transplant, and Blunt wrote the song when he realised that his father could soon die. In "Monsters", Blunt expressed his feelings about his father and his illness, almost as if the song is a farewell to his father". The donor of the kidney was a cousin with the same name as his father, and the transplant was successful. == Music video ==

The music video was filmed in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and it was directed by Vaughan Arnell. The music video features James Blunt and his father Charles Blunt. The video focuses on a close up of James Blunt's face as he sings the first two verses and choruses of the song, and then switches to a wider angle showing himself and his father sitting at a table while he sings the final part. Monika Barton of Newshub wrote about the music video, "Go on, have a little watch and see if you have a heart, or merely just a sharp, pointy piece of flint where it should be". == Reception ==

Minnie Wright of the Daily Express wrote, "Heartbreaking perspective illuminates the place from which Blunt has penned the deeply personal Once Upon A Mind with the arrival of Monster". Lauren Murphy of Entertainment.ie wrote, "Before you watch this video, be warned that it's pretty tough going if you're feeling in any way emotionally fragile, or have lost a parent". Rudi Kinsella of Joe wrote, "This is one of the most emotional music videos we've seen in a very long time". == Charts ==

American Idol Season 21 winner Iam Tongi auditioned with this song, which went viral and became the show's most viewed audition video on its YouTube page. Tongi dedicated the song to his dad, who had died from kidney disease a few months prior to the audition. Blunt did not know that Tongi would audition with "Monsters" until he learned that the song briefly topped the U.S. iTunes chart after the audition aired. He described Tongi's audition as "deeply moving... you can't help but be touched. I was like everyone else when I watched him do it, I became a fan." Blunt and Tongi performed a duet of the song on Idol's season finale, with the pair trading lyrics until the latter broke down during the middle of the song. Tongi eventually regained his composure and finished, earning a hug from Blunt at the end. Blunt said of the performance, "Breathe a last word/You can feel my hand on your own... That was the bit I sang on American Idol with Iam Tongi and he broke down in tears, thinking about his own father. You suddenly realize the desperation of that moment, because, for him, his father had died and [was] really living that." Blunt and Tongi released a studio version of their duet on August 25, 2023. Tongi wrote on social media, "From covering it on TikTok 3 years ago to singing it in my audition on @americanidol, to performing it at the Idol finale with @jamesblunt , “Monsters” means so much to me." == References ==