His father was dying of Kidney faliure while this was being filmed.. pure emotion … After it was released a distant cousin came forward & was a match .. but that doesn’t take away from the raw testimonial he sings to his father who is sitting next to him .. love your genuine reactions.. ☘️😀👍

This song has broken people far and wide, and will continue to. Because it’s utterly heart-wrenching, and the level of emotion is as heavy as it gets.

James and his father Charles were military men, who as they were being deployed on their different missions, would offer as farewell to each other the familiar exchange of "I'm not your son....." After completing the one-take filming of the song, everyone watching the production was in tears when Charles exclaimed: "Why's everyone crying? I'm still here!" Breaking the tension, everyone cracked up. He only had a couple of months to live at the time....As was mentioned, a distant cousin saw the video and got tested (James and his sister and other close family were not a transplant match.) and became a successful donor. Charles had previously donated a kidney and only had one, which was why his circumstance was so dire. Apparently, he's doing well today. James donated all the proceeds from the song to Help For Heroes (military veterans).

I've watched a bunch of reaction videos to this song and i can say the "we're just to grown men saying goodbye" line is when you can visually see it hits the reactor. Almost everytime.

Millions of times I heard this song every time I wept my tears

Saying your final goodbye to the people (and pets) you love is the hardest, most painful thing you will ever do. Thank you Maddy.

My dad passed away in '06 but it seems like yesterday. It's true you know, you never truly stop grieving. This song hits hard!! ❤

My dad has been gone for two years and before that, we dealt with the onset of dementia. I didn't have time to say goodbye when he was still conscious. I still live by his teachings and hoping to make him proud. I love you, dad.

At the time of recording, they thought he was dieing due to Kidney failure. Most times as we have 2 kidneys, we can survive, but he had donated a Kidney to another relative some years ago. So, He wrote & recorded this song as a tribute to him. Some months after the song was released a distant Cousin with the same name as his father, came forward & was able to donate a Kidney. At the end of this recording, all the crew were sobbing & in tears. Charles (James father) said, "Why all the tears, I'm still here" Hahaha

I have heard this song many times, crying everytime, if you don't cry you don't have a heart ♥

Any boy raised close to his dad knows how much this song means. No one can get it unless you have that relationship. It’s your turn to take over after your old man passes away.

Lost my father Sept 22nd 2022, this song has special meaning for me ❤️

Loved your reaction to this. I could see and feel the emotions in you. You did not pause , just listened and brought tears to my eyes again.

Dad lived first off😂 after almost dying from a stage 4 kidney cancer, James blunt released this song for him, it blew up and a distant cousin heard it. Once he heard it he got tested and was compatible and donated one to James father. He’s still alive today and kicking around thanks to James and that cousin. This song was also recorded in one take, some of his producers wanted to do retakes because as you can hear there are some voice breaks and some notes aren’t sung perfectly but James wanted it to remain as raw and real as possible (also didn’t wanna go through all that again😂) so they left it as is, no auto tune either, it’s all just James and his raw emotion. James and his father both also served the military so as you can imagine it’s very hard for a military man to show any kind of vulnerability because it’s pretty much beaten out of you in the military both physically and mentally, so the strength it took not just to be as vulnerable as James was infront of a camera but in front of his hero/ father is on a whole other level of strength. This was also James father first time reacting to the song and was him in the video. Great reaction and as the one who donated to get you to react to it you did it in a very reasonable timely manner so appreciate it and hope your doing well. IF ANYONE READING THIS WANTS TO HAVE A REACTION ITS ONLY $5 AND SHE DOES IT PRETTY FAST worth it imo🫡😂

Thank you Ms for saying that men don't get to show their feelings. We don't...but in song we do

Maddy. You had the perfect reaction. Songs like this really do tug at ones heart strings. That is his actual father sitting next to him so you can see how emotional he got. Your reaction shows that you are human and emotions play a factor in everyone's lives. Keep up the good work.

I just found you from Pete and Bas and now this one, oof what a change of emotion lol already tearing up before it gets started, heard this song 100s of times, always gets me

You missed his dad patting his arm right at the end of the video. It was that arm pat that confirmed for me it was his real dad when I first saw this video. James is such a good songwriter, he'll always make you feel - whether it's sadness, anger, or joy. "No Bravery" is a song he wrote of his experience in the British Army during the Kosovo war in the late 90s, under NATO. It's a bit brutal and a travesty that it's still relevant today. "The Greatest" video depicts all the stuff health care professionals went through during Covid, fantastic video! For something more cheerful from him, check out "Bonfire Heart".

i cried for 2 hours after watching for the first time and im a 60 yr old who lost his dad to cancer about 10 yrs ago now...hit me hard

4:10 the Choir coming in was sooo powerful!

You're so correct Maddy. It's a great song and great respect to James for being open and vulnerable with his emotions which we men can struggle with at times.

My dad passed away when I was 17 many years ago, but my wife of 35yrs passed away only a few month's ago and this song helps me cry and let go of build up emotions.

I loved your honest heartfelt reaction. I love this song and have watched a hundred reactions and I cry everytime. Thank you

This came on the radio as my dad was in hospital, it was his last day on earth. It broke me completely.

For a father and son, sometimes the most moving moments are when they get to interact man to man. The father knows he's succeeded in the most important job in his life, and the son feels that and accepts the roll of man like never before.

3 months ago my partner of 12yrs lost her dad, I'm an Australian indigenous Torres Strait Islander and in our culture as the son in-law is it our way of organising the funeral, I brokedown real bad after he was buried, cause me & my father in-law were close cause of all the good memories we had when he accepted me as his son in-law, I can relate to this for my father in-law, he was a respected man, a loving father to my partner & and her siblings grandkids & wonderful father in-law R.I.P 😔

Damn, i cried along with you dude. My father is dying currently from cancer. This song really hits home

A beautiful reaction from a beatiful woman. If this song doesn't move someones heart, there is a big problem there. Real emotions make a big difference in this world.

Lost my dad 5 years ago, i saw him wither away for 7 months, he died on my mom's birthday, i got to say goodbye one hour before he passed away, he was already in a really bad shape, i like to think he listened to me and passed away peacefully. This song is very strong to me because it brings everything to the top but it does describes what i went through as a son watching his father die.

His emotions are so raw because while he sang this with his dad sitting beside him, both of them thought his dad was dying of chronic kidney failure. A distant relative heard the song and got tested. It turned out she was able to donate a kidney to him. His father recovered and is still alive.

This was a beautiful song. An important message. Thanks for your reaction to this ❤️🙏

Such a beautiful song.

When my dad passed away I wish I had a song like this one to help me through it.

Love the song. And I agree men aren't comfortable expressing these types of emotions. Society throws most of us away when we express anything close to this. I had a friend who got dumped when his girlfriend caught him crying over his farthers passing. She told him he was a b***h and she can be with a weak man.

I heard this song for the very first time when I got in my car in the hospital parking lot, after an all-night vigil with my step-dad who had suffered a heart attack and had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We both knew what that meant, and we stayed up much of the night talking. I got to thank him for everything he did for me and tell him what he meant to me. I left in the morning and got in the car. I sat there for a moment, and this song came on. I sat there and listened to it, and it absolutely broke me, but it was somehow cathartic too. A few weeks later he was gone, but I am so thankful I had that night with him and didn't leave anything left unsaid.

You can tell what kind of dad he is even just from this video. The devastation on James’s face and the way he is so responsive to his son. He doesn’t know his son… like you can see that he feels every move and responds in ways to give him comfort or confirmation that he’s listening and you can see that James refuses to look at him for some of the most depressing and darkest parts because he can’t actually let himself sing those words while he looks at his dad. It’s just beautiful!!!!

James wanted this to be 100% real This was the first time he'd sung it to his dad, who had only recently been diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer and was not expected to survive, although they did eventually find a donor and he made it. Both James and his dad are former officers in the British military. First time I heard this was 3 days after my Dad passed away and it broke me I lost my Dad 4 years ago this August after he fell and hit his head sadly he didn't survive it caused a bleed on his brain I sadly never had the chance to tell him I loved him and that hurts but i know he is at peace now.

Beautifully vulnerable reaction, Maddy! Thank you for sharing it with us.

you are so pure and genuine

I had wondered if you were going to hit this one. Glad it made it on the list.

I.m 68 not in the best of Health.. not seen my two sons for 35 yrs because of a Divorce… they Resented me.. I tried to keep in touch… it Breaks my Heart… I Love and miss them… Love from your DAD ❤️❤️❤️

Wow! Thank you. Great reaction. My father passed away Christmas Eve 1984. I remember everything. I can definitely relate . I miss you dad with me every day U2 Mom😃🙏🏻

Great Reaction , I was in tears myself

Wow, that song cut me so deep, I was holding on until I saw the look in your eyes and then the song became all about the things I never got to say to my own Dad, thank you @MaddyReactions, your reaction and this song was like a therapy session I did not know I needed.

This is a masterpiece, a song of letting go not only of loved one in his final hour, but letting go of the past as well. "I won't read you your wrongs or your rights, the time has gone." "I won't", I want to but "the time is gone" to "read" you a list of "your wrongs" (plural) AKA offences, grudges, voids created, etc. "or your rights". This could be as in a quasi mirandizing before questioning in re the "wrongs", or it could be a list of things done right in the past vs the wrongs. Either way, I find it interesting Blunt chose "read" not 'tell' you your wrongs your rights and in so doing liens toward the former more than the latter. So, instead of holding you accountable on your death bed "I'll just say good night close the door, I'll tell you I love you once more, the time has gone, so here it is. I'm not your son, you're not my father, we're just two grown men saying good bye." We are now equals and the past no longer matters. Letting go. "No need to forgive, no need to forget, I know your mistakes and you know mine." neither are perfect

From the US, South Jersey here. Absolutely love your soulful reactions and you are so very easy on the eyes 😊

I heard this song sung by a contestant on American Idol… never heard the original. It’s a heavy song… especially knowing I’ll one day need to say goodbye to my own father. Have you heard the song ‘Hurt’ by Jonny Cash? It’s a cover from Nine Inch Nails but Cash makes it his own.

My dad died 37 years ago. If I could, I would have sang this song for him. Just beautiful.

Thanks for the reaction Maddy. This one utterly wrecks me every time. Miss you Dad!

I watched every mood u went thru and I went through them too. ❤

Its ok to be vulnerable my friend, keep smiling kid

Masterpiece ❤

Great reaction Maddy! A very sad and emotional song with a happy ending IRL.

Wow such an emotional reaction! It is such a hard song to watch because of the circumstances of the situation at the time he released this video but thank God things turned out good for his dad and their family. I loved your reaction and felt your emotions.

Beautiful, honest and touching reaction Maddy. Thank you

There are so many sides to the lyrics honestly, beautiful song. "Im not your son... you're not my father" - away telling his father at this late stage, you dont need to stay strong for your family anymore, I'm here. Kind of easing his father's burden at his late stage. "2 grown men saying good" - It its ok let's be vulnerable with me. The whole song for me is about easing his father into sleep and letting him know his son is here to take care of things, he understands and is prepared to take up the mantle/burden of being the protector, provider, the tree. Absolute heart wrenching, and i think one of very few songs that get men to tears too.

Two great ex soldiers from my home county Norfolk 🇬🇧 met them both 😊if you played it for 1 second more you would see his dad pat his arm hits hard😢

It’s ok to cry….it’s ok.❤️

This song saved his fathers life. What more can u say.

This song touched me kind of live this moment in my life with me and my son

I love your reactions Maddy! I am imagining your closet with 47 hangers displaying the same white top 😂

another very powerful song of his worth listening to is No Bravery

When you cry the universe dims just a little and my heart breaks.

This song gets me every time 🇬🇧

Amazing reaction 👏 thank u More James blunt please

Thank you for this selection. This is such a beautiful but sad song. It reminds me of when I left home to serve our country in the military. I could see in my fathers eyes the sadness of my leaving. He knew but I didnt that I would never see him alive again. If I woud have known would I have left? I know the answer to my own question. But regardless, it was a choice that I made. A choice that I've lived with after long hours, days, years of contemplation. I still ponder that choice today. Thank you. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

James Blunt was in the British armed forces,if you want another cry listen to James Blunt, I will carry you home,you will cry at the end ,trust me

You listen to very different type of music, that's cool 🤘

I know you've heard this a thousand times, but you are very beautiful, I like you reacting to emotional songs. I really like your channel and the songs you react to

James has been brave enough to put into words what most of us men want to say or do in real life but something holds us back..thank you James

Another great James Blunt song i think you will love is very apt when it comes to you, it's called.... You're Beautiful

Thank you Iv loved James since day one an this was heartbreaking 💔

This song strikes home all the way. For my father died in my arms and even now I see it as if it just happened. You may think you have forever but forever catches up to you faster than you may think.

Maddy, I have watched this video many times and every time it makes me cry. Another great "Father" song is "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics. Also, "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg.

Oh Maddie it breaks my heart seeing a beautiful lady cry. But I am too my wife died this year at age 60 and this song makes me remember her even more.

I see her honest emotion.....and beauty

Get your tissues ready Maddy!!! ❤❤❤

Esta canción representa el momento más complejo de mi vida, mi viejo se fue en mis brazos, y aunque agradezco haber estado alli, y celebro la vida que me dio mi viejo, es muy triste y muy duro, esta canción me da paz en medio de la tristeza

I compliment you on NOT stopping

such emotional song

San Angelo Texas. Beautiful reaction ❤❤❤❤

I had to live this song one morning at 5:26am. It was just me and Dad and the Lord's Prayer. The hardest monster I had to chase away after that was waking my mother up to let her know of his passing. This song is hard to watch because it reminds me of him.

I read that James told them to not stop recording as he wanted a genuine reaction. You missed the part at the end where his dad patted him on the arm. It was like a reassuring message between father and son. This song gets me every time even though I know it had a positive outcome. I also read that the words ‘I’m not your son, you’re not my father. We’re just two grown men saying goodbye’. It was their way of saying goodbye when either of them went off to combat. I think it would have made it easier being 2 men saying goodbye rather than father and son.

hits hard don't it....!! everybody goes away eventually

I'm from Austria, that little nowhere in Mid-Europe, just because I got asked for this comment. Only wanted to say, would be sad if you shad no tear on this song. Glad to still having your parents or if you lost one of them recently. This song works for me as a soulcleaner, sounds weird , but works!!!

I applaud Mr. Blunt for his bravery as a tank commander....and his solitude in his songs...however..his duty to his country and sacrifice should never stand alone... bravo soldier...bravo father...

Thank you.❤

Beautiful ❤

Get's me also, every time listening to it. Thanks for your review. Sub left!

New sub.I love your reaction

You have a new fan😍

His sister wrote a poem when thier dad was seriously ill , and james wrote this song from that poem , his dad is in the video

Hang in there Maddy

It's a killer, I watch it from time to time. I'm 68 and cry every time

James arthurs full audition or patrick Jorgenson full audition please, those break my heart. Grown man and I xey every time.

@heidicross7255 His father has not passed away, but he is dying at this stage. James wrote this song for his father and sang it to him, in private. He then asked if his father would mind if he recorded it and hoped his father would be in the clip with him. It was done in one take, so he could get the raw emotion and the final product is what you see. His father is very stoic in appearance, but he felt what James was saying to him. At the time of this clip, a match had not been found for his father to have a kidney transplant but after the clip was released, he was saved by a matching donor coming forward.

Ten seconds in and I’m crying.

My favorite and most terrifying moment in this video is when he looks his dad in the eyes towards the end and says "I'll try to make you proud, so daddy (and he looks away abruptly) won't you just close your eyes." I couldn't look my dad in the eyes and ask him to go where I can't follow. The day the moment comes I hope I'm strong enough to endure it. I know my dad will be, and I pray I will be too. Even if I truly know I won't be

I can barely watch this video as my dad died of stage 4 cancer in October 1996. He chose to die at home and he did with his head in my brother's lap. The Lord let him live 7 years with cancer before he finally took him home. His doctor told his wife he should have lived maybe 2 months top.

Pretty powerful in my situation I was adopted into another family and my soon to be stepfather wouldn't allow it so he left his marriage I grew up with no father at all in the end though i did find my biological father in 2011 met him again in 2012 but he passed few weeks b4 my birthday this is my own meaning of this song love from Sydney Australia