'Monsters' is a tribute to his father Charles, who has stage 4 kidney disease

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.

James Blunt may be known as a peddler of middle-of-the-road pop songs and a Twitter jester par excellence - but his new music video is a tough watch.

'Monsters' sees Blunt share the screen with his elderly dad Charles, who has stage 4 chronic kidney disease.

The lyrics of the song include “I'm not your son, you're not my father / We're just two grown men saying goodbye" and "So Daddy, won't you just close your eyes?/ Don't be afraid, it's my turn to chase the monsters away.”

Blunt clearly gets very emotional as he sings the song, while the camera eventually pans back to reveal that his father is sitting beside him.

He said of the song and video: "Monsters is a eulogy to my father - except he’s still alive and kicking. But he’s not been well - his kidneys are functioning at just 11%. And with that realisation, I needed to tell him that, to me, he’s more than just a father. He’s my friend too, and that I love him."

No matter how cynical you are about 'You're Beautiful' et al, it's a very touching video.

Watch it below:

The video has generated quite the response on social media since debuting last week, too: