This album isn’t all about the music for Jack. The environment, specifically the ocean, means a lot to him and he takes part in many charitable activities. 100% of all the profit from his 2008 and 2010 tours is going straight to charity, mostly organizations that support environmental, art and music education as well as protection and restoration of aquatic wildlife (jackjohnsonmusic.com). I was lucky enough to attend a To the Sea concert in October of 2010 and can easily say it was my favorite concert that I have attended. Jack has the ability to talk to his audience like friends hanging out and makes his performance really personal and intimate. Storytelling and jokes were scattered between the songs and sometimes made an appearance in the middle of a song. One that I particularly enjoyed was the explanation of the cover art for the album. This concert was at the Greek Theater in Berkley, CA and the picture for the cover art was ironically taken on the Berkley campus. The picture is a silhouette of a man building what looks like a wooden structure of a wave. He goes on to talk about how most people assume it is he who is in the picture, but the artists is actually his father, and the wave is still standing on the Berkley campus (Johnson). Another story, right before he played my all-time favorite Jack Johnson song, "Banana Pancakes," was how one morning during breakfast his wife looked glum, so he started singing to cheer her up and they happened to be eating banana pancakes (Johnson). These stories show his performances and music that he produces is genuine and pure.
Starting the list off with "You and your Heart," the albums best-selling single reminds us all to follow our heart and we can live life with ease. Jack certainly practices what he preaches and throughout the album touches down on more adult themes then he is known for. However, his lyrics are like a puzzle. Obvious messages and straightforward ideas are rare. This excerpt from “Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythologies” shows his poetic and complex diction:
Everybody is made of clay
That’s what they used to say
Til the truth stepped on us all
Now everything that was big is small
Were just crying robots
Program me I wanna win the race
I wanna find the place
Where the king locked up the princess
Jump the fence and drink a little bit of
Red wine, mistakes, apologies.
(http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/)
The second and third lines hint at a crushed imagination and crushed hope for the world when adulthood strikes. However later on when he mentions kings and princesses, it brings back childlike aspects and keeps things light and cheerful. He goes on to mention a coping mechanism, red wine, which when drunk in excess could lead to mistakes, and apologies the following morning. This passage evokes strong emotions, touching on something that is very serious for many adults. However, right before things get depressing he lightens the mood and brings back a feeling of glee lightheartedness. In addition, since this slightly sarcastic and humorous line is real to many people, it plays a huge role in his audience’s ability to relate.
One of the most relatable, and one of my favorite, tracks on the album is "My Little Girl." It was written for Johnson’s daughter and is purely a celebration of life. While it is definitely classic Jack Johnson, this song doesn’t feel redone or repetitive, primarily because his inspiration has completely changed with the birth of his baby girl. His voice is calming and very melodic and smooth, which creates a lullaby-ish feel. The first couple seconds sound like something Coldplay would produce, and is different from his usual sound. The guitar is not acoustic but instead electric and has some sort of reverberation to it. The beating and pulsing of the guitar places me in a hypnotic daze and immediately I envision a spring afternoon on a grassy field with my own father. About 15 seconds in the acoustic guitar makes its appearance and I’m brought back into Jack Johnson reality with a smile across my face. While its one of the shortest tracks on the album, he easily tells an entire story. He addresses it to “little girl” and while we know it is about his daughter, he never directly says that. This is a huge skill of Johnson’s. He is able to write a song that is completely personal to him, and directly from his life and his experiences, but it is safe to say almost every dad that hears this song thinks of his own daughter and could easily agree with what he is saying. This shows how he invites yet another demographic into his audience and strengthens his relatability even further. Towards the end of the song, classic Jack Johnson plucking his guitar appears and, like always, brings back that intimacy and sincerity that is scene in all his work. It’s these qualities, along with great artistry that makes it possible to listen to over eighty Jack Johnson songs in a row and not get bored.
While I could listen to Jack Johnson albums for hours on end, some reviewers don’t agree. Adam Hill from 411mania.com posted on June 10, 2010, “The rest remain simplistic, soft, melodic, pleasant and, unfortunately, uninspiring and almost instantly forgettable” (Hill). While I would agree that it is pleasant, soft, and melodic, I do not find his music simplistic, uninspiring or instantly forgettable. In addition, this statement had a very negative connotation, while I can’t find a single negative thing about this album. Addressing the statement about simplicity, it is definitely true that his music gives off the impression that it is simple, due to its relaxing tone and repetitive style. However, if you listen closely to the lyrics they are far from simple. Like I mentioned before they take decoding and unveil many life lesson and views. As for uninspiring, maybe his music is uninspiring for someone who wants to pile work onto their table and stress themselves out, but I know that whenever I listen to Jack Johnson I am seriously inspired to enjoy life, love and cherish my family, and do something that makes me happy. I think that those are some of the most important things in life and a song that so easily inspires you to do that is nothing short of amazing. Lastly, I do not see how he is unforgettable, considering that Jack Johnson has easily become a household name. Maybe each song doesn’t seriously differ from one another, but who says every song made has to be revolutionary and different in order to be great. I know I am constantly dying for more of the same type of songs we love to listen to. I would be more then thrilled if Jack kept on with his same beachy, acoustic jams.
Another review from Rolling Stones’ Will Hermes, claims, “Jack Johnson’s sun-kissed acoustic-guitar melodies, stoner-due tenor and unfailingly positive vibrations are like a fresh piña colada with a paper umbrella: you’ve experienced this before, it’s a little corny, but it’s pretty much impossible to hate” (Hermes). I would agree completely. I think we can all say that Jack rarely experiments and comes out with something new, but that isn’t a bad thing in his case. He has been amazing sense day one, why change?
In a comparison between three of his songs, many similarities are found. From his first album, Brushfire Fairytales, “Bubble Toes” begins with strumming of the acoustic guitar with constant beats of the strings being hit in a drumming fashion. The guitar is accompanied with his deep and smooth voice. After a couple of verses the beat picks up with the addition of percussion instruments and Jack’s voice becomes more upbeat reaches a slightly higher pitch. This is carried out throughout the rest of the song. Constant themes seen throughout the lyrics are fantasy icons such as queens and gods. He talks heavily of dreams and mentions a little girl as well. In addition he talks about moving like a jellyfish and going with the flow, which connects to his love of the water. On his most recent album To the Sea, “To the Sea” has many of the same formal aspects. Once again the song starts out with the strumming and drumming of the guitar with Jack’s voice in it’s most simplest form and transitions to a more complex song with percussion and more rifts and notes that are held longer. Aside from the obvious connection to water, the sea, he mentions dreams again and he addresses “my son” which is similar to the “little girl” he talks about frequently. Lastly, multiple times he mentions waiting for someone. That connects to one of his most popular songs “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” from the album In Between Dreams. Four out of five of his album titles also include the themes mentioned above. Brushfire Fairytales, In Between Dreams, Sleep Through the Static, and To the Sea all contribute to the fantastical, lackadaisical, and aquatic motifs found in his music.
Referring back to the critical review from Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes, I can agree with his point about how we have pretty much heard everything Johnson has to say before; however, it never gets old and each song brings a new aspect to the table that is “impossible to hate” (Hermes). To the Sea might be similar to his other albums, but Jack Johnson’s maturity shines through his complex lyrics, adult themes, and beautiful instrumentals to create yet again another album that is nothing less then amazing.
About the Author: Bio: Cat Marks is a freshman at UC Davis studying clinical nutrition and a member of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Works Cited
Hill, Adam. “Jack Johnson-To the Sea Review.” 411 Mania.com 10 June 2010. February 2011. <http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/141663>
Hermes, Will. “Jack Johnson.” Rolling Stone 1 June 2010. February 2011. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/to-the-sea-20100601>
Jack Johnson To the Sea. February 2011. <jackjohnsonmusic.com>
Johnson, Jack. In concert. To the Sea- World Tour. October 2010.
“Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology Lyrics Jack Johnson.” Lyrics Songs Words. February 2011. <http://www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com/red-wine-mistakes-mythology-lyrics-jack-johnson>
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