Jack Johnson Musical Style Analysis
To attempt to classify Jack Johnson’s music as one specific genre or style is virtually impossible. The singer-songwriter’s music mixes a wide variety of influences in a familiar way, yet his blend is unique in itself. The overall style is largely a combination of acoustic folk and modern alternative with hints of pop, rock, blues, hip-hop, and even reggae. This eclectic style of music was popularized around 2000, with his emergence and that of similar artists (Wilson). Jack Johnson’s closest peers are musicians such as John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Joshua Radin, and Ben Harper; however, each has their own unique take on the style (Wilson). However, they do have many unifying characteristics. They are all singer-songwriters who also play guitar, make vocal-centric music, use acoustic guitars and unaffected drums, and draw from mostly the same influences. Each expands off of that base into a broad range of styles utilizing different instruments with a variety of timbres. They are all very skilled at their instruments and at songwriting yet generally don’t show off with flashy solos, with the occasional exception. In general, the music is laid-back, soothing, and fun to listen to. This style of music is a very diverse, entertaining and beloved sub-genre of music, and definitely warrants further study.
Jack Johnson draws influence from a great number and variety of musicians. He quotes Nick Drake, Ben Harper, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and A Tribe Called Quest among his influences (Johnson Myspace). It is easy to hear the elements that each adds to his sound, such as the acoustic folk of Drake, the songwriting and lyrical skill of Dylan, the political activism of Young and Dylan, the reggae of Marley, the guitar prowess of Ben Harper, and the sheer creativity, catchiness and mass appeal of the Beatles. The other artists blend influences in a similar manner, and draw off even more of their own choosing.
The artists in this genre gain popularity largely by appealing to the fans of their influences. They incorporate enough of the influence’s sound to win over the fans of that particular influence while still being unique. Like all bands, they start small, usually playing coffee shops and small venues until they build up a following, then write and record a CD and tour to support it. Jack Johnson took a bit of a different route; he started as a Hawaii-based surfer and filmmaker who picked up songwriting to provide music for his films. He began writing songs during his college years, having played the guitar since age fourteen. Eventually, he was introduced to G. Love and Special Sauce frontman G. Love for a day of surfing. G. Love ended up recording Jack’s song “Rodeo Clowns� for his album Philadelphonic. It became the first single from the album; Jack sang and played on the track. Jack then recorded a four-track demo, which caught the ears of Ben Harper's producer and right hand man, J.P. Plunier. Plunier worked with Jack on his debut album Brushfire Fairytales in early 2001, with Harper and his lap steel guitar making a guest appearance. The album solidified Johnson’s popularity; since then, he has released three studio albums, sold tens of millions of copies, and toured the U.S. and internationally numerous times (Wilson). His peers have had similar success stories; for example, Joshua Radin was “discovered� by actor Zach Braff, who used several of Radin’s songs on the soundtrack of the television show Scrubs (Brown). From there, his popularity blew up much in the same way that Johnson’s did. Each artist in turn influences the other; each has a unique sound that spawns a myriad of imitators. Jack Johnson’s sound is particularly distinctive, and can be clearly heard in the sound of many followers and imitators. For example, it is a very popular trend to play acoustic covers of his songs; many people post videos of themselves playing the covers on Youtube (Youtube.com). The throng of fans and followers is a testament to Johnson’s influence and skill.
Performance is the area in which Jack Johnson’s true skill shines through most clearly. He is one of very few artists who sounds better live than on recording; his voice and performance are flawless the entire time. As the headlining act in the show, he typically plays a set that lasts anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours. The songs are played from memory without any sheet music, which is an impressive feat considering that he has a backlog of over a hundred songs to remember. He has obviously had many years of vocal and guitar lessons and practices regularly, as it is a rare occurrence for him to miss a single note in the entire set. He demonstrates his skill and mastery of his instruments mainly through his flawless performance rather than through solos, which are utilized by some of his peers such as John Mayer. Johnson’s expressiveness is not demonstrated in the soulful solos or emotive vocals of his counterparts, but rather in more subtle flourishes of his songwriting and the moods created by his songs. For example, his music is often described as “chill� and relaxing, and this shows vividly once again in his live shows. The atmosphere at the concerts is a relaxed, inclusive, welcoming one, and is clearly a reflection of Johnson’s music. It is a very loose atmosphere, and the audience is very much in tune with Johnson and what he is doing. He plays off of that connection, interacting with the crowd extremely well and even augmenting some of his songs to get more of a crowd reaction. During the course of a normal show, he performs a variety of his songs and the occasional cover, even asking the crowd for requests. This is common for this genre; one of the requirements is to be able to perform and interact extremely well during live shows. A key way that the groups attract a following is through charismatic, energetic live shows, and this holds especially true for Jack Johnson.
Artists can be grouped into this genre due to social practices as well. In general, the typical artists in this genre are young, white men in their twenties or thirties. However, there is the occasional exception, such as indie-alternative goddess Ingrid Michaelson. She layers her soothing vocals over moods and stylings similar to those of Jack Johnson, only based off of piano instead of guitar. There is a decent amount of race diversity in this genre; Ben Harper is mixed race, Damian Marley is Jamaican, and there are many others of different ethnicities. However, the music draws in fans, and thus followers, who are mainly college-age and white. Johnson’s is an exception; his music has been featured in everything from surf documentaries to Curious George, and is universally adored by many different demographics. The most universal characteristic is that all artists in this genre tend to be politically active and on the liberal side of the political spectrum. Jack Johnson, for example, is very involved in environmental efforts, and the others are all engaged in similar political efforts much like their forebearers and idols, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. It is hard to tell if this movement is truly counter-culture; the music itself is very mainstream and doesn’t push musical limits, but the views of the musicians often run opposite to much of society. Protest songs are very common to this genre, such as Johnson’s “All At Once,� an outcry against climate change, or songs like his “Sleep Through The Static� and John Mayer’s “Waiting On The World To Change,� both of which protest the Iraq War. This otherwise eclectic genre is unified by few characteristics; this is the most common trait to all of the musicians in the genre.
Jack Johnson is one of few musicians who makes truly unique music. He and his contemporaries do an excellent job of blending their vast array of influences to create music that is creatively different, yet at the same time universally accepted by a wide audience. He is an exceptional musician and songwriter, and has helped to pioneer a vastly successful genre.
Works Cited:
Brown, Marisa. "All Music Guide: Joshua Radin Biography."
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll (accessed 11/10/08).
Geocities.com. “Jack Johnson Interviews."
http://www.geocities.com/jackjohnsononline/interviews.htm (accessed 11/10/08).
Johnson, Jack H. "Jack Johnson Myspace."
http://www.myspace.com/jackjohnsonmusic (accessed 11/10/08).
Wilson, MacKenzie. "All Music Guide: Jack Johnson Biography."
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wvfrxqukldde (accessed 11/10/08).
Youtube.com. “Official Jack Johnson Channel.�
http://www.youtube.com/user/officialjackjohnson?ob=4 (accessed 11/10/08)