Jason Mraz Sampler PART 1

There are TONS of songs that I absolutely ADORE from Jason Mraz; after all, he IS my favorite artist of all time.  To make matters worse, the man’s done so many songs (and has so many versions of them out) that it’s hard to pick something to listen to on some days.  So, I’ve decided to sit down a put together a selection of his songs that just stand out among the others.  I’m going to make sure to specify which album they come from, too, because usually there are about 3 different versions of one song by him and each one is unique, beautiful, and different.

“Sleeping to Dream” Album: From the Cutting Room Floor

I have always loved this song.  Jason’s voice is amazing, the backing melody is simple and gorgeous, and the emotion throughout is… indescribably beautiful.  It’s one of those songs that you don’t just listen to, it washes over you it’s just that powerful.  This is also an excellent example of how poetic Jason is in his lyrics and how he can meld the rhythm of the words with the rhythm of the music.

Toca Rivera, Jason’s long time friend and band mate, sings backup/harmony in the other three incarnations of this song (listed below), so trying to pick my favorite version was really tough.  The reason I ultimately picked this one had no bearing on Toca’s singing abilities (which are fantastic), but had more to do with the tone and emotion of this one, the quality of the recording, and the fact that it’s just Jason and a guitar, which is always where he shines the most (one of the few artists for whom this is true).

Jason also excels at writing phenomenal lyrics:

“As I lay me down tonight/I close my eyes/What a beautiful sight/Sleeping to dream about you/And I’m so tired/Of having to live without you/And I don’t mind/Sleeping to dream about you/And I’m so tired.”

“I found myself in your riches/Your eyes, your lips your hair and you were everywhere/But I woke up in the ditches/I hit the light and I thought you might be here but you were nowhere/Oh Lord you were nowhere at all/And as I lay me back to sleep/Lord I pray that I can keep/Sleeping to dream about you.”

Other albums this song appears on: “Sold Out (In Stereo),” “A Jason Mraz Demonstration,” “Tonight, Not Again Live”

“After an Afternoon” Album: Live and Acoustic (aka Live from Java Joe’s)

This is another song that just washes over you.  You can close your eyes and sink into the melody and the sound of Jason’s voice like sinking into a warm bed.  It’s a love song, naturally, but one that conveys not only the beauty of love, but also the joy and sadness as well.  For people who don’t know Jason’s music, this is one of the songs I’d give them to show how awesome he is.

The reason I picked this particular version is pretty simple: it’s on the first album I ever had of Jason’s.  I had this album back when it was called “Live from Java Joe’s” (before iTunes had it) and when I was still downloading from Napster .  The version on “From the Cutting Room Floor” has it’s own merits because you get to hear Jason talk in the beginning (always hysterical) and you have him singing a snippet from “Shakakhan” (sp?) and teasing his band mate .  My favorite Jason quote ever is also in this version: “I’m a sensitive singer/songwriter, goddamnit!!”  Seriously, this version is worth a listen, too, but only after you’ve heard the regular version from “Live and Acoustic.”

There are several lines in this that are phenomenal in the way the syllables of the words themselves become a part of the melody:

“Dreams that hardly touch our complexions’ truest faults/If room enough for both my drowsy spirit shall fall/Bold waves tumble to the season of my heart/You have offended my faith and my trust/Until all is lost into the beauty of the day”

“There’s something in the way you laugh and it makes me feel like a child/Aspects of life they confuse me you and your thesis amuse me/After an afternoon with you/And your rich brown eyes your lips and your dark hair/Elbows and exposed knees tossing towards your ceiling.”

“Face to palm/Tear to tear/Mouth to tongue/Heart to ground…/I am in love.”

Other albums: “From the Cutting Room Floor,” “Tonight, Not Again, Live”

“Little You & I” Album: Live and Acoustic 

The cool thing about this song is that it sounds romantic, but was actually written for and about Jason’s cat.  He explains on this version: “I wrote this song for my cat.  He used to sit on my bed while I played the musak.  If the song sucked he would get up and leave so I always had to play some mellow and soothing.  So I wrote it in two stages.  The first stage is the cat falling asleep, the second stage is the dream life of the kitty.”  When you listen to it after his explanation, it fits perfectly, but it could easily be about a person, too.  Listen to this all the way through, because you have to hear the middle part where Jason talks.  It’s hysterical.  There’s also a Toca solo, too, which makes me smile

For those of you who just want to listen to the song, though, feel free to find the other version on the below listed album.  It’s just as good but without the explanation.

Lyrics for a cat:

“You close your eyes/You say goodnight in your own special way/And you rest your head and you rest your mind/And there you go/There you go so so fast asleep and there you go so so fast away.”

“Spiraling spaces tangled up in moments of touching time/Trying to find some somewhere sleeping sideways/Pockets full of nothing, head exploding from the mind/Too much time for dancing in our hair/Sister don’t be shy.”

Other albums: “A Jason Mraz Demonstration”

This is definitely going to be on ongoing series, so keep your eyes open for later parts.  There are way too many Jason songs that I love to put them all in this post!