This is part 2 of my Jason Mraz sampler series. Basically, I love Jason Mraz to death and these are some of my favorite songs. There are a LOT, so don’t expect this to be the last installment in this series. LINK TO PART 1
“You and I Both” Album: Live and Acoustic
A love song, and a little sad, but certainly not typical, especially once you watch the music video that goes along with it. It’s hysterical and a testament to Jason’s ability to laugh at himself. It has a classic mellow Jason sound, which he can pull off even when the beat is more uptempo. This also showcases his range really well as well as his ability to put emotion in his songs.
Every version of this song is amazing, in my opinion, though I picked this version because it’s on the first album I had of his and I think it’s the one with the most emotion. The one on “Cutting Room Floor” and “Waiting for my Rocket” are both made for radio in a studio, which, ironically, is not where I think Jason sounds best. He’s pretty much the only singer that I think sounds BEST when there’s nothing but a microphone between his music and my ears. This is in sharp contrast to some other popular singers who need freaking computers to make their voices tolerable (coughbrittneyspearsjenniferlopezcough).
If I had to suggest another version to listen to, especially if you know this song really well, I would tell you to get the “Before Rockets and Roosters” album and listen to the last track on it. It’s this song but instead of the normal accompaniment, it’s sped up and Toca’s singing “oompa” behind Jason’s singing. It’s the best thing ever and really funny.
Freaking awesome lyrics:
“Oh taking your advice and I’m looking on the bright side/And balancing the whole thing/Oh but oftentimes those words/Get tangled up in lines/And the bright light turns to night/Until the dawn it brings another day to sing/About the magic that was you and me”
“Cause you and I both love/What you and I spoke of/And others just read of/And if you could see me now/Oh love love/You and I not so little you and I anymore/And with this silence brings a moral story more importantly evolving than the story of boy”
“And it’s OK if you had to go away just remember that those telephones well they work both ways/But if I never ever hear them ring/If nothing else I’ll think the bells inside/Have finally found you someone else and that’s okay/Cause I’ll remember everything you sang”
Other albums: “Before Rockets and Roosters” (2 versions), “From the Cutting Room Floor”, ”Waiting for my Rocket to Come”, “Tonight, Not Again Live”, “Waiting for My Rocket to Come”
“On Love, in Sadness” Album: Waiting for my Rocket to Come
For a time, back when the only album of Jason’s I had was “Live at Java Joe’s,” this was my favorite song. The amazing poetry factor in this one gets kicked up a couple notches; there are tons of lines that I adore. I also absolutely love the way the song is fast and intense and yet still conveys a wide variety of emotions. It’s super fun to sing along with once you know the words. It showcases Jason’s love of what I’d probably call melodic rapping, his amazing voice, and ability to inject some silliness into a song and still have it carry a lot of meaning. I’d also say that it’s the poster-child for my assertion that you can get a variety of meanings out of Jason’s song depending on who’s listening to them.
While vocally and melodically, this version isn’t my all-time favorite, it’s certainly still an amazing song and very well sung. The reason I picked this one and not the other incarnations is because I like the fact that I think I can hear a banjo in this version and because the two acoustic versions have a little too much talking in them for someone who just wants to listen to the song and the other one (Before Rockets and Roosters) wasn’t as good a quality as I’d like.
HOWEVER, I always say that people should listen to Jason talk because it’s hysterical/enlightening. In the “Geeking” version, Jason sings a little ditty about his drink (there’s a long instrumental intro) and then moves seamlessly into his song (you can also hear Toca singing!). The “Sold Out” version has the explanation of where the song came from (his friends sent him a book of poetry that she wrote that inspired him) and has a part that always makes me giggle without fail.
POETRY I TELL YOU SHEER POETRY!!:
“Oh love is a brittle madness, sing about it in all my sadness/Not falsified to say that I found God so/Inevitably well it still exists so pale and fine I can’t dismiss/And I won’t resist and if I die well at least I tried/Well we just lay awake in lust/And rust in the rain and pore over everything we say we trust/Well it happened again, I listened in through hallways and thin doors/Where the rivers unwind, rust and the rain endure.”
“Insofar to know, the measure of love ain’t lost, love will never, ever be lost on me”
Other albums: “Before Rockets and Roosters”, “Geeking Out Across the Galaxy” (what am I drinking quote), “Sold Out (In Stereo)” (explanation about the source)
“The Rainbow Connection” Album: B Sides
This is obviously not an original Jason Mraz song. It was most famously sung by Kermit the Frog in “The Muppet Movie” (I have the soundtrack for the movie, too). When I saw that Jason had sung a version of this song, I was so excited because as a child, I loved “The Muppet Movie” and loved this song most of all. When I actually heard it, I almost cried it was (and is) so beautiful. Seriously, if you don’t LOVE Jason Mraz, listen to this song and it will change your mind.
The only reason I picked this version and not the other one is for a slightly longer lead in on this version where as the other one has Jason singing right off the bat. Also, this one has some very slight differences in the tone between them, but you’d only know it if you’d listened to them as long as I have 
Kermit’s Lyrics:
“Someday we’ll find it the rainbow connection/The lovers, the dreamers, and me/Have you been half asleep and have you heard the voices?/I’ve heard them calling my name/Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors/The voice might be one in the same.”
Other albums: “Got it Covered”
“Keep On Hoping” Album: Geeking Out Across the Galaxy
This is another song that Jason didn’t write and in this one, he doesn’t sing alone. His accompaniment is the man who did write the song, Raul Midon. It’s basically a song about two guys who who are in love with women who don’t know it. It’s a really sweet song.
Now, I don’t know Raul Midon and probably never would have heard of him if he hadn’t sang with Jason, but he has a really fantastic voice and goes well with Jason’s, especially in this song, which has some steel guitar and an almost reggae feel to it. The other thing I like about this song is that in each version is really sounds like they’re having fun singing it. That and it makes me want to sway to the music. There’s also an awesome little middle part with whistling.
The reason I picked this version is first because it’s live, which is usually where Jason is best, but this is also the one where Raul an Jason really sound like they’re just having a ton of fun jamming together. There’s also a little smile-inducing parts where Jason sings really high and makes Raul laugh during his part. The “B Sides” version is more…recorded if that makes any sense. Still a fantastic song, and easier to sing along with, but not as fun to listen to as this one. My recommendation? Listen to them both.
Wonderful lyrics:
“Do you know what it’s like to want her/And to breath her name in every song you sing?/She is in everything/I’m gonna keep on hoping that she catches my smile/I’m gonna keep on hoping that she likes my style”
“Did you ever wish you could get away even for a day/Where they don’t know your name?/Did you ever thing that I could find the one who would be the one to love?”
“Do you know what it’s like to wonder?/Do you know what it’s like to be alone in love/With the one you adore?/Do you know what it’s like to hold her?/Do you know what it’s like to feel the way I do?/Well if she only knew”
Other Albums: B Sides
