Ben Harper (born in Pomona, CA, on 28 October 1969) is an American Grammy-… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Harper (born in Pomona, CA, on 28 October 1969) is an American Grammy-winning singer and songwriter. As well as solo albums, he has recorded as Ben Harper and Tom Freund, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper And The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, and Ben & Ellen Harper.

Harper grew up listening to blues, folk, soul, RnB, and reggae. Harper's blend of groove-laden funky soul and folky handcrafted acoustics helped him to gain cult status during the course of the 1990s and widespread attention toward the end of the decade. Harper combines elements of classic folk singers, blues revivalists and jam bands and is embraced by critics and college kids alike. Harper's body of work sells consistently and he tours constantly, building a solid, dedicated fan base.

Harper began playing guitar as a child in his hometown of Claremont, California (in California's Inland Empire). He eventually specialized in the acoustic slide guitar (Weissenborn guitars). As a young man, he recorded an LP (Pleasure and Pain) with fellow folk guitarist Tom Freund. After this limited edition record, Harper got a record deal with Virgin Records, who released his debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World (1994).

This was followed by the incendiary Fight For Your Mind (1995) which became a college radio favorite and generated an abundance of songs which still fill his set list to this day.
In 1999 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Harper met Jack Johnson, who was unknown at the time and had not recorded. Harper obtained a demo tape of 12 of Johnson's songs that he forwarded to his producer, J.P. Plunier, with whom Johnson recorded his first album.

From early on in his career, his music received more attention in Europe than it did in his home country. While he was a well-known and respected figure in the States, in countries like France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, and The Netherlands he was a star, receiving a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim. His popularity in Europe is such that he was French Rolling Stone Magazine's "Artist of the Year" (Artiste De L'Année) in 2003, and his tour that year for Diamonds on the Inside played to packed arenas across the continent.

In 2004, Harper recorded the album "There Will Be a Light " as the collaboration Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama.

In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organised to benefit Moveon.org and encourage people in the swing states to vote during the 2004 U.S. presidential election.

Over the summer of 2005, when the Zooma tour scheduled with Trey Anastasio and various side stage performers was cancelled, Harper took on a tour of more private clubs/venues such as the Avalon Ballroom in Boston, the Tabernacle in Atlanta, and a full-band acoustic performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. This series of concerts saw the debut of a number of new Harper songs, such as "Get It Like You Like It" and "Dressed In Black."

In 2006, Harper released the double album Both Sides of the Gun which debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts.
Next Harper did a worldwide tour, with support from Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley on the North American leg.
In 2007, Harper released the album Lifeline, recorded in Paris just after his tour.

In 2009, Harper recorded the album "White Lies for Dark Times", as the collaboration Ben Harper and Relentless7.

In 2014, Harper recorded the album "Childhood Home" as the collaboration Ben & Ellen Harper.

In 2018, Harper recorded the album "No Mercy in This Land" as the collaboration Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite. At the 40th Blues Music Awards ceremony, Harper's joint composition with Charlie Musselwhite, "No Mercy In This Land", was named as 'Song of the Year'.

Get It Like You Like It
Ben Harper Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Throw your hands up to the sky
And scream out loud I'm free
Cause wrong is the new right
So we can cut loose tonight
It costs a lot to look this cheap

Fire makes it burn and water makes it turn
We must still be here living on earth

They keep telling me Jesus walked on water
He shoulda surfed

In 1918 the great bambino
Kicked a piano into Willis Pond
But Johnny Damon swung a bat
Grand slam that was that
An eighty six year curse is gone

Throw your hands up to the sky
And scream I'm not alone
Is it irony or fate
Don't become what you hate
We've all got stardust in our bones

Get it like you like it

Overall Meaning

In Ben Harper's song "Get It Like You Like It," he talks about how wrong is the new right and how people can cut loose and enjoy themselves tonight. The lyrics "throw your hands up to the sky and scream out loud I'm free" signify that the person has finally broken free from societal norms and is living life on their own terms. The next line, "cause wrong is the new right," suggests that what was once considered wrong has now become acceptable, and people can enjoy themselves without worrying about being judged or criticized.

Harper then talks about how it costs a lot to look cheap, implying that people try to look good and fashionable but may not always succeed. The next few lines, "fire makes it burn and water makes it turn, we must still be here living on earth," suggest that despite the ups and downs, people are still living and surviving. The line "they keep telling me Jesus walked on water, he shoulda surfed" seems to be Harper's ironic take on the story of Jesus walking on water, as he suggests that surfing would have been more exciting.

In the final verse, Harper talks about the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, who supposedly kicked a piano into Willis Pond in 1918. He then goes on to talk about Johnny Damon, who hit a grand slam in the 2004 World Series, breaking the 86-year "curse" of the Boston Red Sox. The final line, "get it like you like it," seems to be a call to live life on one's own terms and not be held back by societal norms or expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

Throw your hands up to the sky
Raise your hands towards the sky

And scream out loud I'm free
Shout out that you are free

Cause wrong is the new right
Doing wrong things is now acceptable

So we can cut loose tonight
Let's have fun tonight

It costs a lot to look this cheap
It costs a lot of money to look tacky

Fire makes it burn and water makes it turn
Fire burns and water flows

We must still be here living on earth
We are still alive on Earth

They keep telling me Jesus walked on water
People keep telling me stories about Jesus

He shoulda surfed
It would be cool if he surfed on water

In 1918 the great bambino
In 1918, the famous baseball player

Kicked a piano into Willis Pond
Threw a piano into Willis Pond