Early life
David Archuleta was born to Jeff Archuleta and Lupe Marie, a salsa singer and dancer from Honduras. Archuleta has four siblings. Archuleta's family moved to the Salt Lake Valley, to the city of Sandy, Utah, when Archuleta was six. He was raised in Murray, Utah after moving there when he was 6 years old.
Archuleta started singing at age six, inspired by a Les Misérables video. "That musical is what started all of this," he said. He started performing publicly at age 10 when he participated in the Utah Talent Competition singing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton; he received a standing ovation and won the Child Division.
Archuleta was inspired by watching both Tamyra Gray and Kelly Clarkson to "see what performing and really getting into a song was like" during the beginning weeks of the premiere season of American Idol. He later made his television debut, at eleven years old, singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" on a Jenny Jones show for future Latino stars alongside season one finalist A.J. Gil. Through A.J. Gil he was able to meet and sing for Gray who had sung the song on American Idol as well as Clarkson (that year's winner) and Justin Guarini (the runner up).
Musical influences
Archuleta's mother is from Honduras, and much of the music he listened to as a child was Latin-influenced including watching his mom sing at events with her sisters. She also "was big on dancing" according to Archuleta, and would "make" him dance to traditional music with his older sister. He also listened to jazz music, he said, from his father's collection as well as gospel, pop, rock and "soulful music." In a later interview, he revealed that his father was a jazz musician. Archuleta also said he enjoys Broadway musicals.
On his American Idol "Fast Facts" page, Archuleta cites his musical influences as Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Kirk Franklin and Bryan Adams. When asked to list his top pop artists, he cited Natasha Bedingfield, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams, Kirk Franklin, and Robbie Williams. Like Elliot Yamin and another singer he admires, John Mayer, Archuleta tries to infuse his pop selections with a soulful vibe.
Star Search
In 2003, at age 12, Archuleta sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search. He ended up as the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. On one episode, he sang against then-11-year-old Alexandréa Lushington, who also became a "top 20" semi-finalist on American Idol alongside Archuleta. Around the second year of being on Star Search he started focusing on the lyrics, "I didn't even pay attention to the lyrics when I was 12, 13".
Archuleta's competing on Star Search led to appearances on The Jenny Jones Show and CBS' The Early Show, and meeting the finalists from American Idol's first season, for whom he performed a spontaneous a cappella rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, and received enthusiastic praise from Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. The year after Star Search he found out he had partial vocal paralysis but declined risky surgery and has said he feels he is almost fully recovered. He limited his singing for specific occasions like Stadium of Fire, the Independence Day celebration at Brigham Young University Stadium.
American Idol
Archuleta won his ticket to the Hollywood final auditions (with a performance of John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change") with the help of idol judge, Randy Jackson, who sang the background "waiting" in the song. (at the San Diego tryouts held at Qualcomm Stadium July 30 and July 31, 2007) He was 16 during the Hollywood auditions (where he sang Bryan Adams' "Heaven" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to unanimous praise) and because he was not yet 18, had to attend school while a part of American Idol's seventh season. His parents were there because he was a minor. Archuleta also took advantage of the decision to allow contestants to play musical instruments when he accompanied himself on piano for his performances of "Another Day in Paradise" and "Angels."
A Los Angeles Times article speculated why Archuleta avoided singing the first verse of "Imagine": because "of his religion (Mormonism), he's unlikely to espouse the song's agnostic ideal . . . with the line about 'no religion too.'" Archuleta did, however, sing the entire song on Good Things Utah when he was 13. During his first performance of Imagine on American Idol, when asked by judge Randy Jackson why he didn't sing the first verse, Archuleta said the third verse was his favorite because it has "a great message."
In the finale he sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "In This Moment" and "Imagine." Judge Simon Cowell declared that Archuleta won the evening and even David Cook, who ultimately won, thought Archuleta would win: "I have to concede it, the kid came out all three songs and nailed it," said Cook. In the final tally, Archuleta received 44 percent of the votes. During the finale show, both Archuleta and fellow finalist Cook appeared in separate but nearly identical commercials for the game franchise Guitar Hero, mimicking a Tom Cruise scene from Risky Business.
Desperate
David Archuleta Lyrics
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You're reachin' out
And no one hears your cry
You're freakin' out again
'Cause all your fears remind you
Another dream has come undone
You feel so small and lost
You wanna scream
'Cause you're desperate
You want somebody, just anybody
To lay their hands on your soul tonight
You want a reason to keep believin'
That some day you're gonna see the light...
You're in the dark
There's no one left to call
And sleep's you're only friend
But even sleep can't hide you
From all those tears and all the pain
And all the days you waste pushin' them away
It's your life; it's time you face it
You want somebody, just anybody
To lay their hands on your soul tonight
You want a reason to keep believin'
That some day you're gonna see the light...
'Cause you're desperate, desperate
'Cause you're desperate now...
You know the things have gotta change
You can't go back, you find a way
And day by day, you start to come alive
You want somebody, just anybody
To bring some peace to your soul tonight
You want a reason to keep believin'
That some day you're gonna see the light...
You want somebody, just anybody
To lay their hands on your soul tonight
You want a reason to keep believin'
That some day you're gonna see the light...
'Cause you're desperate, desperate
'Cause you're desperate tonight
Oh, desperate... So desperate tonight
Tonight...
Desperate, desperate...
The lyrics to David Archuleta's song Desperate reflect feelings of hopelessness, isolation, and desperation. The singer speaks of feeling unheard and unseen, struggling to cope with unfulfilled dreams and fears of failure. The writer describes an overwhelming feeling of smallness and abandonment, seeking comfort and reassurance from anyone who might offer it.
In the first verse, the singer describes the feeling of being alone with their fears and doubts. Despite reaching out for help, they feel ignored and abandoned, leading them to feel even more desperate. The chorus further emphasizes the singer's longing for connection and reassurance, as they yearn for someone to "lay their hands on [their] soul tonight." The second verse continues this theme, describing sleep as the only refuge from the constant pain and tears they experience.
The bridge marks a turning point in the song, with the singer acknowledging that change is necessary in order to overcome their desperation. By taking things day by day, they begin to see a glimmer of hope and come back to life. The final chorus repeats the central message of the song - that the singer is desperate for connection and belief in a better future.
Overall, David Archuleta's song Desperate is a poignant reflection on the universal struggles of loneliness and hopelessness. The writer captures the feeling of being overwhelmed and isolated, while also demonstrating the power of hope to overcome these feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
You're reachin' out
You are trying to connect with someone
And no one hears your cry
You feel like you are screaming and no one can hear or understand you
You're freakin' out again
You are feeling overwhelmed and anxious
'Cause all your fears remind you
Your fears have triggered negative emotions and memories
Another dream has come undone
You feel like you can't achieve your dreams or goals
You feel so small and lost
You feel helpless and unsure about your life
Like you're the only one
You feel like you are alone in your struggles
You wanna scream
You feel like you are bursting with emotion and want to release it
'Cause you're desperate
You are feeling like you are in a hopeless situation
You want somebody, just anybody
You are desperate for someone to connect with
To lay their hands on your soul tonight
You want someone to be there for you and make you feel better
You want a reason to keep believin'
You want to have hope for the future
That some day you're gonna see the light...
You want to believe that things will get better in the future
You're in the dark
You feel confused and lost
There's no one left to call
You feel like you have exhausted all resources
And sleep's you're only friend
You are struggling to cope and sleep is the only way to escape
But even sleep can't hide you
You feel like your problems will remain even when you try to avoid them
From all those tears and all the pain
You are feeling overwhelmed with sadness and hurt
And all the days you waste pushin' them away
You are trying to ignore your problems and it's draining you
It's your life; it's time you face it
You need to take responsibility for your life and face your problems
You know the things have gotta change
You acknowledge that something needs to change in your life
You can't go back, you find a way
You can't undo the past, but can find a way to move forward
And day by day, you start to come alive
You are slowly beginning to overcome your struggles
To bring some peace to your soul tonight
You want to find peace and solace in someone else
'Cause you're desperate, desperate
You feel like you are in a desperate situation
'Cause you're desperate now...
Your desperation is currently overwhelming you
Oh, desperate... So desperate tonight
You are currently feeling extremely desperate
Tonight...
You are feeling this sense of desperation tonight
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DESMOND CHILD, ANDREAS MICHAEL CARLSSON, ALEXANDER PETROW RETHWISCH, KONSTANTIN RETHWISCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind