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.
Pride
David Archuleta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One man come and go
One man come here to justify
One man to overthrow
In the name of love!
One man in the name of love
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!
One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resists
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!
Nobody like you...there's nobody like you...
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love...
The lyrics in David Archuleta's song "Pride" are a tribute to the power of love and the sacrifice that often accompanies it. The first verse speaks of one man coming in the name of love, justifying and overthrowing, emphasizing the idea that one person driven by love can make a huge impact. The repeated phrase "in the name of love" reinforces the idea that love is a force that cannot be ignored or overcome.
The second verse highlights the struggles and sacrifices that often accompany love. One man caught on a barbed wire fence, resisting, washed up on an empty beach and betrayed with a kiss all serve to underline the fact that love can come at a great cost. These lines also serve to emphasize the theme of the song, that love is a powerful force that can transcend all other obstacles.
Finally, the song pays tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., who is referenced in the final lines of the song. The reference to "early morning, April 4" is a reference to the day King was assassinated, and the lines "free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride" serve as a reminder that King's ultimate sacrifice was made in the name of love and that his spirit and message continue to inspire people today.
Overall, "Pride" is a tribute to the transformative power of love and the sacrifices that it often takes to achieve greatness in its name.
Line by Line Meaning
One man come in the name of love
A person who claims to act out of love for someone or something has arrived
One man come and go
A person who comes and goes without any impact
One man come here to justify
A person who arrives to explain their actions or perspectives
One man to overthrow
A person with intentions to remove someone or something from power
In the name of love!
The justification for the person's actions is their love for someone or something
One man in the name of love
A person acting out of love for someone or something
What more? In the name of love!
What else can be done in the name of love?
One man caught on a barbed wire fence
A person stuck and struggling to get out of a difficult or dangerous situation
One man he resists
A person who is fighting against something they do not agree with
One man washed on an empty beach
A person who is stranded in a deserted place
One man betrayed with a kiss
A person who is harmed or deceived by someone they trusted
Nobody like you...there's nobody like you...
There is no one else similar to the person being addressed
Mmm...mmm...mmm...
A sound expressing emotion or thought without the use of words
Early morning, April 4
The specific date and time of an event
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
A gunshot is heard in Memphis
Free at last, they took your life
Although a person was killed, they are now free from suffering and oppression
They could not take your pride
Despite the person's death, their pride and self-respect remain intact
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind