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.
You Can
David Archuleta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take me where I've never been
Help me on my feet again
Show me that good things come to those who wait
Tell me I'm not on my own
Tell me I won't be alone
Tell me what I'm feelin' isn't some mistake
You can
Save me from myself, you can
And it's you and no one else
If I could wish upon tomorrow
Tonight would never end
If you asked me, I would follow
But for now, I just pretend
'Cause if anyone can make me fall in love
You can
Baby, when you look at me
Tell me, what do you see?
Are these the eyes of someone you could love?
'Cause everything that brought me here
Well, now it all seems so clear
Baby, you're the one I've been dreamin' of
If anyone can make me fall in love
You can
Save me from myself, you can
And it's you and no one else
If I could wish upon tomorrow
Tonight would never end
If you asked me, I would follow
But for now, I just pretend
'Cause if anyone can make me fall in love
Only you can take me sailin' in your deepest eyes
Bring me to my knees and make me cry
And no one's ever done this
Everything was just a lie
And I know, yes I know
This is where it all begins
So tell me it'll never end
I can't fool myself
It's you and no one else
If I could wish upon tomorrow
Tonight would never end
If you asked me, I would follow
But for now, I just pretend
If anyone can make me fall in love
You can
Show me that good things come to those who wait
The lyrics of David Archuleta's song "You Can" describe a person seeking an emotional connection with someone else. The first lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the lyrics, as Archuleta sings, "Take me where I've never been, help me on my feet again." These lyrics suggest that the singer of the song feels lost and needs someone to help him feel grounded again. He is looking to be rescued and is hoping for someone to come along who can help him find his way.
Throughout the song, the singer makes it clear that he believes that the person he is singing to is the one who can make him fall in love. He says, "'Cause if anyone can make me fall in love, you can. Save me from myself, you can. And it's you and no one else." These lyrics express a vulnerability and an openness that the singer is feeling towards the person he is singing to. He is letting them know that he trusts them and that he believes that they have the power to change his life.
The song ends with the singer acknowledging that he has been lying to himself, pretending that his feelings for the person he is singing to are not real, but now he knows that this is where it all begins. He says, "I can't fool myself, it's you and no one else. If anyone can make me fall in love, you can." These lyrics express a sense of clarity and certainty that the singer has found through his emotional journey in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me where I've never been
I am ready to experience something new in life and I am willing to let you take me there.
Help me on my feet again
I am feeling lost and I need your assistance to find my way back and feel grounded again.
Show me that good things come to those who wait
I am tired of waiting and losing hope, but I need you to remind me that good things come to those who are patient.
Tell me I'm not on my own
I am feeling lonely and like I am facing my problems alone, but I need you to reassure me that you are by my side.
Tell me I won't be alone
I am afraid of being alone and I need you to promise me that you will always be there for me.
Tell me what I'm feelin' isn't some mistake
I am unsure if my feelings are genuine or if I am making a mistake, but I need you to assure me that what I am feeling is real.
'Cause if anyone can make me fall in love
You can
I believe in you and I know that you have the power to make me fall in love with you.
Save me from myself, you can
I am my own worst enemy and I need you to help me overcome my negative thoughts and behavior.
And it's you and no one else
I am convinced that you are the only one who can help me and be there for me.
If I could wish upon tomorrow
Tonight would never end
I am enjoying this moment with you so much that I wish it could last forever.
If you asked me, I would follow
But for now, I just pretend
I am willing to do anything for you, but for now, I am only pretending to act strong and confident.
Baby, when you look at me
Tell me, what do you see?
I am curious to know what you think of me when you look at me.
Are these the eyes of someone you could love?
I am wondering if you see me as someone you could love and have a future with.
'Cause everything that brought me here
Well, now it all seems so clear
I am beginning to realize that everything that happened in my life led me to you, and it all makes sense now.
Baby, you're the one I've been dreamin' of
I have been dreaming of someone like you for a long time, and now that I have found you, I don't want to let go.
Only you can take me sailin' in your deepest eyes
Bring me to my knees and make me cry
And no one's ever done this
Everything was just a lie
And I know, yes I know
You have the power to make me feel alive and vulnerable, and I know that no one has ever made me feel this way before.
This is where it all begins
So tell me it'll never end
I believe that we have something special, and I need you to promise me that it will always be like this.
I can't fool myself
It's you and no one else
I know that I cannot deceive myself into thinking that someone else could ever take your place in my life.
If anyone can make me fall in love
You can
I am confident that you have the power to make me fall in love with you, and I am willing to take that risk.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTONINA ARMATO, TIMOTHY JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind