Jack learned to play the guitar at age 14, but was a professional surfer until an accident at Pipeline in which his front teeth were knocked out and he received more than 150 stitches. While he was recovering in bed, he spent his time writing songs and playing guitar. However, Jack didn't seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Jack Johnson also played rhythm guitar for the party band "Soil" in 1999, and graduated with a degree in film.
He has written, recorded, and released the albums Brushfire Fairytales (2001), On And On (2003), In Between Dreams (2005), Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George (2006), Sleep Through the Static (2008) and To The Sea (2010), he has also been on 3 soundtracks "September Sessions" from the film The September Sessions, "Thicker Than Water" from the film Thicker Than Water, "Sprout", "A Broke Down Melody" Ep and "Some Live Songs EP". Several of his songs are also featured in the movie "Out Cold". His latest album - Sleep Through The Static - reached the top 10 of the US charts.
In (2009) A live album and DVD of Jack's (2008) world tour to promote the release of Sleep Through The Static album. The DVD entitled En Concert, was released on October 27, 2009. The DVD was directed by Emmett Malloy.
On June 1, 2010, Johnson released his fifth studio album, To The Sea, on Brushfire Records/Universal Republic, which was recorded using Solar Powered energy at his Mango Tree Studio in Hawaii, and the Plastic Plant in LA . To The Sea was co produced by Robert Carranza, Jack Johnson, and his bandmates Merlo Podlewski, Zach Gill and Adam Topol and features guest appearances from G. Love, and Paula Fuga.
Jack Johnson is currently on a world tour promoting To The Sea while continually encouraging his concert attendees to pay greater respect for our planet. An active promoter of environmental causes like Explore.org and One Percent For The Planet, Johnson's 2010 world tour will continue to collaborate with local non-profit groups around the world, according to his website. He will once again donate 100% of his tour profits to support environmental, art, and music education. Learn more about Jack Johnson's current environmental commitments to our planet at: www.AllAtOnce.org.
Jack just cancelled the remaining balance of his Japanese tour on March 12, 2011 in sympathy of the victims of Tohoku Earthquake. Join Jack in supporting this disaster relief by donating to Global Giving Japan, and he encourages others to join this effort. Johnson's Ohana Charitable Foundation has also supported Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. He also decorated a guitar for Little Kids Rock to auction to raise funds for its program.
On September 22, 2012, he donated his time to play a few songs at Farm Aid 2012 in Hershey, PA. Later in 2012, Jack donated $50,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief and added links on his website for others to donate:
"After years of touring and surfing along the East Coast, I have made so many great friends. It is heartbreaking to see the images and hear their stories. I just made donations to help recover and relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy. Below is a list of groups you can support. If you can't donate money, you can donate food, supplies, or your time. Our East Coast family, friends, and neighbors need our help. Aloha"
Johnson released From Here to Now to You with his band on September 17, 2013. On June 15, 2013, Jack and the Band performed as headliners at the 2013 Bonnaroo in Tennessee. He also played two acoustic concerts, one at London's Tabernacle in Notting Hill and the other at New York City's Allen Room at Lincoln Center overlooking Central Park, featuring songs from his upcoming album. The From Here to Now to You Tour ran from March through September 2014.
In February 2017, Johnson announced a U.S. tour beginning in Chicago at the Huntington Bank Pavilion on Northerly Island on June 1 and ending with two Kōkua Hawai'i Foundation benefit concerts at the Waikiki Shell on August 4 & 5. Also, he revealed plans to release an album in the summer of 2017. Later, he added a September 10 concert for the 2017 Ohana Fest at Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, California. On September 8, 2017, Jack released his seventh studio album All the Light Above It Too, and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard chart's "Artist 100." In July 2018, Johnson released his greatest hits album "Jack Johnson: The Essentials" in Japan only.
In late 2019, Johnson released a single "New Axe", which was featured in the This Warm December Vol. 3 album. He then did a "Together at Home" Instagram Live stream concert on March 28, 2020. His concert was the third most watched on the Global Citizen YouTube. He then also performed at the "One World: Together at Home" special, and a live version of "Better Together" was featured on the One World: Together at Home album. On May 1, 2020, he was featured on Milky Chance's new single "Don't Let Me Down". On September 26, 2020, Johnson performed the opening set at Farm Aid: On the Road.
On December 4, 2020, Johnson released a new single titled "The Captain Is Drunk". On April 16, 2021, Johnson released a song titled "If Ever" with Paula Fuga and Ben Harper. The song appeared on Fuga's new album Rain on Sunday, which will be featured on Johnson's record label.
On June 24, 2022, Johnson released his eighth studio album, Meet the Moonlight, his first full-length record in five years. It was produced by Blake Mills, engineered by Joseph Lorge, and recorded both in Los Angeles (at Sound City Studios and EastWest Studios) and at The Mango Tree (Johnson's home studio) in Hawaii. The album's lead single is titled "One Step Ahead".
To coincide with his new album release, Johnson embarked on the Meet the Moonlight Tour with 35 stops at major venues across the United States (including Hawaii) and Canada. He was accompanied by various artists including Grammy-award winner (and personal friend) Ziggy Marley. In November, Johnson will tour the album in Australia and New Zealand, his first overseas concerts since 2019.
On July 22, 2000, Johnson married his college girlfriend, Kim Baker. They have three children: two boys and a girl. Johnson lives on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In an interview with Johnson, Ann Donahue from Billboard described Johnson's family life by saying "There is often trouble in balancing the life of an artist, environmentalist, and family man, but Johnson seems to have the niche for such a challenge. This time around, he's found a pace that agrees with him...bringing his family along so he can spend mornings with them sightseeing." Both Johnson and his wife declined to talk about or release any intimate information concerning their children.
Cocoon
Jack Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm betting all of this
Might be over soon
But your bound to win
'Cause if I'm betting against you
I think I'd rather lose
But this is all that I have
Take what's left of this heart and use
Please use only what you really need
You know I only have so little
So please
Mend your broken heart and leave
I know it's not your style
I can tell by the way that you move
It's real, real soon
But I'm on your side
And I don't want to be your regret
I'd rather be your cocoon
But this is all that you have
So please
Let me take what's left of your heart and I will use
I swear I'll use only what I need
I know you only have so little
So please
Let me mend my broken heart and
You said this was all you had
And it's all I need
But blah blah blah
Because it fell apart and
I guess it's all you knew
And all I have
But now we have
Only confused hearts and
I guess all we have
Is really all we need
So please
Let's take these broken hearts and use
Let's use only what we really need
You know we only have so little
So please
Take these broken hearts and leave
The lyrics of Jack Johnson's song 'Cocoon' seem to be an exchange between two people who have somehow found themselves in a less-than-ideal situation. The singer, who clearly cares about the other person ("I'm on your side"), is trying to convince them to move on from whatever has caused them to be upset, and is using their mutual vulnerability as a way to do so. The singer says that they don't want to be their regret, but rather, they want to be their 'cocoon' - a comforting and protective space. In doing so, they request that the other person do the same for them, suggesting that by coming together and using their limited resources wisely, they can create something meaningful and worthwhile.
The song could be interpreted in a number of ways, but the central message seems to be one about seeking comfort and solace in difficult times. The singer acknowledges that they're both dealing with limited emotional resources ("you know we only have so little"), but seems to believe that by pooling their resources in a supportive and caring way, they can create something that's greater than the sum of its parts.
Overall, 'Cocoon' is a song about vulnerability, love, and perseverance. It's a gentle and reassuring reminder that even when things are tough, we can find strength and comfort in the people around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, based on your smile
The singer is observing the addressee's smile to assess the situation
I'm betting all of this
The singer is risking all that they have on the situation
Might be over soon
The situation may soon come to a close
But your bound to win
The addressee is expected to come out as the victor
'Cause if I'm betting against you
The artist would rather not go against the addressee
I think I'd rather lose
The singer would rather suffer a loss than bet against the addressee
But this is all that I have
The singer has given their all and this is all that remains
So please
The artist is making a plea to the addressee
Take what's left of this heart and use
The artist is offering what little they have of their heart to the addressee
Please use only what you really need
The artist is requesting the addressee to use only what is necessary
You know I only have so little
The singer is reaffirming that they have very little to give
Mend your broken heart and leave
The artist is asking the addressee to heal and move on
I know it's not your style
The singer acknowledges that this is not the addressee's usual approach
I can tell by the way that you move
The singer is discerning the addressee's intentions from their actions
It's real, real soon
The situation is going to come to a head very soon
But I'm on your side
The artist is with the addressee and supports them
And I don't want to be your regret
The artist does not want the addressee to feel remorse about them in the future
I'd rather be your cocoon
The singer would prefer to protect and nurture the addressee
But this is all that you have
The addressee has given their all and this is all that remains
So please
The artist is again making a plea to the addressee
Let me take what's left of your heart and I will use
The artist is offering to take what little the addressee has to offer and make use of it
I swear I'll use only what I need
The artist assures the addressee that they will not be wasteful
I know you only have so little
The singer acknowledges that the addressee has very little to give
Let me mend my broken heart and
The artist is again making a plea, to be able to heal before moving forward
You said this was all you had
The singer is recalling a previous statement from the addressee
And it's all I need
The singer is expressing that the addressee is enough
But blah blah blah
An expression of dismissiveness, when words are not enough to convey the feelings
Because it fell apart and
The addressee's situation crumbled away
I guess it's all you knew
The addressee had nothing else to fall back on
And all I have
The singer gave everything they had
But now we have
The situation has changed
Only confused hearts and
The artist and the addressee are both emotionally confused
I guess all we have
This is all that remains
Is really all we need
Perhaps all that they need is each other
Let's take these broken hearts and use
The singer and the addressee should work together to make use of what remains
Let's use only what we really need
They should not waste what little they have left
You know we only have so little
They both acknowledge that they do not have much left
Take these broken hearts and leave
The singer and the addressee should heal and move on together
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Jack Hody Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind