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.
F-Stop Blues
Jack Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crush beneath his feet as he comes towards you
He's waving at you
Lift him up to see what you can see
He begins his focusing
He's aiming at you
And close-ups of anything that
He has seen or even dreamed
And now he's finished focusing
He's imagining lightning
Striking sea sickness
Away from here
Look who's laughing now that you've wasted
How many years and you've barely even tasted
Anything remotely close to
Everything you've boasted about
Look who's crying now
Driftwood floats, after years of erosion
Incoming tide touches roots to expose them
Quicksand steals my shoes
Clouds bring the f-stop blues
Look who's laughing now that you've wasted
How many years and you've barely even tasted
Anything remotely close to
Everything you've boasted about
Look who's crying now
The lyrics of Jack Johnson's "F-Stop Blues" describe a person walking on the beach, crushing hermit crabs and cowry shells under her feet. As the person approaches, they wave at the singer, who lifts them up to see what they can see. The person begins to focus, first on the singer and then on other things around them. As they focus, memories and dreams come to mind, and they start to imagine lightning striking away from the beach where they are standing, perhaps to escape the feeling of sea sickness.
The second verse of the song talks about the passing of time and how it erodes objects like driftwood, which is later exposed by the incoming tide. The person in the song finds herself trapped in quicksand, losing her shoes as she sinks into it. The clouds overhead cast shadows on the beach, giving the singer the feeling of melancholy or "f-stop blues." The song then ends with the repetition of the chorus, "look who's laughing now... look who's crying now" - perhaps suggesting that the past boasting and pride of the person in the song have now become regrets.
Overall, the lyrics of "F-Stop Blues" use natural images to convey a sense of transience and change, while the second half of the song seems to be a meditation on the themes of regret and time's unyielding passage.
Line by Line Meaning
Hermit crabs and cowry shells
The singer is walking on a beach where he sees small crabs and seashells lying beneath his feet.
Crush beneath his feet as he comes towards you
The singer walks on the shells and crabs, and they break and crush under his weight.
He's waving at you
Someone is waving at the singer, either a friend or a stranger.
Lift him up to see what you can see
The artist encourages the person waving to him to come closer, so that they can have a closer look at each other.
He begins his focusing
The person who earlier waved begins to focus his attention, looking closely at the artist.
He's aiming at you
The person is now targeting his gaze, looking intently at the singer.
And now he has cutaways from memories
The person looking at the singer starts to recall memories of his past.
And close-ups of anything that
He focuses his attention to even the smallest details of everything he sees.
He has seen or even dreamed
The person not only remembers things he has seen but also dreams he had.
And now he's finished focusing
The person stops focusing and returns to the present moment.
He's imagining lightning
The singer imagines lightning striking him.
Striking sea sickness
For the artist, the lightning brings the kind of sudden nausea that comes with sea sickness.
Away from here
The singer wishes to be away from his current situation, imagining a drastic change.
Driftwood floats, after years of erosion
The singer observes driftwood that has been shaped by the ocean's erosive force.
Incoming tide touches roots to expose them
The water is washing in, revealing the roots of a tree that were previously hidden underground.
Quicksand steals my shoes
The artist steps into quicksand and loses his shoes as he struggles to get free.
Clouds bring the f-stop blues
The sky is turning cloudy, which will make it harder to get a proper exposure while taking pictures with a camera.
Look who's laughing now that you've wasted
The person who earlier criticized the singer in his dreams or in reality.
How many years and you've barely even tasted
The person accuses the singer of not experiencing or achieving anything significant in life despite having spent so many years.
Anything remotely close to
The person doesn't believe the artist has even come close to reaching his full potential.
Everything you've boasted about
The person doesn't think that the artist's achievements or possessions are that impressive.
Look who's crying now
The artist is now seeing the irony of the previous situation, where the person who earlier criticized him is now in a more vulnerable position.
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: JACK HODY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind