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.
Talk Of The Town
Jack Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is about last night
When the sun went down
Yeah, and the trees all dance
And the warm wind blows
And the same old sound
And the water below
And the clouds give back
Every time they cry
Make the grass grow green
Beneath my toes
And if the sun comes out
I'll paint a picture all about
The colors I been dreamin' of
The hours just don't seem enough
To put it all together
Maybe its as strange as it seems
Mmm, mmm
And the trouble I find
Is that the trouble finds me
Its a part of my mind
It begins with a dream
And the feelin' I get
When I look and I see
That this world is a puzzle
Find all of the pieces
And put it all together
And then I'll rearrange it
I'll follow it forever
And always be as strange as it seems
Mmm, mmm
Nobody ever told me not to try
Not to try
Always try
Always try
And the water below
Gives a gift to the sky
And the clouds give back
Every time they cry
Make the grass grow green
Beneath my toes
And if the sun comes out
I'll paint a picture all about
The colors I been dreamin' of
The hours just don't seem enough
To put it all together
Always be as strange as it seems
Mmm, mmm
The lyrics to Jack Johnson's "Talk of the Town" is a reflection of the artist's desire to be in a place where the focus is on the beauty of nature and the simplicity of life. In the first verse of the song, he talks about his longing to be in a place where the night before is the talk of the town" and where the trees dance and the warm wind blows. He describes the beauty of the sky gifted by the water and the clouds that cry, and the green grass beneath his toes. Jack Johnson seems to be both a dreamer and a realist, combining his vivid imagination with a deep appreciation for natural beauty.
The second verse of the song is about Johnson's frustration with a world that can be puzzling and challenging. However, Johnson's belief is that the world is meant to be rearranged, and he will always be looking for the pieces that fit. The verses are connected by the idea that life is both beautiful and puzzling, but there is always a reason to keep trying, always to "try."
This song tells us to appreciate life's natural beauty and recognize the value in understanding that the world might not be perfect or make sense, but we can rearrange things to find the sweet spots. Overall, the song inspires us to keep trying despite life's obstacles and appreciate the simple things that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be where the talk of the town
I desire to be in a place where everyone is conversing about the latest events
Is about last night
The talk is about the occurrences of the previous night
When the sun went down
The talk is usually about an occasion in the evening
Yeah, and the trees all dance
The trees sway to the rhythm of the wind
And the warm wind blows
The wind is hot and expels the warmth experienced in the environment
And the same old sound
The same sounds are generated each time the wind blows
And the water below
The water below the scene is evident
Gives a gift to the sky
The water gives reflection or a representation of what is happening in the sky
And the clouds give back
The clouds reciprocate the reflection from the water
Every time they cry
Each time the clouds pour rain
Make the grass grow green
The water makes the grass fertile, and it grows green
Beneath my toes
I can feel the grass under my feet
And if the sun comes out
In case the sun appears
I'll paint a picture all about
I will paint the scenery of the beautiful place
The colors I been dreamin' of
I will match the color with that of my dreams
The hours just don't seem enough
The duration is insufficient to create something ideal
To put it all together
To bring all the pieces of art together
Maybe its as strange as it seems
Perhaps what others see is strange to them
And the trouble I find
The issue I experience
Is that the trouble finds me
The trouble does the finding rather than looking for it
Its a part of my mind
The trouble is within my thoughts
It begins with a dream
It is first conceptualized before coming into existence
And the feelin' I get
The emotion I feel
When I look and I see
When I observe my environment
That this world is a puzzle
This world is a mystery to solve
Find all of the pieces
To get all the information and data required
And put it all together
To have a comprehensive understanding of everything
And then I'll rearrange it
To reorganize, change the sequence or pattern of what has been discovered
I'll follow it forever
To pursue it continuously
And always be as strange as it seems
And to act in a manner different from the expectations of others
Nobody ever told me not to try
I have not been advised against making attempts in life
Always try
I still have to strive for success regardless
And the water below
The water underneath
Gives a gift to the sky
Produces the reflection or representation that is visible above
And the clouds give back
The clouds offer or return the reflection obtained from the water below
Every time they cry
Whenever they shed water in the form of rain
Make the grass grow green
Contribute to the fertility of the grass
Beneath my toes
Underneath my feet
And if the sun comes out
In case sunlight appears
I'll paint a picture all about
I'll ensure that the scenery is precisely represented
The colors I been dreamin' of
The color I've imagined in my mind
The hours just don't seem enough
Sadly, the available period is insufficient to finish my work
To put it all together
To merge all the things I've gathered
Always be as strange as it seems
To remain somewhat unusual in the eyes of others
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: JACK HODY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind