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.
Taylor
Jack Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Complain, express ideas in her brain
Working on the night shift, passing out the tickets
You're gonna have to pay her if you want to park here
Well mommy's little dancer is quite a little secret
Working on the streets now, never gonna keep it
It's quite an imposition and now she's only wishin'
Poor Taylor
She just wanders around, unaffected by,
The winter winds here, she'll pretend that
She's somewhere else, so far and clear
About two thousand miles, from here
Well Peter Patrick pitter patters on the window,
The sunny silhouette won't let him in
And poor old Pete's got nothing 'cause he's been falling
And somehow sunny knows just where he's been
He thinks that singin' on Sunday's gonna save his soul
Now that Saturday's gone
And sometimes he thinks that he's on his way,
But I can see, that his brake lights are on
He just wanders around, unaffected by,
The winter winds here, and he'll pretend that
He's somewhere else, so far and clear,
About two thousand miles from here
Such a tough enchilada, filled up with nada
Givin' what you gotta give to get a dollar bill
Used to be a limber chicken, times have been a ticking
Now she's finger lickin' to the man
With the money in his pocket, flying in his rocket
And only stopping by on his way to a better world
If Taylor finds a better world
Then Taylor's gonna run away
The song "Taylor" by Jack Johnson is a narrative song that tells the story of two individuals, Taylor and Peter Patrick. The first verse talks about Taylor, who is a hardworking and responsible person, working the night shift and issuing tickets for parking. The second verse talks about Mommy's little dancer, which is a reference to a prostitute who has fallen on hard times and now wishes she had listened to the advice given to her.
The chorus speaks to how Taylor wanders around unaffected by the winter winds, pretending she is somewhere else, a thousand miles away. Peter Patrick is introduced in the bridge, and he is depicted as a daydreamer who sings on Sundays but has nothing left to give. He is portrayed as lacking direction in his life, while Taylor knows what she wants and would rather run away than stick around.
The lyrics of the song can be seen as a commentary on American society in the 21st century, where hard work and dedication come at a price, and individuals often have to compromise their morals to survive. It also portrays the dream of escaping poverty and starting a new life, a common theme in American culture. Johnson's use of metaphors and comparisons paints vivid images in the listener's mind, making it an excellent folk song.
Line by Line Meaning
They say Taylor was a good girl, never one to be late
They say Taylor was responsible and always on time. She spoke up and shared her thoughts.
Complain, express ideas in her brain
She was vocal and didn't shy away from expressing her thoughts.
Working on the night shift, passing out the tickets
She worked late nights and sold parking tickets to make ends meet.
You're gonna have to pay her if you want to park here
If you wanted to park your car, you had to pay her the fee.
Well mommy's little dancer is quite a little secret
Her mom didn't know that she had turned to prostitution to make ends meet.
Working on the streets now, never gonna keep it
She was working as a prostitute and was struggling to make ends meet.
It's quite an imposition and now she's only wishin'
The work was challenging and she wished she had listened to the advice of others.
That she would have listened to the words they said
She wished she had taken the advice of others.
Poor Taylor
Taylor had a hard time and was facing challenges in her life.
She just wanders around, unaffected by,
She was wandering around carefree and unconcerned.
The winter winds here, she'll pretend that
In the cold winter winds, she pretended like she was somewhere else.
She's somewhere else, so far and clear
She imagined herself to be somewhere far away.
About two thousand miles, from here
She wished she was far away from where she currently was.
Well Peter Patrick pitter patters on the window,
Peter was trying to get Sunny's attention by tapping the window.
The sunny silhouette won't let him in
Sunny was ignoring Peter and didn't let him in.
And poor old Pete's got nothing 'cause he's been falling
Peter has lost everything because he's been unsuccessful.
And somehow sunny knows just where he's been
Sunny knew where Peter stood and what he had lost.
He thinks that singin' on Sunday's gonna save his soul
Peter thinks that attending church on Sunday will give him salvation.
Now that Saturday's gone
Saturday, which represented hopes for success, has gone away.
And sometimes he thinks that he's on his way,
Sometimes Peter thinks that he's on his way to success.
But I can see, that his brake lights are on
But it's clear that he's not going anywhere as his brake lights show that the car is stopped.
Such a tough enchilada, filled up with nada
Sunny is a strong and independent woman who doesn't have anyone to rely on.
Givin' what you gotta give to get a dollar bill
She has to work hard and provide her services to make money.
Used to be a limber chicken, times have been a ticking
Sunny used to be more carefree, but as time went by, things changed.
Now she's finger lickin' to the man
Now she submits to the demands of men to make ends meet.
With the money in his pocket, flying in his rocket
Men with money are moving fast, like rockets, while Sunny is trying to keep up.
And only stopping by on his way to a better world
Men with money stop by just to get what they want and move on to a better world.
If Taylor finds a better world
If Taylor finds a better life.
Then Taylor's gonna run away
She will leave her old life behind and start afresh.
Lyrics © Bubble Toes Publishing, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Jack Hody Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hollywood B
Mannnn this makes me so nostalgic. Me and my older brother used to listen to Jack Johnson together growing up. One summer all we did was fish, go to the beach, and practice football with our friends. Life was so much simpler. Now we’re older, parents divorced, family grew apart, and we don’t see each other nearly as much. This song is a warm comfort in my heart of most cherished memories.
Andrew Sophocles
Scary how relatable this is. Me and my older brother used to listen to this growing up. One summer, we would go to camp together with my cousins, spend time together with them at their house and play soccer and baseball and Xbox. Then we grew up , my aunt and uncle got divorced, and my cousins went to a different school and grew up differently. Luckily we still connect a lot but it can never be like the old days when it was simple and music like this was playing all the time😊
Megan Escamilla
I was front and center at Jack's concert in Chicago this past June and when he finished singing this song I yelled "BEN STILLER" and he laughed and pointed at me and said "oh yeah" and I can die happy now.
Kimberly Elizabeth
Being a southern girl born and raised- we love ❤️ our JackJ. BANANA 🍌 PANCAKES 🥞 BABY. Play that song in the kitchen with your girl and swing along softly and you have a hit.
Brook540
good 1
Damon Jackson
Awesome
Zerve Crispy
Okay we’ll put this down under the things that never happened
Wizard
LMAOOOOOO
Joseph Feeney
This song saved my brother... he hit an all time low and had to treated in a mental clinic for weeks. Whenever I visited him we'd play Jack Johnson songs, and this was his favorite. He was going to commit suicide and music like this saved him. Thanks Jack.
Alejandra Fernandez
Somebody in 2020? I loved this song... 😍