Most of us music listeners probably first heard of Jason Mraz via 2008's "I'm Yours”. It was such a massive hit, it made me label the singer-songwriter as a "one-hit wonder". By 2011, "I Won't Give Up" came along with his messy curly hair and facial hair and by that time, I relabeled him as a "two-hit wonder".
Little did I know that those two massive hits of the singer-songwriter were just parts of the tip of the iceberg that his musical ingenuity is.
Almost everyone grew fond of that catchy, easy-to-join-in song that "I'm Yours" is. However, there came a time when I despised the singer-songwriter because of the mainstream attention that the song got. It was the first "Thinking Out Loud” and "Gangnam Style" that I could remember. Both were really huge hits that eventually became irritating to listen to.
In 2014, I was reintroduced to the music of Jason Mraz. It was only then that I knew that he's been playing and singing songs since the early 2000's. It was only then that I knew there was daylight before "I'm Yours". It was only then that I knew what I have been missing from his music.
Now, I'm going to share with you my Top 10 Jason Mraz songs. This is in no way an official list, this is just my personal favorite list. So, here it goes!
#10. The Boy's Gone
This is the perfect song for reflecting on yourself, about the things that you should have done, and of course, the things that you shouldn't have.
Everything and everyone will go back to its origin.
#9. 3 Things
"3 Things" feels like a generic Jason Mraz good vibes song you can always sing along for and with your friends and loved ones.
Whenever your life falls apart, just lend this song your ears. You may not have the answer, or the solution to your problem right away, but at least, you have the peace of mind to think of something outside your box.
#8. Song For A Friend
Ever thought about writing a song for your best friend without putting any malice and hidden intentions, especially if you are of the same sex? Here is the perfect example for you. "Song For A Friend" basically seems like a conversation between two friends because it really is. Jason Mraz has revealed in one of his shows that it was a friend of his that inspired the song.
He said that he wanted to thank his roommate and friend, Jerry, for all the things that Jerry has done for him when he was just starting.
#7. Make It Mine
This Grammy-winning track is the second single after "I'm Yours" on Jason Mraz's third album "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". Hear it once and you will surely be captivated by the positive vibes that this song can give to you.
"Make It Mine" features Jason Mraz's horn section, but the selling point of this song for me, other than the words and its live-life-to-the-fullest meaning in totality, is the beautiful melody that Jason Mraz can produce especially when Toca Rivera joins him in singing some parts in the chorus.
#6. I’m Yours
We all know it. Some know it by heart, some know it after hearing it from sons, daughters, and friends. We all love hearing and singing this song. We love it when this song is being sung to us. We love it we're the one singing it and dedicating it to someone else.
That is the best thing about this happy little hippie song. It just spells L-I-F-E and L-O-V-E every time it is being heard and sung. Moreover, according to Jason Mraz, he doesn't even remember sitting down to write it because it quickly went to him as it "came out of joy".
#5./#4./#3. A Beautiful Mess/The Woman I Love/I Won’t Give Up
These songs are in a triple-tie because the messages in each are almost one and the same. They all sing about the same required element in every relationship: COMMITMENT.
With “A Beautiful Mess”, the song tells right from the start that things are not always perfect. There will be negativities, off-mood days, there is imperfection. There is an existing unconditional love even after being aware of the imperfections and all other bad stuff and that is happiness for them, as implied. If you find happiness in loving someone despite having the worst issues imaginable and unimaginable, don’t ever lose it.
Now we go to “The Woman I Love”. Every time Jason Mraz sings it in his concerts, he has this mini speech to introduce this song. It goes something like this: “I always invite the men to listen to this song. Men, it’s dedicated to you. Because anyone who has tried to stand beside a woman knows that sometimes our ladies lose it. Sometimes, they get a little loopy, they go bananas. Gentlemen, it’s up to you. It’s up to us to man up and love them back into the women we know them to be.” To all the gentlemen out there, you know he is right. I know his right, too, for I’ve always taken refuge in this song whenever there is a rift between me and my lover. It is like a tutorial of what to do and what not to do. Let’s always love them back into the women we know them to be.
“I Won’t Give Up” tells the complete story of unconditional love, faith, and commitment. The one great thing about this song is that it is not a song solely for your lover. It may actually be your dream, or goal in life. It can be even your faith in God, or in your religion, whatever religion you may be in. It tells that there will always be someone that will keep on waiting, pursuing and persevering for you. It won’t stop, it won’t end even if the skies will get rough.
#2. Mr. Curiosity
This track from his second album "Mr. A-Z" offers something that is rarely heard on a Jason Mraz track. This song is mostly played on piano and it has an opera solo made by Jason Mraz himself.
Like "The Boy's Gone", this song tackles reflection on life and it is basically asking for "Mr. Curiosity to come back to his life". Looking for Mr. Curiosity serves as a metaphor for finding interest, and curiosity again for his own life after experiencing Goliath-like life dilemmas.
The song really makes you feel the hopelessness and depressed state of the person after finding no reason to live and to be curious about what might happen next in his life.
This song was not originally in this spot. But, hey, this one deserves this change of place. It is a really good song and I recalled that it kind of helped me when I was losing curiosity in my life, too.
#1. The Remedy (I Won't Worry)
Maybe it is not a surprise that the top spot belongs to the one that started it all for Jason Mraz. Actually, in my case, this was the song that reintroduced Jason Mraz's music to me. This was the daylight before "I'm Yours" and "I Won't Give Up".
"The Remedy" is another song inspired by one of Jason Mraz's friends. This time it is his childhood friend, Charlie Mingroni, who was diagnosed with cancer. Mraz was inspired by the positive outlook that his friend had shown even after the diagnosis of the Big C. "I won't worry my life away" was the actual concept of Mingroni's positivity, and Mraz immortalized it as "The Remedy", a song he plays in almost every performance he plays in up until now.
Whether with his Superband or not, just an intimate performance with his great pal Toca Rivera and his djembe, Jason Mraz really nails every performance he is into.
So give these aMRAZing songs their chance to be heard, folks!
*Photos and video links are not mine and I just put them here for sharing purposes. I do not claim any copyright with any of them.
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