Why I Can't Get Enough of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours"

I am an extremely contrary person, and upon finding myself in a community that prides itself on music-snobbery, I decided to go in the other direction completely. In about four months time, I could be found listening primarily to pop music from my youth (Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Something Corporate, Blink-182) and almost completely shunning the Grateful Dead and the Beatles (although the latter group is very difficult to shake). I had just had enough lyrical dissection sessions, and what I really wanted was a dance party. (What you need to know however, is that if I were to suddenly find myself in a world populated by people who only had dance parties to popular music, I would be the person locked in my room dissecting Beatles and Grateful Dead songs. It is just my nature.) Disney music and showtunes also took priority over campus-popular groups like MGMT and Au (this is not to say that I dislike any of this music. I just got sick and tired of the hype.)

During December, and now in the first days of the New Year, I have forged a passionate connection to Rihanna, T.I., certain songs by Beyonce (not "Single Ladies"), and the irrepressible Jason Mraz. Also, for some inexplicable reason, I have been listening to the BBC News. It is an odd combination, I must admit. The first three artists were not particularly attractive to me until recently, but I keep coming back to Mr. A-Z, and I feel like this deserves a coherent and logical explanation.

On We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things., Mraz finds a new side to his own brand of musical magic. Whereas Waiting for My Rocket to Come was somewhat angsty but always hopeful, and tongue-in-cheek, and Mr. A-Z followed this pattern with enough experimentation (the bossa nova "Bella Luna" and the R&B inspired "Geek in the Pink" come to mind) to spice things up a little, this new album opens up a brand new world of pop goodness. The experimentation feels less forced, and the songs are smoother. I listened to "Make It Mine," "Butterfly," "Coyotes," and "The Dynamo of Volition," and they all reminded me of Jamiroquai songs like "Canned Heat" and "Blow Your Mind." It is a strong transition for Mraz, who was a strong songwriter from the get-go. The other songs on the album, including the first single "I'm Yours" are pretty stripped-down, laid-back, singer-songwriter R&B songs. "If It Kills Me" is the only song that really breaks from the two themes of the record, and it sounds like it belongs on Broadway in a love story. The album is well-worth a listen.

This post was meant to discuss the merits of "I'm Yours," because it is this song that has become my reason for listening to popular radio. The musical elements are intelligently mellow and equally upbeat. Everything rests on a light Reggae sound, a sound that is all about positivity and soul. The lyrics are positive, in fact they rest on this deep belief that you can find true love with fewer complications, and express this love without reservations (something that I personally wonder about, and that I am constantly working towards). It is a bittersweet feeling to hear these lyrics, and even the way that Jason Mraz sings them is bittersweet, a taste that adds depth to this song and brings it to a level far above the David Archuleta drivel that finds itself on the charts. I would go so far as to say that Jason Mraz is a more ironic and sarcastic incarnation of the talented John Mayer. They write music that is very different, but the sentiment is often similar and similarly catchy.


I'm Yours (Live) by Jason Mraz


Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm trying to get back

Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love

Listen to the music of the moment people, dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate, our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

D-d-do do you, but do you, d-d-do
But do you want to come on
Scooch on over closer dear
And I will nibble your ear

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and I laughed

I guess what I be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do, our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Come on and open up your mind and see like me
(I won't hesitate)
Open up your plans and damn you're free
(No more, no more)
Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours
(It cannot wait, I'm sure)

So please don't, there's no need
(There's no need to complicate)
There's no need to complicate
(Our time is short)
'Cause our time is short
(This is our fate)
This is, this is, this is our fate
I'm yours

Oh, I'm yours
Oh, I'm yours
Oh, whoa, baby you believe I'm yours
You best believe, best believe I'm yours