Fanboy alert: Jason Mraz is back! AAAAACCCCKKKK!!!
*deep breath*
I first heard Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up at his live acoustic Philippine concert with Toca Rivera last late year at the Araneta Coliseum, and I remember my wife and I both being extremely moved by I Won’t Give Up; we were both in tears at song’s end. Knowing what little we knew about his marriage, we were stunned into silence by how eloquently he put into words the conflicting emotions that someone feels when a relationship is in trouble. And yet, just like vintage Mraz, he manages to still look up, both literally and metaphorically, and see the positive in the situation. It was one of the highlights of that concert, and methinks one of the highlights of Mraz’s long and storied career.
Jason Mraz has always been an underestimated vocalist. (I remember a particular discussion I had with a friend who was a John Mayer fan, who said that the latter was clearly superior to Mraz in every way, and I had to hold back my own anger, knowing that Jason would not have approved of my releasing all that negative emotion into the universe. Clearly, that fellow hasn’t given Mr Mraz a chance; comparing him to Mayer is apples and oranges, both are immensely talented gentlemen with many many more years of success ahead of them.) Having said that, I feel that I Won’t Give Up is a landmark vocal accomplishment for Jason. He just puts so much emotion into I Won’t Give Up, with heartfelt harmonies, a passionate delivery, and voice breaks executed so perfectly and poignantly, it’s not difficult to believe he may have actually had a hard time recording this song.
And the video! I think there’s no other way to describe it other than the perfect video for the perfect song. By using images, pictures, letters, and all that, Mraz and his video director convey more emotion and heartache possible than with just a standard Mraz-and-guitar delivery. It connotes a universality that everyone should be relate to and admire, especially in this digital age, where handwritten letters and printed photographs are on the highway to obsolescence faster than you can say “email.” Not since the first ten minutes of Up have I been so moved by a video.
Overall, Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up is another masterpiece in the Mraz discography. While certainly not as initially catchy as his monster I’m Yours, there is an urgency that people need to hear I Won’t Give Up, because more people would benefit from this kind of reaction to a troubled relationship. Maybe if people dealt with their relationships in this healthier dynamic, more people would still be together and there would be a lot less negativity in the world.
I WON’T GIVE UP Lyrics
Jason Mraz
When I look into your eyes
It’s like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There’s so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you’ve come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
And when you’re needing your space
To do some navigating
I’ll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
‘Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We’ve got a lot to learn
God knows we’re worth it
No, I won’t give up
I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you’re still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn’t break, we didn’t burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I’ve got, and what I’m not
And who I am
I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
Still looking up
I won’t give up on us (no I’m not giving up)
God knows I’m tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We’ve got a lot to learn (we’re alive, we are loved)
God knows we’re worth it (and we’re worth it)
I won’t give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I’m giving you all my love
I’m still looking up
