I'm Yours - NOT trolling!

In JJ's thread about songs that can't be covered on uke, thejumpingflea suggested (tongue-in-cheek, I suspect) that 'I'm Yours' was such a song.

Clearly it can be covered on ukulele. That said, it's so much easier to play in C than in B, but it doesn't sound so good. In B I still stumble over the change from the picking bit to the F# chord.

I know some people are sick of that tune just as many are tired of most of the songs that have become standard uke-fodder. The studio version of Mraz's single is a bit "meh", but I have to say that the live version from Korean TV is, IMHO, a staggeringly good performance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYhrYHmUPn0

It's a fair song, written around a classic, very common chord progression (I, V, vi, IV), but the version in that video just blows me away. Two guys, one guitar, one djembe and a cymbal show how unnecessary the full band production on the single was. Toca Rivera's backup vocal is perfect, the drum too, and those two guys work really well together on that song.

That remains one of my favourite videos, even though I'm pretty tired of the studio version of the song, and I know some are just sick of it, period.

[/confession]

That version has been on my playlist for months.

buddhu said:

Two guys, one guitar, one djembe and a cymbal show how unnecessary the full band production on the single was. Toca Rivera's backup vocal is perfect, the drum too, and those two guys work really well together on that song.

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You forgot about the gnome!

I never heard that version before. Thanks for posting this.

Strangely, spending less time on Ukulele Underground helped me gain back my appreciation for this song.

Buddhu, thanks for the song idea.

People may be tired of it, but I've been looking for singable*, playable** songs for my 7th & 8th grade students who do a ukulele unit & guitar unit in music class. They have music class 40 min one time a week and can't take the ukes & guitars home, because I have a classroom set for the school.



*singable= easy range, suitable for group singing, language appropriate for school

**playable=easy chords & not too many changes

great performance there, reminds me of the aol sessions version i first heard a couple years back (before it was added to the latest cd as a single). here's a link to it:

http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/jason-mraz-im-yours-aol-sessions/2217494646

to my ears the single version has no soul - but live... now that's another story!

k

Fantastic version, I love the original too, just because it's been played soo much on here doesn't make it rubbish, it's great!! Nice find Rick. Just found this handy little program which lets you download and convert the Youtube files, I've just converted it to mp3 and windows media. http://youtubedownload.altervista.org/

Very entertaining. I hadn't seen this version before. Thanks!

Love this video! Thanks for the link!

I'm a huge Mraz fan, and I love that he's encouraged taping and sharing of his performances from way back, before audiences were screaming over his vocals.

Listening to Jason and Toca's perfect harmonies is one of my favorite things.

Check out the earliest recordings here, and you'll find more like what you've heard on this video.

http://ow.ly/ooxY

I still love this song.. Its always on what ever playlist Im listening to on my phone. Thanks for the link.. Glad I saw that vid

wow. haven't seen him perform like THAT before. props!

Thanks for the link Buddhu. I like this song (even the studio version), and I've seen JM in concert but still, it's weird to see this song without a ukulele

I've been aware of that video for quite some time. When everyone started poking fun at all the requests for tabs on this song, I looked for it on Altavista. That is the version I found.

I like the song, it has a great vibe and scat-singing besides. But the one critique I'd have to give is the same that I'd give for "Delilah". Young writers often cram too many words into every line in their music. The old pros, like Irving Berlin, kept things much simpler and clearer in their lyrics by keeping their cadence with lyrics that fit comfortably with the melody without having to be a motor-mouth to sing it all.

The Beatles understood this and that is why their music had such strong melodies and is stilll played today.

Amy said:

[...] I'm a huge Mraz fan, and I love that he's encouraged taping and sharing of his performances from way back, before audiences were screaming over his vocals.

Listening to Jason and Toca's perfect harmonies is one of my favorite things.

Check out the earliest recordings here, and you'll find more like what you've heard on this video.

http://ow.ly/ooxY

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Excellent. That point about encouraging taping and sharing of performances is hugely important to me. People like Mraz, Tim O'Brien, Hayseed Dixie and all the many others who have that attitude are the people who keep LIFE in music. For some of them it may just be a PR stance, but whatever - it gives their audience the impression that the artist cares about the community. I think it helps build real loyalty. I didn't know JM encouraged it: my opinion of him just notched up.

As I said, the studio version of 'I'm Yours' just strikes me as a neat little fun pop song. On Heart FM in the UK (not my station of choice, but it sometimes plays in the office) it gets the cr*p played out of it, and I've kind of overdosed a little. This two-man live version is different. Just superb.

The video sort of embodies my minimalist preferences. The arguments I get into over production, arrangement and orchestration...! To me, the studio version has nothing to add to what is shown in the video, and the intimacy and interaction between the performers is magic. I think Mr M is very lucky to have a musical partner like Toca Rivera. When something "clicks" like that it should be appreciated.

To be honest, I'm not a big JM fan, but now I know about the taping policy thing I'll seek out more stuff to hear. I may even buy a CD...

RonS said:

You forgot about the gnome!

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Gnomes never get the respect they deserve. I might get one just so he can hang out in my case. I think that is an excellent rendition, thanks for sharing.