Who takes an ages-old Christmas carol and spins it three ways, three vibes, and into three masterpieces??? DAVID ARCHULETA, THAT’S WHO!!!!!
This is not a mere theory… I have EVIDENCE!!!
Exhibit A — Rock Stah LDB
D. unleashed this version on an unsuspecting fanbase at the 1st show of his MKOC Tour in Westbury. I was blessed to be there and one of those screaming in shock and … well, more shock… when he started banging that drum. You GO, David!!!
(did anyone else spontaneously punch their hands in the air at 3:45? 🙂 )
Exhibit B — Indie LDB
I LOVE this version… before Christmas I had it on repeat for a while, it’s hypnotic or something. And it almost doesn’t sound like him, if that makes sense.
Exhibit C — Latino LDB
This may very well be my favourite. Not sure why. Could it be the español? The Elder growl? That Latin pa rum pa pum pum?
Hey guys, it’s Captain David here. Fasten your seat belts for some turbulence in 2014. You’ll need parachutes in your airplanes and gravol for zero gravity conditions.
Won’t make you promises or give you lies but hold on, don’t let go.
In three-ish months, 0-800 hours, we will touch down and we’ll need all hands on deck for maximum preparedness… don’t look down ’cause this is real.
Fill oxygen tanks to take lots of deep breaths because the landing strip may drag on for months. We see a storm headed our way… you know the cold can make things delay.
Not to worry, the air is pure that we’re breathing… up here gives you wings to stay strong.
It’s an endless ride, sometimes it takes you up, sometimes it tears you down inside. But it’s the butterflies that keep you feeling so alive.
Just disco with the flow until your feet are back on the ground.
So hang on, hang in for the ride of your life. It’ll be alright.
I know things are gonna get better … ’cause it’s a good place.
P.S.
Can you believe it’s finally time for David’s Welcome Back video??!!! Check sidebar or HERE for details.
The link will take you to a page that also includes a reminder from the lovely @janey79 to give David some space when he returns. To be honest (and this comes from the person who wrote a whole Great Expectations post on this topic waaaay back), I think David tunes out any demands we make and has a remarkable ability to follow his own heart and more influential voices than ours (*points to clouds*) … I might not have thought that before his mission decision but I sure do now, lol. That being said, yes please, David take all the time and space you need… one thing those of us still here after two years share is patience! 🙂
Click pic for the rest of Naree’s amazing Bench photos.
2. His ability to swivel:
3. His acting skillz:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
4. His guitar teasers… hidden talents to be revealed or urban myth?
5. His ability to multitask … did he film his Mother’s Day message on the same day as his Christmas 2013 message (lose sweater, add scarf)? And why did I notice this??
6. His fashion sense:
7. His love of nature:
8. His way with words:
9. His ability to do a handstand on a moment’s notice… I’m serious about this one, I think it’s quite amazing:
10. His ability to do this at a moment’s notice:
11. The fact that he does things like this all the time and we don’t even hear about half of them:
I saw this gif on @rhiminee’s awesome Tumblr and I’d seen it before but couldn’t pinpoint what was puzzling to me about it. I think I’ve finally figured it out so I thought I’d share….
Does it not look as though Jeff turns around because David starts to turn… as if he thinks D’s going to ask him to go grab him an organic free-range carrot juice or something, and he’d rather not?
But it turns out diva D. is just checking out his coiffure in the mirror … and of course he doesn’t need to fiddle with it because perfect….
I’m sneaking time at work to post this because we have no power at home right now (#icestorm2013). I am not complaining though (#lies).
It’s actually been kind of cool (#literally) to be forced away from the computer/TV etc. and to bundle up and wrap gifts by candlelight. And thanks to battery-powered speakers hooked up to my iPod, I’ve had these mp3s (#asldkfjalfdkajslkfj) to warm my soul.
I don’t think anything David’s done to date has hit me quite like these have. I’m not sure why (and I don’t want to analyze it too much to break the spell), I just know it’s true. I also know I’m not alone. (I see you all out there hitting “replay”!) And isn’t his “Buenos tardes” like the “Hey guys, it’s David here!” we’ve missed so much??
(This one’s further away but the sound is good!)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yes, this is all I’m posting about because I’m still a little too not over these performances… O Ven is truly heaven sent (#right??).
P.S. More breaking news!!!! My power finally came back on aaaaaand Jeffrey Christ posted the much-demanded-by-David-fans video of OHN in the MTV offices (with the lovely and amazing Jim Cantiello)!!!!! Read his whole post here.
Imagine my surprise when this popped into my Google alerts! The link to his post revealed THIS:
And this:
Of course I had to dash off a letter right away!
*******************************
Dear David,
Hope you are well. I must say I am surprised by how much you’ve changed. Here we all thought you’ve been in “Chile” all this time.
I’m not judging though, nope, not me. We all make mistakes and I admire you for serving… although I didn’t think it would be “time” you were serving.
Don’t worry, your fans are all still here for you… and “your chance of freedom is approaching” … so we can keep our #DA2014 T-shirts then I guess. Yay!
I must say, some fans have been fretting about your hair situation and I’m afraid it’s even shorter than we originally thought. No matter, it’s definitely what’s inside that counts… sorry, did not mean to use the word “inside” so lightly!
It was a bit surprising to me that you chose a shirtless picture, you’ve always been so modest. But I guess now we know what you were hiding under there… some impressive, um, artwork. “Go be you” as Maria Carey once told you. (Although, if she’d seen this picture, she’d likely be the one locked up right now.)
So proud that you’ve accomplished two years of college! A lot of fans will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that’s already taken care of. The “Education Tips” in your profile said we could write to you and “let him know you’re willing to help him pursue an education.” Don’t get your hopes up about that one, dear.
I was dismayed not to read “music” among your hobbies but maybe reading more Danielle Steele will inspire some songwriting!
Just know we all support you on whatever path your life takes, David. We love you inside… and out.
omigosh there’s a shadow at the top of his forehead… FROM ACTUAL HAIR!!!! IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!!
Dangggg, I was stuck at the airport last night and then on a flight home through a snowstorm so I missed the Livestream. Oh, I lie. The family members I was with took off to the airport coffee shop at one point so I quickly tried to log in with my little iPod and heard about 30 glorious seconds of David singing the end of Mary Did You Know then *gasp* HE STARTED TALKING!!!!
Yes, it was in Spanish and I understood nothing but the fact that he was saying something LIVE — not a two-year-old vlog or five-year-old interview but LIVE — got me so flummoxed I forgot where I was for a second and let out a high-pitched sound hopefully only heard by dogs.
Some talking at the beginning and end of this vid (thx. JR4DA!!!)… loved his getting everyone to clap in his adorkably bossypants way *replays*:
After catching up, I’m still speechless over the whole thing, so I’ll post these comments from the last thread:
Refnaf: So excited for this!!!!! Eeeeeeeeeee
Grammyj: Hope everyone got to see the live stream. It was divine. David’s singing was phenomenal and we got to hear him speak in Spanish too. I especially loved “Mary Did You Know” in Spanish with guitar accompaniment. I’m ready for him to come home.
amb4da: Well, it’s 1:43 here…and I’ve listened to the concert…(I’m dead.) And that Emmanuel…about 8 gazillion times. And wanted to finally post here about how “out there” I am etc, but…first things first.. Point is tonight….David was back! And as usual. BRILLIANT. Thank you, David. (and to my cyber friend who sent me the link…I didn’t even know it was going to be streamed tonight…so glad I was tipped off!)
He was David. He was adorable. He was dimpled. And holding back smiles. And under that, oh so solemnly humble, Elder Archie persona….hunkerdown, weepingly poignant, twinkle in his eyes David returned. And I loved every minute of it. :))) … Grammyj above is right…tonight was DEVINE!! Got to go to bed but am going to enjoy those close up videos above here tomorrow! ps. btw…I enjoyed his fluent Spanish speaking as much as the singing. I loved his Qué niño es éste? sigh. And his “directives” before Los Pastores a Belen.
Kizzi: Such a huge privilege to see and hear this celebration of the birth of Jesus. David at his humble and genuine best sharing his genius of song to give testimony. Quite riveting to get a glimpse of his experience….and for me it was so emotional to see what all this means to David through his beautiful and exquisitely vulnerable performances. I am so happy for him. Experiencing his life, his way. Bravo!
amb4da: Couldn’t have said that better Kizzi…every word. Absolutely agree. And yes..Bravo! to David. I willingly gave hrs. of sleep last night (blarry-eyed today!) because I could not tear myself away from those performances (still listening!) I haven’t even found my words yet for it…but you did it for me.
emmegirl14: ♥
amb4da: Omg…did I really misspell DIVINE in my original post, even with spellcheck?! …it was late and I was gobsmacked! Think of it as D-vine!
peppertara: Happy Holidays everyone and happy “DA In All His Magnificence gifted weekend!” Am still soaking in all the wonderful performances and his very lovely and fluent Spanish speaking self. Almost felt like he was back.
I agree, all so Divine or Devine or D-vine! …..and as Kizzii said “David at his humble and genuine best sharing his genius of song to give testimony.” “and for me it was so emotional to see what all this means to David through his beautiful and exquisitely vulnerable performances.”
Oh yes, ditto to all of it. ❤
wereevertythingandmore (Tumblr): Hearing him singing today was like breathing fresh air again.
But I’m still a little too not over our other gifts this week, especially, O Ven O Ven Emmanuel … as newangel2 said in the last thread, “So so beautiful. I’ve never heard this song before and now it’s a favorite. How does he do that???” And pouncer84 on Tumblr: “Its WOW!! I get the feeling that he’s singing with extra feeling because this is his last Christmas in Chile before returning.”
Here are the lyrics in English, as per Google translate 🙂 (it’s a version written by Steven Curtis Chapman):
O, come! O come, Emmanuel! Free captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here And wait the son of David O come, and bring your great light Shining with your truth Dispels all darkness, And I will fight with your power.
Rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel, sings Sing Emmanuel Coming for you O Israel, Sing (Repeats)
And last but not least, this gem … to quote robertantonnyc from the youTube comments: “That was dope David. Loved the little flourishes. Happy Holidays”
How about you guys?? Are you now in the Christmas spirit? What are your favourite parts of all this bountiful gold, frankincense and myrrh?
p.s. I guess I should go unpack. 🙂
p.p.s. the lovely cristobalite4126 put all David’s songs in one vid!
(Source:Tumblr/rhiminee) aww, doesn’t the little stinker look happy there at Beaver Creek knowing he won’t have to deal with us for two years?
The lovely amb4da brought up an intriguing point on the last thread: “Coming out” about your fandom.
My closest friends and family know (and tease me endlessly) about being an uber-David-fan. But other friends and coworkers don’t have a clue.
When I took a few days off to fly to Salt Lake City for MoTab, I did tell a couple of friends at work where I was going but they had no idea why I was going so far for basically a long weekend. One of them said “You go to the most random places!”
Random?? As if! 😆
Why do I only share my, um, enthusiasm on a need-to-know basis? Because I don’t expect anyone else to understand this, when I don’t fully understand it myself. I don’t think I would “get it” if the tables were turned. In fact, I know I wouldn’t.
A former coworker who’s a friend on Facebook and Pinterest is obsessed with Kid Rock. (Yes, Kid Rock.) She spends her vacations on “Redneck Music” cruises (her phrase, not mine) and spams her timeline with shirtless Kid photos (*bleaches eyes*). While I question her sanity, I admire her chutzpah at being so out there with her OTT fangirling.
The very few times I’ve felt strongly enough (and brave enough) to post a David video on FB (where a lot of work peeps, including my boss, see my posts), only one, maybe two MAX, David friends like those posts. I suspect they’re not ready to be “outed” either.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud to be a David fan. Every album he’s released I’ve gifted to every good friend, family member and inlaw I can think of. But do I want these Muggles to know the extent of my fandom? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
If they ask if I’m on Twitter, I act as if I’ve never heard of it… “What is this birdsong term of which you speak?” … I turn 16 shades of red and go private until I know the Red Alert has cleared.
Is this a sign I should scale back as a fan? Maybe. I really don’t know. It’s not a choice at this point, tbh. Part of me enjoys being part of a “secret society” of like-minded people who share an exceptional taste in music. 🙂
As I told the customs official at the U.S. border (on a trip to the Buffalo Kissmas Bash) who asked how Refnaf, Sunshine, Conditioner and I knew each other: “We all belong to the same music club.” 🙂
How about you guys?? Are you out of the proverbial closet? Half-way in? Or hiding in the back behind the coats?
One great thing about David recording so many songs in his 23ish short years is that I sometimes forget about some of them. So when I “find” them again, it’s almost like getting a new song. Almost. But hey, I’ll take any crumb I can get at this point. Like this one for example:
I TOTALLY missed it when it came out. Sure, I bought the Japanese album, but I missed actually listening to it, I guess. Which is crazy because it ROCKS!
Can’t you just picture David singing this live?
This story can’t be fic-tion-al This chapter’s only got two pages left And I’ll re-write it all *slow-mo points to victim in crowd*
With you
*crowd goes wild*
mwahaha
And when I scrolled through my “Top 25 played” playlist recently, I was surprised to see this on it:
It wasn’t a top fave when I first listened to Forevermore but it’s the only song on there that made my Top 25 list, so I must’ve replayed it a lot, lol. It obviously really grew on me. I love the soulful groove of it, and his VOICE, wow… I think it’s different than on any other song. Rich like NY-style cheesecake. This might be my favourite part of the whole album:
I can’t stop, don’t know how to stahhhhpp thinking of youuu I’ll do anything, do anything to be ne-e-E-e-E-ar you-U-u-U-u-U-u-U-u-U
*sigh*
And last but not least, I’ve come to LOVE this song.
I think it totally could have been a radio hit. It has over 457,000 views and the comments on it are all recent ones. I know, I know. The “persona” in the song isn’t really David… but it’s TOTALLY Josh Bradley!!! 🙂
He can be as modest and unassuming all he wants in real life, but if he wants to morph into a suave, serial-dater, out-with-one-girl-thinking-of-another when he sings, I say, you go, David!
Actually I don’t care about persona… I just care about David singing good songs that show off his talent.
What do you guys think? Any “forgotten” songs you’re rediscovering??
p.s. Also totally forgot how much I love this live version … “Mr. Jay Durias, here” 🙂 … wish this was the version on the CD tbh.
Exhibit A — Rock Stah LDB
.
.
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 