If you haven’t browsed David Archuleta’s Ology page yet, you should … lots of gems I’ve somehow missed, like this one:
… and this one … “It’s cool that someone spent time making me…. In corn.” 😆
You can “follow” David’s page, and every time you “like,” post or comment on something, it wins points for David in a mysterious “Best Singer on Idol” contest that I haven’t quite figured out the purpose of yet. 🙂 … but even if you don’t do that it’s fun to scroll through everything. I’m learning so much too… who knew David was such a….
PLAYAH….
Source: Ology/NadaSalsabila
.
BIKER…. .
ZOOLANDER…
. PAINT MAGNET….
. THIRST QUENCHER….CEREAL KILLER…..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
SGT. PEPPER.…
. STADIUM OF FIRE ANTHEM SINGER
Then…. And now…ish
.
.
.
.
.
How about you guys? Found anything over there you’d like to share? 🙂
P.S. Awesome news for U.S. fans!
Looks like we will have BEGIN. on iTunes US! Pre-orders available soon and with a special offer! (ks)
Inspirational songs. David sings them a lot. David seems to talk about them even more. But really what defines an “inspirational song”? What is it that makes one song “inspirational” and another one not? Mushy gushy lyrics? Verses full of optimistic clichés? Does it have to have a title like Lean On Me, Gotta Get Through This or Things Are Gonna Get Better for it to qualify? As soon as a negative or selfish lyric comes into a song, is it automatically thrown out of the “inspirational” box? And really who gets to decide what’s inspirational and what’s not? A song one person might find really inspiring and motivating, another just might not get at all. So who gets to make that call?
Whoever gets to decide, I think we can all agree there’s at least one song of David’s which wouldn’t be considered an “inspiration song.” Falling. Remember that bonus track from that first album which no one ever seems to talk about and David never sang (except for that one time at that ASCAP EXPO). Probably the only song of his that anyone would ever qualify as “depressing.”
I remember hearing rumours at the time that David didn’t even want it on the album because he thought it was too depressing (and that’s when the last few lines were added, to make it a little more uplifting). No idea how true that rumour turned out to be, but you can’t deny the song doesn’t really fit with the rest of the songs he’s ever written. I mean, it was written about a suicide. Not anything anyone would ever classify as “inspirational.”
… Right?
Well, I was re-listening to some older David music the other day (something to do while waiting for August 7th 🙂 ), and when I got to Falling it felt like a totally different song than I remembered it. I saw it in a completely different way than I ever had before. I hadn’t listened to it in ages and I guess a couple more years of life experience gave me a new perspective. But what I used to see as a purely depressing song, I now saw as an anthem of sorts for people struggling, fighting, and battling hard for their mental health.
David really manages to capture the person’s fight and will power in the lyrics. This is not just a song about someone being sad about the position they’ve found themselves in and complaining about the state of their life. Upon first glance it may seem that way, but look a little closer and you’ll see how it’s really about a person trying their hardest to get past it. This person is living through hell but they are fighting with everything they possibly can to get through it. They are at war with themselves and they are trying desperately to survive. Just check out the lyrics:
Feels like my life’s been passing by
With happiness just being a lie
How did I get here, where am I going?
One more day without knowing
Struggling for one more breath As I’m drowning in a painful death
Can someone reach out for me?
In this dark and dreary sea
‘Cause it seems like no one can
Hear the voice that’s calling
Try to take the most I can stand But I keep falling
Chorus:
I try to chase the memories away But they haunt me everyday I hope I get over this phase ‘Cause I’m stuck inside this haze
All I need is a simple lift
Such a sweet and precious gift
So I don’t lose it all before / What I have left is nothing more
In my isolating misery / I feel like the epitome
Of darkness and despair / Just leading onto nowhere
Will I be able to win this race? / I’m runnin’ at a slow pace Trying hard to press on / But the motivation’s gone
‘Cause it seems like no one can / Hear the voice that’s calling
Try to take the most I can stand / ButI keep falling
[Chorus]
It may not have to be this way / Waiting for me there could be a new day Maybe I can revise / And escape from the lies
[Chorus]
There could be something more
To what my life may have in store I’ll move from where I began
Keep on pressing through to the end
The person David is creating with his lyrics here is a fighter, not a quitter. Everything is going wrong for them and yet they are trying more than anything to “win that race”. They are “trying to take the most they can stand” even when their world is falling apart around them. Day by day they are fighting an internal battle, with no real end in sight. And yet they are still battling it out. How can that not be inspirational?
Inspirational doesn’t have to be happy-go-lucky. It doesn’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows. What it has to be is real. relevant. relatable. To me, the best inspirational songs will give you a feeling of “I get that. I can relate to that. I understand exactly what this person is going through… and maybe, just maybe, I can get through this too.”
— abanana77
P.S. So what do you guys think makes a song “inspirational”?
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman
I wasn’t really surprised when David made his announcement last December. I was, however, a little surprised. A few other uber fans had told me months prior, right after Twitter Gate occurred, that they KNEW he was going to announce such. I was definitely in the ‘It Won’t Happen’ camp. Duh on me. Ha! Ha! Ha!
It’s good to be wrong. Humble pie eaten periodically is quite beneficial and certainly a healthy mental diet nutrient.
Yet when he announced his hiatus from the music world for a 2 year mission, it did make a lot of sense. It was certainly an “A-Ha” moment. A culmination of what was, what is and what will be, all swirled together like a multi-flavor soft serve ice cream cone ready for consumption. With those new flavors intertwined, what would we fans find palatable? It became a time to catch up to what is and then taking up the opportunity during this hiatus to get to what will be, whatever that ends up being.
Being a David fan at this most definitely outrageous level has created a ton (to the Nth degree) of personal awareness. Certainly charitable giving has come to the forefront in many fans’ consciousness.
David has brought to his fans attention since his American Idol debut in 2008 charitable causes such as ChildFund, Invisible Children, DoSomething.org, Habitat For Humanity, Lisa Lopes Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Music for Relief, Stand Up To Cancer, We Are The World Foundation, Rising Star Outreach, Angels for a Cause and others.
Like most of you I have had a lifetime of being devoted to cherished charitable causes. Along comes David and my antennae evolve to new heights, develop novel sensors. Yes, the world has expanded and there is now a rich magnitude of awareness and a fresh depth of joy in charitable giving.
I have come to the conclusion that David is as devoted to others in needas he is to his music. That passion resonates profoundly. It echoes exquisitely through the depths and breadth of one’s spirit and soul.
Credit: Fans of David
With his new album BEGIN., and the snippets that most of us have enjoyed, I am all the more inspired to continue to expand my awareness of the needs of those in need.
BEGIN. is indeed a concrete message of a new launch. “If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change….”
In the 90 second snippet, “Broken” evokes the sense of wanting to help, to heal. The covers are raw emotion on the grill, flaming up with bursts of beauty, rare, tender giving, open, vulnerable, and so melodiously real for all to view and consume.
Somos el mundo, nosotros somos el pueblo….We are the world, we are the people….
And……
Things are Gonna Get Better
Although Walt Whitman is credited with these words, David, too, could lay claim:
Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, when I give… I give myself.
— Kizzi
P.S. David on BEGIN. — Part 2:
More info: While in the studio recording the BEGIN. album David talks about the next 2 years, the decision he has made and what some of the challenges he might face.
Tags: (whoa, these really look like David tags 🙂 ) David Archuleta BEGIN. Next two years Home Challenges Excited
To celebrate the launch of David’s new album BEGIN., we invite you to submit a photograph to a special contest to win prizes! You can send in any photo that represents the theme or idea of BEGIN. to you so long as it meets the rules below. Example photos might include newborn babies, seedlings, kittens, first day of school, etc. Three “Staff Favorite” photos will earn their owners VIP t-shirts and bags from the “My Kind of Christmas” tour, and the sender of the top photo will also receive a photograph autographed by David! All accepted photos will be displayed in a gallery on DavidArchuleta.com, with credit given to the owners.
Contest Rules: Each person may submit only one photo. Each entered photo must be owned by the person who submits it. We will check to ensure that photos are original; participants who submit photos that are not their original work will be disqualified. Photos must NOT contain the image of David Archuleta or his name in them. Photos must be a minimum size of 400 by 600 pixels.
Send your photos to contest@davidarchuleta.com by August 14, 2012 with your name and location, as well as a title or short description of your photo. Winners will be chosen and and notified via email shortly after that date. Photos will be added to the gallery as they are accepted so get yours in early for the most views!
DavidArchuleta.com retains the right to reject any photo submission that is deemed inappropriate.
P.S. Agent Banana pointed out he answers “what do you do when you’re pissed off?” in this 97FM Singapore interview (3rd one down) … and he actually says it twice (2nd time at 6:05), hahahaha. 😆
A friend I admire sent me a link to an interesting article in the Deseret News about some famous LDS athletes who have had to grapple with the decision of whether or not to serve a mission.
The writer, former NBA star Travis Hansen, served his mission in Chile, and wrote the story to share his view on how those two years can provide “a master’s degree in experiences.” The examples of qualities he feels missionaries can develop during that time range from leadership, diplomacy, humility, gratitude and communication to learning to handle criticism and conquering fear.
I know what you’re thinking. “How could David possibly become more humble, grateful or diplomatic?”
But the fact is, David’s been pretty open in interviews about wanting to gain maturity and assertiveness, along with the confidence to be “daring” (his word) with his music. And he told us in his “A Thought” vlog that he couldn’t wait to bring back the person he’ll become in 2014. So, as well as fulfilling his spiritual needs, David clearly hopes to “take some time now … it’s time for me to find out who I am.”
And I have no doubt he’ll do that… and more… ’cause that’s what David does … more. He always seems to work even harder, longer, and with more commitment than you imagined he could.
Credit: @PaulaFOD
He also continues to defy our expectations of him. Mine, anyway. And I’d foolishly thought I didn’t have those. The night of his Announcement taught me different. Turns out, I’d been seeing what I’d wanted to see… a David soaring from a successful Christmas tour ready to write new music, find his own sound and take the recording industry by storm… um, nope.
Without realizing it, I’d mapped out my ideal version of his future. I think I’ve learned a painful lesson though. At least I hope so.
My motto now? Let it be. Let him be. And I feel more peaceful about things by not dwelling on the particulars of what he may be doing* or even what he’ll do when he gets back. This is his time, his life, and after much angst (mostly separation anxiety I guess), I’ve come to realize I can only say, “Via con Dios, David.” Go with God. Wherever He may lead you.
Yes, I admit I pray for him to stay safe and to be happy but I trust he’s in good Hands. I have no doubt he’ll make the absolute most from this experience and that he’ll remain focused on what he can give, not what he can get — because that’s what David’s always done — whether it’s on Idol, on tour, or in his neighbourhood. But I can’t focus on his present beyond that, only my own. And I can’t focus on the future either.
I sincerely hope that David emerges from these two years an even stronger, more fortified, grounded, rebooted version of his already amazing self, ready to make new music. But the truth is, anything could happen in two years, to any of us. And as much as David was sincere when he held up that “I’ll Be Back #DA2014” sign — even he doesn’t know where his head and heart will be in 2014.
~ Mother Teresa
Of course I want him to pick up where he left off and start writing, recording and performing again but I don’t want to weigh him down — or myself, for that matter — with expectations for what will happen in 2014. Call it denial or self-preservation but it feels right to enjoy the here and now, and leave the rest up to someone else.
So while I believe David’s doing exactly what he needs to be doing and is right where he’s meant to be — and that he’s certainly earning that master’s degree in experiences … heck, a PhD, knowing David — I can only focus on the riches he’s left us with today (and come Aug. 7th 🙂 ).
And what riches they are … I find myself bursting with gratitude for the four years of beautiful music — and bunny suits — he’s given us so far and all that he worked so hard to finish for us before he left.
I’ll never stop supporting him, that I do know. His voice is pure love, I know that too.
*********************
So how about you guys? Where are you at on this crazy elevator ride we’re on?
*But if ninja vids surface from his performance this weekend, all bets are off. 🙂
The lovely @kariontour tweeted today that David wants to know which BEGIN. song we’d like to hear a snippet from (apparently Angel and Somewhere Only We Know got the most votes). What’s your take on snippets? Are you dying to hear even a few seconds of David’s bound-to-be-incredible new songs? Or will you stay strong and hold out for the whole glorious album to be released on August 7th? …aaaaaand VOTE!!!!
P.S.
Breaking news!!!! A soundcloud player for all the snippets now up on the OS (embedded below)!
In honour of this Canada Day weekend, thought I’d repost these border-crossing tales of David Archuleta tours-gone-by… if you have your own stories, please share!!!
“What is the purpose of your visit, Obi-Wan?”
**********
Fasten your seatbelts as a few SnowAngelz tell their harrowing tales of cross-border life in the David Lane.
Refnaf:
Never in my previous non-ODD life, have I ever “crossed over” the divide between our lovely countries as often as I have in the past year. Canada and the U.S. may share the longest unguarded border in the world, but I, on the other hand, feel very guarded with every venture.
Will the questions asked reveal the real reason for my trip? Will they proceed from “Where are you headed?” to “Whose concert??” at breakneck speed? Will the border guard notice the hesitancy in my voice as I wait for the inevitable “That little guy from A.I.?” or “David who??”
My biggest fear is that I may answer, “I am going to see The David, The Only David, The Best David,” and may even be tempted to add “My David!!!”
On my way to see David Archuleta’s summer tour stop in Hershey, P.A., the customs person was the most encouraging I have met so far. He not only knew who David was, but proceeded to “grill” me about what Cook was up to lately and even asked “What about that girl who could really belt it out?”
Then he started chatting about pre-A.I. 7 seasons. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that my Idol knowledge was limited to Season 7. I mumbled some inanities about Simon Cowell (feeling like I was locked into a game of A.I. Trivial Pursuit) and looked for TOfan, who I was sure must have been wondering why I was getting the “interrogation.” As I finally got away, I had to smile…. only in America.
<TOfan:
I could never be a drug mule. Not because I’m above all that crime business, but because of the panicked look that takes over my face every time I cross the border. I’m convinced I’ll somehow “fit the profile,” be strip-searched and held for further questioning… or worse, sent home.
So for me, of all the “firsts” I’ve experienced as a David fan, voluntarily subjecting myself to border-guard scrutiny in order to get to a concert has to be the most nerve-wracking.
Yes, I could just vaguely tell them I’m visiting friends, but experience has taught me honesty is the best policy when faced with the horror of federal offenses or, gasp, missing David’s show. But you try travelling with fellow ODDers and answering the inevitable, “How do you all know each other?”
I’ve found that a quick “we’re friends going to a concert” works best. It is (a) the truth and (b) avoids having to explain hooking up with strangers online (it was hard enough to type that, never mind say it out loud to an armed official).
Once when I said I was travelling to meet friends (mumbling “for a concert” under my breath), the border guard wanted to know how I knew these “friends” … I think I said “we’re all in sort of a music club” and she took pity on me and left it at that.
In the scenario Refnaf described above, I had no idea her “interrogator” was an Idol buff. He had her chatting so long I figured he didn’t believe we were flying Stateside just for a concert and we’d miss our flight … or worse. Beads of perspiration collected on my brow as he called me forward for my turn in the hot seat.
“So,” he said, leaning back in his chair, one eyebrow raised. “David Archuleta, huh?”
“Yes,” I gulped. “He’s good!”
“Ya, I know,” he nodded, handing back my passport. “Have a safe trip.”
Pastel:
“Where are you two ladies travelling to?”
“Cleveland, although we are meeting up with a friend in Buffalo”
“What are you doing in Cleveland?”
“We are going to a concert.”
“Which concert?”
“DAVID ARCHULETA! Have you heard of him?” (The intent was to turn the tables and go on the offensive….)
“Yeah.”
“He was on American Idol!”
“You are travelling all the way from Toronto to Cleveland for a concert with David Archuleta?”
As if rehearsed and without hesitation….”Of course…he is amazing! Have you listened to his Christmas album?”
“No.”
I realize we have no more copies because IT WAS SOLD OUT IN TORONTO!
“Oh no! We would give you a copy if we had an extra. We gave copies of his first CD to a border guard last year whose daughter….” I realize I am talking way too much now.
“Okay ladies…here you go.” Passed back passports and as if in a hurry to get rid of us.
SandyBeaches:
Click pic 4 recipe.
On our last trip to New York, the security officer said at the Halifax airport, “I see by your passport that you were in the U.S. just last month? I believe that I remember you! So whose concert was that?”
I followed his line of questioning with the usual hesitation for some unknown reason. I answered with, “David, the same singer as before.” Maybe I was a little sassy, but I wore a big smile.
On coming home, ‘the almost’ interrogation in Halifax airport included, “So why were you there?” I answered his barrage of questions with, “A concert.”
“Do you have a ticket stub to prove it, he asked?” My reply to his question was automatic, “I have that and a David Archuleta poster, Christmas tree ball and various other gifts right here in my hand.”
He said, “Next person please!”…
“Yo, Canada!”
Although I’ve had the good fortune to travel a great deal in my life, I’d never been apprehensive at any border crossing. That is, until I contracted ODD.
Suddenly I was a regular at airports, ferry crossings, bus stations and immigration checkpoints — destination: David, anywhere USA.
I could feel the sweat trickle down my back when an immigration official asked me to produce my Jingle Ball ticket before entering Buffalo on a Greyhound bus. I felt equally uncomfortable when asked to explain why I had been to New Jersey when I had not gone on business and had neither friends nor family there.
Ummm, well, you see … I went to a music concert, sir. Are you a singer, he asked? blah! Ummmm…no, I went to hear someone else. Oh, man… here it comes. Who, he asked? David Archuleta (sotto voce). Did you purchase any tobacco? Whew! Off the hook again.
I’m sure that one day the customs card will offer three options for the question, “What is the main purpose of your visit?”: 1. Personal. 2. Business. 3. ODD. Who am I kidding? I love the secret, exhilarating life of a well-travelled SnowAngel.
P.S.
Happy Birthday, Canada! To help you celebrate, here’s a collection of memorable “O Canada” renditions. Enjoy!
David Archuleta’s music video for “I’ll Never Go” may appear calm and serene on the surface, but it turns out there was much more drama going on behind the scenes…..
… and they tango-ed into the night… and had staring contests (aka un beso con los ojos… thank you, Google translate! 🙂 ) till the screen faded to black. “I’ll never goooo far away from youuuuuuu…..“
.
.
.
.
.
SnowAngelz: Canadian fans of David Archuleta 