"You and me, we have that wordsmith thing in common" Name that show...

So right now I have this crazy obsession with Jason Mraz. Who is Jason Mraz? Well, probably the best kept secret in the world, says I. I discovered Jason Mraz totally by accident about six or seven years ago when his one and only hit “Remedy” came out. I remember listening to it and thinking, “Holy crap, this guy sings fast.” Not a common reaction. Sings fast. What’s that? Well, my friends, give me your ears.

Jason Mraz’s style is epitomized in his single that came out a couple of years ago, “Word Play”:

I’ve been all around the world
I’ve been a new sensation
but it doesn’t really matter in this ge-generation
the sophomore slump is an uphill battle
and someone they said they knew my scene
cause you need a new song like a new religion
music for the television I can’t do the long division
someone do the math Cause the record label
Put me on the shelf up in the freezer
Got to find another way
To live the life of leisure
So I drop my top, mix and a mingle
Is everybody ready for the single…

Okay, so first glance, not that ground breaking. But listen to the song. Go Ahead. Try to sing along. I dare you. The thing I like most about the Mr. A-Z is that he is a master wordsmith. What do I mean by a wordsmith? Simply that his talent with words is quite breathtaking. Look at the above passage: alliteration, internal rhyme, end rhyme, slant rhyme, and tongue twisters—all before the chorus. Amazing.

Let’s talk about alliteration a little. First of all, the definition of alliteration is the repetition of sounds. (I used alliteration in the first sentence of this paragraph. Tricky.) Alliteration is a very important literary device because literature is all about sounds. I know that doesn’t seem right, since most of us view reading as a solitary, relatively quiet experience. But think about this: what is your head doing when you are reading? It’s making quite the racket. You’ve got words and sounds of words, you’ve got images, and you’ve got imagined sounds and accents bouncing around in there. It’s a party! Good writers aren’t so much about writing, good writers are about sound. I’ve heard it said that the reason why the F. Scott Fitzgerald was so great was because he had a wonderful ear. I haven’t heard anyone say, “He was such a great writer—you should have seen the way he held that pencil!”

One aspect of great writing is called “Voice”—the ability to hear the author as you read her writings. I hate to toot my own horn but…well, I’m not good at a lot of things, but voice is my speciality. Anyway, let’s back to my good friend, Jason Mraz. Look at his use of alliteration: “sophomore slump,” “someone said they knew my scene,” “live the life of leisure,” “mix and a mingle,” and I could go on. But I won’t. Here’s why alliteration is great: because humans love repetition. WE LOVE IT. Don’t believe me? What do you do every morning? I bet you do the same thing every morning. What songs do you listen to? I bet all of them have a snappy melody that repeats itself. What is your favorite food? I bet you eat it over and over again. Yep. We love repetition, and the poet (or songwriter) who can masterfully incorporate repetition of sound is…well, they’re good. Why else is alliteration great? It makes things sound pretty. Lines glide, roll, revel and swirl around your tongue before launching and tickling your ears.

Now, rhyme. Big deal, right? I mean, everyone knows how to rhyme (Not true. Joe doesn’t. I used to think he was just jerking my chain, but the more I got to know him, I understand why he can’t totally identify rhyme: he can’t carry a tune, and he can’t find the beat. Rhyme is all about the ear). Yeah. But internal rhymes like this? I don’t know many people who do it. What’s internal rhyme? Easy. It’s words that rhyme with each other within the same line of verse, rather than just at the end. Why is it cool? Again, easy. Listen to it. It flows, baby. “New song like a new religion, music for the television, I can’t do the long division.” Say it. Try breaking it up to sound choppy. You can’t, can you. Very, very cool indeed.

And what about end rhyme? Well, that’s a rhyme at the end of a line. This is not a big deal—right, Dr. Seuss? I think the genius of that rhyme is obvious in the above passage. And slant rhyme? This is my favorite type of rhyme (yes, I do have a favorite type of rhyme. I know. But Joe collects rocks) because it takes a lot of ingenuity and creativity to accomplish it. Slant rhyme is where words don’t really rhyme in real life, but the ear thinks it does. For example: Religion and television. Not exact, is it. But the sounds are close enough that the ear doesn’t notice. Didn’t think you could trick your own ear, did ya (this is FABULOUS STUFF)!

And on top of all that, try to sing along! You really have to listen and pay attention to sing his songs. They are catchy, clever, and some of them are quite beautiful. I am currently addicted to his second album, Mr. A-Z, and a third was just released called We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. I don’t have that one yet, but you can bet that as soon as I have a little extra pocket money, I will be making my way to FYE to enjoy more literary wonder. (If you’re interested, a few of my Mraz faves are “You and I Both,” “Did you Get My Message,” “Mr. Curiosity,” “Forecast,” “Clockwatching,” and “Please Don’t Tell Her.” A-MAAAA-zing!)