Jack Johnson played his song “Upside Down” in a park as carefree kids played around him, making for a very special performance. The soft rock hitmaker had made his way down to the Brigham Young University Hawaii campus to perform, bringing his kids along for the trip. He played in front of a small crowd at the tree-lined campus, and some of the kids danced while others played around the campus without a care in the world.
The Hawaiian songwriter quipped to the crowd that remained at the end of the tune that “once all the kids leave, it’s just me singing you kids’ songs.” He then wondered with a smile where his kids had gotten to while he had been playing. Johnson’s observation about how he was playing “kids’ songs” was quite apt, as he wrote “Upside Down” for the soundtrack of the 2006 animated film Curious George.
The moment captured in the video resonated with viewers watching online, who tuned in 2.9 million times to the performance. Fans really appreciated the vibes and added comments such as “Dude is worth millions but doesn’t matter. Lives a simple life, wearing t-shirts and flip flops and singing to kids in a park. Man lives a great life” and “Jack Johnson is about the only artist I’ve seen who sings live exactly like the album.”
Johnson gave the performance at a Kokua Hawaii Foundation event, which is a non-profit that he and his wife Kim started in 2003 for the purposes of environmental education in Hawaii. Johnson has created several special performances to support the foundation, with another popular upload featuring his duet with Paula Fuga on “Country Road” and “Give Voice”.
Jackson wrote and co-produced “Upside Down” and released it on February 24, 2006, as the first single from the soundtrack to the 2006 film Curious George. The music video features a blend of Johnson getting up to some antics in Hawaii, along with 2D animations of the character Curious George from the film.
“Upside Down” topped the Billboard US Adult Alternative Songs chart and was certified Platinum in the US. It also went double Platinum in Canada, Brazil, and New Zealand.
Along with his band, Jackson recorded the entire soundtrack album Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George. He pulled in some favors from friends in the music industry for the release, with Ben Harper, Matt Costa, G. Love, and Kawika Kahiapo appearing as guest artists on one track each.
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