Waves of Success: The Story of Jack Johnson's 'Better Together'

This week on Encore, we're going to talk about a bonafide sleeper
hit of an album, with bonafide sleeper hit singles; a charmingly
upbeat and wholesome record by a guy who surfed his way into our
hearts some 20 years ago; with songs that equally resonate as
much with a trip to the grocery store as a trip to the beach. But
like - in a good way.


I am of course talking about Jack Johnson’s 2005 effort
In Between Dreams - and its heartwarming first
track - Better Together.


Son of surfer Jeff Johnson, Jack’s first love was of course:
surfing. He was an avid surfer by the age of 5 - and by 17, he
was the youngest invitee to make the finals of the lauded
Pipeline Masters event in Hawaii.


Things went sideways for young Jack though, as he was involved in
a serious surfing accident at the very same event; with Johnson
needing over 100 stitches in his forehead and the removal of some
teeth.


Soon after the accident, Jack would trade the surfboard for the
director’s chair, and enrolled himself in film school, as well as
joining a local band called Soil and playing the University of
California, Santa Barbara campus’ party scene.


Ever the polymath; Jack Johnson also successfully put his film
studies degree he earned at USCB to good use by combining his
love of Surfing, Film, and music to direct the surfer-documentary
Thicker Than Water with his pals Chris and
Emmett Malloy in the year 2000.


It was around this time Johnson met stoner-soul-rock-funk
musician G. Love of the band G. Love and Special Sauce. The
fun-loving G. Love met Johnson through his surf-documentary
circles, and invited Jack to collaborate on a song called
Rodeo Clowns.


With his foot now in the door in a variety of artistic circles -
Johnson then caught the attention of travelling bluesman Ben
Harper and his producer JP Plunier. Plunier was a fan of
Johnson’s Demo Tape, and offered to produce his debut album,
eventually titled Brushfire Fairytales and released in February
2001.


Jack Johnson would open for Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
throughout 2001 - and by late 2002, Brushfire Fairytales
officially became his first platinum-selling album.


After a less successful second album - Jack Johnson would hit it
big with his classic third album In Between
Dreams. This is the story of its biggest single,
Better Together.


Written by Clayton Taylor for iHeartRadio.