I'm Hooked! First time hearing Blues Traveler and their hit "Hook"
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- I've heard a lot about John Popper and his ability to sing and play the harmonica with expert precision in what I could sum up as some of the most meta and hilarious lyrics I've ever read. Hearing Blues Traveler for the first time had me a bit worried, but you all leading me down this path to widen my scope, that fear was met with absolute levity and glee!
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Blues Traveler for the first time, performing "Hook”.
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Written and Performed by Blues Traveler
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Blues Traveler - Hook ...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Blues Traveler may be the most underrated band of all time. They were so good in so many ways. John Popper is a great singer and one of the best harmonica players of all time.
Popper's work on the Spin Doctors album "Pocket Full of Kryptonite" is also unheralded but so, SO freakin' good.
I don’t know if I’d go that far, as they were VERY popular in their day. That aside, I’m not really a fan per se but one of my most memorable live performance experiences, was seeing them live at Red Rocks. I wasn’t there to see them as it was a festival of sorts, but they blew me away. Popper sounded even better live and the band was so tight. I was totally impressed.
AGREED !!!
Popper plays on Gov’t Mule as well
All time ??
Bold statement.
I met these dudes on a USO tour overseas when I was military. John Popper and the band showed up to karaoke at the NCO club. It was priceless seeing John Popper sing Grease's "Your the one I want" with a female airman over beers. Amazing
I loved when they would come out to see us overseas. They were always fun to have on base.
That’s awesome!
Need a good quality vid of that!
I wish I had one. 😢@@pcproffy
If you got nothing else out of your service it was worth it just to have witnessed this.
John sings like a harmonica and also mastered the instrument. He's the definition of an iconic, unique performer.
Yep! His vocal runs mimic harmonica runs. It's why his notes are so precise, because a harmonica "flips" between notes so quickly.
one of the best and greatest harmonica players ever@@lastnote
Agreed. I never heard of such a thing as a harmonica virtuoso until I heard BT.
I just wrote the same thing about his voice! Also in an interview John said his influences weren't harmonica players they were guitar players like Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Van Halen etc. . He's unprecedented in his singing and his playing.
Recognize John Voight and Paul Schaefer? Such a cool video.
What's always amazed me about John Popper is how he can manage to do this song live. He goes from very strong singing into an extended harmonica solo and then straight into a fast rap verse. His lungs are something else.
One of my favorite lines of all time in any song is, "No matter how much Peter loved her, what made the Pan refuse to grow, was that the Hook brings you back." so good on so many levels.
Eminem would be envious!
Love entendres in songs, verbally, and visually in music videos. Unfortunately just a lost art as they go over so many people's heads the cleverness is lost.
This line is so underappreciated. Such a clever song.
That line is a BAAARRR
His harmonica control is just as ridiculously controlled. His draw blow patterns are all over the place and so precise.
Because you were talking about Peter Pan so much at the beginning I was waiting for you to catch the line about Peter Pan (I was slightly disappointed when you didn't mention it)
Also, the bald guy after the harmonica solo who is lip syncing the section where it's just a bunch of unrelated clauses strung together ( as in "it doesn't matter what I as long as I sing with inflection") was Paul Shaffer the musical director from the David Letterman show. So it fits the flipping channels on the TV thing.
The irony of this song being one of their biggest hits is not lost on me. The whole song is so well thought out and executed.
"The mountains win again" is one of my all time favorite songs. May even be a cleaner representation of John's full voice. Hugely underrated band and still out there somewhere.
Awesome song!! Good call!
My fav BT song
Yes!!! Please do The Mountain. Easily my favorite BT song.
Love that song! “Sweet Pain” is another great ballad by BT.
I only got to see a few songs last summer in Red Rocks before a hail storm hit but so glad for those few songs. BT is horribly underrated
I love that he actually uses harmonica techniques in his singing, so his unique voice sounds similar to his harmonica rhythms. Such a cohesive and incredible sound.
My favorite band of all time! I've seen BT 186 times in 14 different states! Last summer 7 shows in 9 days. Never gets old! Blues Traveler has incredible musicianship and Popper's voice is incredible! Rock on BT!!!
That’s amazing! I’d love to of seen them once!
Wow! Most I’ve ever seen any band was 40 times! I’m impressed
'Run Around' by Blues Traveler is a must. I suggest a live version. This was a great reaction!
The video is good too, thumbing a nose again at the industry and the subtle(?) inference to Milli Vanilli...
Funny enough one of the clips inside the post harmonica solo is from the music video of that song.
I agree, but studio version please
@@IMWeblike I was thinking live so she could see more of the band, but you make a good point, so I'd be good either way.
I disagree. Great song, but Hook is superior and is a better sample of Popper's talents. Fantastic range, vibrato, and nuance.
Fun fact. The keyboard player singing harmony during the rap breakdown part is Paul Schaffer, long time leader of David Letterman's late night band and prolific studio musician.
And before working with David Letterman, was bandleader for Saturday Night Live.
Also music director for the legendary Toronto production of Godspell which featured SNL and Second City talents: Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin
Took me a second to remember his name. It's been a long time since Letterman.
Paul Schaefer also wrote "its raining men"
I thought that was Paul!!!
Note that the underlying chord progression is lifted from Pachelbel's Canon in D, which is perhaps one of the hookiest progressions ever written.
Intentionally!
Rob P. : *eye twitch*
Green Day also lifted it for “Basket Case.”
More than that, the harmonica solo and the vocal duet afterwards are lifted almost note for note from the Pachebel piece.
If you haven't seen Rob Paravonian's "Pachelbel Rant", I recommend it to your consideration.
Love that you mentioned it not being the Peter Pan type Hook in the beginning… not knowing that he does actually have a lyric about Peter Pan and Hook later in the song! Made me chuckle 😊
Hahahaha yes he does
I loved that
Same here. I was thinking. "Just wait"
I loved it too! It almost made me think she'd watched it already but there wasn't an edit!
First thing I thought as well
Popper's vocals are always amazing, but the orchestration of this song always gives me chills. It's just freaking awesome all across the whole song.
Another metalhead chiming in to say how much I love this song. I am in my 40s and this just brings back all the nostalgia. To this day i can still recite the fast part from memory.
Also, its been a rough few weeks and this brought a huge smile to my face, so thanks as always for letting your joy radiate and sharing it with us.
I was into the hardcore punk scene and later the metal scene. I’ve seen Blues Traveler live 3 times in the last 20 years. Amazing live show. At times they just get into a groove of a song and then just jam and improv or 5 minutes before going back into the song seamlessly. If they are ever near you I strongly recommend seeing them.
Hang in there
I listen to metal mostly and love Blues Traveler and have seen them in concert they are a great band.
He shreds that harmonica like a metalhead
Yeah, same.
I didn't appreciate a lot of stuff back then that I do now. In my mid-fifties now and for the last decade or so I've been digging into a lot of stuff '80's me used to disregard as beneath me.
It's weird how that works, huh?
Good luck brother, and I hope if the rough times aren't over you at least keep smiling.
Saw them live about a month ago and still killing the vocals and harmonica solos! They did a cover of "Devil went down to Georgia" but instead of a fiddle it was the harmonica, and it was AMAZING
I saw them a couple summers ago and yeah they killed it. I'm so happy I got to see them live.
Oh my god, that sounds amazing!
Saw em 2 times so far and I’ll drive 500 miles to see em again if they get close. I’ve seen a lot of live music, and they are as you saw one of the best I’ve seen hands down
Yeah she should check out a live performance next, he does such crazy wacky stuff live that doesn’t even come out here.
Yeah, they're still on the road
I went to a Blues Traveler concert once , nearly by accident. This was 20 years ago. To this day is the show I talk about most. So good!
The guy on the couch (Ken Ober) was the host for a TV show on MTV called Remote Control. I used to watch it all the time when I was young. It's a very fitting and ironic scene of him using a remote control like this in this video. Sadly, he passed away in 2009 of heart problems. John Popper is probably the best Harmonica player I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of music. He helped out Metallica on a cover of Tuesday's Gone from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
If you like harmonica, you ought to check out The J Geils Band's Whammer Jammer.
I didn't know Ken Ober passed away. Damn
Re:Harmonica; Check out also "The Waifs - Crazy Train." It's lightning in a bottle, I tell ya.
One of the most underrated bands of rhe 90's. His voice is so unique and he has so much control over it. Very unique band and a voice that is recognized in a single note. John is awesome!
"Run-Around" won a Grammy Award and broke a record for most weeks on the chart. Doesn't sound underrated to me.
@@misterkiteGreat point. 36 years, 16 albums and 1 song won an award. Pretty much the definition of under rated.
@@misterkiteYet somehow this woman, who’s a self proclaimed music expert, who was clearly alive when this song was out, and being played repeatedly, has never heard it….Great content. Very believable.
I would not say underrated. I heard Runaround so damn much I declared an internal holy war on this band for 2 decades. I heard this one later and found it clever, but only now just saw how damn technical it was to pull off.
@@matthews852 thats like being raised in a metal family , hanging out with metal kids... but not being able to recognize a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky song.... is this really that hard to understand?
I had the opportunity to film an interview with Popper right before this album was released and the band broke out. The interviewer asked what Popper thought of being "the Jimi Hendrix of harmonica", Popper replied" I'd rather be known as the John Popper of harmonica". The BEST reply.
Jimi Hendrix, John Popper, and Ian Anderson :)
@@WhiskeyPapa42 That would make a heck of a superband!
Ian Anderson, while being an amazing musician, never was anything close to a great flute player. The use of it in ho
Is music is great but the playing is so so. As far as self trained rock musicians playing flute, Chris Wood from Traffic is much better.
@@ijustwanttonapyawn....
@@dontmakemelaugh01 You must like Kpop.
Blues Traveler f’ing rocks man. Super underrated.
This song is such a brilliantly crafted critique of the recording industry. The lyrics are so intelligently crafted. It is so well done, it won them several awards, from the very industry they were being critical of.
It's because the industry has no self awareness. They'll celebrate the song making a real critique of them, act like they're in on it and cool with making fun of themselves, then just keep plugging along doing the exact same things they've supposedly acknowledged are wrong because they have fully accepted what cynical soulless money grubbers they are.
@@Toastybees It's because the industry doesn't care. You make them money, they couldn't give a shite less what you talk about, including them. It's a business. Practical. Everyone wins.
Politicians also - they can give you sound bites that sound good but really mean nothing.
SOMETHING YOU MISSED!!!! So one of my favorite things about his voice is that when he does those falloff trails of two or three notes at the end of a melodic line. That is actually mirroring and mimicking both the fall and sound of his harmonica. So both of his instruments - his voice and harmonica - are matched and share the same tone and delivery.
This was one of my first favorite songs growing up and i honestly got a little emotional watching you enjoy it so much and get alot of the things i did that made me love it so. Love your channel!
Yep, his breath control while singing mimics his harmonica.
I always wondered if his singing style influenced his harmonica style or was it the other way. I lean toward his harmonica playing is what made his singing style so unique.
@@jameshampton1832 probably developed in parallel
My mom loves blues traveler so I heard this a lot growing up. Glad I’m not the only one getting emotional watching this.
What a great observation! I loved this band when I was inro'd to it by a work friend somewhere around 1991 and I never noticed that. Now I have to listen to their other stuff and that's not a bad thing.
I remember seeing John Popper back in the day come out on stage with a tactical harmonica vest. He had like 12 different sized harmonicas loaded up. I've never heard someone play it as awesome as he does.
"Tactical Harmonica vest" is the best description i have seen of his harmonica vest.
Johnny Hartsman had one that held about 30 and he`d use most all of them in his shows.
John Poppers voice was the hook that brought most of us back again and again to his music and invested us in the Blues Traveler catalog in the 90's. Even still today. And those harmonica breaks were awesome. Old school blues/rock/alternate....
Ahh yes, the 90's. Such a unique era of music - so many genres and combination of genres all thrown into the mainstream radio airplay. Singer-songwriter acoustic hits, soft rock, alternative rock, hip hop, pop, nu metal, rap rock, punk, folk, ska... great time to be a youth exposed to a lot of everything, plus the exposure to classics from my parents. Looking forward to Elizabeth exploring more of the 90's/00's! Barely scratched the surface.
The real interesting thing is they managed to intermingle genres without watering them down.
The basis of modern pop music feels like someone smashed together all the genres but lost what made them interesting, resulting in a bland every-sound and no-personality to the tracking.
Makes me appreciate experiments like ElectroSwing even more.
Popper is a triple threat beyond belief, man. Vocals, harp and lyrics. Truly gifted.
Quadruple! He carries a lot of guns, so I'd argue you can add "likely armed" to that list.
He is a force of nature. Really talented man.
Legs just meet. Oahu club. Sunday.
He also has “perfect pitch”, which he has talked about in several interviews
He plays guitar very well as well.
I know you don’t analyze lyrics, but this song has one of my favorite lines of all time, “No matter how much Peter loved her, what made The Pan refuse to grow, is that The Hook brings you back.” So great!
Soooo...good!!!
i was hoping she'd catch that double entendre
In her defense, the song started out telling her to focus on his inflection and that the lyrics don't matter :-D
Right after he tells us he's going to confuse the issue by referring to familiar heroes from long ago. So great.
So it is about Peter Pan after all! I'm so confused. Like he predicted! Not only is the music genius, but the lyrics are as meta as they can possibly get.
Holy cow! I’ve listened to this song hundreds (thousands?) of times and never heard Gilbert and Sullivan until you said it. Thank you!
John Popper is considered a Harmonica Virtuoso. His playing is truly amazing. His vocals are amazing also, super powerful!
He threw me a harmonica at a show! I admit, I washed it.
@@GoingApeCostumewhat kind was it
@@bensmith4563 I'm not sure! I'd have to go dig it out of my attic.
The reason his seemingly odd vocal choices just work is because every note is saturated with how much he loves singing them. We feel it because he feels it. He seems to me like someone who probably didn’t have actual vocal training, but instead has just been singing since he could talk. He sings what feels good to him. John Popper is one of a kind
I call this, "singing from your socks".
He also has some insane breath control. In school band he played the tuba, so he had to practice, you know, that diaphragmatic breathing. He could belt this stuff out with real feeling.
Please please do The Mountain Wins again. That song is such a great showcase for the entire band. It has so much emotion and nuance.
Had a high school breakup when this album came out. The mountain wins again hit me hard at the time. Great band, album, and song!
Has she done Dave Matthews? I'd be interested in what she says for that.
Thats my favorite song on the album! Such an emotional Rollercoaster. Absolutely beautiful!
The best
Baghera would be my second choice
I am so glad you finally got to this track. Its a flawless shot at the industry as a whole and it went over so many people's heads. Even 30 years ago.
I always called the growl in John's voice his "grit". Like an old blues singer. And he's so unbelievably talented wirh range, lyrics, and the harp.
And the face you made when the rap started was incredible. 😂 I couldnt wait for your reaction to that.
Blues Traveler is wildly underrated, and immensely talented.
The very fact that this song became a hit is a wonderful irony that should not be ignored. So many "heard" this song and not many "listened."
It always reminded me of an Andy Kaufmann bit, a joke on so many, for a very few.
@@regularsizeruss3874 It helps that the song still holds up today.
And that’s kinda the point they knew it would all along 😉
It's like listening to a song in another language, it's so fast that you can't understand anything except the Hook. Like knowing a few words of French, but the rest is just a long connection of sounds. I've always really enjoyed the song, but never knew what the hell he was singing most of the time. Maybe I'll have to go finally look up the lyrics. 😂
Popper's voice surfs the soundwaves like a world champ, the lyrics are nothing short of genius, and the composition and production are exquisitely crafted and precisely tailored to the theme of the lyrics. This is one of my favorite overall songs, absolute S-tier.
MORE BLUES TRAVELER PLEASE! Not just their songs that made it onto the charts, either. They are SO AWESOME!
Conquer Me, Optimistic Thought, Crystal Flame, Mountains Win, NYC Prophesy, Crystal Flame, Love & Greed, All In The Groove, Sweet Talking Hippie, Alone, Mountain Cry, Sweet Pain… their catalog is as good as any band who ever played
The man lost half his body weight so he could perform and live for us all
save his soul is on my top5 of all time.
and both with T & T deserve analysis for the lyrics. hauntingly beautiful
Theres no way you made it through the 90s and never heard this song.
For real.
It doesn't look like she was old enough to really experience the 90's. She was probably 5 years old when the song came out.
Everyone heard "Runaround" and "hook" flew under the radar. I only heard it because I bought the album, and I was about 10 when it came out.
@@Saphy_Bagel I'm 32 and I remember that song very well. She looks older than me
@Th3K1dd If you are 32 then no you don't remember when the song came out. You would've been like 2-3 years old. I call bulls#!+.
How he can fly through that rap and still have the lungs to powerfully deliver a full HOOOOK at the end is very impressive. It drives home the passion that had been building as if the hook was saying I told you so of the rap. Just so cool.
And play a wind instrument as well.
it's good, but he does take a full breath. there is a pause with plenty of time to fill your lungs. a good wind player will practice being able to fully exhale and breath in completely within a very short time
The singer / keyboardist from 17:00 to 18:00 who is part of the duet was Paul Schaffer, who led the band for "Late Night with David Letterman." He also played for SNL in the seventies and with Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi when they teamed up as the "Blues Brothers" which may have been a inspiration for this group. Shaffer was an immensely influential and talented musician you ought to look into.
Paul Schaffer is immensely talented and his influence has touched so many over the decades.
You just made me realize as a young preteen discovering alternative rock on MTV in the 90s I think this was the first thing I saw Paul in. And in fact I think I mistook him for Andy Dick originally, sorry to say haha.
The earliest thing I've seen him in was playing for Bill Murray's lounge singer character.
The guy channel surfing throughout the video is Ken Ober- an actor and comedian who was also the host of the MTV's first ever game show _Remote Control._
"The singer / keyboardist from 17:00 to 18:00 who is part of the duet was Paul Schaffer"
THANK YOU! I was like, 'I might be trippin but that dude looks a hell of a lot like the on-set musician for David Letterman'. But just wasn't quite poitive... Now you've settled it for me and I can move on with my life. So relieved!
Blues Traveler was such a great band, and this was the song that I remembered hearing first
I would only correct you in saying that they ARE a great band. I've seen them live just about every year for the last 4-5 years, and the whole band is just amazing. Popper's voice and harmonica playing haven't faded one bit.
@@Bad_Wolf_Media Red Rocks? 😊
My first song was Crash and Burn from the 1996 Live from the Fall album. Because of this the studio version feels so slow and boring! Love when bands speed up those type of songs live. Gives them so much more life and energy.
Truly one of your best analysis videos, yet. You always give us a new appreciation for songs we have heard many times. Kind of like having children, we get to experience a song, for the first time, again, vicariously through you. Only with the knowledge that you add. What a joy! Thank you, Elizabeth, so much, for sharing that with us!
That verse after the harmonica solo shows the entire purpose of the song. No matter what he says the hook brings you back in.
Run Around as people have mentioned, The Mountains Win Again, Crystal Flame, 100 Years, Just Wait, Alone, and Price To Pay are just *some* really good highlights of John's vocal talent and harmonica expertise
I agree with all of those and would add; Sweet Pain, Slow Change, Onslaught, & Look Around. Just amazing talent... Saw them live, 20-some odd years ago, was a great show in a small venue... The whole band was great.// Bought their first album in 1991 or '92... been hooked since... RIP Bobby...
This is a song I don't think I'll ever get tired of listening to precisely because of the depth brought to the recording from every musician to support the amazingly clever and insightful lyrics. I appreciate how much you seem to enjoy Mr. Popper's harmonica playing and I submit that his supple and expressive vocals and harmonica playing are inextricably linked. His diaphragm control is unreal. I began to understand this, in part, when I learned to play the didgeridoo and was surprised at how sore my inner abdominal wall was after a few hours of circular breathing. This same controlled "in and out" breathing is used with the harmonica but with more subtlety, especially in Mr. Popper's case. Thanks for this video, it's fun to see someone enjoying something you've loved for so long...
I'm not into the band much at all but this whole album is one of my faves. It was my guilty pleasure in highschool when I was a death metal head lol. That's how awesome it is.
Elizabeth, your reaction videos are the only ones I’ve found that actually enhance the originals. I love your videos!
Yes! More Blues Traveler is needed. Please do "The mountains win again". Get a live version. They're a jam band and will turn a 4 minute radio song into a 20 minute exploration of sound.
Was at the Red Rocks 4th show, their first show back after John started playing again. They're always insane live, but that show was memorable
Most of the Blues Traveler catalog is awesome. I have no idea why they are not dramatically more popular. They are the kind of albums you just listen to all the way through. Thanks for all you do. I am so happy you loved that little Aguilara-esque run at the end.
Absolutely! Straight On Till Morning is in my top 5 albums of all time.
@@ubergusterfan1 love that one!
ABSOLUTELY agree!
Saw these guys at Boomtown Days in Joplin, MO the year after the devastating F5 Tornado destroyed the city. They were scheduled to play the year before, but could not due to the extent of the damages. They came back the next year and played a 3 hour show, after which they donated all the money they received from booking to the Joplin tornado relief effort. John Popper is a class act, and true legend. Still my favorite live show to this day.
My parents were living in Joplin at that time. Luckily their house was about a half mile or so from the path and they were both out of town when it happened. They had some damage to their roof but that was about it, thankfully.
So awesome of them to do that a year later, when most would have simply moved on and taken the money for their performance. Class indeed.
Joplin MO you don't say Colin I'm in and from Springfield MO
@farajicouncil4496 My brother lives in Springfield now. #TeamTaco
@@tomstessl7919 awesome
you're so expressive and genuinely care about what you're reacting to... that's not very common and it's so refreshing to see!
What a joy to watch a first reaction to an absolute classic. John's harmonica solo in this is one of the best solos, of any instrument, of all time.
And then to immediately follow up with TWO people singing that fast and cleanly, it's magic
Blues Traveler often falls in the “Jam Band” genre. They are absolutely fantastic live.
They put on one of the best live shows I've ever attended for sure.
@@YetiTaclucky you!!!
Seen them twice. Very memorable. Was blown away by virtuoso performances from several members. The bass player was on another plane. It was one of those shows where you just feel this enormous connection between the band, the crowd, the buzz… it really may have been the show that made me really chase live music wherever I could afford and schedule it. That said, some of the best ones were last-minute plans, and this was the first @ Summerfest in Milwaukee in late 90’s/early 00’s
1992 H.O.R.D.E. tour!
Saw them a year ago at the ampatheator in I belive sanfran last summer or the one before, been listening to them since I was 15 on and off but I finally got to go to their show they. They were the second band on stage, the first person was kinda forgettable, just know he played guitar too, then blues traveler came on and I was shocked at how good they still sounded especially live, kinda hard to find tbh. Then it was jewel then train, I left when train came on stage to close the show, don't like train that much, they're meh
This was one of my favorite albums when I was younger. I think the band fell into this nice gritty bluesy rock that wasn't common at the time.
This is one of my all-time favs, which is why it was so strange a few years back when I walked into a diner in NY and the waitress was star struck because she thought I was John Popper. I had to let her down because while I had the sideburns, the hat, and the weight, I don't have a fraction of that man's talent (although I am learning harmonica) and I felt terrible about it through the whole meal.
Anyway, just wanted to say it was such a wonderful experience watching you experiencing the song for the first time. Your expertise really opened up new areas to appreciate the song, but just seeing your excitement felt so satisfying because someone else was getting the same thrill I did when I first heard it.
One thing that a lot of people miss about the genius of this song is the progression. It's a riff on Canon in D (one of the "hookiest" songs ever) transposed to A major which just serves to reinforce the lyrical content.
Was looking to see if anybody said this. This is why this song was never played out for me.
Pachebel's greatist hit... ;) It is a recurring basis in a lot of popular music and instantly recognizable if you listen for it.
I found that out years ago by finger picking the song on guitar 😅
I recently saw Blues Traveler in concert and John still sounds awesome! His voice and harmonica playing is outstanding! I hope she does his song "Run around."
One of the best concerts I've ever been to. No hesitation, would see again.
She is such a musical nerd and i love it!! Never change! I so enjoy watching you and your enthusiasm on full display when it comes to all things music related!! Charismatic indeed!!❤
It's been around 30 years now since this was released, and it still blows me away. Lyrically, musically, attitudinally...it's simply next level.
The 90s brought a lot of innovation to the music industry, and I miss the diversity that was there on the large scale. There's still a lot of acts that are really interesting like Idols, but largely there's only a few names in there that are prevalent and none of them offer the unique sound of Blues Traveler that come to mind. Sorry for the ranting comment, but it really sets these guys apart as to your point of them being next level.
Blues Traveller was definitely on the soundtrack of my teenage years. Unbelievable vocal ability and unbelievable harmonica playing. They are a supremely underrated band.
Saw them years ago at a smallish venue and I swear Popper's voice could have filled the place without ever touching a mic. Dude is a powerhouse.
Thank you for making music something I can connect with in a whole new way.
I feel like someone who’s spent years walking around a museum looking at all the pretty paintings now going back with a professor in an art appreciation class.
I still remember the first time I heard this song, I must have gone back over it 15 times. There is so much going on and every single one of them is a beast of a musician.
I’m a metalhead and this is one of my favorite songs of all time.
Same here! I love the heck out of this song.
I go to at least 2 EDM festivals per year and this is one of my favorite songs
Preach! This song is killer!
Same
Ditto bro, I saw them in concert & they're just as good live.
John is practically the best harmonica player to ever live. Awesome band. Great reaction.
John Popper surely has godlike lungs. I play some harmonica myself and can’t imagine going from a crazy solo line and start singing again. It’s crazy and amazing. I’ve also thought how the idea of what instrument you start on can influence your singing style. I think maybe all his runs are similar to the quick runs on his harmonica
Yes. He very much sings like he's playing harmonica.
The way that the Kinchla brothers just chew at the bass and guitar in the “bridge” section is missed by many. Unbelievable musicianship by ALL in Blues Traveler. Great video, thanks for this!
This is one of those timeless songs, I think, but perhaps not in the way of one that is eternally popular, but instead is eternally relevant. After being snowed in for a week, seeing your reaction to this brought a smile. Thanks for continuing to create great content.
Blues Traveler is amazing live.
This is hands down my favorite of all your videos.
A master vocal coach dissecting a master vocalist through a master-level song.
One thing I want to point out is that John does the vocals and harmonica playing himself. So as he comes off of a monster harmonica solo he goes back into insane singing. Just the breath control of this man is not of this world.
B.T. Is also a live jam band that extends their song out live. They are AMAZING live with Popper having perfect lyrical mastery the entire show. He is also one (if not THE) best harmonica masters ever and truly a great show to see. Love these guys!
Yeah, I was fortunate enough to see them a few times, from around 94-97 & they always put on a fantastic show.
Definitely. The Spin Doctors are another underrated live jam band. I need to see BT..
Blues Traveler was a genre-defying act. I kept eagerly waiting to see you realize what the chord progression (and solo, and bridge) were: Pachelbel's Canon in D, arguably the greatest hook of all time. May I recommend a relisten with that in mind? This song highlighted the philosophy of the music industry: bring it back to a/the hook. Keep 'em on the line. So many beautiful things about this song, including Paul Shaffer hamming the hell out of his lip-synch! I always took the end to mean the man finally gave up on the vacuity of what was on TV in the middle of the night, and decided to actually learn something. His voice, his harp skills, and his writing...John is just an art unto himself..
I always think about that Roseanne episode where John Goodman performs with Popper, one of the best memories ever
I'm sooooo happy you've experienced blues traveler... John popper is the reason I started learning the harmonica!!! Absolutely fantastic 90's jams!!
Four is a damned near perfect album. I listened to it CONSTANTLY back in the day.
I love john poppers voice, can't wait to see what you think of him.
And when you are not watching out with your fingers on the keyboard, it turns into John Pooper - nothing bad agains the man (don't know him), just a joke with the name.
Finally!!!!
I've been waiting patiently for you to do this one. Can't wait to hear your thoughts. Amazing song by a very underrated band.
I so love your analysis! I appreciate your education aspect as well. Thanks for doing this.
What a comfort it is to listen to John Popper. One of those evergreen voices that stays with you all your life; him and Burton Cummings. Gold! Pure, soft Gold.
This song did exactly what it was meant to do....25 years later, and I still know this song almost word for word, especially the 'rap' section. And for those of you that don't know, Popper plays the harmonica for Dave Matthews Band's 'Ants Marching'.
Neat fact, thanks.
And "What Would You Say"
I love this analysis. I have been singing this song for 30 years imitating Popper to hit every muscle in my singing spirit. The comp to Jack Black is apropos except I would point out Popper was first. His voice is just masterful and sincere even when insincere. You have to check out Runaround and The Mountains Win Again (amazing ballad). The genre (imo) is 90s jamband: Black Crowes, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, Phish, Dave Matthews. Popper's voice is one of the most underrated in that era.
Yeah I was thinking folk rock, but jamband is probably more accurate.
I was 7 years old when this album came out. My parents had just gotten divorced and I was starting to develop my own musical taste. This song, and CD, carried me through a lot of pain as a child. I'm 37 now and every time I hear this, it takes me right back to being that 7 year old boy. It really means a lot to me that you reacted to Blues Traveler. Such an underrated band. "Just Wait" is a great song off that album. Worth a listen to even if not reacting to it.
The world needs this band right now
I just got to see these guys in concert for the first time a few months ago. They STILL have it and knocked it out of the park. It was an amazing show.
Sooooo happy you are taking the dive into Blues Traveler and the magic that is John Popper. Such an amazing performer, and also has had a lot of ups and downs. Got to see them live in a smaller venue a few years back, and he still gives it his all.
John Popper is one of the best singers I've heard in my lifetime. He may have fun and playful songs, but his runs and tonal changes are one of a kind.
Underrated as hell. And man that Harmonica!!!!
I can't help but think that John Popper would be so happy to see his music giving that much joy and appreciation.
Maybe not the version of him frkm back then, but older, wiser, John Popper may.
I can't even describe how much joy I get just from seeing her enjoy something so much.
I think the fact she got the Joke from, the jump and the tongue in cheek of it, Popper would LOVE it.
Another fun fact, the melody of the song is basically Pachelbel’s Canon in D
It’s absolutely Pachelbel‘s Canon, complete with the bridge section.
Deliberate and perfect! It's all part of the idea of the song.
I love what I gain from a song I have known for decades. It was just a song in my memory that I now understand I did not appreciate enough. Thanks!
I listened to it for 10...20 years...before I realized.... this isn't just another song. This...this is different
Very meta
This song is a perfect critique of the music industry, an amazing example of a solid understanding of musical theory, as well as a display of outstanding vocals. It's truly a brilliant piece of music. As for genre, well, this one intentionally defies definition. It has elements of blues, of rock, of folk, of metal, of jazz, of bluegrass, and it could be argued that is has elements of hip-hop as well. Blues Traveler is a seriously underrated band.
I'd argue it is a critique of the listening audience, not the music industry. The industry responds to what the people demand. It feeds people what they want to consume.
Don't forget that it uses the chord progression (albeit down 3 steps) from Pachelbel's Canon in D, one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music ever.
@@justrichard2491I'm talking about the music industry as a whole, which includes the customers/listening audience.
@@justrichard2491 I'd HIGHLY disagree, especially pre-internet. The amount of strict genre silos and forcing acts to conform to what record execs think the customer wants was a thread weaving from at least the 1950s until the late 80s and still continues to this day (but passionate artists do have a way around the system today that prior generations did not so they have the opportunity to find their audience without the labels permission or gatekeeping, see Lindsey Sterling and her dubstep violin as perhaps the most obvious example, but also other major acts like Pentatonix). Popper was very much railing at a system where he had the door slammed in his face too many times to count because he didn't fit into a ready made box that a music exec knew how to formulaicly monetize.
@@justrichard2491
The song is entirely mocking the listener. I've been chuckling at the people who say it's lampooning the music industry.
Decades later the song is still proving its point.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!! So happy you finally did Blues Traveler!!!! John popper is amazing and I’m so happy right now. I literally yelped when I saw this video. Highly highly recommend their song “the mountain wins again” or “Price to pay”. Both amazing songs and really show off John’s voice and his amazing harmonica skills!!
One of the best songs of all time. I love how, during the solo, each time you think it's high... It goes higher!
Not only is Hook a masterpiece poking fun at the music industry, much like Axis of Awesome's "Four Chords Song", even the album title "four" pokes fun.
Phenomenal album.
I don't see it as only the music industry, but at the whole relationship between form and message in art. I think of it alongside Millay's poem "Dirge Without Music", in which she (a very talented formal poet) deliberately uses hideous meter in order to show how much she hates the way that formally beautiful art covers up the reality of grief.
It's not poking fun at the industry. It's poking fun at the listener. That's why the song is brilliant.
And you can imagine “Canon in D” playing along in the background.
The genre is a unique one - it’s called “Incredible Music.” Just like the “hook,” this song brings me back to the joy that was my mid-twenties. 😊
I love watching you respond to videos. You are absolutely giddy and fully engaged.
As others have mentioned, the chord progression is from Pachelbel's Canon in D. One major (pun intended) difference, though - he uses a III (major) chord instead of a iii (minor) chord. It makes the change a bit more piquant, which adds to the tasty "hookiness" of the progression.
So glad you've checked out Blues Traveler! They're such an underrated band. You should check out the songs "Run-Around" and "The Mountains Win Again" next. Both are amazing
You have to see them live, to watch Popper go from singing to on the harp in the same breath is absolutely amazing.
It's such a joy to watch someone listen to a fun song like this for the first time. Welcome to the 90s :) Such a powerful voice... not unlike that of a Canon lol
Growing up in the 90s I did not appreciate how freaking amazing this band really was... with time and age appreciating has come.
Seeing them live is one of my top five shows I've seen, blessed to see them with Live and collective soul. This is my absolute favorite song..
This whole album is a treasure to behold. I love aggressive, dark music, but when I listened to this and Hootie and the Blowfish debut... it's amazing...
I never realized how much influence Jon Popper had on Jack Black's vocal style before, particularly the short staccato moments.
I haven’t heard this song in a long time, and as soon as it got to the fast staccato part, I was like holy shit. Jack Black must have been influenced by John Popper haha. I immediately thought of Jack Black.