“Chloe Burbank Volume I Cover Art”
Sometimes, words are unnecessary.
Sometimes, the realest, most emotionally charged art involves more feeling than explanation.
Joji understands this. While Joji is clearly a capable wordsmith (as some of his rapping suggests), he realizes that oftentimes the most intense emotions can originate from only a few simple phrases.
Joji’s songs exist to allow time for reflection, and have intense hidden meanings that draw out deep, philosophical feelings within their listener. Take Joji’s song “Medicine,” for example.
The feelings the song inspires are difficult to pin down; does the song make one feel morose, somber, happy, sad, remorseful, longing, or some other, nondescript emotion? Regardless of what the specific feeling is, everyone can agree that the song inspires something deep within the listener’s psyche. Joji, as the one who inspires this unique feeling, understands that words are not necessary to bring out this deep emotion. Instead, he utilizes only a few simple phrases to stimulate this profound sentiment.
Joji’s music often contains only simple phrases; he may write an isolated verse or two in a song, but much of his music consists only of a few expressions overlaid over a unique chord progression. Take his song “you suck charlie,” which inspires a similar yet different feeling to “Medicine.”
“you suck charlie” utilizes the phrase “I never see you anymore” in an attempt to inspire that deep, philosophical feeling found in “Medicine.” “you suck charlie” is meant to invoke a nostalgic and romantic vibe in the listener, that drives him or her to think about a romantic encounter from long ago.
I personally believe that Joji understands how to convey feelings with little to no words because of his multicultural upbringing. Joji grew up with a Japanese mother and an Australian father, and has lived in Japan, Australia, and the United States. As such, he had many different experiences that he was unable to adequately explain to friends in each of these countries because of his peers’ lack of experience with other environments. Joji learned to master the universal nature of feelings, and imparted his friends with emotions associated with his experiences as opposed to telling them stories of his time overseas.
Joji’s name is itself a byproduct of his multicultural upbringing. His real name is George Miller, but his Japanese friends could not pronounce “George”; as such, he started going by their pronunciation, “Joji.”
Joji’s ability to inspire emotions without the use of complicated lyricism is what makes him stand out as an artist. Joji understands that music, at is core, is supposed to make the listener feel something, and this is why his songs deserve far more acclaim.
“Joji ‘I Don’t Wanna Waste My Time’ Official Lyrics and Meaning.”
Works Cited
“Joji ‘I Don’t Wanna Waste My Time’ Official Lyrics and Meaning.” Genius, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6GsLLjpcyc.
Miller, George. “Chloe Burbank Volume I Cover Art.” SoundCloud, 2015, https://soundcloud.com/chloeburbank.
Miller, George. “thom-joji.” Anime Amino, 11 June 2016, https://anime.aminoapps.com/page/blog/j-o-j-i/1et6_ubM8lKb6PrQoBqxn1lLLgnEx.