Your mom listens to Josh Groban.
No, that’s not a lame comeback, just a basic observation. Whenever I mention to my friends that Josh Groban is my favorite music artist, it’s much more common for me to hear, “Yeah, I think my mom likes that guy,” than, “Oh, I LOVE him.”
I’m not sure what it is about Josh Groban that doesn’t appeal to a lot of young people. Is it the lack of a driving bass beat in the majority of his songs? Is it the fact that his songs talk about romance instead of sex? Or is it his mop of adorable curly hair?
I know. It’s a mystery to me too.
I was actually introduced to Josh Groban by my grandmother and uncle, both of whom have since died. It’s a cliché to say listening to him reminds me of them, but that is one draw to his music.
There’s far more to my romance with Josh Groban. (And I do mean that literally. My future name is Rebecca Groban. You heard it here first.)
First of all, Josh Groban has a dog — an adorable, floppy-eared, puppy-eyed dog named Sweeney. There is nothing more wonderful than a man with a dog, especially a puppy-eyed, floppy-eared one (the dog, not the guy).
Second, Josh Groban is funny. You already know this, though. Remember that video he made putting Kanye West tweets to music?
“Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on.”
“Man … whatever happened to my antique fish tank?”
“I make awesome decisions in bike stores.”
“I love me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Josh Groban took those mediocre fewer-than-140-character Twitter statements from Kanye West and set them to music, enriching them with his rich, melodic voice and dazzling piano playing. It wasn’t just funny — it was inspiring. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Now.
So it doesn’t matter that most of the people I know make fun of Josh Groban’s sometimes-sappy lyrics and his “popera” style (pop plus opera, duh).
Because, when I’m happy or when I’m upset, Josh Groban’s music is equally applicable.
When I’m 250 miles away from my friend and we want to listen to the same song at the same time to close the gap, Josh Groban’s “Ave Maria” gets the job done.
Although most won’t believe it, I’ve found it’s possible to be a normal young person and still be Josh Groban’s biggest fan.
I’ll drive with my windows down, singing along to blaring music, as much as the next college student. But when I’m blaring and singing, “You raise me up to more than I can be,” instead of, “Look at that body, I work out,” I notice the little old ladies strolling down the sidewalk with their walkers start to bob their heads and mouth along to my jam.
Now, that’s cool.
Rebecca McKinsey is a junior studying journalism and campus editor of The Post. Do you want to marry Josh Groban too? Email her at rm279109@ohiou.edu.
