Franti and Spearhead | media-criticism

Michael Franti & Spearhead:

The Sound of Sunshine

by Christa A. Freas, '17

Major: Communication

“The Sound Of Sunshine” is about wanting to bottle that experience of waking up in the morning, pulling the blinds and seeing that there’s a sunny day in front of us. It’s about finding the sunshine in some cloudy times. There are a lot of people out there waiting for a storm to pass, and I want to try to acknowledge that and bring them a little sunshine. – Michael Franti

Michael Franti and Spearhead are known for their anti-establishment protest reggae rock, but the album The Sound of Sunshine is a departure from their often incensed lyricism and impassioned calls to action. While still heavily influenced by reggae, this album has a significantly lighter quality and presents positive messages that appeal to The Socialization and Transmission of Culture subheading of Harold Laswell’s Functional Analysis concept; as opposed to the group’s typically politically laden messages.

The songs on The Sound of Sunshine are mostly uplifting and contain messages that evoke self-acceptance and looking for the positive aspects of life despite or even in the midst of unseemly circumstances. This album is about living for the moment and dancing and love and embracing the sunshine of life as a metaphor for thinking positively. This makes the album engaging and easy to equate with summertime and an easy breezy lifestyle. As an album apart from the artist’s usual political ‘call to action’ message, it immediately sets itself apart from his fairly extensive body of work.

That begs the question, “why?” Why the departure? Why, “Gloria! I’m glad to be alive, I’m glad to be alive…?” Apparently, a near-death experience made him have a new perspective on life. “Franti says the positive vibrations and renewal for love of life showcased on this record were inspired by a near-death experience he had after a ruptured appendix…He claims to have woken every morning to see if the sun was shining and what kind of feeling of optimism it gave him. He claims that if it was cloudy he'd go back to bed and find the sunshine in his mind, seeking an interpretation of what the sun sounded like through his guitar and voice (Lucia, 2010).” Facing a difficult hurdle in life allowed Franti to view his reality through a different lens and focus on happy times and embracing life, which is the message the album imparts socially and culturally. The island rhythm and languid tones resonate well with his newfound ideology and translates well as a shared medium.

While Michael Franti may not be as forceful in relaying his political message on this album, he certainly maintains a connection to what has always been his disenfranchised core target audience in the song, Hey Hey Hey;

“It's been a long time coming that I had to say
When I wake up in the morning all I do is pray
For some guidance and protection on the streets today
And an answer to the questions I ask everyday

So tell me why do the birds that used to fly here
Tell me why do they come to die here?
And all the kids that used to run here
Tell me why do they load their guns here?

I remember in the days when
We were one heart, no need to defend
I just wrap my arms around you
Don't give up, this song is for you”

The lyrics acknowledge a painful and far-from-perfect existence while pointing out how important it is to keep hope alive. This album successfully conveys undoubtedly positive and hopeful messages within the lyrics and melody of each and every song. He also proudly socializes ideas of positive body image through lyrics in songs like Shake It;

“And when I wake up in the morning all I wanna see

Is the sun that is shinin on you next to me
You got a little broken nail, got a hair outta place
You got a little bit of extra middle right around the waist
With all of them things I never ever hesitate
Cuz the thing about you baby is the smile on your face”

Franti certainly struck a chord with new audiences while still maintaining his connection to his original fan base with this album. Mainstream media gold, right? While this album produced a single that hit the masses via radio, this artist has, by no means, reached mainstream media status. No doubt that was never the intent, considering his long career and obvious talent both he and his long-standing band exhibit. Not every artist is after fame and fortune. Every year, music festival are filled with brilliant bands and front people who are some of the hardest working individuals in the business, and in some cases they eschew pop culture in order to maintain their very real and sustainable fan base. There is a fine line that some of these groups walk in order to stay in business, i.e. regular gigs, vice a one hit radio success that alienates the fans who have followed them from venue to venue, sleeping in tents and showing up to all their shows

Michael Franti and Spearheads obviously have what it takes to go completely mainstream with one exception… a studio could and probably would stifle their artistic input and ability to influence their own music and albums. There was once a time in which consumers absolutely had to buy an album in order to get access to that awesome song they heard on the radio. Maybe they could just buy the single, but mostly the consumer had to purchase the album, which was a composition of songs that the artists deliberately and strategically placed in an order to make for a delightful compilation that their audiences wanted to listen from start to finish. That simply is not the case now that consumers have the ability to purchase one song at a time. This album is a compilation. It begins with letting the sunshine come down and ends with the sunshine going down. It is a story in its entirety, and it is a beautiful one at that.

References

Lucia, M. (2010, September 21). The Current. Retrieved from www.thecurrent.org: http://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2010/09/21/michael-franti-and-spearhead-the-sound-of-sunshine

Sweet Lyrics. (2015, July 17). Retrieved from www.sweeetlyrics.com: http://www.sweetslyrics.com/Michael%20Franti%20&%20Spearhead.html

The Sound of Sunshine. (2010, June 1). Retrieved from www.michaelfranti.com: https://www.michaelfranti.com/music/songs/sound-sunshine