I am Not Responsible for Josh Groban

Dan has a hard time distinguishing between Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. I can understand the difficulty. They are both male and they both sing songs and both of their careers were created by the United States of Oprah, respectively. The difference as I see it is that Josh Groban is Oprah’s version of Andrea Bocelli and Michael Bublé is Oprah’s version of Harry Connick Junior. He still gets them confused so I say Groban — Vibrato, Bublé — bubbly brass section.

I’m pretty over Josh Groban at this point and it’s not because most of his songs sound identical or even the vibrato, because although he has a lot of vibrato, it is not constant and therefore can be tolerated. I’m not sure what it is but I’m just over him. Except for one song.

Remember When It Rained.

I love this song. I have no idea what it’s about. I think it may have religious connotations and I know one of you will google-wiki it for me and tell me what it means but I’d rather not know. In my mind, I prefer to think that it’s about making out in the rain, one of those completely unrealistic kisses where you just run to someone through the pouring rain, probably in the dark, likely wearing a dark-colored prom dress, and the first thing to connect is your lips and you’re maybe crying but you can’t tell because the rain is pouring down on your faces… or something like that. It’s not like I envision this scene every time I hear the song and sing along at the top of my lungs while planning the rain kissing chapter of my next book or anything.

So today I was driving along when that particular song came on my Zune completely by happenstance and for some odd reason my mind was drawn to that particular line of thought (the rain kissing thing), which caught me completely off-guard and I was forced to sing along with such fervor that I lost track of my speedometer. Blame it on the strings. Blame it on the rain. Blame it on Josh Groban if you must but I feel fairly convinced that I was not responsible for my temporary breaking of the traffic laws of this good land.

As I slowed down I started thinking, what would I have told the officer if I’d been pulled over during my…erm…performance/brainstorming session? I think I would have had to tell the truth. “Josh Groban made me do it. He’s in league with Dr. Phil and Oprah. I had no choice.”

In high school I had a friend who totaled his father’s car while taking it off a jump with some friends. He proceeded to tell his dad matter-of-factly that he was not responsible. He only did it because he was listening to the Beastie Boys at the time.

I imagine my Josh Groban defense would go over about as well. I haven’t seen that boy in… a while…

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14 Responses to I am Not Responsible for Josh Groban

  1. I happened upon a Michael Buble concert on PBS late one night, and he did the most HILARIOUS bit w/ “surprise” guest Josh Groban. They both jokingly complained about how much people mistake one for the other, then they did a funny sort of “sing off” to highlight their…um…different-ness from each other. I’m not a huge fan of either of them, but that whole shtick endeared me to both of them big time.

  2. jennifer says:

    You definitely are not to blame when singing while driving…I am sure they talk to cops about that 🙂
    I adore Michael Buble…but my teenagers groan when they hear his voice 🙂

  3. Christina says:

    Something happens in my brain when a song comes on the radio that I LOVE! It’s like the amount of love for the song equates to more pressure put on the gas pedal. Watch out world!! =)

  4. In that whole post, the thing I am thinking about the most is, “Is she writing a book?! When can I get a copy?!” So, go ahead, put everything else aside for awhile, and get writin’. I’ll fed-ex some food for your kids while you’re incapacitated.

  5. Beth M says:

    Once again…You helped me start my day with a laugh! I have never heard that song…perhaps I need to check it out?

  6. Wendy says:

    I would not have thought Groban would make someone speed. Fall asleep and crash into a tree, yes. Speed, no.

  7. Heidi says:

    Oprah didn’t create Josh Groban, but she definitely picked up on him. The first time I became aware of him was back in the day on “Ally McBeal”. He was a high school kid who asked Ally(an adult) to his senior prom. When he opened his mouth to sing, my honey and I looked at each other with our mouths open. It was obvious that boy was going places–WAY beyond the prom!

  8. Tess Chu says:

    Funny blog – but so true. I wonder if you realize how many of us have been guilty of the same thing? I’ve know some who’ve heard one of Josh’s songs on the radio while driving and have to pull over to the side of the road until it’s over.

    The Oprah thing, tho – so not true. She’s not everyone’s Guru and Josh was a force to be reckoned with long before she came along. So while she appears to have excellent taste and likes to pass that on to her listeners – I’m pretty sure it was his family, teachers, David Foster….and of course, can’t forget Josh, who recognized and nutured his amazing gift. I believe that’s true of any entertainer she has one – anything she contributes is always after the fact.

    And Dan- you need to encourage him to widen out musically. How could anyone not tell the difference between those two voices? Although I have to admit onc rock band sounds like the next to me. So go figure.

    So sad you’re “over” him. He’s on an incredible journey and the calliber and quality of artists that he chooses to sing, work and collaborate with is just an indication that this chld is not going to be a flash in the pan. He’s extremely intelligent, has a wonderful ear for music and a heart of gold. I am a mother of four grown chldren and grandmother of five, so I’m not a younster – but finding this voice was a godsend. Someone said about him, “When you look in his eyes you see his heart.” That’s been the best part. But I understand how you might feel – I mean everyone is just raving about Charice and I find her so uber-intense in her interpretations that she makes me nervous – her arms always swinging at the oddest parts of a song, pounding on her chest, oh I know she’s young – but still, even on her worst day I would rather hear Whitney sing with passion and class……..well, you know.

    And last, I’m kind of guessing that maybe you haven’t heard anything of Josh’s for awhile. Only because of what you said about his music all sounding the same. His last album had something for everyone. If you heard it and it came out all the same to you – Really??? Really!!!

    Thanks for your thoughts – it was a hoot.

  9. FarmWife says:

    I love me some Buble. Can’t help myself. He goes hand in hand with my love for all things retro.

    And I would totally let you off the hook for speeding while singing. The Hairspray Soundtrack makes me break all kinds of laws.

  10. April says:

    I was never interested in Buble until I saw Gev perform a dance solo to Feelin’ Good on So You Think YOu Can Dance. Then I was sold.

  11. KYouell says:

    I’m with Dan. I’m an Ella and Dino gal myself, with a little bit of Englebert Humperdink thrown in as spice. Really. At least when it comes to love songs. Guess I got it from my grandma or something. But can you beat Ella’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” — I do.not.think.so! Makes me cry every time.

    I do think I can pick out Robbie Williams (thank you Nemo closing credits), and I love me some HCJ. Acting or singing I’m swooning for HCJ.

  12. cyndi says:

    You’re too youngto remember them, but I got a HUGE speeding ticket while listening to Dire Straits about 20 years ago….I still feel my right foot get heavy when I hear them 😉

  13. Angie says:

    I am roaring with laughter. “The United States of Oprah.” Brilliant.

  14. Kerrie says:

    I LOVE Buble. Only, sometimes he annoys me because I think he’s just a little bit too much into himself.

    So nice to hear someone else has a Zune, by the way! I love my Zune and it annoys me that everyone refers to all MP3 players as iPods, like people do with tissue. It’s not Kleenex, folks, that’s a brand!

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