LISTENING IN: Say hey, we love Michael Franti

It’s been called one of the “feel-good” songs of the century, and after only a few beats of the Jamaican reggae-dancehall infused number “Say Hey (I Love You)” it’s hard to disagree, even when you know the fun fact that Michael Franti says he wrote it in the shower at actor Woody Harrelson’s house, scrawling the lyrics in the steam on the glass and then taking a picture with his phone.

No matter it’s origin (best not to think about it), the song was the American artist/poet’s breakthrough in 2008 and has become his signature song, having been performed, naturally, countless times in a wide variety of locations, including with school choirs, on the Ellen show, and relatively recently at the Toronto Jazz Festival.

Backed by his band Spearhead, and with an always amazing cast of female counterparts (the original recorded version features Jamaican singer Cherine Anderson), the song has also been used on TV, in commercials (Corona beer) and in several films (including Alvin and the Chipmunks), and even a video game for the 2010 World Cup of soccer.

Franti also recorded a version with some alternate lyrics to celebrate his favourite baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, winning the World Series in 2010 (he is from nearby Oakland).

This version, recorded at San Francisco radio station in 2011 includes those lyrics near the end, but note that there are several other incredible videos with alternate versions available online (with, for example, killer piano solos).

But, hey, for sheer unadulterated ebullience, we love this one.

Lyrics

I say hey, I’ll be gone today
But I’ll be back all around the way
It seems like everywhere I go
The more I see, the less I know
But I know one thing
That I love you (baby girl)
I love you, I love you, I love you

I’ve been a lot of places all around the way
I’ve seen a lot of joy and I’ve seen a lot of pain
But I don’t want to write a love song for the world
I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl

Junkies on the corner always calling my name
And the kids on the corner playing ghetto games
When I saw you getting down, well, I hope it was you
And when I look into your eyes I knew it was true

Now I’m not a highly metaphysical man
But I know when the stars are aligned you can
Bump into a person in the middle of the road
Look into their eyes and you suddenly know

Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
Dancing in the night in the middle of June
My momma told me don’t lose you
‘Cause the best luck I had was you

And I say, rocking in the dance hall, moving with you
I say, hey momma, hey momma, close to you
Rocking in the dance hall, moving with you
I say, hey poppa, hey poppa, close to you
Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
I say, hey momma, hey momma, close to you
Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
I say, hey momma, hey momma, hey momma, hey momma
Hey momma, hey momma, hey momma, hey momma

My momma told me don’t lose you
‘Cause the best luck I had was you
And I know one thing
That I love you

I say hey, I’ll be gone today
But I’ll be back all around the way
It seems like everywhere I go
The more I see, the less I know
I say hey, I’ll be gone today
But I’ll be back all around the way
It seems like everywhere I go
The more I see, the less I know
But I know one thing
That I love you (baby girl)
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you

(Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
I say, hey poppa, hey poppa
Hey momma, hey momma
Rocking in the dance hall moving with you
Come on, hey poppa, hey poppa)

I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you