12 years ago I told my sister "this song is probably the most perfect song ever made." She was a big musician herself. We were all hanging out in a garage in Iowa while there was torrential downpouring outside, garage door fully open and the smell of Midwest rain filling the air. We played the song while many smoked cigs, and others drank beers. And when the song ended, I think the beauty of the outdoors, the close friends all around, the drinks, and this song moved my sister to absolute tears, and she started walking up the street, outside in the rain, crying. I went after her and said "where are you going? It's downpouring!" She said, through her choked-up voice, "it was just so beautiful!" It's one of my favorite memories of my sister in my life. She died a month and 5 days ago at the age of 32 and I haven't been able to listen to it until tonight. I miss her so much and this time I was the one crying while listening to it. This song will always transport me back to that rainy garage in Dubuque, and when I get there, my beautiful, funny, loving, intelligent, amazing sister is there waiting for me so we can hang out again for 12 minutes and 5 seconds. Thank you John.
I was crying as I always do when I listen to this song,..and then I read your story about you and your sister, and boy did the tears start raining down. What a tremendous memory you have, such a gift to remember your absolute treasure of a sister. God Bless you and your family in your time of grief.
@@chrstiaan722 I made an beat sheet you might like for the RH LH part @1:40 drive.google.com/file/d/16NfmsyfssLfUwnwFYAwwxgF2FgTx89X_/view?usp=sharing
Agree! Must be that we have the same surname which makes us appreciate brilliance! 😉 From watching him live, busking on the streets of Freo, his magic and talent is 1st rate!
To me it feels like the whole journey. The first kiss, your first fist fight, the first heart break, the job you got fired from, swimming in the ocean, hearing 'I love you' for the first time, staring at the stars, getting older, talking to that old friend you havent seen in years, fighting to get where you want to be. Its the whole journey. The tragic beauty of being.
And this comment right here is why I love instrumental music. No lyrics to guide you on what the song is about. You figure it out and take from it what you'll get. Instrumental music will always be more emotional.
My husband used to listen to this so often, I couldn't stand it anymore. Now he died very suddenly 2 months ago and I listen to this again while crying for the love of my life. I remember how my handsome man worked while hearing this and now I love this song, too. I miss my best friend 😢
A guy at our school that most people ignored played this bar for bar at our end of year assembly in our final year and got a standing ovation. Truly a masterpiece
I tell everyone about Ocean, describing it as "a 12 minute guitar song where a man tells his entire life story without words" I am an avid acoustic guitarist, and this is my favorite instrumental song of all time. I want it played at my funeral. Thank you sincerely John for contributing to a musical world worth living in.
My daughter introduced me to this and thought it would be perfect for my wedding, I used it during the promenade to the pasture for vows and during the lantern launch at dusk . Very moving and so so masterfully done .. my soul weeps when I hear it it's a beautiful piece. Thank you
Bro you obviously dont know this, but this song helped keep me alive. I was diagnosed with cancer in June 2022. I sat in the chemo seats for a long time and this was one of the anthems that kept me going. Thank you.
my dad listens to this song when we are in the car. He told me to close my eyes and pretend I was at the beach. He told me to think of the waves. I am 11 and I love this song so much now. we play it a lot now.
When I was younger, learning new songs on the guitar it'd be my goal to play it exactly as the original artist played it. One day I decided to try to learn this song, and I realised as JBT said that he never played this song the same way twice. That it constantly evolved like a living thing. And trying (and failing) to mimic it, opened doors to me. To what music should be, dynamic, full of expression, freedom to add things and take away and make mistakes because that's where the life of the song lies. This song revolutionised everything about my guitar playing to me.
Great insight! I am a musician as well and you are on it man. Sometimes the mistakes sound good, especially when a guitarist is really ripping it and he hits a dirty note, and realizes it, but, embraces it, and actually leans into it. Almost always non musicians won't even be able to hear it, but they love it. It's the mole on the face of a beautiful woman.
Well put, this song has so much emotion behind it. I finally have woken up as some say after a brain condition and depression and anxiety attacks. I finally feel free! I see life so differently. Everyone has value and is beautiful in thier own way. This song has gotten me thru so much as I keep coming back to ground myself. I would've never thought I could be so spiritual or emotionally changed but I am now and I love it. I play guitar as well similarly. CX take care and I hope you have a happy life and good health.
@@castawaygibo9661 just here to congratulate you and thank you for sharing your story and reminding of the power of art in our lives. This song and your comment has really turned me on as an artist now. One day, hopefully, I too will have such a life affirming effect, with my art, on at least one person.
In 2014 I saw John Butler live here in Italy, it was the first time I attended a live gig all by myself, alone, and I saw something I still remember with chills. During the middle section of this song (around @5:17) some people in front of me moved like they were about to make a circle pit. I wasn't able to tell what was going on until I stepped forward: they disposed themselves in a circle, making enough space for a couple who was dancing and dancing and dancing as if no one was around them, just a boy and a girl smiling, holding each other, kissing each other and jumping as high as they could. Their eyes sparkled so much they completely stole the show from John. All our eyes were focused on them; someone looked away and made just a quick and shy eye contact with other people like they were all asking to each other silently but euforically "Are you seeing this?" It was all a majestic display of love, wonder and joy. Still today, everytime I hear this song, I think about that couple and hope they are still living the time of their lives.
It's 2024 and I've been depressed for a very, very long time now... and every time I feel like I'm diving, I close my eyes and turn up the volume on my headphones to only hear this music... and each time, it soothes me and I feel my heart a little lighter....thank you for that.
Thank you John, You were my daughter’s favorite artist. She played this beautiful song over and over again. Unfortunately she died just over a year ago and I have not been able to listen to any of her music. Her favorite space was the ocean. Thank you for touching her soul.
Wow brought me too tears hearing about your daughter. So sorry for your loss and hope this song can bring you some comfort in knowing what a gentle soul your daughter was and may she forever rest in peace. X
My friend and brother Dusty Wallace showed me this song in the parking lot of a hotel we were staying in for a ironworking job. I was 20 and he was 18 , both of us played guitar and were simply astounded at John’s prowess and awestruck by the beauty of the song . One month later I travelled back to Ohio with him and stayed for 3 weeks, Dusty gave me my first dose of LSD and it was this single most life changing experience event I’ve ever had, short of being born. Dusty sat with me as I rode the waves of bliss and as I sunk down to the depths of despair. He was there as i weeped over the revelations I was having about how badly I’ve treated people, about how I’ve ignored people who love me. 8 years later and I still have never bonded with another’s soul like we did that day. A few months after I returned home, into a life that no longer made sense to me and bore very little resemblance to who I was, Dusty died in a car accident, it’s hard to describe how broken I was. I had just started a new job and had about $100 to my name, but I loaded my car and made the 8 hour trip up to Ohio for his funeral. Right as I was walking out after talking with his parents, his dad ran after me and handed me a $100 bill. I still can’t make sense of this, he had no idea that I had a spent my literal last dollar to attend the funeral…it was very mystical. This song always takes me back to that time, it takes me back to that day with Dusty as my life changed forever, to me part of his soul lies within this song. I cry every time I hear it. Dusty my friend, I miss you, almost every step I’ve taken since you passed, I’ve taken with you in mind. I wish I could thank you for the impact you had on me, because of you I’m a more loving and empathic person, I can’t imagine my life if I had not met you . I will see you when I see you my dear friend.
Beautiful story man. Sorry for your loss and Thank you for sharing. It’s crazy how much LSD/Shrooms can forever change how you view life, even if it’s ever so slightly
I feel you, man. Lost my one and only really close friend Max, close in much the same way as you described your friend. He succumbed at the age of 36, quite unexpectedly, to undiagnosed cancer in the tissues around his heart. It broke me completely for a long long time. About two years later his mother phoned me, she’d found my number on the back of an envelope when she’d finally got the strength to start sorting through his stuff, it’d been in boxes in her garage since he’d died. She just talked, picked me up, put me on my feet, gave me strength and told me how to live again. How she knew just what to say and how she’d had the strength herself to worry about how I was doing I’ll never know. Since that day I’ve tried to live life in a way that I know Max would’ve been proud of, to be kinder than I’d have been otherwise, to be more forgiving like he was, to listen more and speak with more forethought as he did. Most of all to share the joy of being alive and to laugh at myself, as he did. That’s his legacy and what an amazing, enduring, gift it’s been. 🤝
What’s impressive is that you still value this kind of stuff. At least ur not into tik tok and all those videos of just girls shaking their ass. It’s just disgusting and so demeaning for anybody watching it
@@henryle4900 that’s what I’ve noticed too, most of the trend followers don’t appreciate this kind of music. The people who do like this kind of music have been life long friends
Started listening to this video many years ago. Listening to it today still gives me goosebumps and it brings me back to the time I first listened to it.
I’m listening with my grown son George. I’m 73 and George is 29 and growing into the most fabulous wonderful man. We play each other our music. George chose this.
@@JohnGauld knows his stuff! Hope he plays an instrument! I picked up a guitar in my 30s and can more or less play this song. It's etched in my soul now
Leedy Scalemodeller I’ve came back to this song over the years. Happy in a relationship? Show her this song. Broke up? Cry to this song. New job? Celebrate with this song. Chilling and feeling good? Listen to this song. Man, it’s been a life saver for me through the last few years. This song always puts me in a better place, regardless the situation. Much love from the US.
I've watched this hundreds of times maybe thousands. When my father was still alive this was one of his go to jams. All these years later and it still hits the same place.
It was 2007 when I was backpacking in Australia when I was stumbled upon John. It wasn't on a CD or an mp3. Probably even sure he wasn't THAT well known outside Australia. There he was, playing guitar by the roadside wagon jamming his life away. To this day I vouch and say nothing has been as magical as watching him up close playing, with my wife besides me. So humble. So shy. So real! Thank you John. Traveled the world and the 7 seas, everybody's looking for someone. I found you. Cheers.
This made me happy and sad, excited and calm. It was tense yet so peacefully. I felt like jumping and fooling around and like laying down and don't movin at all, just relax and let the sounds flow through every inch of my body.
This video should register as one of the greatest achievements of human experience, kept as a museum piece and be known by the many generations to come in a far future
I had the opportunity to hear this exceptional piece, live, and had the privilege of interacting with him, during an informal concert in Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 2016. He just showed up with his guitar, borrowed a capo from a student and played this piece on a six-string guitar. It was the most beautiful evening of my life! I got to ask him what made him write this piece, and this is what he said, "This song is like a map of myself. You'll notice that it's never the same. All the versions are obviously different in a few sections though the entire structure and musical arrangement remain the same. So, every time I play it, I am basically the same, but also have changed in little ways as I go along in life. It's like a blueprint of my brain, an imprint of my soul at the moment I play it." * *I paraphrased, but mostly retained the key words he used.
@@SHREYASVAIDY hey! He was here in Kolkata, attending a workshop conducted by Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, a Hindustani slide guitar virtuoso. Pt. Bhattacharya's daughter, Anandi, was studying in Jadavpur University then, and convinced Butler to perform for us. It was quite an impromptu gig, and we'll truly remain indebted to her for the same.
The thing I love about this instrumental is how many times it feels like it's going to come to an end but the song transitions into another amazing section.
One of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in my entire life. I have listened several times and it has brought me to tears more than twice.... That doesn't just happen.
My partner recently passed away leaving me and two children alone in this world. I was never good with words but i used to tell Bianca this song was about my love for her since my words would never be enough, so listening to this song is my daily ritual to help me keep going. Rip Bianca Jade Stackman. Love forever, Kayne and your beautiful children Noah and AJ
I'm 61 years old and have a very broad range in music taste. This is the piece of music I would take to my desert island. I would never tire of listening to it. A true masterpiece that literally gives me goosebumps every time.
"Ocean" became a code word of mine after I discovered this gem a few years ago. Every once in a great while, you'll stumble upon a seriously profound piece of music that hits you in a way you can't really express or describe. Those are your "Oceans". The waves will take you for a ride, don't fight em, just enjoy em. I love this so much, thank you John. You did good.
This song makes you appreciate life more. For 13 minutes, all the shit, all the problems, all the worries, all the fears go away. Life is laid bare and reduced to the essentials. To watch the emotion is pure art. The sound and images take you away to another place. This is truly a religious experience.
I’ve heard this song for the first time today. I haven’t stopped playing it. I’m going through a tough time right now. And this simply gives me hope. It makes me feel not alone and that for 12 minutes everything is okay again. Thank you.
Hang in there Rachel. The world is a gigantic shit show right now. Nobody that I know is doing great right now so you're not alone. Its perfectly ok to be anxious or depressed or sad or tired (or all of the above), but just hold onto the belief that it wont be like this forever. Take care.
Rachel, you have been heard and aren't alone. Whatever it may be that you are going through, I suggest you look up Nahko - Slow Down and the rest of their work should invite you in automatically. Similar to this song, Nahko and Medicine for the People's music showed up on my feed at an incredible time of need. They stitched my soul back together and helped me find power and come to terms with my place in life and my emotions. Everyone's pain is valid and important. I hope you find some comfort in the music. Walk good, my friend!
My little sister introduced me to this masterpiece, she died in 2018 aged 23, when I listen to this I can't help but smile, it's a beautiful piece of music
I took my son in law to to the Red Rocks show in 2019. He didn't know much about John back then. After that show he was hooked. My wife passed away later that year. This song in particular still brings back all those wonderful memories of that night and the love I still have for her. She now has another grandson that she never had the chace to meet but still part of her lives. He's autistic and when he's having a rough time of things Johns music is one of the few things that'll calm hin down. John has touched the lives many with his beautiful music. Much love.
Yep I know what you mean Peter. I keep coming back to this song as well. Not every day mind you. But after hearing the song for the first time a couple of years ago, Ive yet to hear anything better?
He plays the guitar like nobody else I have ever seen, as if without rules or boundaries. He has discovered the instrument, and his own mastery of it, with great freedom.
You can too. Non dual spirituality, go beyond the mind conditioning, and you are free, and can "feel" and Be freedom and love itself ( natural state for humans ). This song every second of your life basically, in a simplistic way of putting it. Much love
Hidden inside all of us is music. This man has brought his to the surface of his skin and shared it with all of us. Thank you for allowing me to hear your soul.
I love how a song without any lyrics resonates with so many people and how the comment section has brought together people from all walks of life, different creeds and countries, who all post their trials and tribulations, and share their stories in the comments and are thus supported by similar like-minded individuals. Truly beautiful. Gives you some faith in humanity. Me, I just like returning to John every so often, met him in 2014, beautiful soul.
Both this and concert version are the best music pieces i ever heard in my entire life... I listen to this for years through my hard times, depression, only things that helped me forget a cheating wife was this music and running... To this day i get the goosebumps every time, especially mid song whene it reaches alot of notes all together somthing is there something yelling loudly saying the absolute truth but you can't hear it... That's where i crying usually... it's beyond dimensions it's like seeing your consciousness it's like instead of blood there is oceans in your vessels and you can smell it through your whole body... This is how feel about this music and i can't describe it but it helped me so much... Thank you John.🌊
The song is like some perfect distillation of the emotions one feels in life (minus hate and anger). It is ecstasy, melancholy, hope, aspiration, achievement, and everything on the continuum. Arguably the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard.
Haha I'm 16 years in and I've almost got this riff down. I guess more practice for me hahahaha 😂 Thanks for the laugh bro, I'm almost positive by your sarcasm your a great guitarist.
my 3 day old baby girl loves this song you can see it in her eyes she stop crying just to listen to it and then when it was over she went right to sleep so thank you John butler trio and please wright some more guitar instrumentals for her to listen to and also for me to cause I love your work as well
Dylan Mcneish play some Ewan Dobson for the lil one, my lil girl loved it when she was an infant. sounds like you have a music lover! Good taste Ocean is an amazing song. kiddo might like some Justin King too!
I was in a really dark and hopeless place when I first heard this song 7 years ago. I remember I was constantly battling with this thought, “is life even worth it? Can anything justify life, against all my suffering?” There was something in this song, some kind of promise, some kind of hint, that life was in fact a beautiful and epic adventure, worth holding on for.
same here brother. I'm kinda struggling with that void-meaningless sense of life. Something in this piece hold your back and make you believe in happy endings
I came here after hearing that Taylor Swift was voted the 8th best guitarist of the last 20 years. I came here to remind myself that lists are just lists. And class, talent and beauty speak for themselves.
That poll was a complete joke. Brad paisley belongs in the top 5 at least…Pretty sure that Australian kid Taj Farrant would blow %80 of the people that made that list out of the water, and he’s only 14!
I'm still listening years later and he still captivates me... takes me somewhere else. He is so amazing, and that doesn't even explain it for me. John Butler, you are a phenomenon. Thank you
My dad introduced me to this song when I was about 8 years old or so and I remember loving this song. Fast forward to when I was 15 I started learning how to play guitar on my dads old Maton that he stopped playing on and using. I remember trying to play wonderwall and it took me a while to learn but I got there and I remember joking around with my dad saying alright time to learn ocean and we both laughed. A year and a half later I can play the first minute and a half at 16 which blows my mind because this song is like a beginner surfer surfing pipeline. I nearly brought my dad to tears when he heard me playing this on his old maton. Your my hero man
And one more of the umpteen amazing virtuoso techniques Isabella his ability to play a 12-string and at times only Grace the bass note and not even touch its octave twin. Absolutely stunning!
Some people don't know how react to beautiful music, they hate anything that tries to make them feel any emotion. For me personally, I wish I could thumb up the video 3 million times because it's so unrealistically beautiful
@DG 1 sorry friend, I’m still not convinced. But I appreciate the story. I’ve got a guitar that I’ve owned for 23 years, taken camping, beaches, etc and it doesn’t look like that. His top is beat up everywhere, even places one would hardly ever touch while playing, and yet the sides are flawless. (In fact, you’ll notice he hardly ever touches the upper bottom under the frets even in this song which requires a lot of percussive sounds, but somehow that area is equally beat up). Not to mention the neck is intonated perfectly for high fret and capo action playing despite the looks that the guitar has been through hell and back. Don’t get me wrong, I love the song and John is amazing! But nah, that guitar was purposely relic’d.
@@ColoradoDreamin I don’t know if it’s all “authentic” wear or not, but it looks similar to a 12 string I have with a cedar top and let me tell you. That thing will mark and scratch if you look at it just right.
@@ColoradoDreamin Who gives a fuck? It looks sick. Why the fuck is there always a downer in these comments. You go out of your way to try to prove people wrong but you end up looking like a dick. If you've ever wondered who those people are that ruin nice comment threads, it's you.
@@ColoradoDreamin Hey man, he's right though. if you just Google it, something along the lines of "John Butler 11 string guitar" a couple articles come up, stating how is been with him for years since he was busking in Fremantle, and that he's tried retiring it at least 4 times but it keeps coming back as his go to corner stone guitar. *Shrug*
have the privilege of living by the same beach as John - listened to this song for maybe decades now. visit the ocean every day, and caught him playing it in Fremantle just this past weekend. An invaluable contribution to my life. x
You know...the first time you listen to any song, you really don’t appreciate it to the deepest form. Only if you listen to this song multiple Times you can really catch the soul of it!
One thing I love about this piece., It can be interpreted however the listener chooses. i've listened to this when I was at my happiest, and it made me happier. On the contrary i've listened to this song at my worst times. and it fit the mood perfectly. moral of the story this song has so much contrast of emotion, it's really how the listener perceives it. I realized it's kind of a metaphor of life, If you're looking for sadness there's lots of it. but if you focus on the positive side of things like how beautiful something is even with flaws. If you're looking at it from a different point of view. it can make you happier than you've ever been. Thank you John Butler for this amazing piece of music.
man! im just listening to this song rn. had a rough last week and a really bad day again. i feel really down. but this song makes me feel happy inside. actually i was scared i'm becoming one of those people who tend to see the negative and i have always been trying to be one of the positive mental guys. due to your comment i could realise i'm still the 'good guy' :)))
That's amazing I just commented how the song made me think of The Shire from LOTR; I imagine this is what they'd play and dance to after defeating Sauron, but it's also the song they'd play for Frodo as he sailed away to the east. Happy and Sad.
Whenever I am introducing someone to this song my question is, "if I told you you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, just one single song, do you know what song that would be?..... This is mine." I've been saying that since 2013. Seen him live 6 times. Purely orgasmic to hear it that way. Heard him explain it this way, he says, "this song will never be finished. Not Until I park it. It says everything that I want to say to all of humanity but which language doesn't allow." To me this is like an epic. A true epic, expressing what it is like to be human. It is slow and fast, angry and peaceful, soft and hard, happy and sad, young and old, excited and calm. It is duality it's very self. This is the song I want to dance to with my wife for that first dance, this is the song that I will play to my unborn child, and this is the song I want played at my funeral. If I'm lucky I will die to this song. Thank you to all you who have commented. Some of them were flat out hilarious and I was struck by how many of you said the same thing I have felt about this song for 7 years. What's staggering is that I felt these insights were unique to me. Yet never before have so many said things that sound like it came straight from my own thoughts. Mr. Butler, this is the best song that has ever been constructed. It has meant more to me than I can say and seen me revel in the highest of highs and pulled me out of the lowest of lows. No bullshit, it is the most meaningful piece of art I will ever absorb. Thank you isn't even appropriate. It's insults the depth to which my feelings go. So I will sit here in silence when I finish these next few sentences. I will be present, and I will be filled with total and utter gratitude. I will be Ocean for a brief moment and attempt to stay there as long as I can. For the rest of my life I will return there often as this song reminds me of what the fuck this thing called life is all really about.
Man i felt every single word you wrote. That was really something. Not everybody can feel the beauty of this song, you're lucky. Love to you and everybody else in the world.
Is it just me or this song gives you a feeling like you knew this guy all your life? There's something so personal about this song, like he reveals all his most sacred secrets to you. Fascinating.
I heard this song for the first time when he was busking outside the Markets in Freemantle 20 years ago, this song strums the strings of my soul, love on a whole other level :)
MrCorvusC same man i feel that too ... its stimulates all the sadness and good moments and all kinds of different feelings that makes me feel connected to him
I used to listen to this song with the boys when I was 17... now I’m 28 and I hardly talk to them anymore and I live thousands of kilometres away from them but I still love them the same. Love you guys
My girlfriend heard this for the first time yesterday and she went 'woahhhh' after the song ended. Later, I asked her what she felt and her exact words were "I felt like I was standing on a cliff over the ocean with the warm sun and strong wind on me. Very exhilirating". I love you Kabs(!)
This is the kind of music I need in my life: it feels like a storm of emotions and it left me genuinely speechless. Thank you for the great performance!
I like to think about all the change thats happened since I first heard this on release (studio version I know theres older versions) and damn does 4 years go by fast.
My daughter was transfixed by Ottmar Liebert when she was a toddler, and got to go to his concert with my mom when she was around 5. So awesome to see their little faces process beautiful music
Dont worry, they find their way eventually:D i had my guitar for like 10 years gathering dust in the attic, took to learning it a year ago, and pretty much havent put it down since^^
I was in the Peace Corps in Madagascar awhile back. To get to my village required me taking a 4-5 day trip in a 4WD 1990 Toyota 4-Runner packed with 20 people on a 200 mile trip skirting along the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of the island. The road I took was Madagascar's infamous Route National #5, notorious for its horrible infrastructure, washouts, river crossings, and all-around difficulty in a traversing. Comfort was out of the question to say the least. The truck's engine was too loud to converse with fellow passengers in the truck, so the best I could do to pass the time was put in my headphones and listen to music. I made this trip many times over the course of my service and became very familiar with the landscapes and ocean scenery. As with pairing wine and food, I think there is a similarity with pairing music to landscapes. I'd put this song on every time our truck would reach this one certain village along the road and I would be swept away into some ethereal state of mind. Out my window was the most beautiful village situated on an insanely stunning white-sand beach. The ocean water is the bluest blue I have ever seen and primary rainforests come right up to the ocean shores and cliffs adjacent to the village. There are women winnowing rice outside their huts, men walking with bindlestiff-looking bundles of bananas on sticks over their shoulders, and children running alongside the truck waving and yelling as we pass through. My life is a lot different now, but every time I listen to this it takes me back to that place and that state of mind and for that I am forever thankful for this music and for those experiences.
Patrick Flattery: What a wonderful place to be. Thank you & John for taking us there! Writing is definitely one of your major callings; so beautiful and brought us, along with the music, to a "state of grace." Hope you head my way one of these days to beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! Would love to have you here. Write me at CatherineTodd2 (at) g-m-a-i-l.
I cried! To be honest, this is the best thing I ever heard of my life,hit my feelings, I got so emotional!!!! Without one single word in this song. How amazing he is!
My son asked me to listen to the song that touched his very soul...so I did. I had not heard this before. I'm in tears for my son, and that this epic masterpiece touches him so deeply and for the joy and happiness that arises in me for life. I feel like I'm 10, feeling the warm breeze on my face, knowing life is good. What a special gift thankyou my son. ❤❤❤
Well thanks for making me tear up at 730am! Music is life, it can move you in ways that nothing else can. It’s one thing that is forever in our lives. I’ve traveled all over the country to see my favorite band, and besides my children being born, most of my greatest memories are all tied to that journey, that special concert, that legendary version of a song they played. Anyway I’m glad your son introduced this masterpiece to you, I’m happy he’s found it and it’s moved him the way it has. But now he gave you the same gift he discovered and that’s what it’s all about. Pass it along to another person in your life… I’m sure they will thank you for it
Like shoes, that have travelled the world with you. They're not meant to look new; they're meant to look like they've been around the world and back. Because they have.
been listening to this for 7 years. Every time i am more and more convinced this is an absolute moment of beauty. Even if you wrote this song, you can never play it the same twice in a row. Few pieces of music have this power, but this one definitely does...
The first time I heard this I had a vision. Not a memory, not something to be recalled, but a vision. I stood in the bow if a ship and experienced the most brutal waves and calmest waters. This song is magic.
12 years ago I told my sister "this song is probably the most perfect song ever made." She was a big musician herself. We were all hanging out in a garage in Iowa while there was torrential downpouring outside, garage door fully open and the smell of Midwest rain filling the air.
We played the song while many smoked cigs, and others drank beers. And when the song ended, I think the beauty of the outdoors, the close friends all around, the drinks, and this song moved my sister to absolute tears, and she started walking up the street, outside in the rain, crying.
I went after her and said "where are you going? It's downpouring!"
She said, through her choked-up voice, "it was just so beautiful!" It's one of my favorite memories of my sister in my life.
She died a month and 5 days ago at the age of 32 and I haven't been able to listen to it until tonight. I miss her so much and this time I was the one crying while listening to it.
This song will always transport me back to that rainy garage in Dubuque, and when I get there, my beautiful, funny, loving, intelligent, amazing sister is there waiting for me so we can hang out again for 12 minutes and 5 seconds.
Thank you John.
May your sis rest in peace as you make your peace. Don’t let her down!
I was crying as I always do when I listen to this song,..and then I read your story about you and your sister, and boy did the tears start raining down. What a tremendous memory you have, such a gift to remember your absolute treasure of a sister. God Bless you and your family in your time of grief.
💞
Cap
Brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing your story ❤️ How beautiful
I honestly thought i would never be able to play this. And here we are...5 years later and i was right.
Lmao mate
Kkkkkkk
:))
lynnie helmsh ua-cam.com/video/DFssuRJMvEI/v-deo.html busy looking at the tutorial now😂😂
@@chrstiaan722 I made an beat sheet you might like for the RH LH part @1:40 drive.google.com/file/d/16NfmsyfssLfUwnwFYAwwxgF2FgTx89X_/view?usp=sharing
Still returning here 10 years later.
Hits me right in the heart.
same here bro🥹☺️☺️☺️
Agree! Must be that we have the same surname which makes us appreciate brilliance! 😉 From watching him live, busking on the streets of Freo, his magic and talent is 1st rate!
Such a beautiful song. I've been listening for about as long as you!
This is a spell not a damn song, bro
Same!
To me it feels like the whole journey. The first kiss, your first fist fight, the first heart break, the job you got fired from, swimming in the ocean, hearing 'I love you' for the first time, staring at the stars, getting older, talking to that old friend you havent seen in years, fighting to get where you want to be. Its the whole journey. The tragic beauty of being.
Damn this comment hit me deep
And this comment right here is why I love instrumental music. No lyrics to guide you on what the song is about. You figure it out and take from it what you'll get. Instrumental music will always be more emotional.
Thank you for this
Shit ... well thank you for putting my thoughts words . The waves of the ocean roll like the waves in our souls and emotions
Yea this song is a whole life story for sure ❤
My husband used to listen to this so often, I couldn't stand it anymore. Now he died very suddenly 2 months ago and I listen to this again while crying for the love of my life. I remember how my handsome man worked while hearing this and now I love this song, too. I miss my best friend 😢
I am pulling out a chair and listening this with you. I am with you in this. You are not alone. Let's celebrate life! Shalom! Shalom! 💐
feeling the love you shared sending love 😘
Wow. I read this and just started ugly crying. God speed. You’re doing a great job. Keep fighting.
Blessings on you! You will see him again!
This guy would make the best campfire buddy ever
hahaha ikr
😂😂😂
+Jay Bedard ja camp fiere han spiller fantastisk dejlig melodi
Ha! That made my day
This guy should be living in a mansion
These 12 minutes made me forget everyone and everything around me....
wow
+Eva Meleena oh yeah
yah it's amazing isn't it :)
+Eva Meleena i think the same as you! wow!!!!
+Eva Meleena that's what she said
+Eva Meleena How does someone even do that....
back here in Jan 2024. Still creates the same emotions... masterful.
Discovered this last year it's such a soulful performance. The remastered version is great as well.
it records 11 yrs ago. who cares it is a masterpiece
INDEED
It lulls me awake & it lulls me asleep. This piece is timeless.
Oh, to be Mr. Butler...or his guitar.
@@colleenquigley5491O. l, 9
A guy at our school that most people ignored played this bar for bar at our end of year assembly in our final year and got a standing ovation. Truly a masterpiece
that would be a treat to see
Awesome.
Id say he was ignoring them the guitar is far more interesting hahaha
Hey that was me! After that performance, I was back to being ignored.
I want to watch this movie
I tell everyone about Ocean, describing it as "a 12 minute guitar song where a man tells his entire life story without words" I am an avid acoustic guitarist, and this is my favorite instrumental song of all time. I want it played at my funeral.
Thank you sincerely John for contributing to a musical world worth living in.
Beautiful description...! And yes. A beautiful sound to mark the end of one's life too. 🙏🏽💖💚🍀🌠
My daughter introduced me to this and thought it would be perfect for my wedding, I used it during the promenade to the pasture for vows and during the lantern launch at dusk . Very moving and so so masterfully done .. my soul weeps when I hear it it's a beautiful piece. Thank you
Let everyday be your funeral
@@christinaboyce4363 beautiful ❤️❤️❤️
I want it played at my funeral too😂
this guy is the reason i bought a 12 string. subsequently this guy is the reason i sold my 12 string .
....understood,same here.....
A 12 string is a big challenge. I have one and it is very daunting.
actually it got 11 strings
Ironic comment
@@superbowl3r You must be fun at parties
The fact that people keep coming back shows how much this song left such an impression on those who listened..
Bro you obviously dont know this, but this song helped keep me alive. I was diagnosed with cancer in June 2022. I sat in the chemo seats for a long time and this was one of the anthems that kept me going. Thank you.
Stoked you made it thru your illness, my friend. And know your comment made smile just knowing this piece resonates so beautifully with you as well
pictures or it didn't happen
❤ just found this beautiful feel this week, keeping me alive atm oXo i truly hope and send all love ur way oXo
@@steinandersonshut up
@@bedsidevenue5324❤
my dad listens to this song when we are in the car. He told me to close my eyes and pretend I was at the beach. He told me to think of the waves. I am 11 and I love this song so much now. we play it a lot now.
Do you mean you guys play it yourself on guitar? :O
@@kuljeetjhala3768 doubt it, and her comment is 4+ years old now
@@lordbalzamore7692 True
It's been 4 years since the accident
@@patrickmahon3476 what accident?
It's 2024 and I never get tired of hearing this. An absolute masterpiece of music.❤
Best I've heard, as well as seen, for a long time.
@@scottboyce4664 it really is the 🐐
LOCKD STRING IT BACKWARDS & UPSIDE DOWN THEN PLAY SAME NOTES (its KERI)
Exactly
Every couple years I come back to this video to get lost in the magic.
Me too
always finds me when I need it the most
Always good when I need to cry
When I was younger, learning new songs on the guitar it'd be my goal to play it exactly as the original artist played it. One day I decided to try to learn this song, and I realised as JBT said that he never played this song the same way twice. That it constantly evolved like a living thing. And trying (and failing) to mimic it, opened doors to me. To what music should be, dynamic, full of expression, freedom to add things and take away and make mistakes because that's where the life of the song lies. This song revolutionised everything about my guitar playing to me.
Bertrand Ng play your own style
Great insight! I am a musician as well and you are on it man. Sometimes the mistakes sound good, especially when a guitarist is really ripping it and he hits a dirty note, and realizes it, but, embraces it, and actually leans into it. Almost always non musicians won't even be able to hear it, but they love it. It's the mole on the face of a beautiful woman.
truly inspiring reading this comment listining from 8' to 9' !
A true artist can both recognise other talents, but also create and evolve their own. JB as an artist is a prodigy who should be more known.
That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
this is not just a song, it's a journey
Reminds me of embryonic journey by Jefferson airplane...
Well put, this song has so much emotion behind it. I finally have woken up as some say after a brain condition and depression and anxiety attacks. I finally feel free! I see life so differently. Everyone has value and is beautiful in thier own way. This song has gotten me thru so much as I keep coming back to ground myself. I would've never thought I could be so spiritual or emotionally changed but I am now and I love it. I play guitar as well similarly. CX take care and I hope you have a happy life and good health.
@@castawaygibo9661 you too brother, you too
@@castawaygibo9661 just here to congratulate you and thank you for sharing your story and reminding of the power of art in our lives. This song and your comment has really turned me on as an artist now. One day, hopefully, I too will have such a life affirming effect, with my art, on at least one person.
The lord of the strings
In 2014 I saw John Butler live here in Italy, it was the first time I attended a live gig all by myself, alone, and I saw something I still remember with chills.
During the middle section of this song (around @5:17) some people in front of me moved like they were about to make a circle pit. I wasn't able to tell what was going on until I stepped forward: they disposed themselves in a circle, making enough space for a couple who was dancing and dancing and dancing as if no one was around them, just a boy and a girl smiling, holding each other, kissing each other and jumping as high as they could. Their eyes sparkled so much they completely stole the show from John. All our eyes were focused on them; someone looked away and made just a quick and shy eye contact with other people like they were all asking to each other silently but euforically "Are you seeing this?"
It was all a majestic display of love, wonder and joy.
Still today, everytime I hear this song, I think about that couple and hope they are still living the time of their lives.
😢😢😢
Nice story man👍
They broke up, she cheated on him with the local guitarist
What a beautiful story about a moment in time. May you have many others.
@@avalondreaming1433 thanks for the kind words, I wish that to you too. Happy new year!
It's 2024 and I've been depressed for a very, very long time now... and every time I feel like I'm diving, I close my eyes and turn up the volume on my headphones to only hear this music... and each time, it soothes me and I feel my heart a little lighter....thank you for that.
Me 3
Thank you John, You were my daughter’s favorite artist. She played this beautiful song over and over again. Unfortunately she died just over
a year ago and I have not been able to listen to any of her music. Her favorite space was the ocean. Thank you for touching her soul.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can feel her through this song. Good luck 🌟
This make me cry, i'm so sorry for your loss, you will see your daughter in heaven again
I am so sorry for your loss. What a beautiful soul she is❤
Wow brought me too tears hearing about your daughter. So sorry for your loss and hope this song can bring you some comfort in knowing what a gentle soul your daughter was and may she forever rest in peace. X
Bless your little girl. So sorry about your loss.
My friend and brother Dusty Wallace showed me this song in the parking lot of a hotel we were staying in for a ironworking job. I was 20 and he was 18 , both of us played guitar and were simply astounded at John’s prowess and awestruck by the beauty of the song . One month later I travelled back to Ohio with him and stayed for 3 weeks, Dusty gave me my first dose of LSD and it was this single most life changing experience event I’ve ever had, short of being born. Dusty sat with me as I rode the waves of bliss and as I sunk down to the depths of despair. He was there as i weeped over the revelations I was having about how badly I’ve treated people, about how I’ve ignored people who love me. 8 years later and I still have never bonded with another’s soul like we did that day. A few months after I returned home, into a life that no longer made sense to me and bore very little resemblance to who I was, Dusty died in a car accident, it’s hard to describe how broken I was. I had just started a new job and had about $100 to my name, but I loaded my car and made the 8 hour trip up to Ohio for his funeral. Right as I was walking out after talking with his parents, his dad ran after me and handed me a $100 bill. I still can’t make sense of this, he had no idea that I had a spent my literal last dollar to attend the funeral…it was very mystical. This song always takes me back to that time, it takes me back to that day with Dusty as my life changed forever, to me part of his soul lies within this song. I cry every time I hear it. Dusty my friend, I miss you, almost every step I’ve taken since you passed, I’ve taken with you in mind. I wish I could thank you for the impact you had on me, because of you I’m a more loving and empathic person, I can’t imagine my life if I had not met you . I will see you when I see you my dear friend.
Beautiful story man. Sorry for your loss and Thank you for sharing. It’s crazy how much LSD/Shrooms can forever change how you view life, even if it’s ever so slightly
You should write my friend. You have an affinity for words.
I feel you, man.
Lost my one and only really close friend Max, close in much the same way as you described your friend.
He succumbed at the age of 36, quite unexpectedly, to undiagnosed cancer in the tissues around his heart.
It broke me completely for a long long time.
About two years later his mother phoned me, she’d found my number on the back of an envelope when she’d finally got the strength to start sorting through his stuff, it’d been in boxes in her garage since he’d died.
She just talked, picked me up, put me on my feet, gave me strength and told me how to live again.
How she knew just what to say and how she’d had the strength herself to worry about how I was doing I’ll never know.
Since that day I’ve tried to live life in a way that I know Max would’ve been proud of, to be kinder than I’d have been otherwise, to be more forgiving like he was, to listen more and speak with more forethought as he did.
Most of all to share the joy of being alive and to laugh at myself, as he did.
That’s his legacy and what an amazing, enduring, gift it’s been.
🤝
Amen 🙏 brother, amen.
Wow
8 years later and this is still the most impressive thing I have seen on the internet
What’s impressive is that you still value this kind of stuff. At least ur not into tik tok and all those videos of just girls shaking their ass. It’s just disgusting and so demeaning for anybody watching it
@@henryle4900 that’s what I’ve noticed too, most of the trend followers don’t appreciate this kind of music. The people who do like this kind of music have been life long friends
+1
You should check out Eiro Nareths cover of Interstellar theme with a 12 string guitar. That cover to me was the greatest thing to bless my ears
@@Prodigy_Il well found my next song to learn. Thanks mate.
Quite possibly the most amazing 12 minutes of guitar in human history
I do believe I would have to agree.
That guitar looks like it has so many stories to tell...
It has been raped so many time lol
In 2021 this is still a timeless masterpiece
Indeed
Always and forever
Facts!!
Yep!
Started listening to this video many years ago. Listening to it today still gives me goosebumps and it brings me back to the time I first listened to it.
First time listener here... Guitarist of 27 years... I just left earth for 12 minutes and 5 seconds 🌎
so did i
😁🧡
Wow
You are welcome
you must listen to April uprising from John butler trio. best album ever made IMO
I’m listening with my grown son George. I’m 73 and George is 29 and growing into the most fabulous wonderful man. We play each other our music. George chose this.
george kicks ass
@@JohnGauld knows his stuff!
Hope he plays an instrument!
I picked up a guitar in my 30s and can more or less play this song.
It's etched in my soul now
i love george and i love you, keep being cool!
@@JohnGauld what's your tunes Mama? I'm intrigued
Good on yas, wish u the best
This is the most emotional song I’ve ever heard
And it doesn’t even have words
Buddy fuck yeah. Pootie don’t need no words.
I cry everytime , not ashamed to say it :):)
listen to Wayne, by John Frusciante
F F hmm, friend said the track i just dropped was “fruscienta” like. But i never listened to his music much, is that the guy who wrote time inabottle?
Leedy Scalemodeller I’ve came back to this song over the years. Happy in a relationship? Show her this song. Broke up? Cry to this song. New job? Celebrate with this song. Chilling and feeling good? Listen to this song.
Man, it’s been a life saver for me through the last few years. This song always puts me in a better place, regardless the situation.
Much love from the US.
I will never ever get bored of this
Carol Murphy seen him twice at Stubbs and I never get over this. Tears every time. So gorgeous.
Ive been coming back to this video for a couple years now. Im here again lol
Royce Muzic same as. Over 6 years. It was a different site before
He is one of a kind who at least for me brings a smile to my face when i am feeling down.
Me neither. I even find myself holding my breath and have to remember to breathe its that good.
for once I'm happy about UA-cam repeatedly showing the same video on my feed - never get bored of this one.
I forgot how much I would never be bored about this one.
Kombi? thems SA words! Represent my friend, much love!
I've watched this hundreds of times maybe thousands. When my father was still alive this was one of his go to jams. All these years later and it still hits the same place.
What. Others did he like?
It was 2007 when I was backpacking in Australia when I was stumbled upon John. It wasn't on a CD or an mp3. Probably even sure he wasn't THAT well known outside Australia. There he was, playing guitar by the roadside wagon jamming his life away. To this day I vouch and say nothing has been as magical as watching him up close playing, with my wife besides me. So humble. So shy. So real!
Thank you John. Traveled the world and the 7 seas, everybody's looking for someone. I found you. Cheers.
That's amazing!
helterskelterss that's awesome
what can i say but namaste xxx
Did he play ocean?
Zombie street musician
Been here since 2012 and keep coming back listening to this masterpiece..
truly a master at work
ok
Same here... Every once in a while I go back and it's still an incredible experience to hear this masterpiece
After all this time
Always
as do I
Universal language. Everybody understands this.
rubber band man I completely agree people see emotion through this. He is just pouring out words to people with his playing!
It's an entire saga, in 12 minutes. And, somehow, without any minor chords (as far as my minimally trained ears can tell)
It speaks 2 your soul
But do they understand that ☝️🙃
Love that man! It truly is universal language! Great way to put it
Still returning here in 2024.
Still an amazing treat to hear.
This made me happy and sad, excited and calm. It was tense yet so peacefully. I felt like jumping and fooling around and like laying down and don't movin at all, just relax and let the sounds flow through every inch of my body.
best comment to describe the feels for this song!
Deeeep..
Bobby Higginbotham Like the Ocean
so on
Word porn
This video should register as one of the greatest achievements of human experience, kept as a museum piece and be known by the many generations to come in a far future
alikiran
Great comment brother! (Sister?). Later...
Well if that's so, then we obviously haven't achieved much as a species.
That or you are easily impressed...
Sean Kennedy
Don't be a douche! This song is an AMAZING original! That's all I was trying to re-iterate! Later...
Hey douche, why are you replying to a comment that wasn't aimed at you? Are you an egotistical arsewipe like Butler too?
Later...
alikiran Agreed. Make it so!
I had the opportunity to hear this exceptional piece, live, and had the privilege of interacting with him, during an informal concert in Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 2016. He just showed up with his guitar, borrowed a capo from a student and played this piece on a six-string guitar. It was the most beautiful evening of my life!
I got to ask him what made him write this piece, and this is what he said, "This song is like a map of myself. You'll notice that it's never the same. All the versions are obviously different in a few sections though the entire structure and musical arrangement remain the same. So, every time I play it, I am basically the same, but also have changed in little ways as I go along in life. It's like a blueprint of my brain, an imprint of my soul at the moment I play it." *
*I paraphrased, but mostly retained the key words he used.
Wait.... How come he showed up there!!?? For what event!?
@@SHREYASVAIDY hey! He was here in Kolkata, attending a workshop conducted by Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, a Hindustani slide guitar virtuoso. Pt. Bhattacharya's daughter, Anandi, was studying in Jadavpur University then, and convinced Butler to perform for us. It was quite an impromptu gig, and we'll truly remain indebted to her for the same.
Thank you so much for sharing 💜
@@julieaha1806 My pleasure, Julie! :)
Best answer ever!
The thing I love about this instrumental is how many times it feels like it's going to come to an end but the song transitions into another amazing section.
its like 3 tracks in 1. Its beautiful.
One of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard in my entire life. I have listened several times and it has brought me to tears more than twice.... That doesn't just happen.
Agree...excapt:
That does just happen.
Happens.
Not as often as I wish bit still... it does.
Ett1varg I've probably heard it more than 30 times.
it makes my heart sing sometimes and moves me to tears at others,I have heard about100 times and I never get tired of listening to it
I have listened to it over 83,962 times and only teared up 16, 703 times.
Incredible!!!
My partner recently passed away leaving me and two children alone in this world. I was never good with words but i used to tell Bianca this song was about my love for her since my words would never be enough, so listening to this song is my daily ritual to help me keep going. Rip Bianca Jade Stackman. Love forever, Kayne and your beautiful children Noah and AJ
Really sorry for your loss, keep listening to John and his music if it makes you feel better.
abbie Russell Sorry for your lost dude.
abbie Russell Lost wife and one off two Childs die ?
abbie Russell so sorry for your loss. Peace and comfort be with you my friend.
:(
I'm 61 years old and have a very broad range in music taste. This is the piece of music I would take to my desert island. I would never tire of listening to it. A true masterpiece that literally gives me goosebumps every time.
Making dessert out of desert...
i fully concur ❤
"Ocean" became a code word of mine after I discovered this gem a few years ago.
Every once in a great while, you'll stumble upon a seriously profound piece of music that hits you in a way you can't really express or describe. Those are your "Oceans". The waves will take you for a ride, don't fight em, just enjoy em.
I love this so much, thank you John. You did good.
Love it
This song makes you appreciate life more. For 13 minutes, all the shit, all the problems, all the worries, all the fears go away. Life is laid bare and reduced to the essentials. To watch the emotion is pure art. The sound and images take you away to another place. This is truly a religious experience.
true that warrior!!
man!!!!!!!!!!! thats what im talkin about.. i feel the same
Amen.
I agree, except for the "religious experience". In my opinion, it's quite the spiritual experience :)
YES
This sounds like what life should feel like.
*Correction. This sounds how life should feel.
this IS what life feels like. Well his life, our songs would sound different, but just as beautiful
What can I say? Look after yourself Buddy.
That is what God intended
Thats from deep..lol
I’ve heard this song for the first time today. I haven’t stopped playing it. I’m going through a tough time right now. And this simply gives me hope. It makes me feel not alone and that for 12 minutes everything is okay again. Thank you.
Hang in there Rachel. The world is a gigantic shit show right now. Nobody that I know is doing great right now so you're not alone. Its perfectly ok to be anxious or depressed or sad or tired (or all of the above), but just hold onto the belief that it wont be like this forever.
Take care.
you are so loved rachel. just as you hear this song and feel comfort & beauty, there are people in this world who feel that way in your presence
@@GITMachine ♥️ Thank you so much
@@kodalione4773 ♥️ Thank you for such kind words
Rachel, you have been heard and aren't alone. Whatever it may be that you are going through, I suggest you look up Nahko - Slow Down and the rest of their work should invite you in automatically. Similar to this song, Nahko and Medicine for the People's music showed up on my feed at an incredible time of need. They stitched my soul back together and helped me find power and come to terms with my place in life and my emotions. Everyone's pain is valid and important. I hope you find some comfort in the music. Walk good, my friend!
This song saved me about 8 years ago, cheers yall.
I have just watched this again, probably for the 1000th time. My desert island piece of music.. full stop.
My little sister introduced me to this masterpiece, she died in 2018 aged 23, when I listen to this I can't help but smile, it's a beautiful piece of music
So sad to here that But My good friend of mine also introduce this but I lost him in bike accident
May your lost one rest in piece. This is a beautiful song to associate with a loved one ❤️
@@mikeriggs3891 it very much is. Thankyou ❤️
@@clumsyofficial9241 sorry to hear about your friend.
shit, man. I guess that`s all I`ve got to say.
I feel like I just went through the last 20 years of my life in 12 minutes...
Thank you stranger
You just did a better job at putting how I feel while listening to this song into words than I possibly could.
I took my son in law to to the Red Rocks show in 2019. He didn't know much about John back then. After that show he was hooked. My wife passed away later that year. This song in particular still brings back all those wonderful memories of that night and the love I still have for her. She now has another grandson that she never had the chace to meet but still part of her lives. He's autistic and when he's having a rough time of things Johns music is one of the few things that'll calm hin down. John has touched the lives many with his beautiful music. Much love.
I saw him open for Dave, and was wowed!
I'm back for my daily view. :) You simply cannot have enough of this masterpiece.
Peter Gergely hi I love when one artist give respect to other artist .
Peter Gergely I wonder if you're still here after all that time. This song is a-temporal.
Peter Gergely same here not every day but every second I have to lesson it
Still doing that after 3 years?
Yep I know what you mean Peter. I keep coming back to this song as well. Not every day mind you. But after hearing the song for the first time a couple of years ago, Ive yet to hear anything better?
Once a year sometimes twice I dim the lights, light up a joint, put this on replay and close my eyes. Life can be really great.
noice noice 👌
I totally relate to what you've wrote 😅
I'm going to do this right now ❤️
once a day sometimes twice I dom the lights, light up at least one joint, put this on replay and close my eyes. Life can be really great.
Literally doing this right now
Every time I listen to this song, the world seems at peace..
DHickeyFit me too...:))
Yup
So glad this has so many views!! But to be honest 24 out of the 26 million views are just from me constantly playing this on repeat...
If only it worked that way
Refreshing the video grants a view
francis cabrel la cabane du pecheur
3* 60 + 35 = 215 s
24 000 000 * 215 = 5 160 000 000 s
5 160 000 000 s ~ 160 years
Video came out in 2012.
You sir just lied. Shame on you.
TheLinisz That's how much I love this video; it defies math and physics
He plays the guitar like nobody else I have ever seen, as if without rules or boundaries. He has discovered the instrument, and his own mastery of it, with great freedom.
This is a man who's found some amount of freedom in his life.
Ryan Wood I feel free when I listen to it, so most definitely he is free playing it.
A man who found passion in his life.
You can too. Non dual spirituality, go beyond the mind conditioning, and you are free, and can "feel" and Be freedom and love itself ( natural state for humans ). This song every second of your life basically, in a simplistic way of putting it.
Much love
Amen.
He’s completely free.
Hidden inside all of us is music. This man has brought his to the surface of his skin and shared it with all of us. Thank you for allowing me to hear your soul.
2023 and this song still hits like it did in 2015. Masterpiece
🙋🏾♀️ 💓🔮🪄💖🎶🎵💖
2023♾️
Simply: MAGIC
💓🔮🪄💖🎶🎵💖
2023♾️
Love from Venezuela
2015??? Try 2008 bro lol
me too
Same bro 🤯
I love how a song without any lyrics resonates with so many people and how the comment section has brought together people from all walks of life, different creeds and countries, who all post their trials and tribulations, and share their stories in the comments and are thus supported by similar like-minded individuals. Truly beautiful. Gives you some faith in humanity.
Me, I just like returning to John every so often, met him in 2014, beautiful soul.
Gay
Your comment should have more response so I'm responding with other "G" words.... Grace. Gratitude. Guidance.
Tobias Logan baller! Screw that unhappy guy saying this is gay. Hell yeah my man! This is what it’s all about :)
@*•:Monika:•* 🎶🙏😇💫
Tobias Logan, hey man, nice comment... JB he’s a special one alright
Both this and concert version are the best music pieces i ever heard in my entire life... I listen to this for years through my hard times, depression, only things that helped me forget a cheating wife was this music and running... To this day i get the goosebumps every time, especially mid song whene it reaches alot of notes all together somthing is there something yelling loudly saying the absolute truth but you can't hear it... That's where i crying usually... it's beyond dimensions it's like seeing your consciousness it's like instead of blood there is oceans in your vessels and you can smell it through your whole body...
This is how feel about this music and i can't describe it but it helped me so much... Thank you John.🌊
sorry about your past, but there are people who genuinely care for you...live for them
The song is like some perfect distillation of the emotions one feels in life (minus hate and anger). It is ecstasy, melancholy, hope, aspiration, achievement, and everything on the continuum. Arguably the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard.
If you think this bullshit is good look up Sungha Jung - Irony
Sungha Jung and John Butler are Masters of their own craft. It would be unfair to even compare these two legends and their skills .
such a beautiful comment :)
10 years later, and this is still my favorite UA-cam video of all time.
11 years later and still the GREATEST guitar solo. A true masterpiece. Love, anger, hate, joy. This piece has it all.
tellement
One minute in... And I'm blown away... had a good gut feeling but did not expect it to be this beautiful..
@@alderladybius9385 At the end, after he stops playing.😢
Anger?
Once I get Smoke On The Water down I think this will probably be my next song to tackle
It's all downhill from smoke on the water. Light work.
Haha I'm 16 years in and I've almost got this riff down. I guess more practice for me hahahaha 😂
Thanks for the laugh bro, I'm almost positive by your sarcasm your a great guitarist.
I hold the guitar and tap it, so I think I'm pretty close!
One doesn't just tackle this song hehe good luck tho buddy i hope u do either way, dedication will make u achieve whatever u want mate
lol
my 3 day old baby girl loves this song you can see it in her eyes she stop crying just to listen to it and then when it was over she went right to sleep so thank you John butler trio and please wright some more guitar instrumentals for her to listen to and also for me to cause I love your work as well
wright?
Dylan Mcneish I've been playing this for my son since he was months old. He's two now. Even when he was 3 or 4 months old, immediately captivated.
Dylan Mcneish play some Ewan Dobson for the lil one, my lil girl loved it when she was an infant. sounds like you have a music lover! Good taste Ocean is an amazing song. kiddo might like some Justin King too!
This is my favourite piece of music of ALL TIME. I love this. I love the way it makes me feel. I love the journey it takes me on. I love you!
I was in a really dark and hopeless place when I first heard this song 7 years ago. I remember I was constantly battling with this thought, “is life even worth it? Can anything justify life, against all my suffering?”
There was something in this song, some kind of promise, some kind of hint, that life was in fact a beautiful and epic adventure, worth holding on for.
same here brother. I'm kinda struggling with that void-meaningless sense of life. Something in this piece hold your back and make you believe in happy endings
you got this 💪🏻
I'm glad you stuck around.
@@alejandroruizdiaz9296 the song gets better as it goes along. So maybe life does!
How are you?
Everyone in the world should see this at least once
I agree
I 100% agree with you
once a week. this is more than a song, it's a prayer
Amen to that, am I the only one who gets goose bumps, and feels free when listening to this??
Correction: Everyone in the world should see this at least 17 times.
I came here after hearing that Taylor Swift was voted the 8th best guitarist of the last 20 years. I came here to remind myself that lists are just lists. And class, talent and beauty speak for themselves.
Thank you for taking the time to remind not just yourself, but for all musicians and society as a whole. Stay beautiful, my friend ❤️
Taylor who? Don’t swiftly give me the name of her tailor please I beg you.
That poll was a complete joke. Brad paisley belongs in the top 5 at least…Pretty sure that Australian kid Taj Farrant would blow %80 of the people that made that list out of the water, and he’s only 14!
Cool brother
Lmfao no fucking way miss 4 chords got that
I'm still listening years later and he still captivates me... takes me somewhere else. He is so amazing, and that doesn't even explain it for me. John Butler, you are a phenomenon. Thank you
It boggles the mind that someone can actively dislike this. I would re-like it every day if I could, and twice on Sundays.
nic13ish sometimes i dislike becouse im staring at the vid and my thump is softly pushing the dislike button becouse i dont notice it xD
My dad introduced me to this song when I was about 8 years old or so and I remember loving this song. Fast forward to when I was 15 I started learning how to play guitar on my dads old Maton that he stopped playing on and using. I remember trying to play wonderwall and it took me a while to learn but I got there and I remember joking around with my dad saying alright time to learn ocean and we both laughed. A year and a half later I can play the first minute and a half at 16 which blows my mind because this song is like a beginner surfer surfing pipeline. I nearly brought my dad to tears when he heard me playing this on his old maton. Your my hero man
I’m 17 and same bro
And one more of the umpteen amazing virtuoso techniques Isabella his ability to play a 12-string and at times only Grace the bass note and not even touch its octave twin. Absolutely stunning!
Keep practising! Hope you take your time and learn this in its entirety! All the best! :)
BRO "Rezo Ja lol ey " loves you and we too :)
kommst du aus deutschland?/sprichst du deutsch? und warst du auch im stream dabei, war soo nice
@@anonymusxyz7420 ja und nein. War nich im stream dabei aber war echt schön
@@anonymusxyz7420 Ja, es war so schön
loves^
What does this mean? Sorry, and thanks
Every time i listen to this song, I cry, so much, so deeply, and it feels so good. Only emotions are real in life.
Aren't they?
Thank you Jeff.
Never heard of this guy until now. That was stunningly beautiful.
How could anyone dislike this song? It's pure genius.
Some people don't know how react to beautiful music, they hate anything that tries to make them feel any emotion. For me personally, I wish I could thumb up the video 3 million times because it's so unrealistically beautiful
Jayson Camasca There is nothing wrong with people not liking what you do, so suck it
Gofaw yeah that's fine and very obvious. To each their own. Normally I'd bicker but you're not worth it.
Jayson Camasca lol
when a guitar looks like that, you know it is going to be legendary.
I’d bet top dollar it was intentionally relic’d. (Like his jeans, hahah) But doesn’t take away from the master piece of the music eh?
@DG 1 sorry friend, I’m still not convinced. But I appreciate the story. I’ve got a guitar that I’ve owned for 23 years, taken camping, beaches, etc and it doesn’t look like that. His top is beat up everywhere, even places one would hardly ever touch while playing, and yet the sides are flawless. (In fact, you’ll notice he hardly ever touches the upper bottom under the frets even in this song which requires a lot of percussive sounds, but somehow that area is equally beat up). Not to mention the neck is intonated perfectly for high fret and capo action playing despite the looks that the guitar has been through hell and back.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the song and John is amazing! But nah, that guitar was purposely relic’d.
@@ColoradoDreamin I don’t know if it’s all “authentic” wear or not, but it looks similar to a 12 string I have with a cedar top and let me tell you. That thing will mark and scratch if you look at it just right.
@@ColoradoDreamin Who gives a fuck? It looks sick. Why the fuck is there always a downer in these comments.
You go out of your way to try to prove people wrong but you end up looking like a dick. If you've ever wondered who those people are that ruin nice comment threads, it's you.
@@ColoradoDreamin Hey man, he's right though.
if you just Google it, something along the lines of "John Butler 11 string guitar" a couple articles come up, stating how is been with him for years since he was busking in Fremantle, and that he's tried retiring it at least 4 times but it keeps coming back as his go to corner stone guitar.
*Shrug*
I’m still listening to, have to hear this at least once a month!
have the privilege of living by the same beach as John - listened to this song for maybe decades now. visit the ocean every day, and caught him playing it in Fremantle just this past weekend. An invaluable contribution to my life. x
Wow, grateful
He’s a fantastic person has so much time and is so patient. Every time I’ve met him it’s been a pleasure and a forever memory ❤️
what beach lol would love that
So much envy!
He came and did a workshop at my school in like 1999 when no one really knew who he was.
My only lament is that I will never be able to hear this song for the first time ever again.
You will if you drink enough liquor...
Every time i hear it its the first time.
@@tank6561 healthier is either weed, shrooms, lsd.. psychedelics really lol
You know...the first time you listen to any song, you really don’t appreciate it to the deepest form. Only if you listen to this song multiple Times you can really catch the soul of it!
It gets better every time I listen to it going on a few years
One thing I love about this piece., It can be interpreted however the listener chooses. i've listened to this when I was at my happiest, and it made me happier. On the contrary i've listened to this song at my worst times. and it fit the mood perfectly. moral of the story this song has so much contrast of emotion, it's really how the listener perceives it. I realized it's kind of a metaphor of life, If you're looking for sadness there's lots of it. but if you focus on the positive side of things like how beautiful something is even with flaws. If you're looking at it from a different point of view. it can make you happier than you've ever been.
Thank you John Butler for this amazing piece of music.
Couldn't agree more with you brother.
Mostly when I listen to it it makes me feel better. It relates to you on all levels of emotion and makes you feel understood. Have a nice day!
man! im just listening to this song rn. had a rough last week and a really bad day again. i feel really down. but this song makes me feel happy inside. actually i was scared i'm becoming one of those people who tend to see the negative and i have always been trying to be one of the positive mental guys. due to your comment i could realise i'm still the 'good guy' :)))
That's amazing I just commented how the song made me think of The Shire from LOTR; I imagine this is what they'd play and dance to after defeating Sauron, but it's also the song they'd play for Frodo as he sailed away to the east. Happy and Sad.
Well said. Good insight into life and music. 🌊
So often I come back to this ocean when I find myself overwhelmed in the riptides of life. Ty JBT! Xx
Whenever I am introducing someone to this song my question is, "if I told you you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, just one single song, do you know what song that would be?..... This is mine." I've been saying that since 2013. Seen him live 6 times. Purely orgasmic to hear it that way. Heard him explain it this way, he says, "this song will never be finished. Not Until I park it. It says everything that I want to say to all of humanity but which language doesn't allow." To me this is like an epic. A true epic, expressing what it is like to be human. It is slow and fast, angry and peaceful, soft and hard, happy and sad, young and old, excited and calm. It is duality it's very self. This is the song I want to dance to with my wife for that first dance, this is the song that I will play to my unborn child, and this is the song I want played at my funeral. If I'm lucky I will die to this song. Thank you to all you who have commented. Some of them were flat out hilarious and I was struck by how many of you said the same thing I have felt about this song for 7 years. What's staggering is that I felt these insights were unique to me. Yet never before have so many said things that sound like it came straight from my own thoughts. Mr. Butler, this is the best song that has ever been constructed. It has meant more to me than I can say and seen me revel in the highest of highs and pulled me out of the lowest of lows. No bullshit, it is the most meaningful piece of art I will ever absorb. Thank you isn't even appropriate. It's insults the depth to which my feelings go. So I will sit here in silence when I finish these next few sentences. I will be present, and I will be filled with total and utter gratitude. I will be Ocean for a brief moment and attempt to stay there as long as I can. For the rest of my life I will return there often as this song reminds me of what the fuck this thing called life is all really about.
YEEEEEEES!!! It is the greatest song of beauty in history
Cool story bro but have you heard GOOBA by Tekashi 6ix9ine that’s some real shit
smoke on the water is better tbh
Man i felt every single word you wrote. That was really something. Not everybody can feel the beauty of this song, you're lucky. Love to you and everybody else in the world.
@@TheSkyzof Love
Is it just me or this song gives you a feeling like you knew this guy all your life? There's something so personal about this song, like he reveals all his most sacred secrets to you. Fascinating.
I heard this song for the first time when he was busking outside the Markets in Freemantle 20 years ago, this song strums the strings of my soul, love on a whole other level :)
Leisa Englefield
Thanks for sharing, blessings
Leisa Englefield That is a memory I would trade the world for!
Had felt how he feels with this song. Felt sad, happy, excited but most especially it made me feel calm and alive...
MrCorvusC same man i feel that too ... its stimulates all the sadness and good moments and all kinds of different feelings that makes me feel connected to him
Couldn't imagine being 5-6 minutes through and missing a note or playing a bum note. This is class!
+Craig McGee It's rather easy to edit one take to the next. Crossfade and a good sound engineer... Just cut to a different take before the screw-up.
+Jesse Connell believe me I understand that mate. Just imagine though haha!
Craig McGee
Craig McGee I I I can m j be I can be I can
Yeah man, You probably already know but he plays it live very often, and he literally plays it perfect each and every time. It's unbelievable.
I used to listen to this song with the boys when I was 17... now I’m 28 and I hardly talk to them anymore and I live thousands of kilometres away from them but I still love them the same. Love you guys
This is a complete journey of many emotions all packaged into one single piece.
Well said.
My girlfriend heard this for the first time yesterday and she went 'woahhhh' after the song ended. Later, I asked her what she felt and her exact words were "I felt like I was standing on a cliff over the ocean with the warm sun and strong wind on me. Very exhilirating". I love you Kabs(!)
Never lose her, man. Don't EVER let her go.
I can feel angels around him
This is not a song. This is a feeling that unites all of us.
Not really
This is a feeling! Yes!!!
I first heard this back in 2012, and I still feel the same way about it. Eternally grateful, JB!
This is the kind of music I need in my life: it feels like a storm of emotions and it left me genuinely speechless. Thank you for the great performance!
Hey couldn't of said it better ✌️
Same 🔥
Shepherd's Chapel Network !!!!!!! Pastor Murray is an Anointed Servant of GOD who teaches the Word of GOD with Authority!!!!!!!
Always a go too when I'm stressed.
Just showed this to my 1-year old (start 'em young!) and she was mesmerised. Always love coming back to this.
what a great song to show to a 1 year old! Sincerely!
I like to think about all the change thats happened since I first heard this on release (studio version I know theres older versions) and damn does 4 years go by fast.
My daughter was transfixed by Ottmar Liebert when she was a toddler, and got to go to his concert with my mom when she was around 5. So awesome to see their little faces process beautiful music
my son was transfixed by guitar until the age of three. I was so hopeful! lol Now it's all minecraft UA-cam and sword fighting...
Dont worry, they find their way eventually:D i had my guitar for like 10 years gathering dust in the attic, took to learning it a year ago, and pretty much havent put it down since^^
I was in the Peace Corps in Madagascar awhile back. To get to my village required me taking a 4-5 day trip in a 4WD 1990 Toyota 4-Runner packed with 20 people on a 200 mile trip skirting along the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of the island. The road I took was Madagascar's infamous Route National #5, notorious for its horrible infrastructure, washouts, river crossings, and all-around difficulty in a traversing. Comfort was out of the question to say the least. The truck's engine was too loud to converse with fellow passengers in the truck, so the best I could do to pass the time was put in my headphones and listen to music.
I made this trip many times over the course of my service and became very familiar with the landscapes and ocean scenery. As with pairing wine and food, I think there is a similarity with pairing music to landscapes. I'd put this song on every time our truck would reach this one certain village along the road and I would be swept away into some ethereal state of mind. Out my window was the most beautiful village situated on an insanely stunning white-sand beach. The ocean water is the bluest blue I have ever seen and primary rainforests come right up to the ocean shores and cliffs adjacent to the village. There are women winnowing rice outside their huts, men walking with bindlestiff-looking bundles of bananas on sticks over their shoulders, and children running alongside the truck waving and yelling as we pass through.
My life is a lot different now, but every time I listen to this it takes me back to that place and that state of mind and for that I am forever thankful for this music and for those experiences.
Thanks
Dope comment
I am grown man, you should not put me in such emotional state. Thats unfair of you. It sounds magical. What a nice memory to have.
Awsome brother
Patrick Flattery: What a wonderful place to be. Thank you & John for taking us there! Writing is definitely one of your major callings; so beautiful and brought us, along with the music, to a "state of grace."
Hope you head my way one of these days to beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! Would love to have you here. Write me at CatherineTodd2 (at) g-m-a-i-l.
I cried!
To be honest, this is the best thing I ever heard of my life,hit my feelings, I got so emotional!!!!
Without one single word in this song.
How amazing he is!
nearly had me in tears by the end of it. words can't even describe..
My son asked me to listen to the song that touched his very soul...so I did. I had not heard this before. I'm in tears for my son, and that this epic masterpiece touches him so deeply and for the joy and happiness that arises in me for life. I feel like I'm 10, feeling the warm breeze on my face, knowing life is good. What a special gift thankyou my son. ❤❤❤
Cherish these memories. Happy mothers day ❤️
Well thanks for making me tear up at 730am! Music is life, it can move you in ways that nothing else can. It’s one thing that is forever in our lives. I’ve traveled all over the country to see my favorite band, and besides my children being born, most of my greatest memories are all tied to that journey, that special concert, that legendary version of a song they played.
Anyway I’m glad your son introduced this masterpiece to you, I’m happy he’s found it and it’s moved him the way it has. But now he gave you the same gift he discovered and that’s what it’s all about. Pass it along to another person in your life… I’m sure they will thank you for it
@@atamagashock Thank you I will🤗
Sweet
Now you made me cry...
That rough look of his guitar is beautiful.
Akila Kavisinghe thanks finally umderstandz how beautiful a well worm guiar is
Like shoes, that have travelled the world with you. They're not meant to look new; they're meant to look like they've been around the world and back. Because they have.
been listening to this for 7 years. Every time i am more and more convinced this is an absolute moment of beauty. Even if you wrote this song, you can never play it the same twice in a row. Few pieces of music have this power, but this one definitely does...
haha same. :)
Yeah, in concerts, he does not play it the same...ever. He used to tell the story that this came from his young busking days.
I am with you on everything you said!
Amazing song been listening to this daily for many years
Beautiful beyond words...
The first time I heard this I had a vision.
Not a memory, not something to be recalled, but a vision.
I stood in the bow if a ship and experienced the most brutal waves and calmest waters.
This song is magic.
I think we had the same batch of acid
nah bruh i think you were just high