         Jack Johnson's "Washing Dishes" and Vance Joy's "Mess is Mine" are both emotional songs that encompass several diverse elements that can be easily compared despite them referring to completely different aspects of a relationship. Johnson's song, released in 2013 as a part of his album "From Here to Now to You", looks at a relationship from the beginning, or before it even starts, and how the future will be together with the person he is referencing. However, Vance Joy's song, which was released in 2014 as a part of his album "Dream Your Life Away", looks at a relationship that seems to already be in progress, and how everything that belongs to him, also belongs to his lover, and vice versa. Comparing both of these songs to each other allows for a better understanding of each song individually as well as a better understanding of relationships themselves and how complicated they really are from start to finish.  

         Johnson's and Joy's songs contain many similar components that allow for comparison. Both Johnson and Joy talk about how strong their love is for the person they are referencing. For example, in reference to his lover, Vance Joy says, "You're the reason that I feel so strong, the reason that I'm hanging on" (Joy). From this one line in the song it is clear how strong Vance Joy's feelings are for the person he is referencing. In "Washing Dishes", Johnson also shows how strong his feelings are when he says "But I want you to wonder what's my name, Because I 

need you to want me the same" (Johnson). Through saying this it is clear that Johnson's feelings for the person he is referencing are strong, and that he wants their feelings for him to be likewise. What is similar in both of these songs is the theme of how strong the feelings of both Johnson and Joy are for their lovers. By noticing these similarities, it is easy to see that strong feelings are something that is vital to a good relationship.

          Another major similarity between the two songs is that both Joy and Johnson sort of make requests to their lovers about certain things. For example, Johnson says "But I need you to reach out to me, see in me more than I could see." (Johnson). When he says this he is indirectly asking for his lover to simply reach out to him, knowing that she can see more in him than he see's in himself. Vance Joy also makes a similar request to his lover when he says "Bring me to your house, tell me sorry for the mess, hey I don't mind" (Joy). Joy makes this request because his lover has done something wrong in this scenario, but he clearly does not mind, he just wants her to confess to him. Asking for something from their lovers is something that both Vance Joy and Jack Johnson do in their songs, and neither of them ask for anything concrete or material, they both ask for things their lovers can do to better their relationships. By noticing that this is a theme in both of these songs, it is quite simple to see that communication is fundamental for a good relationship. 

         Although there are many similarities in both of these songs, there are also several critical differences; and there is just as much to be learned about relationships from the differences as there is from the similarities. One of the major differences between these two songs is that Jack Johnson is writing "Washing Dishes" as if it is at the beginning of a relationship, or possibly even before the relationship actually started. It is easy to see this when Johnson says things like 

"Where everything reaches for the sun, still unsure of what we've become." (Johnson). The situation is completely different with Vance Joy in "Mess is Mine" because in this song it is pretty obvious that the relationship has already been in progress. Listening to these two different songs that talk about completely different points in a relationship is something that is very beneficial to learning about relationships themselves and better understanding them. Seeing one song written about the beginning of a relationship and another written about an already ongoing relationship helps to see relationships from different angles which in turn makes it easier to understand them.

         Another important difference between these two songs is that one is about a relationship that is experiencing problems and the other is about a relationship that is just getting off the ground. Jack Johnson talks about his relationship that is just getting started when he says "When you saw me out the window, singing from the garden, its only the beginning, we're only getting started." (Johnson). But Johnson does not only talk about the start of the relationship, he also talks about the future of the relationship and how great everything is going to be. You can see this when he says "But one day ill be running this place, and one day I can take you away." (Johnson). From looking at these aspects of Jack Johnson's song "Washing Dishes" it is clear to see what the beginning of a relationship can be like, which in turn makes it easier to understand relationships as a whole.

         Looking at Vance Joy's song "Mess is Mine" shows a completely different characteristic of relationships, the characteristic of trouble arising and things not going as smoothly as they should. It is quite simple to see that Vance Joy is talking about trouble arising in his relationship when he says "When you think of love do you think of pain? You can tell me what you see, and I 

will choose what I believe." (Joy). But Vance Joy does not only talk about problems in his relationship, he also talks about how he deals with those problems. He talks about how everything that is his is also his lovers, and vice versa. So he makes all the problems that his lover is involved with his own problems. This is seen when he says "Hold on, darling, this body is yours, this body is yours and mine. Well hold on, my darling, this mess was yours, now your mess is mine." (Joy). From this line in the song Vance Joy makes it clear that everything is shared between him and his lover, from their bodies to their problems. What can be learned from this is that relationships are a two-way street. A committed relationship means that everything is shared between the two parties, from material things, to secrets and problems. 

         Comparing the two songs of "Washing Dishes" and "Mess is Mine" to each other helps to get a better understanding of each one individually. Both the similarities and the differences in each of these songs play off of each other. Both songs talk about the same general topic, but talk about different aspects of that topic and go about doing it in different ways. For example, Jack Johnson talks about the beginning of his relationship and how things are going to go in the future, while Vance Joy talks about his current relationship, its problems, and how he is going to fix those problems. Listening to "Washing Dishes" makes it easier to understand the start of a relationship, while listening to "Mess is Mine" makes it easier to understand the problems of a relationship and how to deal with them. Understanding just one of these things will help you understand the other, and vice versa. That is why making a comparison of these two songs is good for the understanding of each one individually.

         The overall purpose of the song "Mess is Mine" by Vance Joy is to show the messiness of relationships. When you are in love with someone, you have to take the whole package that the person brings, even the messy parts. What Vance Joy is saying is that it is all part of being in a 

relationship, having to take on the good, the bad, and the ugly things. Everyone makes a mess, it is a part of human nature, and when you are in a relationship, you are sharing your mess, as well as many other things, with your loved one, and that is exactly what Vance Joy is saying in his song.    

         The overall purpose of Jack Johnson's song "Washing Dishes" is to show how powerful love can be and what it can turn into. Jack Johnson talks about normal everyday things like washing dishes and gardening but he incorporates his relationship into it at the same time. He talks about singing from the garden to the girl that he loves and how "one day he'll be running this place". Jack Johnson talks about everyday life, the start of his relationship, and what he wants it to become. All of this shows how powerful love can really be. 

         The song "Washing Dishes" by Jack Johnson, and "Mess is Mine" by Vance Joy are both very similar, and very different at the same time. They are both emotional songs about relationships that can be compared to help better understand relationships themselves, as well as the individual songs. By listening to "Washing Dishes" we better understand the start of relationships because that is mostly what the song encompasses, whereas by listening to "Mess is Mine" we better understand the messiness of relationships and what comes along with them. By putting the two different themes of these songs together, it is a lot easier to understand relationships as a whole.      

