When will the time come, when stories like this are a distant memory?

So sad.

~ davidfanLIZ

So share! What are your first impressions?

~ davidfanLIZ

IMAGINE

February 2008 was The Moment for David on American Idol.  This was when the tectonic plates cracked open a bit, and a larger world took notice of The Voice.  For those who loved David before, this took them to a new level of connection.  For those for whom David wasn’t on the radar screen, this finally got their attention.

David has been profoundly influenced by Eva Cassidy.  He takes from her version of Imagine the expressiveness and melismatic flourishes that take this Beatles song to a different place.  Do you remember when you first heard David sing Imagine? In the Beatles version, John Lennon’s voice is raspy, and he cultivates a cool sense of detachment.  Most of us had heard this song innumerable times.  We knew all the words, but they lay on the surface of our consciousness.  When we listened to David’s intimate and emotionally charged version on February 26, 2008, we heard the words for the first time.  As David sang the familiar words, we actually experienced Lennon’s idealistic vision.

When did David first encounter this song?  We may never know, but we do know that he performed it in public at the tender age of thirteen.   This is a song that David knew for years before performing it on American Idol.  Certainly his comfort with this song gave him some solid footing on the stress-filled AI stage.

Imagine is a song that David has made his own, but he has seemingly chosen to sing it only infrequently.  Each performance has been a lovely surprise.  At the Ford Day event, it was the first time that we heard the song after the Idol competition ended.  At the Los Angeles tree lighting ceremony it was a unexpected encore. On a personal note, davidfanLIZ still remembers the chills (and grabbing her concert buddy Rascal in delight) when David began to sing Imagine at the end of the Del Mar outdoor show.  And on the return visit to American Idol in April, David stepped it up a notch when he confidently accompanied himself at the piano.  What a difference from his first return trip to AI when he sang a more hesitant Touch My Hands and berated himself afterward.  His growth and confidence as a performing artist were visible for all to see.  The most recent performance of Imagine at Apple headquarters in the Bay Area offered yet another version, albeit only seen in video shot from a frustratingly long distance away.

Imagine is a song that will forever be David’s.  Here are all the performed versions gathered in one spot for your enjoyment.

At the Wellington, Florida Boys & Girls Club on May 17th, 2004. David was thirteen years old.

David’s voice is high – the voice of a 13-year-old boy. But the power is there, lifted up by that soulful style that David seems to have been born with.  The falsetto is choir boy perfect. And yet, no choir boy outside of a southern Baptist church puts the runs in a song like that!  And it’s great how the younger kids crowd around him. It seems like David was a magnet, and perhaps it felt good to be in his aura even then.

David on Good Thing Utah – Age thirteen, unknown date.

“Mini Motown Monster” – this version is butter smooth compared to the one in Wellington.  But the power isn’t there as much as before and it makes one wonder if this is around the time that David had his vocal cord paralysis. He seems to be saving his voice, as well he should. And even with that, a beautiful performance.

American Idol – Feb 26, 2008

What can be said about this performance that hasn’t been said already?  David made this song his own that night and for anyone who saw it, it can never be sung by anyone else and come close to David’s version. Ever.

Murray High School, May 9, 2008

Home at Murray High School.  He nailed all the runs, all the high notes – his voice was perfection that day. Charged with the emotion we all witnessed as David was welcomed home, he gave that song everything he had.

American Idol – May 20, 2008

What is so striking about this version is that David changed it up, adding different runs and phrasing than he did in the first AI performance. Only a few weeks apart and he made the whole song sound new.

Ford Day event in Dearborn, Michigan on September 19, 2008.

David sang to the crowd that day, making eye contact, turning to every section of the audience. No sign of any vocal distress, in fact, this might be the performance where his voice is the most powerful. There seems to be a new sense of freedom and intensity in David’s performance, perhaps in response to relief that the AI judging was finally over.

Hollywood Tree Lighting ceremony, Dec. 6, 2008.

Smooth as silk, gentle and sweet, this performance highlights David’s instinct for the subtle. Slowly building in strength, but never overpowering the song, his voice is perfectly controlled, and yet the emotion shines through as always.

Del Mar, June 21 , 2009

This was the first time David sang Imagine in public while playing the piano. He was tentative, as he often is the first few times he plays a new song while singing. But the VOICE was sheer perfection.

American Idol, April 15, 2010

Watching David’s beautiful hands play over those keys was almost a distraction from hearing him sing….almost, but not quite.  Another new version, another set of runs, a perfect contrast between his power notes and his soft, near-whispered ones. This was the performance that let AI know, there was an artist in the house.

Apple Bash, May 21, 2010

How many different ways can the same song be sung?  Ask David. Every time we hear this it has a few change-ups.  It’s almost as though the highs and lows and runs depend entirely on David’s mood, the mood of the audience, and whether there are big fluffy clouds in the sky. Who could tire of listening to this song that now belongs to David?

~ davidfanLIZ and Marlie7

To be perfectly honest, we never realized we had an agenda. But after so many sensible, rational fans pointed out with such convincing evidence how obvious our agenda really is, we had to be honest with ourselves and say, “Hey! You know what, guys? We really do have an agenda — a gay agenda!”

Self awareness can be so cleansing. So, now that we have figured out who we truly are, we thought it was time to share with the world just exactly what the TDC Gay Agenda actually is. We hope this will clear up any remaining questions or misconceptions about us, and help put things into perspective.

The TDC Gay Agenda

Let it be known that

• Henceforth and for all time in all regions, all gay fans of David Archuleta shall be afforded priority seating at all concert venues, and preferred access to tickets and special events shall be supplied on a gay first-come gay first-serve basis.

• Henceforth and for all time in all regions, all stylists, costume designers and hairdressers will be required to evolve the David Archuleta stage persona into that which resembles a glam-rock, guyliner wearing, Adam Lambert clone (because, as so many have so often observed, we don’t really like David Archuleta the way he already is, anyway).

• Henceforth and for all time in all regions, all lyrics in all David Archuleta songs shall be gender-neutral, implying neither specifically heterosexual or homosexual relationships. When he sings in French, David shall use neither “le” or “la” to describe inanimate objects, so as not suggest a gender preference for things like flowers or food processors.

• Henceforth and for all time in all regions, all female reveries about David Archuleta shall be confined to fantasies involving David not as a boyfriend or a husband, but as the proverbial gay best friend. TDC will supply links to reruns of the television sitcom “Will & Grace” for any females who are unfamiliar with the territory. Furthermore, any late-night online chats held in private for the purposes of salacious fantasizing about David’s physical attributes will be required to include an equal number of young, single gay men as there are mature, married women.

• Finally, and most importantly, let it be known and understood throughout the land that we hereby acknowledge as accurate the oft-proposed observation that we desperately, passionately want David to be gay. We know that wanting him to be gay will have a significant influence on his being gay, and, really: Why shouldn’t we want David to be discriminated against? To never be able to get married? To lose the support of his family and his church? Yes, those are the things we wish for David, beyond everything else.

– davidfanLiz, jackryan4da, ronaldsf, Marlie7, and Ras–oh, ha ha, there we go again, failing to acknowledge what the arbiters of the fan community have already observed: that none of the TDC team members have any real independence or voice of their own. They’re all hypnotized by Rascal! Why bother listing their names at all? Relax and look deeply… deeply into my agenda…

A WONDER WALL OF STARS…

Here is David at his best – reaching out to those universal connections of compassion and love.

Joshua served as the medium for each of us to be there, to be close to David, to share an intimate moment, to be supported by David, to hunker down, to unfurl our wings and fly!!!

Thank you David for all that you do.

~ davidfanLIZ

Just to be absolutely clear – this new singer is not somebody to replace our sweet guy, but just somebody or some kind of music that fills that spot till he returns.

…And may that be soon!

Who is your #2 in these parched times?

with David?

For me, it was “Shop Around.”  I came late to the party.  I had never watched AI before (and haven’t watched it since).  But when I saw him sing “Shop Around,” my world shifted.  Damn!  Who was this kid?  Here was this Mormon boy from Murray who didn’t look like any Mormon guy I had grown up with – that’s for sure.  He was sassy, his voice grabbed my heart, he was from a different generation.  He was from a time when a voice mattered, when the emotion in a song mattered, when the uncluttered, un-autotuned voice was the medium and the message.

This is a strong love that endures.  Who the heck is this kid that he has such power over otherwise reasonable, rational people?

“Shop Around” FTW.

When was your “fall-in-love” moment?

~ davidfanLIZ

Do you know whose AVI this is?

For a long time now, Jackryan4Da, otherwise knows as JR, has been an integral part of this site, keeping the concert pages updated almost as fast as the videos appeared on YouTube. Through thick and thin she has been here, working and commenting, creating media files and sharing her incredible ability to sniff out the best videos and audios with us.

Recently, JR accepted an invitation to be a part of our Admin Team and will be writing for us in the near future as well. We look forward to having her join us. She has been an active commenter since the NotingDavid days, and even before that she was a participant at Snarky Archies. But JR was one of the fans who also has been with David since the very beginning. Hollywood week, you ask?  No, she’s been with David since Star Search days.

I spotted David long before AI.  It was actually during his Talent Search days.  It was shown here in Manila because he was competing with an MJ sounding Pinoy kid (who eventually became the winner).  I knew then that he had sumthin’-sumthin’ going on when he belted out a soulful Who’s Lovin’ You.  Season 1 of AI, I remembered him and wondered when he will join — see how much impact and impression he left with me?   So I have been an arch angel when ODD and OTT were not fashionable terms yet haha!

Even though she was able to see David live in Manila, she has just one regret:

“Despite being here for 6D/5N — probably the longest that he has ever stayed in one venue — I, along with all Pinoy angels, have not been privileged to see him upclose in a true-blue M&G.  This remains a dream.

Welcome, JR – and thank you for the work you’ve already done to keep TDC vibrant and up-to-date on David’s performances. We look forward to your voice here on TDC.

~ Freo, Liz, Marlie, Rascal, Ronald (and now, JR!)

THE DAVID CHRONICLES IS…

• A place where there are no hard rules on what may or may not be discussed. The musical, spiritual, personal, social, and political aspects of David are all open for comments.
• A refuge for those who have otherwise felt overly restricted elsewhere. Individuals are encouraged to express their love for David in their own manner, while being tolerant of the expression of others who may do so quite differently.
• A place to champion David, but also to critically analyze his work and his business organization, to enjoy the occasional joke at his expense or the OTT remark about his physical appeal.

And so this declaration ends. Now on to the work and joy of being a fan of David Archuleta.

Special Thanks to FSteven for his 2nd AAA artwork!

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Below are the winners that YOU chose as recipients of the Archie Award for 2009! Many thanks to all of you for voting. Participation was tremendous! As you know, it was mighty difficult to choose a winner for many categories – and a number of them were virtual ties. However, as great as many of the nominees were, only one can win the prestigious Archie Award. Still, not wanting to leave out some great nominees, we have included Honorable Mentions for the 2nd-place winners of every category. (See the full list of nominations here.)

So here’s the list! (Many of the winners have links.) Have fun!

Best Video Blog

“Puffy Cheeks-B-Gone”

This category, like so many of the others, was a hard choice. There were just too many ways in which David charmed us through his video blogs, and reminded us how important it is to him to maintain a relationship with his fans.

But when that sound of a piano crashing to the floor clanged through our speakers, the smiles that were already frozen on our faces burst out into laughter. What better, more memorable introduction could have been made for David’s awesome tour buddy, Benton Paul?

It was a wonderfully Archudorkable moment that capped off of a video blog that was chock full of awesomeage.

This was the blog that brought David out of Archuhiding when his cheeks were swollen from his wisdom teeth removal. This was the blog in which David said he didn’t appear because it would “make myself look like an idiot.” This was also where David used both words and body to exclaim his love for the PX90 exercise program. This was the blog in which David announced the release of Christmas from the Heart (“pretty crazy exciting with that!”) and oh-so-nervously said “I hope you guys enjoy it!!”

No surprise then, that it won your vote for Best Video Blog of 2009.

Honorable Mention: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

In second place was David’s legendary speech to a wicked witch. How many of you noticed the elegant mirror behind David’s head, before he pointed out? David is nothing if not observant of the weirdness and irony of things. Nothing beats the randomness of, while delivering business news of the Fan Pack premiering on iTunes and his charity performance for at-risk children, David staring at us saying from “You’re the fairest of them all.” And David doesn’t mind uploading his spontaneous randomness!

Lesser known, but no less awesome, is his awkward, embarrassed sendoff at the end, where he thanks us for supporting Zero Gravity and… (not knowing what to say)… “for everything else too!” He apologizes: “Uhh, I’m tired, I’m sorry!”

Hawtest David Picture

Rio Tinto

For many fans, this was the photo that reminded them that David was no longer a boy. Flat abs, shoulder and arm muscles showing, that tiny little smile, and a look in his eye that says, well, I’m not going to say what it says. I’m sure it speaks to each of us in a different way But it surely is HAWT!

Honorable Mention: David’s Intensity

When David is on stage, completely immersed in his music, his performance, sometimes the only word to describe him is “Intense.” He was feeling the music and this shot by gengen captures the moment perfectly. Oh, yeah, HAWT!

Cutest David Picture

With Totoro

Totoro was introduced to David’s fans when he twit-pic’ed this photo during a particularly frequent tweet day. If Rio Tinto reminded us that David was no longer a boy, this one spoke in complete opposition and gave us a glimpse into the youthfulness that David still embraces. Thankfully we have this photo of a “healthy” Totoro given his recent demise.

Honorable Mention: David’s chipmunk cheek, dimpled, cat-that-ate-the-canary, sweetheart grin

Who hasn’t said, “David always looks so happy” including interviewers and DJ’s? This photo is the quintessential happy David. What more needs to be said?

Most Archudorkable Moment

Hearing himself sing “I’m Yours”

“AHH!” David was not kidding when he said he hates hearing himself, was he? Remember his interview right after the AI finale, in which David covered his ears while old AI clips were being played back to him?

Well, apparently the radio DJs didn’t, because when they played David’s voice back to him he ripped the headphones off his head, screamed, and nearly fell out of his chair. (Or maybe they did know he would hate it? Hmm…!)

Of course, David’s singing of “I’m Yours” was stellar. And why oh why, would he have such a hard time hearing a voice that we, his fans, can’t stop hearing enough?

But that’s part of what makes him so Archudorkable, isn’t it? Hence your winner for Most Archudorkable Moment of 2009.

Honorable Mention: “It’s kinda awkward I guess”

What does David do when he is a bit embarrassed? Well, say exactly what he thinks! Rick Springfield grabs him and hugs him—wouldn’t you, from a reaction that is self-effacing, good-spirited, honest, and hilarious all rolled up into one? That is Archudorkableness defined, ladies and gentleman. No wonder you thought this was David’s second-most Archudorkable Moment of 2009.

Best TV Appearance

Singing “Contigo en la Distancia” at the 2009 ALMA Awards

Was there ever a doubt as to which TV Appearance would win? Winning by a landslide (it garnered 77% of your votes), this commanding performance brought the fan community to its knees and the audience at the ALMA awards to its feet. For over a month after the video hit youtube, fans were lost in a vortex of CELD. This perfect selection for the ALMA awards displayed David’s innate ability to express the pure emotion of a song. With both tender and empowered phrasing of the words that many of us didn’t even understand, David held our hearts captive with his voice.

Honorable Mention: Appearance on Hannah Montana

First chance we got to see David do some real acting (ahem!), this appearance also brought us the catchy tune “I Wanna Know You.” Totally fun—the only problem being that it seemed to end way too quickly. Maybe we’ll see him on TV again?

Best Live Performance – Rockin’ the House

The results for this category were quite unusual – 2 performances of Zero Gravity tied for second place, and Feliz Navidad had barely enough votes to surpass each. Given that there was vote-splitting going on among the 3 ZG performances, it made sense to have CO-WINNERS!

Zero Gravity (Columbus, OH & Chicago House of Blues)

These two performances of Zero Gravity were tied for second place, and only 3 votes behind the winner. We all remember the Columbus performance, when David really let his inner dancer come out to play and there were numerous MGR’s produced by fans of some of his special moves from this performance. And by the time he reached Chicago, he was, well, totally Rockin’ the House!

Feliz Navidad (Kansas City)

David surprised us and thrilled us with his first performance of this pop-holiday standard. But by the time of his performance in Kansas City, he was dancing and shaking his shoulders to the beat and had us all up and out of our chairs – even if we were only watching on Youtube! And when he bound down the stairs and into the audience, screams! We could see once again why David makes such a strong connection with his audience. Feliz Navidad FTW!

Best Live Performance – Heart Connection

Fields of Gold (Salt Lake City)

This is what David does best. He invites us in, grabs our heart and doesn’t let go. So, how to chose from so many great possibilities? This was one of the closest competitions, with Fields of Gold only narrowly inching ahead of Contigo en la Distancia. In Fields of Gold, David channels the soulful singing of his oft-mentioned role model, Eva Cassidy. To many listeners, this simple love song has a warm, glowing and almost transcendent quality – a quality that opens your heart.

Honorable Mention – Contigo en la Distancia

Contigo missed first place by only a handful of votes and rightly deserves a place among those songs that we want to hear again and again. This is a song where David’s silky voice and tender expression combine with a completely assured performance – a real winner by any measure.

Top David Moment of the Year

A whole year to contemplate and review. Ahhh…, what a delightful project. We have the pleasure of thinking back through all the moments that grabbed us, made us laugh, made us cry, made us love him all the more. There was travel to Malaysia, there were arena shows with what’s-her-name, there were the more intimate solo shows, awards and award performances, a Christmas album, and a Christmas tour. How to choose? Well – the fans have spoken and have chosen two events that taken together show David’s enormous growth during this past year. The two events that received the most votes showcase David’s command of the stage, and his growing command of the spoken word.

Singing “Contigo en la Distancia” at the ALMA awards

A clear winner with 35% of the vote, this is the song that captured the fans in an unprecedented way. Many of us love to hear David’s voice unencumbered by a loud rock and roll band, and this was just such a moment. We were allowed simply to bask in the beauty of The Voice. Accompanied only by delicate guitar playing, David’s voice soared with emotion and tenderness in this beloved song. There was no need to completely understand the Spanish words. The emotional message was clear. David completely owned the stage, sometimes imploring the audience, sometimes drawing them in. This was a performance that left us gasping, and wondering – where will he take us next?

Honorable Mention: 50-minute talk at the Women’s Conference in Utah

One could imagine that David never dreamed that he would be presenting an extended talk to an audience of politicians, business and civic leaders. How long ago was it that when family friend Brett Hales invited him to talk at a Fireside (in addition to singing), he pretty much freaked out? Yet here he was, sometimes reading from notes, sometimes extemporizing, and completely charmed and inspired his sophisticated audience. David has said repeatedly that he wants to share more of his thoughts with us through his songs. It appears that he will have continuing opportunities to do the same with the spoken word.

Best Pearl of Archuwisdom

WINNER: “There’s never any reason to lower your standards.”

One of the lesser known words of wisdom from Archie, this was reported by a fan at a VIP. But this certainly fits our understanding of David – uncompromising, almost rigidly adhering to his personal set of standards. This is one of the reasons why he is admired by so many.

HONORABLE MENTION: “Sometimes even if it is a hard path to take, even if it has those big hills and climbs and all those scary trees and you can get scratches, and you can get hurt sometimes. But I think that’s what makes us grow. That’s what makes us learn in our lives.”

One of many quotable quotes from the 50-minute speech David gave at the Women’s Conference in Utah. He has had his share of obstacles and hurdles to overcome, even though he is still only 19. There seems to be a great deal of courage that underlies that quiet public demeanor.

Funniest Archuquote (non-Tweet)

WINNER: “I tend to ramble… the scary thing is it’s not just rambling, it’s rambling and it’s like what is this kid talking about.”

Oh, really? There is nothing we love more than listening to David ramble. He could talk all day, flitting from topic to topic and we would hang on his every word. But there was something so humorous and yet, sweetly vulnerable, about hearing David say these words.

HONORABLE MENTION: Cinnamon Mazeltov: – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42w6jJf0zFY

The first thing that popped into David’s head when asked to name an unhealthy habit? Cinnamon. And a celebrity he would like to see in a bikini? Mazeltov. Completely hilarious, absolutely ridiculous, and mostly Archudorable. What else is there to say?

Tweet of the Year

WINNER: The noisy cats: Oh my heck, there are cats outside fighting and they’re really loud! Hush cats! People are trying to sleep! You shouldn’t fight anyway.

The winner by a landslide (61%), this is the tweet that went viral: artwork, cartoons, tee-shirts, you-name-it. “Hush cats!” will live forever lol!

HONORABLE MENTION: “Nooo! My brother’s dog ripped totoro’s eyes out!” … “http://twitpic.com/vrlmb – R.I.P. Totoro”

In his tweets, David shared with us the joys as well as the sorrows of his life. Poor Totoro unfortunately had a violent demise. Thanks for the picture David lol!

Best Christmas Song

Pat a Pan

Before the album came out, many fans didn’t think much of this little-known French carol. But this very fact allowed for David and Co. to take some liberties with it, and the result was an inspired modern arrangement. Fans went crazy and played it on repeat, some clamoring for its release. The end of the song is atmospheric with its distortion and layered vocals, and offers a glimpse of a possible future direction in pop for David. As the “surprise” on the album, this song left the most indelible impression on fans, and won your vote as Best Christmas Song.

Honorable Mention – O Holy Night

This song capped off David’s Christmas concerts, and for good reason. Long a favorite among fans ever since we watched his December 2007 performance of this beloved holiday classic, O Holy Night, with its swelling melody and reverence, allows David to be expressive and to build up toward a powerful, dramatic ending. No Christmas list can be complete without this as far David is concerned.

Song of the Year

Zero Gravity

David won fans’ hearts through his heart-rending ballads, but interestingly enough it was a club dance song that wins Song of the Year. It surprised us, it energized us, it has us jumping up and down. As David jumped and ran around the stage we knew he was onto something, yet another possible genre for David to explore. The song was so popular that fans demanded a release of the song and their wish was granted. Zero Gravity won by a landslide (with 74% of all the votes) and has received the Archie for Song of the Year.

Honorable Mention: Melodies of Christmas

This original Christmas song won many of your votes as well. David has cowriting credit for this song, which expresses his thoughts and feelings about Christmas. Refreshing, catchy, inventive, weaving melodies from several Christmas songs, this song sunk in our heads and had us singing along—Well-deserving of Honorable Mention for Song of the Year.

Oh, and one more thing…

In the spirit of reviewing the entire year, no summary of 2009 can be complete without some mention of David’s uber-awesome Christmas caroling stint at the MTV offices. How many of YOU wished you had David coming to your office to sing “O Holy Night”? (Hmm… next year we’ll make sure to include a Best Promo Appearance category.) Click the picture!

Nor can we forget the pre-interview, at which Jim Cantiello coaxes a reluctant David into wearing a Santa sweater! (“Christmas… sweaters…” )

Voila! Now that should wrap it up for 2009! Now on to 2010…

~Ronaldsf, davidfanLIZ, Marlie