10 John Mayer Songs To Get You To Listen To John Mayer
20 plus years, 7 studio albums, 4 live albums, 2 video albums, 7 Grammy Awards, but most importantly, 100s of relatable songs. John Mayer’s list of accomplishments are plenty and it would take a lot more than a medium post to list it out. So, to compensate, here are 10 songs from his arsenal that everyone should listen to.
Tracing (Unreleased)
It is a song about how relationships work these days. People in a relationship expect progress which usually happens over the course of six months to happen in 3 weeks. In the process, they end up moving fast to end up regretting it all in the end.
“And if you want to know the moment
I knew that I was still alone
I found I never learned your number
I only stored it in my phone
You’d think by now
I’d know the shape of calling home.”
Listen to the song here.
3x5 (Room For Squares)
As the final edition to the album, before it was picked up by Columbia Records, 3x5 singlehandedly adds a tonne of charm to Room for Squares. It is about living in the moment and how we should stop trying to capture all the good things in our camera. Looks like John had a better vision about the future than future itself.
“You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
It brought me back to life
You’ll be with me next time I go outside
No more 3x5's.”
Listen to the song here.
Bigger Than My Body (Heavier Things)
Bigger Than My Body is a go-to song for inspiration. There is a wild theory that John wrote this song right after attending a Coldplay concert. Also, it exploits the AdrenaLinn III effects pedal to its best.
“Someday I’ll fly, someday I’ll soar
Someday I’ll be so damn much more
’Cause I’m bigger than my body gives me credit for.”
Listen to the song here.
Who Did You Think I Was (Try! — John Mayer Trio)
John Mayer Trio is magic. There is no other word to describe the band. Surely, the connection was instant when John, Steve and Pino came together at the studio that one fine morning in 2005. It saw the transition from the poster pop boy to a man who can rock out blues. Especially, Who Did You Think I Was represents the epitome of John’s guitar playing prowess. It is a treat to the ears.
“Here is a line that you won’t understand,
I’m half of a boy but I’m twice the man,
Carry the weight of the world in the palm of my hand.
Who did you think I was?”
Listen to the song here.
Stop This Train (Continuum)
The transition to adulthood is something that happens over time. But we never realise it until we are a few years into being an adult. Increased responsibilities, paying taxes, juggling personal and work life, managing relationships, and most importantly realising that now you take care of your parents and not the other way around. The tables have changed and we did not even know. Stop this train is all about that.
“So scared of getting older
I’m only good at being young
So I play the numbers game
To find a way to say that life has just begun.”
Listen to the song here.
In Your Atmosphere (Where The Light Is)
In Your Atmosphere is one of the most underrated John Mayer songs. As there is no studio version of the song, many do not know such a song exists. It talks about the situation where you ended things with a parson but now you realise it was silly and that you still love that person, and you want to go meet them and get back together.
“I don’t think I’m gonna go to LA anymore
I get lost on the boulevard at night
Without your voice to tell me I love you, take a right
The ten and the two is a lonely sight.”
Listen to the song here.
Who Says (Battle Studies)
Who Says is a song about looking back and reflecting. It is about being free and doing things that you like. But still, there is an inherent sadness to the song. John is happy with himself but at the same time, that’s all he got. He is at his prime but he is alone. He doesn’t care but he is alone. He is no younger and he misses how life was.
“Who says I can’t be free
From all of the things that I used to be
Rewrite my history
Who says I can’t be free
It’s been a long night in New York city
It’s been a long night in Baton Rouge.”
Listen to the song here.
A Face To Call Home (Born And Raised)
The song is about finding someone who embraces who you are without judging you based on your past. Someone who you love a lot and you see a future with them. It is possibly one of the most beautiful John Mayer songs.
“I am an architect
Of days that haven’t happened yet
I can’t believe a month is all it’s been
You know my paper heart
The one I fill with pencil marks
I think I might have gone and inked you in.”
Listen to the song here.
Waitin’ On The Day (Paradise Valley)
This song is about waiting for someone worth waiting for to spend your life with. How you wish to have a simple life with that ‘someone’. It is about the regret of letting go of someone worth in the past. About someone who could have been the one but John blew up his chances with.
“Can you love me all the way?
Will you tie me tight in little strands of paradise?
Will you walk with me before the morning fades?”
Listen to the song here.
Never On The Day You Leave (The Search For Everything)
There are no extravagant colours associated with the songs in the album. John has put himself out there, raw, uncut, and vulnerable. And this song is a heart-touching tribute to John’s relationship with Katy Perry.
“So maybe it’d be better off to write her
And leave a little note right there beside her
That says maybe we’re not perfect
But I’ll be damned if I ever leave.”
Listen to the song here.
Honourable Mentions:
- Why Georgia
- New Deep
- Covered In Rain
- In Repair
- Free Fallin’
- Heartbreak Warfare
- Speak For Me
- Paper Doll
- In The Blood
John Mayer is one of the most prolific guitar players of his generation. Though his prime as a popstar is long gone, he still sings through as the North Star through his amazing live performances.
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