John Mayer
Born October 16, 1977
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Inspiration is found in a
classic movie
 Johnny B Goode
inspiration for John
Mayer
 Back to the Future
 Watched at age 13
 Been playing guitar
ever since
Inside Wants Out EP
 September 24, 1999
 Label: Mayer Music,
LLC
Columbia Records
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First Album
Room For Squares
Released June 5th, 2001
Sold over 4 million
copies in U.S. Alone
 Three Singles
 No Such Thing
 Your Body is a
Wonderland
 Why Georgia
Romantic Relationships
 Jennifer Aniston
 Taylor Swift
 Jessica Simpson
 Minka Kelly
 Katy Perry
 Jennifer Love Hewitt
Any Given Thursday – First
Live CD
 September 12th, 2002
 Performed in
Birmingham, Alabama
 Covered songs by “The
Police” and “Stevie Ray
Vaughn”
 Played songs from
“Room for Squares”
and “HeaviersThings”
Heavier Things
 Second Studio Album
 Produced by Columbia
Records
 Released September 9,
2003
 Reached number one
on Billboard 200
 Three Singles
 Bigger Than My Body
 Clarity
 Daughters
 Daughters , Grammy
song of the year 2005
TRY! And Continuum
 TRY! – John Mayer Trio
Live album
 Released November
22, 2005
 Members: John Mayer,
Pino Palladino, and
Steve Jordan
• Continuum - Released September
9, 2006
• Columbia, Aware Records
• Won Grammy for Best Pop Vocal
Album
• Singles from the album
• Waiting on the World to
Change
• Gravity
• Belief
• Say
• Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Battle Studies
 Released November 17,
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2009
Columbia Records
Number one on Billboard
top 200
Fourth Studio Album
Singles
 Who Says
 Heartbreak Warfare
 Half of my Heart (Ft. Taylor
Swift)
 Perfectly Lonely
Born and Raised
 Released May 22, 2012
 Number one on
Billboard 200
 Fifth Studio Album
 Columbia Records
 Sony Records
 Singles
 Shadow Days
 Queen of California
Why Georgia
 Second song on first album Room for Squares
 Third Single from the album
 Released on April 29, 2003
 Played in many of his concerts
 Also on Where the Light Is
Why Georgia – Listening Guide
 Introduction
 The introduction has a familiar rhythm throughout the
whole song
 Verse one begins with the guitar playing the same tune in
the back ground, “I am driving 85 in a kind morning that
last all afternoon” guitar, the only instrument playing so
far
Why Georgia – Listening Guide
 A shift in the melody, with a higher pitched voice than
that what was singing, “Cause I wonder about the
outcome of a still verdictless life”, this part of the song is
the pre chorus leading up to the chorus
 The hook begins “Am I living it right?” 3x and sings into
why, why Georgia why?” After this is sung you can hear
drums begin to play in the background and bass guitar
joining in at the same time to the same melody that was
present at the beginning of the song
 Second verse begins with guitar, bass, and drums all
playing now to the same melody, second verse starts “I
rent a room and I fill the places with wood in places to
make it feel like home.”
Why Georgia – Listening Guide
 Heading into another pre-chorus with the melody that
has been present, with the hook being the same lines as
before, Mayer uses the high pitch voice as used before in
the other pre chorus.
 The bridge part of the song is now up getting ready to
take us to the end, guitar becomes the only instrument
playing at this point in the song, while the lyrics are “So
what, so I have a smile on but it’s hiding the quiet
superstitions in my head. Don’t believe me (2x) when I
say I’ve got it down.”
Why Georgia – Listening Guide
 The familiar melody at the beginning on the song is back
with just the guitar playing. Nine seconds later lyrics are
being sung now “Everybody is just a stranger but that’s
the danger of going my own way.” Drums and bass begin
to play again at own way.
 Getting ready to take us to the end of the song the hook
begins to play again, leaving that same tune and lyrics
that get stuck in your head. “Am I living it right?” (3x) and
sings into why, tell me why why why Georgia why?”
 Coda, instruments begin to slow down and eventually
stop.
 Song ends.
Daughters
 Eighth song on the second album, Heavier
Things
 Third single from the album
 Won 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year
 Released September 28, 2004
Daughters – Listening Guide
 Song begins with the introduction, only guitar is playing
with a melody that is slow and a little long to get started.
 Lyrics begin with the same melody in playing in the
background, verse one “I know a girl she puts the color
inside of my world”
 The pre chorus begins “I’ve done all I can to stand on the
steps with my heart in my hand, now I’m starting to see
maybe it’s got nothing to do with me.” The melody is still
the same with it picking up a little more. The pre chorus
begins “I’ve done all I can to stand on the steps with my
heart in my hand, now I’m starting to see maybe it’s got
nothing to do with me.” The melody is still the same with
it picking up a little more.
Daughters – Listening Guide
 The hook begins with a faster rhythm than what has been
present throughout the whole song, although you can still
hear the same melody that has been playing in the whole
song, lyrics are as follows “Fathers be good to your daughters,
daughters will love like you do, girls become lovers who turn
into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too.”
 the melody goes back to normal and the guitar plays a
different rift, that leads into verse number two.
 Verse number two begins to be sung with a melody that is not
as much strumming but actually hearing the notes that are
being played “Oh you see that skin; it’s the same she’s been
standing in since the day she saw him walking away now she's
left cleaning up the mess he made.”
Daughters – Listening Guide
 The hook begins to play again with the same melody as
before “So fathers, be good to your daughters, daughters
will love like you do girls become lovers who turn into
mothers so mothers, be good to your daughters too.”
 The bridge begins with the lyrics “boys you can break you
find out how much they can take boys will be strong and
boys soldier on but boys would be gone without warmth
from a woman's good, good heart.” The melody during
this is playing faster and higher, but still has a slow pace
to it.
 Guitar is still playing the melody and now a piano begins
playing and leading into a duet with musical instruments.
Keeping the bridge going as it prepares for the end.
Daughters – Listening Guide
 With the piano accompanying in the background lyrics are
getting ready for the end of the song. “On behalf of every man
looking out for every girl you are the god and the weight of her
world.”
 Piano has faded out of the song, and now the guitar is playing.
The hook begins to play again with the same melody. “So
fathers be good to your daughters and daughters will love like
you do girls become lovers who turn into mothers so mothers
be good to your daughters too.”
 Coda, the rhythm and melody begins to slow down and
eventually becomes silence.
 Song end.
Belief
 Second single from Continuum
 Released in November of 2006
Belief – Listening Guide
 Introduction to the song, song starts having a fast pace
drums start playing, and then quickly a bass guitar and
guitar starts playing contributing.
 Verse one begins to play with the same melody in the
background “Is there anyone who ever remembers
changing their mind from the paint on a sign? Is there
anyone who really recalls ever breaking rank at all for
something someone yelled real loud one time”.
 More lyrics begin heading into verse number two after a
short break from them, with a melody that has a fast
rhythm playing. “Everyone believes in how they think it
ought to be everyone believes and they're not going
easily.”
Belief – Listening guide
 The same melody is going at the same pace as before
too, and a third verse begins. “Belief is a beautiful armor
but makes for the heaviest sword like punching under
water you never can hit who you're trying for some need
the exhibition and some have to know they tried
it's the chemical weapon for the war that's raging on
inside.”
 We are heading into the pre chorus now that leads us to
the hook, the same melody and fast pace rhythm is still
playing with the same beats. “Everyone believes from
emptiness to everything everyone believes and no one's
going quietly”.
Belief – Listening Guide
 Now heading into the hook with the fast pace rhythm
still going and moving forward, the voice has been
staying the same throughout the whole, while during this
part the voice does go a bit higher than usual in this song.
“We're never gonna win the world we're never gonna
stop the war we're never gonna beat this if belief is what
we're fighting for.” (2x)
 The guitar now goes into a solo with the drum beating in
the same pattern that has been going on accompanying
Mayer’s solo.
Belief – Listening Guide
 –At this part in the song you can hear Mayer singing in
the background sort of like an echo, “Is there anyone you
can remember ever surrender with their life on the line?”
 The guitar now starts to play a rift and moves into a
deeper solo with more passion with the drums still
playing a melody.
 The hook begins again with more of a reinforced
message and stronger guitar playing. “We're never
gonna win the world we're never gonna stop the war
we're never gonna beat this if belief is what we're
fighting for.” (2x)
Belief – Listening Guide
 Mayer sings with firepower “Na na na na. “ repeatedly.
 The Na na na na is still playing in the background with all
the instruments lyrics go as follows. “What puts a
hundred thousand children in the sand? Belief can, belief
can what puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand?
Belief can, belief can.”
 Lyrics stop and the melody and rhythm play at the same
pace, leading us to the coda at around the 3:50 mark, and
leading to a stop in the music.
 Song ends.
Shadow Days
 First single off of fifth Studio Album Born and
Raised
 Released March 6, 2012
Shadow Days – Listening Guide
 Drum roll starts and hits the end and springs into a
rhythm that has a country feel to it, guitar steps in and
starts playing a laid back tune, organ is in the background
hard to hear.
 First verse begins and lyrics begin “Did you know that
you could be wrong and swear you’re right some people
been known to do it all their lives but you find yourself
alone just like you found yourself before like I found
myself in pieces on the hotel floor”.
Shadow Days – Listening Guide
 At this point in the song we get to the hook, with all the
instruments starting to play the melody and have one big
bang moment and head into separate ways for the song.
The guitar is the easiest instrument to hear. Lyrics for the
hook are as stated “Hard times help me see I’m a good
man with a good heart had a tough time, got a rough
start but I finally learned to let it go now I’m right here,
and I’m right now and I’m hoping, knowing somehow
that my shadows days are over my shadow days are over
now.”
Shadow Days – Listening Guide
 Lyrics start to begin after a pause in them and the main
melody playing with that same country slow style. “Well I ain't
no trouble maker and I never meant her harm but it doesn’t
mean I didn’t make it hard to carry on well it sucks to be
honest (honest) and it hurts to be real but it’s nice to make
some love that I can finally feel.” The organ in this part of the
song is more noticeable now with it being louder.
 The music is coming to a halt for about a second
then quickly moves into the hook. “Hard times let
me be I’m a good man with a good heart had a tough
time, got a rough start but I finally learned to let it go
now I’m right here, and I’m right now and I’m
hoping, knowing somehow that my shadows days
are over my shadow days are over now.”
Shadow Days – Listening Guide
 Stop in the lyrics which leads us to the solo of the song which
is the guitar playing with a western sound, drums following
the solo pattern at 2:44 it sounds like a banjo chimes in.
 The solo ends and bursts right in the hook again with the same
lyrics “I’m a good man with a good heart had a tough time, got
a rough start but I finally learned to let it go now I’m right
here, and I’m right now and I’m hoping, knowing somehow
that my shadows days are over my shadow days are over
now.”
 The coda begins and is leading us to the end of the song as
instruments begin to slow down and the drums and guitars
stop leaving an organ holding the same note till the end of the
song.

Song ends.
Awards
 7 Grammy Won
 Best Male Pop Performance (4X)
 Best Male Rock Performance
 Song of the Year
 Best Pop Vocal Album
 Other Various Awards ranging from MTV, VH1,
Teen Choice, Radio music, People’s choice awards.
Bilbiography
 http://queenbeebrilyrics.blogdrive.com/archive/c
m-12_cy-2004_m-11_d-19_y-2004_o-
0.html?&lang=en_us&output=json
 http://www.occhiettineri.it/blog/473_john_mayer
_fans_blog/categories/767_testi_john_mayer.ht
ml?&lang=en_us&output=json
 http://selahcounseling.blogspot.com/2007_06_0
1_archive.html?&lang=en_us&output=json
 http://www.onlylyrics.com/john-mayer-lyrics1082993.php?&lang=en_us&output=json