sammi says

If you haven't already heard John Mayer's new single, "Who Says," off the highly anticipated album, "Battle Studies," go here and have a listen.


Upon first listen I was a little confused and in disbelief that this is the single. I can't imagine hearing this on the radio. I can't imagine radio stations playing a song with the opening line, "Who says I can't get stoned?" It's not that I didn't like the song, but it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a radio-friendly jingle. John Mayer's record company is notorious for picking the cheesiest song on his album and making them into mass-marketable singles that play over Hallmark commercials (i.e. "Your Body is a Wonderland," "Daughters," "Say" etc...). It's not that I don't like these songs, but true Mayer fans know that the really good stuff is on the album.

Ok, so the first listen was out of the way and I played it on a loop for a good 15 minutes (ok, 15 minutes=all day, who am I kidding?) and my thoughts began to wander while listening to the lyrics. I went to JM's Battle Studies website and re-watched his series of videos documenting the making of this album and it all seemed to click. Listening to the lyrics I feel like I know exactly what he's going through. JM has made no secret of his disdain for the "womanizing douchebag" status the tabloids and gossip blogs give him. He hates his reputation and is really sensitive about the grief he gets over it.

He took to his twitter last May saying, "I love how some dudes hate me for dating their fantasy girl, as if they were going to if I hadn’t. Showbiz types’ are people who grew up talking to themselves alone in a room for hours until they found some sort of outlet. Once they found that outlet, everything fell into place, except for the fact that they still never worked out why they still talk so much. So you see, though filled with deep emotional voids that can never be filled, Showbiz Types are an important part of our Nation’s tapestry. I’m a Showbiz Type. (cue penny whistle and marching drums) But I am not a douche!!"

I feel like this song is in response to our quickness to define him by this reputation rather than enjoy his music. Kind of like a big "F-you" to the haters. I applaud his record company for letting him take chances with this single and the album as a whole. John was given the freedom on this album to build a recording studio in his house and take his time to create a record completely different from his super-successful 2006 album, "Continuum." In Battle Studies video two, John says, "How do I follow 'Continuum?' We just say, you don't follow it at all. You just leave it. And you step to the side and you begin something completely new." And this is something completely new, something we haven't heard from him yet. I am excited about the possibilities of this record. The song "Who Says," seems like a totally folky chant that will be fun to sing along with in concert.

One of the most interesting verses in the song says,
"Who says I can't get stoned?
Plan a trip to Japan alone
Doesn't matter if I even go
Who says I can't get stoned?"

Which is funny, because John Mayer did just that and made a really beautiful video documenting his experience. Here's his description of the video, "Seven songs in... lots going on. Took a week off and traveled Japan. Wanted to get really quiet so I could hear what my head was saying. Two words of advice: travel alone. Music via an 8am jetlag pop-awake and Native Instruments Acoustik Piano. I took a break from still photography and used a Panasonic HVX200 HD camera. I stayed still, let life move in front of me. Man, am I deep!"



"Battle Studies," comes out November 17 and "Who Says," will probably be available on iTunes in the next couple of weeks. Do you like the song? Hate John Mayer? Leave comments!