John Mayer Paradise Valley Analysis
Paradise Valley: A Rock Star to a Man Since the release of his first album in 2001, John Mayer has established himself as a prominent singer-songwriter who defies genre typecasting while creating music that is both popular and unique. The release of his latest album, Paradise Valley, in August 2013, has both surprised and excited his expanding fan base. It successfully depicts Mayer 's unpredictable nature as a music personality as he delivers a new twist on his classic soft rock style. John Mayer achieves aesthetic excellence in Paradise Valley by infusing his more typical vocal ballads with unexpected elements of country, jazz, and blues to redefine his style. His lyrics reflect this new music style, evoking the themes of growing up, evolving,
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and self-discovery. John Mayer starts off the album with a track illustrating his new sense of musical variety as well as this central theme. "On the Way Home" begins with a strong blues guitar base and a subtle harmonica harmony. However, by the end of the song, the music changes dramatically as the harmonica takes control of the beat. This morphing from blues to country brings with it a more upbeat and happy feel. The song is ostensibly about summer’s end, but the upbeat and cheerful melody suggests Mayer’s focus on positive memories of the season, rather than on the gloom of its conclusion. Even the title, "On the Way Home" demonstrates that he is reflecting on his life even amidst what is evidently a love ballad. He advises: "hide yourself out like you know that [he] did," but that "[his] running is done" (On the Way Home). Listeners can sense Mayer’s contentment with where he is and where he calls home. The theme of maturity arises as he describes a summer love to a steady guitar plucking, in his signature style, while the rhythmic beat parallels a country song. Masterfully varying styles showcases not only his innate talent but also his growth as a musician; Mayer incorporates timeless motifs of love and nature with new allusions drawn from country music, such as summer time and the open road. "Wildfire" is perhaps the most impressive example of musical variety on the album. The music begins on the jazz side of the spectrum, hand clapping percussion melds in country vibes, followed by classic guitar picking, and finally Mayer 's blues and rock influenced vocals. His upbeat vocals once again demonstrate a fresh, happy, exciting, easy-going side. The song is about a new romance, juxtaposing his old albums, which often were reflections on old and failing relationships. The happy-go-lucky, country feel meets his talented blues guitar solos in the middle, which make the song addictive and contagious, much like the metaphor for love he sings about: "Wildfire." This infectious happiness delights the listeners, and lyrics of Mayer’s newfound romance comforts fans. The combination of music and lyrics in Paradise Valley effectively incorporates country and jazz into his iconic rock and blues sound, demonstrating Mayer’s maturation as a musician. On Paradise Valley, Mayer recurrently discusses his road to self-discovery and acceptance.
In a previous album, he referred to himself as a "runaway train," implying a lack of direction and identity (Runaway Train). Now, he accepts his fame and what it has taken away from him. In "I Will Be Found," Mayer alludes to this point in his life by singing, "maybe I 'm a runaway train," but finishes with, "but I will be found" (I Will Be Found). This declaration of self-assurance marks a new chapter in Mayer 's music. He is no longer lost. He now has hope. He is reminiscing on times of struggle, whether it be his various media scandals or conflicts in his relationships. I love how this track brilliantly symbolizes and epitomizes the saying "write what you feel." Mayer writes this song to express how he feels about himself, but it simultaneously comforts his listeners and fans who themselves may have been confused about who they are at some point. Throughout the song he repeatedly asserts, "I will be found" (I Will Be Found). The repetition and stress on the word "will" corresponds with the salient notes in the song, confirming musically in addition to lyrically the significance of the line, and the message of the song (Nichols). John Mayer has a way of connecting with his audience that makes lyrics feel like an intimately personal conversation. His words, "I will be found," comfort me as if I were worried about him after he seemed so lost on his previous
albums. Many other songs offer the same meaningful lyrics that signal maturity and experiment with the art of music. "Who You Love" is one of the most popular tracks on the album for many reasons. This song is a duet with his current girlfriend, Katy Perry, the most memorable duet Mayer has performed. This song again reflects his new style, writing about things that make him happy now, and current relationships. Mayer 's passion resonates through his words in the beautiful duet. The word "love," often regarded as a meaningful word, is indeed a stress word in this song, but it is stressed by two harmonic voices instead of just one, which gives it an even more passionate feeling. The song also shows how mature Mayer has become. While he is typically labeled as a “player” in media, here he writes a song with a girlfriend, lending a kind of permanence as in the bond they will have, stronger than a casual relationship like many of his other love-life adventures. The track "Dear Marie" follows in the new thematic style. He knows how lost he was before and accepts who is he now. Of a girl he met when they were young, he explains, "yeah I 've got my dream, but you 've got family" (Dear Marie). The mellow, relaxed tempo suggests he accepts his fate, comfortably knowing who he is. The continuous beat throughout the majority of the song gives a more reflective tone to the song as well. The motif of lost love is still present, as in many of his other ballads, but now it comes with acceptance and even hope. He questions, "I wonder what you think of me when you see me on the magazine" (Dear Marie). No longer those of a rebellious rock artist, the lyrics in Paradise Valley reveal a more mature John Mayer. Recognizing and acknowledging past failures, he cares what people he has cared about since his childhood think about him now. He wants them to believe in him. He communicates this message beautifully in this “Dear Marie,” and writing the song in the format of a letter to a person of his past drives the point home. Mayer has mastered being faithful to the sound his fans love, while simultaneously managing to evolve over and over again with each new album. His latest album, Paradise Valley, exemplifies this growth beautifully. Mayer used the theme of maturation and self-discovery not only to express his emotions in the lyrics of this album, but also in the new and unique genre and melodies that characterize Paradise Valley. He created contrast and made a statement, as artists attempt to do through their creative work (Savant). Mayer 's emotional lyrics paired with his guitar pieces mixed with country and jazz beats, all combined flawlessly, makes an original, different, and impressive new album. The themes of growing up and maturing as a person compliment his music 's growth into more than just soft rock, a new genre of country-jazz-blues rock. Simply put, it works. I can 't wait to hear what’s next.
Works Cited
John Mayer. “Dear Marie.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “I Will Be Found.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “On the Way Home.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Runaway Train.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Wildfire.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Who You Love.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
Nichols, Etic, et. Al. “Relationships Between Lyrics and Melody in Popular Music.” Proceedings of the 10th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference (2009).
Savant, O’hene. “O’hene Savant Declares ‘Fuck Wagner,’” Where Urban Intellect Lives. HipBop, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://hipbop.org/fuck-wagner-ohene-savant/.
and self-discovery. John Mayer starts off the album with a track illustrating his new sense of musical variety as well as this central theme. "On the Way Home" begins with a strong blues guitar base and a subtle harmonica harmony. However, by the end of the song, the music changes dramatically as the harmonica takes control of the beat. This morphing from blues to country brings with it a more upbeat and happy feel. The song is ostensibly about summer’s end, but the upbeat and cheerful melody suggests Mayer’s focus on positive memories of the season, rather than on the gloom of its conclusion. Even the title, "On the Way Home" demonstrates that he is reflecting on his life even amidst what is evidently a love ballad. He advises: "hide yourself out like you know that [he] did," but that "[his] running is done" (On the Way Home). Listeners can sense Mayer’s contentment with where he is and where he calls home. The theme of maturity arises as he describes a summer love to a steady guitar plucking, in his signature style, while the rhythmic beat parallels a country song. Masterfully varying styles showcases not only his innate talent but also his growth as a musician; Mayer incorporates timeless motifs of love and nature with new allusions drawn from country music, such as summer time and the open road. "Wildfire" is perhaps the most impressive example of musical variety on the album. The music begins on the jazz side of the spectrum, hand clapping percussion melds in country vibes, followed by classic guitar picking, and finally Mayer 's blues and rock influenced vocals. His upbeat vocals once again demonstrate a fresh, happy, exciting, easy-going side. The song is about a new romance, juxtaposing his old albums, which often were reflections on old and failing relationships. The happy-go-lucky, country feel meets his talented blues guitar solos in the middle, which make the song addictive and contagious, much like the metaphor for love he sings about: "Wildfire." This infectious happiness delights the listeners, and lyrics of Mayer’s newfound romance comforts fans. The combination of music and lyrics in Paradise Valley effectively incorporates country and jazz into his iconic rock and blues sound, demonstrating Mayer’s maturation as a musician. On Paradise Valley, Mayer recurrently discusses his road to self-discovery and acceptance.
In a previous album, he referred to himself as a "runaway train," implying a lack of direction and identity (Runaway Train). Now, he accepts his fame and what it has taken away from him. In "I Will Be Found," Mayer alludes to this point in his life by singing, "maybe I 'm a runaway train," but finishes with, "but I will be found" (I Will Be Found). This declaration of self-assurance marks a new chapter in Mayer 's music. He is no longer lost. He now has hope. He is reminiscing on times of struggle, whether it be his various media scandals or conflicts in his relationships. I love how this track brilliantly symbolizes and epitomizes the saying "write what you feel." Mayer writes this song to express how he feels about himself, but it simultaneously comforts his listeners and fans who themselves may have been confused about who they are at some point. Throughout the song he repeatedly asserts, "I will be found" (I Will Be Found). The repetition and stress on the word "will" corresponds with the salient notes in the song, confirming musically in addition to lyrically the significance of the line, and the message of the song (Nichols). John Mayer has a way of connecting with his audience that makes lyrics feel like an intimately personal conversation. His words, "I will be found," comfort me as if I were worried about him after he seemed so lost on his previous
albums. Many other songs offer the same meaningful lyrics that signal maturity and experiment with the art of music. "Who You Love" is one of the most popular tracks on the album for many reasons. This song is a duet with his current girlfriend, Katy Perry, the most memorable duet Mayer has performed. This song again reflects his new style, writing about things that make him happy now, and current relationships. Mayer 's passion resonates through his words in the beautiful duet. The word "love," often regarded as a meaningful word, is indeed a stress word in this song, but it is stressed by two harmonic voices instead of just one, which gives it an even more passionate feeling. The song also shows how mature Mayer has become. While he is typically labeled as a “player” in media, here he writes a song with a girlfriend, lending a kind of permanence as in the bond they will have, stronger than a casual relationship like many of his other love-life adventures. The track "Dear Marie" follows in the new thematic style. He knows how lost he was before and accepts who is he now. Of a girl he met when they were young, he explains, "yeah I 've got my dream, but you 've got family" (Dear Marie). The mellow, relaxed tempo suggests he accepts his fate, comfortably knowing who he is. The continuous beat throughout the majority of the song gives a more reflective tone to the song as well. The motif of lost love is still present, as in many of his other ballads, but now it comes with acceptance and even hope. He questions, "I wonder what you think of me when you see me on the magazine" (Dear Marie). No longer those of a rebellious rock artist, the lyrics in Paradise Valley reveal a more mature John Mayer. Recognizing and acknowledging past failures, he cares what people he has cared about since his childhood think about him now. He wants them to believe in him. He communicates this message beautifully in this “Dear Marie,” and writing the song in the format of a letter to a person of his past drives the point home. Mayer has mastered being faithful to the sound his fans love, while simultaneously managing to evolve over and over again with each new album. His latest album, Paradise Valley, exemplifies this growth beautifully. Mayer used the theme of maturation and self-discovery not only to express his emotions in the lyrics of this album, but also in the new and unique genre and melodies that characterize Paradise Valley. He created contrast and made a statement, as artists attempt to do through their creative work (Savant). Mayer 's emotional lyrics paired with his guitar pieces mixed with country and jazz beats, all combined flawlessly, makes an original, different, and impressive new album. The themes of growing up and maturing as a person compliment his music 's growth into more than just soft rock, a new genre of country-jazz-blues rock. Simply put, it works. I can 't wait to hear what’s next.
Works Cited
John Mayer. “Dear Marie.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “I Will Be Found.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “On the Way Home.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Runaway Train.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Wildfire.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
John Mayer. “Who You Love.” Paradise Valley. Electric Lady Studios, 2013. CD.
Nichols, Etic, et. Al. “Relationships Between Lyrics and Melody in Popular Music.” Proceedings of the 10th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference (2009).
Savant, O’hene. “O’hene Savant Declares ‘Fuck Wagner,’” Where Urban Intellect Lives. HipBop, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2013. http://hipbop.org/fuck-wagner-ohene-savant/.