John Mayer revealed some interesting facts and details behind the first four songs he released from his latest album, “The Search For Everything” in an interview with Rolling Stone.
“Love on the Weekend”
Mayer says that writing “Love on the Weekend” mimicked the same experiences he has had writing all his greatest hits.
“You’re going to go home and obsess all night because you know you’re onto something and you know it’s only going to get better when you go back and work on it the next day,” he said.
He also explained how this songs differs from other songs on the album in that it’s about meeting someone new and the beginning of a relationship, rather than mourning an old relationship.
“Changing”
John describes this song as “the spiritual centerpiece of the album.” It came to him as he was sitting in the studio and started singing the line, “I am not done changing, out on the run changing.” This inspired him to finish out the entire song. Although it is a simple song, Mayer shares that it took “forever” to finish.
“You’re Going to Live Forever In Me”
John wrote this vulnerable track in only one night. He admits that: “It’s the only song that comes on and I get physically anxious,” due to its revealing and honest nature. He feels that this song is unique in the way that it is one of his only songs where he writes from the heart, in a state of emotion. The recording on the album is the original take.
Mayer says, “I couldn’t sing the vocals again if I tried. It would be like the second snowball fight.”
“Moving On and Getting Over”
This track is one of the first songs Mayer wrote for the record. He spent time touring with members of The Grateful Dead where he was inspired by their nuanced ensemble guitar playing. This is one of the first songs where Mayer does not bust into a guitar solo.
The hook of this track is the line, “I just can’t seem to get you off my mind,” where each word is punctuated with a distinct stop in between.
Mayer says, “I had this idea to get your attention through repetition that almost sounds like a CD skip. It was a really novel sort of hook.”
He also adds like while this song is about a breakup, it should be uplifting by the end as it finishes with a jam out. He also adds that he was “not just intellectualizing how to sing a song.”
You can hear all these songs plus John Mayer’s biggest hits at Golden 1 Center on July 27!
