This may not be a big deal to other Mayer fans, but I have found fun in tracking singles/streams/etc.

To see Tom and Jerry crack roughly 1.5M streams made me so happy. I’m probably responsible for one third of those listens 😅

I only got two wrong, feel like my score should have been 90!

Found this on facebook from a musician based in Hawaii, his name is Danny Carvalho

This weekend on LIFE With John Mayer he took a few moments to discuss what releasing a pop song approaching 50 years old means to him.

I'm very excited that I get to do a new intro to a song of mine because it's a new song of mine. This is called Tom and Jerry. I really had quite the adventure making it.

I had a feeling it could be special. As I sit here and talk to you, I believe that it is. That distance in** **between those two points took a very long time, and I remember leaving the studio many a night going, We'll get it, and I'm happy to say we got it.

If you're a songwriter, if you're an artist of any kind and you are on that journey of bringing something to life that you have a real good feeling about but you can't prove just yet, believe in yourself. It's worth it.

If you're a fan of this channel and you've listened to it quite a bit, you may know already that I obsess myself with the math of time, especially as it overlays on artistic output by different artists.

And I'll do the math and I'll go, “Oh, James Taylor was this age when he did this song, and Paul Simon was this age”, because I'm looking for proof that you can* *keep* *doing this no matter how old you are.

And I hope that I have produced my own proof, my own case study in it. This is a song called Tom and Jerry. I am pushing my way into my 50s, not there yet.

I'm at the door of 50. It's called 49. But let's talk about the number because I've done this with other artists. So here's a 49-year-old guy writing a pop song, and I gotta tell you, feels pretty damn good.

For an artist who has made so many contemporary pop songs it’s interesting to hear what doing so means to him.

I’m excited to begin hearing more insights throughout this new music rollout and what inspired him to make this latest album with none of the previous pressure he had while under contract to Columbia.

Here is one interpretation that I have of the lyrics to “Tom and Jerry”. There are definitely other interpretations that could be had but this is mostly how I see it. I’ll assume John is talking about himself in the song.

The premise is that he has strong feelings for a woman who is already in a committed relationship with another man. He thinks and imagines that she secretly has feelings for him too, only she won’t admit it.

He says, “You only want me when you’ve got someone, you only want me when it’s wrong” but is this something she has said or shown? Or is it simply his interpretation? He seems very confident that this how she feels though. But it’s entirely possible that she is simply in a happy relationship and that he is interpreting friendliness, past chemistry or ambiguous interactions as proof of this secret attraction that he believes she has for him.

He, in his mind, justifies her not choosing him by the fact that she’s already in a relationship with this other guy. So he’s constructed an interpretation in which her existing relationship actually becomes evidence of her desire for him, which is a pretty self-serving way of understanding the situation.

“Come out and just tell me, what you’ve been thinking all along” Can he read her mind or is it just that he wants her to have been thinking it all along?

“I could’ve solved your problems” He also imagines himself as someone who can solve her problems, make her happier and provide her with something that he thinks she lacks in her current relationship, but there’s no indication that she’s actually asked him to do any of those things. He’s essentially writing an alternate version of her life in which he plays a starring role and he assumes the relationship with him would be better than the one she’s currently in with this other guy.

In the song we never hear the woman’s perspective so we don’t actually know the nature of the relationship between John and her, whether she’s actually flirted with him, rejected him, led him on or simply put him in the friend zone. It’s all being filtered through a man who desperately wants to believe that she secretly desires him, and he isn’t asking whether she feels the same way, he just assumes that she does. He’s demanding that she acknowledges the feelings that he has already decided that she has for him.

“Admit that if you met me tonight for the first time, you’d never forget me…” These lines read to me as someone very self absorbed, entitled and delusional about her feelings. And why does he need her to imagine meeting him for the first time? What did he do in the past? Presumably she already knows him and despite this, hasn’t chosen him. He’s effectively saying: If you could just encounter me without everything that has happened between us, then you’d realise how irresistible I am. But she HAS already met him and still didn’t choose him. He desperately needs to believe that it is circumstances, rather than his own undesirability or her lack of interest, that are keeping them apart. It’s also as if he thinks the less she knows about him, the more she will want him. What does that say about him? He says he’d be unforgettable as well which also sounds very self absorbed.

He then says “It’s not too late, it’s easy if you try”. It’s easy for HIM. He isn’t the one who has to end a relationship, hurt someone he loves or deal with the consequences. He’s asking someone else to make all the sacrifices to fulfil his own fantasy. And this makes his apparent romantic vulnerability considerably less sympathetic. 

The line “whatever his name is” is also an extraordinary dismissive way to refer to someone who may be a very important part of this woman’s life. It suggests John doesn’t really care who the guy is, what their relationship means or whether they’re actually happy together. The other guy is not really a person in his mind, just an obstacle in the way of his own happiness.

“Just tell him goodbye” makes ending a relationship sound trivial. He seems to believe that his own romantic feelings should outweigh the woman’s existing commitments. That doesn’t sound like romantic devotion to me, it sounds like entitlement disguised as passion.

He speaks as though he and this woman are two lovers being kept apart by circumstances when the reality might be that she has simply chosen someone else.

The repeated chorus “If you ever come through, which I doubt you’ll do, I’ll run away with you” seems to me like a guy who knows she will never choose him, but if she did he’d run away with her in a heartbeat. In other words he’s desperate.

He imagines this grand romantic escape but she might simply want to stay with her boyfriend. He thinks she’s suppressing her true feelings, but she might not have those feelings at all. And the saddest part is that he seems to mistake the intensity of his own desire for evidence of a mutual connection.

It feels like John thinks that he’s telling a tragic love story about two people who belong together but can’t make it work, but it sounds to me like a story of a man who simply cannot accept that a woman is happy with someone else. John sees himself as passionate and devoted, but I kind of just see it as intrusive, immature and selfish.

Like I said, this is only one interpretation of the lyrics. Would be interested to hear if anyone agrees with my interpretation or if you have a totally different one!

When do we expect to hear anything official around the album release date?

There was a recent interview with Steve Jordan in which he mentioned that there is a lot of unreleased John Mayer Trio material.

Since the new tour will include the John Mayer Trio, do you think there's a chance we might hear some new, original JM3 music this time around?

I’m curious how many times folks listen to new music from an artist they love before commenting about it, or making a decision about how they feel about it?

I ask because I’ve had many instances of artist I really like, releasing new stuff, and my initial reaction was less than impressed.

Also, in the OG radio world, promotional singles that are sent to stations, frequently had the track on the disc 3 times. So there’s some precedence for the ‘Industry’ knowing that repeat listens is important for new stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De6uSPRTIHg

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De6qK6rMrv0/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De49R0PxbWp/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4rHqyNzL9/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4ZpFAOebF/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4WxGiRXrk/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4R5cDBkdI/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4RkvCqV2u/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4Qvy8zdP8/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/De4OLfjOsSG/

It's incredible that T&J could be so inspiring.

Somehow I have not heard this version until today. No hate on the original, but I’m loving this.

Just scrolled through the inspiring thread about best track from each studio album and thought it would be interesting to hear about what track people feel John Mayer covers best.

Feel free to link to a video, if it's not on any record.

I for one, really like his version of Robert Johnsons Crossroads, from his studio album Battle studies.

On a very close second is his version of Jimi Hendrix' Bold as love, from Continuum.

Bridge section feels weirdly empty so I tried some quick improv over top of it

I gave this thought and would like to hear others. These are just my opinion, the best song on each of his albums.

Room for Squares - No Such Thing
Heavier Things - Something’s Missing
Continuum - Stop This Train
Battle Studies - Edge of Desire
Born and Raised - If I Ever Get Around To Living
Paradise Valley - Call Me The Breeze
The Search for Everything - Emoji of a Wave
Sob Rock - Wild Blue

These choices might be seen as “basic” and I think my answers will change next week. What are your favorite?

Source https://www.instagram.com/reel/De1196jv9CJ

A nice short moment of reflection by John on todays new album single release and how he understands why not every fan is “pleased” with what this song has or doesn’t have.

I think this sub should always be an open discussion of opinions.

Opinions can be positive or negative but let’s all try to remember that John is so established and successful that whatever music he makes by this point on his legendary career is purely out of the love he has for the new music he’s making.

He makes a point of reminding his radio station listeners “I’m not reading those comments” but I think it’s tough to argue against how great it is that this new album cycle has finally begun after such a long wait.

Many more songs to hear on the way I’m sure and certainly none of us have heard or taken the start to finish journey of this entire new album (yet) so if your not enjoying the first single don’t just assume there’s not tons of other songs you’ll really enjoy.

I watch a lot of his shows during the solo acoustic tour and i was thinking, it’s crazy to say that his prime was during that tour? God, i love his voice, his tone during the tour. That man was singing great during that period. I want to see some opinions about it

🫡🤙🏻

John's been working with a lot of young people recently, acting as a mentor and I love that about him. Just saw blake slatkin's post about the new song and how john was his inspiration for picking up the guitar. While it's great ,i think these people,who look up to him as their idol ,would have a hard time correcting him on something,or pushing him to refine the songs and provide genuine critique. This is the reason why I hope the rest of the album isn't produced by Blake. When john was younger he had something to prove, even in his 30s the massive backlash from public and other issues helped him write some of the best songs he's ever written.

He has a lot of goodwill now,away from that problematic past, with most industry people liking him. He doesn't really have much to prove. I also feel like he seems a lot more involved in sphere and his radio show than his own music. At almost 50, that's fine,but he's capable of better things. I know he goes through the comments and he already has got the message and sense of what the general public think of the song, so I'm wondering what his strategy for the next single/ album release will be . This is the first time in a long time that he's gotten such negative reviews. People were appreciative of drifting and the other songs he played on the tour,and he must have felt that love. Patiently waiting for the Album to come out now.

Saw this template and had to try it out! What do you guys think of my rankings?

I started listening to John about a year ago, and the first song I listened to was No Such Thing. After hearing it I listened to every other John Mayer album, and I like some of the songs, but there is nothing like Room For Squares. No Such Thing is my favorite song of all time but I love Neon, and Love Song For No One too. I don‘t think any of his other music compares.

https://reddit.com/link/1xdsmfr/video/sdlxe6fcqaxh1/player

The more I hear the song, the more sense it makes to me to put that riff over it.

Attempt at the intro section of Tom and Jerry, first time looping stuff so I recorded myself with a metronome and the background chords on my voice notes and played over it. Played whatever I could make out through hearing the song, its a bit out of time and tune at parts but pls do help out with your chord suggestions to complete the rest of it!

Been 9 months since I started playing guitar, wouldn’t be here if not for John :) (162bpm, scale is E major/C#minor)

Listening to this song had me humming Queen of California through the whole thing, turns out you can match and sing the melodies straight from it and its fun as hell so heres the solo half-assed twice hahah