🎶 John Mayer - “Do You Know Me”
It was 2001, I was a freshman in high school, and the last thing on my mind was entertaining a new singer-songwriter crooner. And especially not one as mainstream as John Mayer. It’s taken me over twenty years to finally give him a fair chance, but once I actually started listening, I couldn’t stop. He’s an incredibly underrated guitarist and while that’s probably due to his pop icon status, it’s truly an unfair situation all around given his versatility. He’s gotten a lot of undeserved hate for his talent, and I’m sure that most of it probably comes from envious would-be’s who just aren’t on his musical level. But even with the unnecessary negativity, he seems to have taken it all in stride while continuing to put out solid albums.
There are the obvious single standouts, but it’s the deeper cuts that really hooked me in. There’s enough riffage to satisfy even the most snooty of guitar players and more than a handful of easy-on-the-ears light listening as well. John Mayer’s styles are eclectic. Throughout his catalogue, there are pop records, country-tinged pieces, and even an 80’s-inspired album full of subtle synths and borderline-sappiness that he actually pulls off. A lot of acts say this about their own discographies, but in Mayer’s case, there really is a little something for everyone.
His favorite topics to tackle in songs are of course, love and relationships, and rightly so. With a nearly squeaky clean image of the boy next door who also happens to be a modern day guitar icon, it only makes sense that his persona is that of the heartbroken lover. It’s a safe move but it works for his style and I’m happy to buy into it.
For his song “Do You Know Me,” John asks “do you know me at all?” And that’s really the pinnacle of his entire stance towards critics and ex-lovers alike. The guitar work is both fanciful and soothing at the same time and his delivery is as smooth as always. What’s most interesting about the song’s premise is that no matter how open and vulnerable we allow ourselves to be, there will always be so much more that others can ultimately discover about us, if they choose to dig deeper at least. Underneath layers and layers of varied emotions and experiences, we are each so individually unique to the core. We all want to be known and understood, and so we’re ultimately left asking those closest to us: “do you know me at all?”
Other favorites include the very relatable “City Love” which is about finding love while living in a big city and the ensuing neon-filled nights, “Still Feel Like Your Man” with a great palm-muted main riff, and “Home Life” which is a nod to anyone who feels overwhelmed at the thought of over-the-top lives and legacies.
After two decades of fast drumming, heavy breakdowns, and intense mosh pits, I’ve finally allowed my musical tastes to evolve and mature. In a chaotic sea of across-the-spectrum singers and screamers ranging from Sinatra to The Bronx, John Mayer is a welcomed addition. In short, if you’ve yet to give him an honest shot, I suggest you take the plunge with ears wide open. You won’t be disappointed.