John Mayer had plenty to say about two of his biggest songs during a recent appearance in Philadelphia.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner spoke during the opening concert of HISTORYTalks on April 17, where he discussed the 2003 hit “Daughters” and “Waiting on the World to Change,” which was released three years later.
John Mayer Explains Real Thinking Behind ‘Daughters’
GettyMayer, 48, told the audience that “Daughters” was not written with the broader message many listeners took from it.
The song, released in 2003 on “Heavier Things,” has often been viewed as advice directed at fathers. Mayer questioned that idea while reflecting on the track years later.
“What was a 24-year-old boy doing, telling fathers?” he said, People reports.
The “Gravity” singer said the song came from his own experience at the time, not from a place of giving guidance.
“It was really about me, a young guy, so selfishly upset that he couldn’t be with the woman he loved, because he thought that her father must have had something to do with it,” Mayer said.
He described that way of thinking as something tied to being younger.
“When you’re young … that’s young logic, and it plays really well in songs,” he said during the show, the outlet added. “‘Come over. I know [we’re] horrible for each other, come over,’ [type of] young.”
GettyThe “Your Body Is a Wonderland” artist added that writing from a more grounded mindset does not always translate the same way into music.
“‘Had a tough day, coped with it.’ It’s a tough song to write,” he said. “‘Had a rough morning, took a look at the bright side, got a good phone call later, reminded myself, ‘What was I doing worrying?’ It’s not a chorus.”
“Daughters” went on to become one of Mayer’s most recognized songs and won Song of the Year at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in 2005.
John Mayer Responds to Criticism of ‘Waiting on the World to Change’
GettyMayer also addressed the reaction to “Waiting on the World to Change,” which was released in 2006 as the lead single from his “Continuum” record.
The track became a major hit, but he said it was not universally embraced when it first came out.
“It is a good idea. Sound and responsible. A lot of people thought it was passive. It was too passive,” Mayer said, People reports.
He explained that the song reflects a mindset where people feel limited in what they can do, and he used an example to illustrate that idea:
“If your car broke down … and somebody walked up to you and said, ‘Why can’t you get in your car? What are you doing right now?'” he said. “And [you reply], ‘I’m waiting for AAA.’
“Some people say, ‘Why don’t you just smash through the window and just unlock it inside of the car?’ Some people go, ‘Just wait for your roadside assistance.'”
Mayer said that perspective still applies years later, pointing to how long the idea of waiting for change can last.
“Theoretically, now, I wrote that song 20 years ago. AAA hasn’t shown up,” he said.
“Waiting on the World to Change” later earned Mayer Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2007 Grammys and became one of his most successful singles, despite the mixed response it initially received.
