In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the 2002 single "Your Body Is a Wonderland" from the album Room for Squares.
In February 2005, he was awarded the Song of the Year Grammy for his song Daughters, which he composed while in the shower, from the album Heavier Things. In winning the award, he beat out such contenders as Alicia Keys, and Kanye West. He dedicated this award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for which Elvis Costello, Prince and Seal were also nominated. In 2007, John won 2 Grammys, one for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for the song "Waiting On The World To Change," and also Best Pop Vocal Album for his album Continuum.
To date, Mayer has toured with many groups, including Maroon 5, Guster, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Teitur, Ben Folds, and Sheryl Crow.
In 2004, Mayer worked with hip hop artist and producer Kanye West, appearing both on Go and Kanye West's Bittersweet (released in the summer of 2007 as an iTunes pre-order bonus track to the album Graduation) and received praise from rap heavyweights like Jay-Z and Nelly. When asked about his ubiquitous presence in the hip hop community, he said, "It's not music out there right now. That's why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be."
It was around this time that he began hinting at a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was "closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity." In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, BB King, Eric Clapton and jazz artist John Scofield. He also toured with the legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he is also an accomplished guitarist influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Freddie King and B.B. King. In this regard, he has released an album with his band The John Mayer Trio Try!, which features a blues-rock style reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix.
In September 2006, Mayer released his third studio album, Continuum. The album, written and produced exclusively by Mayer (with the help of Steve Jordan from the John Mayer Trio) is a culmination of Mayer's growth as an artist and continues with the blues-rock style that he began to flirt with on Try!.
Also notable is John Mayer's various adaptations in style. He always maintained a blues tone, he introduced a rockier edge. However, in Continuum, he adopts a calmer genre, returning to his previous styles.
On November 17, 2009, Mayer's fourth studio album, Battle Studies, was released and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The album consists of 11 tracks with a total time of 45 minutes. The first single from the album, "Who Says", was released on September 24, 2009 in advance of album, and was followed on October 19 by the single "Heartbreak Warfare" and the single "Half of My Heart" released on June 21, 2010. Despite the album's commercial success, critics were mixed with their praise; while some reviews were glowing, calling it his "most adventurous", others called the album "safe" and noted that "Mayer the singer-songwriter and Mayer the man about town sometimes seem disconnected, like they don't even belong in the same body.
Following his recovery from vocal surgery, Mayer returned to the studio. On June 18, 2013, Mayer announced from his Facebook page that his sixth album, Paradise Valley, would be released on August 13, 2013. On the same day, he released a lyric video for the new album's first single, "Paper Doll", on his YouTube page. The release date was later changed to August 20, 2013. "Who You Love" featuring Katy Perry followed as the album's third single and a music video was released on December 17, 2013 for the song. The album, which also includes a collaboration with Frank Ocean, was met with positive reviews from music critics. Mayer embarked on a tour, his first in three years, in support of Born and Raised and Paradise Valley. The American leg of the tour ran from July to December 2013 with Interscope recording artist Phillip Phillips serving as support act. The tour will visit Australia in April 2014.
Waiting on the World to Change
John Mayer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, two, three
Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting on (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They woulda never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
'Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
That's why we're waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
It's not that we don't care
We just know that the fight ain't fair
So we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
And we're still waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
Now I keep on waiting (waiting)
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
We're waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
Waiting on the world to change
John Mayer's song "Waiting on the World to Change" speaks to the frustration and powerlessness that many young people feel when they see the issues and problems of the world around them. The song touches on themes such as social justice, politics, and apathy. The first verse sets the stage for the song, expressing frustration with the current state of things and a sense of being misunderstood. Mayer sings, "They say we stand for nothing and there's no way we ever could. Now we see everything that's going wrong with the world and those who lead it. We just feel like we don't have the means to rise above and beat it."
The second verse highlights the disconnect between the people who make decisions and those who have to live with the consequences. Mayer suggests that if those in power were forced to live with the same consequences as those who are directly affected by their decisions, things might be different. He sings, "Now if we had the power to bring our neighbors home from war, they woulda never missed a Christmas, no more ribbons on their door. And when you trust your television, what you get is what you got, 'cause when they own the information, oh, they can bend it all they want."
Overall, "Waiting on the World to Change" is a lament about the struggles of young people to make a difference and effect change in the world. The song acknowledges the deep-seated problems in society without offering any solutions, which may be part of why the song continues to resonate with so many people.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two
The song is about to begin
One, two, three
The song has begun
Me and all my friends
I have a group of friends who share my feelings
We're all misunderstood
People don't understand us or our intentions
They say we stand for nothing and
People think we don't believe in anything important
There's no way we ever could
People don't believe we have the power to make a real change
Now we see everything that's going wrong
We recognize the problems in the world and the people responsible for them
With the world and those who lead it
We blame the leaders and systems for the problems in the world
We just feel like we don't have the means
We feel powerless to make significant changes
To rise above and beat it
We can't overcome the problems and system on our own
So we keep waiting (waiting)
We continue to wait for others to make meaningful changes
Waiting on the world to change
We are hoping for a positive change in the world
It's hard to beat the system
The system and people in power are difficult to overcome
When we're standing at a distance
We are far from the centers of power, so it's challenging to influence change
Now if we had the power
If we had the authority to make meaningful changes in the world
To bring our neighbors home from war
We would come up with a way to stop the violence and destruction caused by wars
They woulda never missed a Christmas
We wish soldiers can return home to their families and loved ones during the holidays
No more ribbons on their door
We wouldn't have to see signs of mourning and tragedy at every corner
And when you trust your television
We can't rely on the media to tell the truth and show the reality of the world
What you get is what you got
What we see on TV and media shapes our reality
'Cause when they own the information, oh
The media and people in power control the information we see and share
They can bend it all they want
They can manipulate the information and paint a misleading picture of the world
It's not that we don't care
We care deeply about the world's issues and problems
We just know that the fight ain't fair
We acknowledge the unfairness and the challenges we face in achieving meaningful change
We're waiting on the world to change
We continue to wait on meaningful changes in the world
One day our generation
The future generations who will inherit the world
Is gonna rule the population
Will hopefully take the reins and make meaningful change
Now I keep on waiting (waiting)
I personally continue to hope for and wait on a positive change
We keep on waiting (waiting)
We as a collective keep hoping and waiting for a positive change
Waiting on the world to change
Our hope for the world to change remains steadfast
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John Mayer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind