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.
In Your Atmosphere
John Mayer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
I don't know what it's like to land and
Not race to your door
I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
I'm not sure that I really ever could
Hold on to your hotel key
And be sleepwalking in Hollywood
I'm going to steer clear
Or burn up in your atmosphere
I'm going to steer clear
'Cause I'd die if I saw you
I'd die if I didn't see you there
So I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
I'd get lost on the boulevard at night
Without your voice to tell me
"I love you, take a right"
The ten and the two is the loneliest sight, oh yeah
Oh oh ooh
I'm going to steer clear
Or burn up in your atmosphere
I'm going to steer clear
'Cause I'd die if I saw you
I'd die if I didn't see you
I'm going to steer clear, oh yeah
Or burn up in your atmosphere
I'm going to steer clear
'Cause I'd die if I saw you
I'd die if I didn't see you there
See you there
I think I'm going to stay, going to stay in the gray
Think I'm going to stay
And all the street lights say "Never mind, never mind"
And the canyon lines say "Never mind"
The sunset says "We see this all the time"
Never mind
Never you mind
Wherever I go
Whatever I do
I wonder where I am in my relationship to you
Wherever you go
Wherever you are
I watch your life play out in pictures from afar
Wherever I go
Whatever I do, oh
I wonder where I am in my relationship to you
Wherever you go
Wherever you are
I watch that pretty life play out in pictures from afar
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
The lyrics of John Mayer's song, "In Your Atmosphere", describe the inner turmoil of a person who is deeply in love with someone who lives in Los Angeles. The singer confesses that he doesn't want to go to LA anymore because he would be tempted to seek out the person he loves. He admits that he feels lost without the person's guidance and voice to tell him where to turn on the boulevard. He knows that he would either burn up in the person's atmosphere, meaning he would become consumed by their presence, or steer clear of it entirely to save himself from the heartache of not being with them.
The singer is conflicted about what to do. On the one hand, he is unable to resist the pull of their connection, but on the other, he is scared of the power that the person has over him. He wonders where he stands in their relationship and admits to watching their life play out from afar through pictures. The song's lyrics capture the painful experience of being deeply in love with someone who is physically and emotionally far away.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't think I'm going to go to L.A. Anymore
He has decided not to go to L.A. anymore.
I don't know what it's like to land and Not race to your door
Every time he lands in L.A., he rushes to see the person he cares about.
I'm not sure that I really ever could Hold on to your hotel key And your bedroom neighborhood And be sleepwalking in Hollywood
He is not sure if he can handle having a long distance relationship with the person living in L.A.
I'm going to steer clear Or burn up in your atmosphere
He wants to avoid being in the presence of the person he cares about to avoid getting hurt.
'Cause I'd die if I saw you I'd die if I didn't see you there
He would be devastated if he saw the person he cares about or if he didn't see them in L.A.
I'd get lost on the boulevard at night Without your voice to tell me 'I love you, take a right' The ten and the two is the loneliest sight, oh yeah
He would be lost in L.A. without the guidance of the person he cares about and driving at night reminds him of their distance.
Think I'm going to stay And all the street lights say 'Never mind, never mind' And the canyon lines say 'Never mind' The sunset says 'We see this all the time' Never mind Never you mind
He is choosing to stay where he is and ignore the reminders of the person he cares about in L.A.
Wherever I go Whatever I do I wonder where I am in my relationship to you Wherever you go Wherever you are I watch your life play out in pictures from afar
He often thinks about his relationship with the person in L.A. and keeps tabs on their life through social media.
Ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Vocalizing of the emotions he feels towards the person in L.A.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John Clayton Mayer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind