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.
Message In A Bottle
John Mayer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another lonely day and no one here but me
More loneliness than any man could bare
Rescue me before I fall into despair
I send an SOS to the world
I send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle
A year has passed since I wrote my note
I should have known it right from the start
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life but love can break your heart
I send an SOS to the world
I send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle, hey
Message in a bottle, bottle
Walked out this morning, I don't believe what I saw
A hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
It seems I'm not alone at being alone
A hundred million castaways, all looking for a home
I send an SOS to the world
I send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle, yeah
Message in a bottle, hey
The lyrics of John Mayer's "Message in a Bottle" revolve around the theme of loneliness, desperation, and hope. The song opens with the singer feeling lost at sea and helpless, surrounded by nothing but loneliness. He sends out an SOS to the world, hoping that someone hears his message in a bottle and rescues him before he falls into despair. The chorus of the song repeats the same sentiment and emphasizes the singer's yearning for someone to find his message and pull him out of his solitude.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about the passage of time and the futility of his previous attempts to seek help. He concedes that only hope can keep him going but that it's risky since love can mend your life, or it can devastate your heart, which is the risk he takes by putting his message in a bottle.
The song's chorus repeats, making it clear that the singer's loneliness isn't singular. Out of the hundred billion bottles that have washed up on the shore, the singer suggests that he's not alone in his isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Just cast away and I am lost at sea
Feeling isolated and alone, drifting aimlessly in life.
Another lonely day and no one here but me
Experiencing another day of solitude and absence of companionship.
More loneliness than any man could bare
Overwhelmed by the weight of loneliness, a feeling too intense to handle.
Rescue me before I fall into despair
Asking for help before giving in to deep sadness and hopelessness.
I send an SOS to the world
Appealing to anyone, anywhere for help.
I hope that someone gets my
Desiring for someone to understand and respond to their plea.
Message in a bottle
Metaphor for the message of longing and desperation that they are sending out into the world.
A year has passed since I wrote my note
A long time has gone by since they made their cry for help.
I should have known it right from the start
Regretful that they did not see the inevitability of their current situation earlier.
Only hope can keep me together
The only thing holding them together and giving them strength is the hope that someone will come to their aid.
Love can mend your life but love can break your heart
Acknowledging the duality of love; it can offer great healing, but it can also cause great pain.
Walked out this morning, I don't believe what I saw
Feeling shocked by the overwhelming evidence that many others are also feeling lost and alone.
A hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
A hyperbole for the abundance of people feeling lost and alone.
It seems I'm not alone at being alone
Realizing that there are many who share the same feeling of being alone.
A hundred million castaways, all looking for a home
More hyperbole for the number of people feeling lost and searching for comfort and belonging.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordon Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind