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.
Victoria
John Mayer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could see by the look in her eye,
Tori'd been driving round the town for a while
Plying with the thought of leaving
I don't know why, tori just smiled
And mentioned something about how you were right
Must have been hard to see
Through the tears she was hiding
I got a few things I've been waiting to do
Hey
Tori came by,
Tori came by tonight
Hey
Tori came by,
She says to say "goodbye"
Looked outside,
At the car in the drive
And the suitcase,
On the backseat inside
Sure, it's so,
She can't look out behind at the road
She said I might not be seeing him soon.
I got a few things I've been waiting to do
Hey
Tori came by,
Tori came by tonight
Hey
Tori came by,
She says to say "goodbye"
Don't look down.
She seemed alright
You might be asking "where is tori tonight?"
Somewhere out on the highway,
I'm sure that she is fine
The lyrics to John Mayer's song Victoria tell a story of a woman named Tori who pays a visit to the singer. Tori appears to be contemplating leaving her current situation, possibly a relationship, and has been driving around town for a while. Despite this, she seems to have found peace and acceptance in the situation, acknowledging that John was right about something. Tori then reveals that she may not be seeing the person she's leaving behind anytime soon but has a few things she's been waiting to do.
The chorus is a repetition of Tori coming by and saying goodbye, while John observes as she gets in her car with her suitcase in the backseat. Despite the serious tone of the lyrics, the song ends with a sense of hope as John reflects that Tori seems to be doing alright on the open road.
The song has a melancholic and wistful feel that paints a picture of a bittersweet goodbye. It's unclear whether Tori is leaving a lover, a friend, or simply the town, but the lyrics capture the feelings of leaving behind something significant and unknown yet hopeful future.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why tori came by,
I am unsure of the reason Tori decided to visit
I could see by the look in her eye,
Her facial expression suggested that she was troubled
Tori'd been driving round the town for a while
Tori was roaming around the city for some time
Plying with the thought of leaving
She was contemplating leaving a certain place or person
I don't know why, tori just smiled
I am not sure why she smiled despite looking troubled
And mentioned something about how you were right
She spoke about someone who was proven correct in a situation
Must have been hard to see
It was probably difficult to notice due to the tears she was holding back
Through the tears she was hiding
She was concealing her emotions or distress with tears
She said I might not be seeing him soon.
Tori conveyed that she may not meet someone in the future
I got a few things I've been waiting to do
She expressed her desire to work on some tasks that had been waiting for her
Looked outside, At the car in the drive
I viewed the car parked in the driveway
And the suitcase, On the backseat inside
I saw the suitcase kept on the backseat of the car
Sure, it's so, She can't look out behind at the road
Due to her position in the car, she cannot see the road behind her
Don't look down.
Don't feel disheartened or despondent
She seemed alright
She appeared to be doing well despite leaving
You might be asking "where is tori tonight?"
You may be wondering about Tori's whereabouts this evening
Somewhere out on the highway,
She is most likely traveling on the highway
I'm sure that she is fine
I believe that Tori is doing well
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: MAYER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind