2001-06-15
John Mayer, posted at 4:59 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Just returned from my five-day exodus to Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Virginia Beach, Richmond, and back to Michigan. It's 5am, too late to go to sleep to get up at 6:30am to go to school, so I've decided to go to the gym. But not before I tell you all about John Mayer.There's lots of news from the trip, but the one item that is sticking with me right now belongs with Mr. Mayer, who wowed me with an extraordinary concert on Saturday night.
It happened by chance. My aunt, Jason, and I were walking along the streets of Chapel Hill, on the edge of the campus of the University of North Carolina, when suddenly I saw a flier for the concert. By luck, it turned out to be at a club called Cat's Cradle (right down the street) on that very Saturday night. What luck!
Jason and I attended the show that night. I was struck by Mayer's youthfulness (he's younger than me, I think), which juxtaposed nicely with his deep and soulful voice.
But what struck me the most are his lyrics. It's like the guy is reading my mind. He opened with the song, "Lovesong For No One". You can find the lyrics on that link, but the basic gist of the song is that the narrator is waiting for the love of his life to come. "I'm tired of being along, so hurry up and get here," is the chorus. How beautiful. The narrator is hoping for destiny to interfere in his loneliness. I guess I sort of am, too. I'm not terribly lonely, in general. But still...
John Mayer has a host of other incredible songs, as well. He's very adept at capturing moments, or in making his own personal experiences ring universal. I loved "St. Patrick's Day,"with its theme of romantic disillusion - of being able to find someone for the cold months, because no one wants to be alone for Christmas or even Valentine's Day. But it's staying together after St. Patrick's Day that's tough.
But my favorite song is still "Why Georgia?" ,which is pretty much my own situation right now. "I am driving up 85 / the kind of morning that lasts all afternoon / I'm just stuck inside the gloom. Four more exits till my apartment / but I am tempted to leave the car in drive / and leave this shit behind. Cause I wonder sometimes / about the outcomes of this still verdictless life / am I living it right?" Wow. How about this couplet?: "Everone is a stranger, but that's the danger of going my own way." This song moves me to tears.
John Mayer writes song that reach me on a more literal, personal level than any songwriter has before. I connect with Brenda Kahn's songs more on an emotional, evocative level, while I connect with the passion of Melissa Ferrick and the wit of Dan Bern. But John Mayer is able to reach me in an amazingly literal way. He's coming to Detroit in late June. Kelly, we're still going, right?