Blast from the Past: John Mayer's "Battle Studies" 15 Years Later
Blast from the Past is an occasional visit back to an underrated album the .WAV team loves.
There are few things I love more than John Mayer. John’s music has helped me through breakups, study for tests, and learn guitar and basic music theory. When I think of “favorite musicians,” everyone of my friends doesn’t hesitate to say Mayer’s name. And while that was cool in the 2000s, John did himself little favors in endearing himself as a cultural lexicon since 2010. After a messy breakup with Taylor Swift, a cringe-worthy interview with Playboy, and after battling mental health problems with alcohol and illicit drug solutions, Mayer earned the right of being called, as one of my favorite teachers in high school referred to him as, “a sleaze.” But since those messy moments, Mayer has stayed relatively quiet. He’s stayed out of the Hollywood spotlight. He’s refrained from dating the in-demand Hollywood starlet. He’s distanced himself from the forces that arguably corrupted him. It is here, in between the taboo headlines and personal reckonings, that Battle Studies lives in Mayer’s career. And why I personally love the album.
When a broader public or fanbase likes something or becomes a fan based upon one thing that they really enjoy, it is difficult to get a fair judgement for the work that is produced rather than where the album or artwork may fit in the grand scheme of their career. Battle Studies had to follow one of the greatest albums of all time. Mayer’s Continuum is continually snubbed from numerous “100 Best Albums of All Time,” lists. And Continuum is one of those albums that doesn’t have a bad track on it. It has 3 of his 5 best hits: “Waiting on the World to Change,” “Gravity,” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” A later reissue of the album features “Say.” Which would make Continuum responsible for 4 of his best hits. It was a genre change and career defining magnum opus all rolled into one album. Grammy wise, it was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Pop Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance of the Year. ANYWAY, Battle Studies had to follow it. Battle Studies never got a fair chance because of it.
Battle Studies still has most of the cliches of a John Mayer album. It has a commercial sound clinging to an airwave. It has some mellow musings about love and heartbreak. But it also has some triumphs. It leans more on his guitar skills. It pushes his song-writing abilities. It’s a well produced album. No song overpowers any other and transitions between tracks are seamless.
However, it lacks a top billboard position/cultural relevancy from any one song that characterized much of Mayer’s early work. Characteristically, each album before Battle Studies had something that a larger audience loved and still recognizes. Look at Room for Squares with “No Such Thing” or “Your Body is a Wonderland.” Look at Heavier Things with “Daughters.” And look at Continuum with “Waiting if the World to Change.” You could argue “Heartbreak Warfare,” or “Half of My Heart” were attempts at a lasting relevancy, but it lacked uniting a fanbase. When you go to a John Mayer concert nowadays, do you hope he plays something from this album? I personally do, but if you’re a passing fan what is that song? (let us know in the comments below… lol) And that’s why I don’t think this album gets its fair share of love. I see this album as dabbling between the lines of commercial relevancy and personal interest. I think John really enjoyed the more thoughtful lyrics on this album and enjoyed performing lyrics that expressed a deeper expression of what he’d be going throug. This album lives as a personal struggle of an artists coming to terms with liking their own celebrity status.
The best hits on the album are “Heartbreak Warfare,” “Half of My Heart (featuring Taylor Swift)” and “War of My Life”. All three differ from the hits of Continuum. They’re not clouded with pessimism or a bleak outlook on life. They’re more or a reckoning based what Mayer seen and experienced in his life.
“Heartbreak Warfare,” deals with the jealous tactics of an ex lover and how deep down he does hope to make it right. Another favorite tid-bit is Jennifer Anniston was in the studio with John as he was recording this song and she bluntly asked, “Is this about me?” People have wondered if this song was about Mayer’s relationship with Jennifer Anniston and he’s routinely denied it. With everyone John has dated, you can rightfully ask who this could be about. However, if there was a song from this album written about his time with Jennifer Anniston, I think the song would be, “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye.”
“Half of My Heart (featuring Taylor Swift)” is about how two lovers who should continue to love one another despite deeply knowing they aren’t each other’s true love. Mayer and Swift would go onto date after the album’s release and the Swifts have never forgiven him for it. As a fan of John Mayer, this was his Icarus moment when it came to Hollywood romance.
“War of My Life” is my personal favorite. If you’re a fan of Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” you’ll enjoy this song. If you’ve ever hit a rough patch in your life or you’ve been burdened by fear, listen to the song. It’s bound to help you believe in yourself if you have a fighting spirit. John used to, and maybe still does, carry around a small pack of anxiety pills in case the worst of his mental health got the best of him in a heated moment. During a performance in 2010, after the fallout of his late 2000s drama, he dramatically stepped on his Xanax mid performance while performing this song.
There are a couple of other really good songs on this album. “Who Says” was the first song I learned to finger pick on the guitar. “Crossroads” was a cover of an iconic 1930s blues/rock and roll anthem that got Mayer a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance. And “Edge of Desire” is a classic John Mayer anthem that once used to be the closing guitar solo track to end live performances.
While Battle Studies was a commercial follow up to Continuum, Mayer’s personal struggles and fall of from public grace served this album with a catalyst for his later and current career. No longer would Mayer’s music be produced with a commercial flare that helped to define his early career to top billboard chart positions that fans knew to love him for. After a couple of cringe-worthy headlines, you don’t hear the same commercial, chart climbing sound that existed on this album. And there’s a certain nostalgic love and understanding for knowing something will forever change while listening to it. Maybe he ceased wanting to be on top of the billboard again. This was Mayer’s last grasp at making and producing something to please everyone. The Battle Studies era would give way to Mayer’s Americana-Folk era where he sought music to make music that only pleased and intrigued himself. This album is Mayer’s last grasp at the spotlight. And Mayer’s unknowing transition into more thoughtful and personal lyrics.
This is why I love Battle Studies. This is the last album where John truly tried to please everyone on one album. It’s characteristically mellow. It’s characteristically groovy. It’s characteristically trying for one banger to remain relevant. But it falls short in that regard. And I don’t see Mayer seeing that as a failure. I see Mayer seeing Battle Studies as knowing who of his fans will stick around when it comes to iffy reviews. Because those are the fans you make music for.
Is there an album that you love that you think the .WAV team should cover? Comment below and we’ll consider it!