“Wait, did she say John Mayer?”
“Is he still relevant?”
“Is he even ALIVE?”
Yes, I did say John Mayer. Yes, he is relevant, and yes, he is very much alive and well (give him a follow on Instagram to keep tabs on his extremely entertaining and hilarious life). Not only has he released music within the last year, but he has also gone on tour, collaborated with other artists, and graced the world of social media daily with obscure humor that leaves me laughing deep into the middle of the night. He is my hero.
He’s been releasing “bangers” since the late ’90s, and his culmination of ballads, anthems, love songs, and everything in between have literally helped me get through college. He has a gift for understanding emotion and human life in the most profound way, and there is undoubtedly a song to get me through every mood I have ever felt. As a college student, the scale of moods I have felt is extremely vast and alarming, so this is saying something. Without failure, John has come through with a song to ease or emphasize what I am feeling, so I present to you: a John Mayer song for every mood (of a college student).
Happy
“Wildfire” is some of his more “folky” work (which I am here for), but the upbeat rhythm and the lyrics make me want to roll down the windows, sing, snap to the beat, and live my best life.
Sad
“Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” will leave you wanting to cry, but it is so beautiful, creative and expressive that it somehow makes it okay to be feeling sad. The song literally says, “Go cry about it”, and because I have always been a strict rule follower, that is exactly what I do. Thanks, John!
“I just bombed that midterm” (aka a deep, deep depression).
“Dreaming with a Broken Heart”. Need I say more?
Mad
Listen to “Clarity” to help relieve some tension. The melody is therapeutic, and I don’t know who plays the trumpet in this song, but they are fantastic, and I cannot be mad when an expert trumpeter plays through my headphones.
Weird
Ever been unable to pinpoint your mood and end up describing it as “weird”? If yes (even if no), listen to “No Such Thing”. To be honest, I still don’t know what it’s about, but it’s catchy, upbeat, and has some fun words and phrases in there that I like to sing along to when I’m in a weird/crazy/indescribably-off mood.
Straight up annoyed
“Waiting on the World to Change”. You can bet this is queued up when I’m peeved! This song also allows me to pretend that the world is the problem, and I am not. This is how mature adults deal with it.
Stressed
“The Heart of Life” is my absolute favorite song of all time from any artist, and I have reserved it for my times of worry. Put down your work for 3 minutes and 18 seconds, close your eyes, and feel the stress release from your body. You may cry, you may become uneasily introspective, you may even need to give someone a hug. This song can cure anything.
Existential crisis (Probably not a mood, but this happens to me a lot)
“Changing”. We’re never done growing and changing, which makes me feel less terrible about my lack of future plans. Preach it, John.
All. The. Feels.
“St. Patrick’s Day” is so romantic and artistic that it makes me want to die. But, the love in the song makes this short-lived longing for a quick death very much worth it. Disclaimer: this song will not resolve your feels; in fact, it will likely add to them. However, if you are like me, I like to wallow in the feels instead of trying to help myself.
Confident
“Perfectly Lonely”. Boi bye.
I could argue that every single song John Mayer has ever written perfectly embodies a different mood or emotion. But, because I suppose there may be other important things you have to do today, I stuck with what emotions I feel many college students experience. The next time you feel one of these emotions, please listen to the song I have suggested. If you disagree with my choice, you can personally hunt me down. I am happy to buy you a coffee and tell you why you are mistaken!