Preview

John Mayer Paradise Valley Analysis

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1394 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
John Mayer Paradise Valley Analysis
Paradise Valley: A Rock Star to a Man Since the release of his first album in 2001, John Mayer has established himself as a prominent singer-songwriter who defies genre typecasting while creating music that is both popular and unique. The release of his latest album, Paradise Valley, in August 2013, has both surprised and excited his expanding fan base. It successfully depicts Mayer 's unpredictable nature as a music personality as he delivers a new twist on his classic soft rock style. John Mayer achieves aesthetic excellence in Paradise Valley by infusing his more typical vocal ballads with unexpected elements of country, jazz, and blues to redefine his style. His lyrics reflect this new music style, evoking the themes of growing up, evolving, …show more content…
In a previous album, he referred to himself as a "runaway train," implying a lack of direction and identity (Runaway Train). Now, he accepts his fame and what it has taken away from him. In "I Will Be Found," Mayer alludes to this point in his life by singing, "maybe I 'm a runaway train," but finishes with, "but I will be found" (I Will Be Found). This declaration of self-assurance marks a new chapter in Mayer 's music. He is no longer lost. He now has hope. He is reminiscing on times of struggle, whether it be his various media scandals or conflicts in his relationships. I love how this track brilliantly symbolizes and epitomizes the saying "write what you feel." Mayer writes this song to express how he feels about himself, but it simultaneously comforts his listeners and fans who themselves may have been confused about who they are at some point. Throughout the song he repeatedly asserts, "I will be found" (I Will Be Found). The repetition and stress on the word "will" corresponds with the salient notes in the song, confirming musically in addition to lyrically the significance of the line, and the message of the song (Nichols). John Mayer has a way of connecting with his audience that makes lyrics feel like an intimately personal conversation. His words, "I will be found," comfort me as if I were worried about him after he seemed so lost on his previous

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Music has been around since the beginning of time. Many artists express themselves by writing songs to convey emotions, tell fictional stories, or to share their own experiences. The human mind attaches many senses and feelings to melodies; they are tied to moments in life. Everyone feels the same emotions even though people are all different and unique. Songs are written about all sorts of feelings such as happiness, sadness, angriness, and sorrow. For example, if a person is having a bad day he can find a song relating to how he is feeling. American Idol, a reality show, auditions millions of young adults who have a passion for music and want their talent to be recognized. Carrie Underwood is the season four winner of the show. Since her success in 2005, she has become a very popular country music star by having many hit songs and receiving two Grammy's. The song "Before He Cheats," is one of her best, because it shows off her award winning vocals and expresses emotions of strong willed females.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walk the Line, a 2005 film written by James Mangold, is a biography of Johnny Cash's life, from his days as a young boy to his days as a country music star (IMDb). Johnny Cash had always had a love for music, even as a child, but he never expanded on it, until he needed a way to support his family, which he felt he could do by becoming a musician. He had a dream to become a musician all his life, and by having a little push, he auditioned with his band and was able to make a record. Unfortunately, Johnny's "perfect" life was short lived, when he got tied up into dangerous substances, drugs and alcohol, and these things caused him to lose all that he held dear to him. By Johnny Cash making these horrible decisions, although wrong, they made…

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Music is a form of expression, and many artists have come forth with works that tackle social issues. The infamous singer-songwriter and Grammy Award winner, John Mayer, has written many influential pieces over the years. In August of 2006, Mayer released his song “Waiting on the World to Change”. The lyrics express how society keeps waiting for global change to take effect instead of stepping up and resolving the apparent issues. The song is targeted towards a younger generation who is not making any effort towards improvement as a society. John Mayers lyrics compel his audience to act upon his message with use of the persuasive device repetition, and the persuasive appeal pathos.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Paradise Lost is a documentary that follows the trial of the Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley. They were accused of killing three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. All three were convicted in 1994. Damien received the death penalty and the other two both received like sentences. These three teenagers would become known around the world as the West Memphis 3.…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beatles Exam 2

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This '64 John early ballad was autobiographical, featuring effective close vocal harmony and guitar harmonics by George. It is...…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The music of Bruce Springsteen had a huge impact on the author’s life, which find himself struggling to please his father. Hence, The passion with Bruce Springsteen started when Amolak recorded a cassette for author. Bruce Springsteen’s music was extraordinary because its lyrics where crafted for true purpose, a unique sensation in which the sorrows of its voice entered into the acoustic meatus of the author. He stated that “as I listened to Bruce Springsteen I realized this was like nothing I had heard before” (92). The sound was called “Growin up”. This sound opened his mind but it was the lyrics who had impact upon the author life. The author expresses that “This was not a song, it was a spoken words introduction to a song; it was man…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Carley Whitehorse Professor Silva English 200 January 3, 2016 This Land Is Your Land This Land was made for you and me, but was it really? I do not believe this is a true statement. I believe that each person believes they are entitled to their own space and their owns thoughts and depending on where you are in the world and what beliefs and lifestyles you live, you may not believe any land in which are you on feels like it belongs to you or that you share the same values as those you are surrounded by.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Waiting on the world to change: John Mayer- At one point he says "So we keep waiting (waiting)…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "My Back pages" by Bob Dylan can be interpreted in any number of ways by any number of people for such is the beauty and artistry of his work. It possesses this quality which allows it to reach out and touch any individual who will permit it to do so. As far as what it is that these prose say to me I firmly believe that these lyrics are so elusive that their personal significance could change from moment to moment. As is such I will try to write quickly. In a general sense, with these verses Dylan is trying to say that the younger one is the more he thinks he knows but in reality he knows much less and as one approaches maturity he knows much more and is aware of that which he is in truth unaware.…

    • 899 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poetry “Amazing Grace” by John Newton is one of the most famous poems ever written and composed. “Amazing Grace” has been particularly influential and has affected lives since it was written. The reasons why “Amazing Grace” is influential are for the same reasons why I found this poem very interesting and engaging. The literary elements that attributed to the poem’s quality and importance are its form, content, and tone. These elements are what make “Amazing Grace” such an important and significant piece of poetry in history.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The greatest gift God has given each one of us is the gift of life. Each one of us is individually made by God and He is the one who writes our story. Not one single person on this planet has the same personal story from another and that is the beauty of life. Because every person experiences life in a different way we can learn from each other’s experiences. The cultural narrative that I choose to read was Reyna Grande’s The Distance Between Us. As I was reading this memoir, I noticed some similarities and some differences compared to my story.…

    • 1676 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the community of Forever of Paradise education is very important and everyone ages 4-18 must attend either the Academy for Boys or the Academy for Girls. Everyday there are different activities that help students practice and learn about a certain job. At the age of four every child is given a series of test and then 47 jobs are chosen for them to practice. Based on how well a child did in an activity, they are given a certain amount of points. Everyone gets at least one point for participating, they get two points for trying and doing an ok job, three points for doing a good job, four points for doing a great job, and one person who exceeds everyone else is given five points. After each activity their teachers insert each child’s amount…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    With Hawaii having the highest per capita homeless population in the nation, the public has become so used to and desensitized to the needs of these people that suffer from this serious issue. For many of us, we look at the homeless population as being lazy, smelly freak shows that scare away our tourists and spoil this paradise for the rest us. Often times, we make gross assumptions about these people and are quick to judge them for their failures. However, “No Room in Paradise,” a special 90-minute documentary, attempts to take a stand against this preconceived notion by diving head first into Hawaii’s intimate homeless crisis and offering a fresh perspective of the homeless crisis in Hawai’i,…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our world has shrunk, and as a result societies are intermingling frequently. In the essay, “I, Too, Sing America” by Julia Alvarez, it discusses the struggles of assimilating into American society, during a time of prejudice against minorities. People face persecution when coming to a new country and it only stops if they assimilate. The tone of “I, Too, Sing America” by Julia Alvarez shifts from depressed and disappointed to hopeful and relaxed enhances the central idea.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Music can be seen as an outlet for those who feel they do not have a voice in our society. For world famous Motown singer Sam Cooke “A Change is Going to come” was his vocal outlet of distaste, trust and hopefulness of the 1960s. He desired the civil rights movements to bring upon a better more equal world. This hope is encapsulated forever in this song in the line of lyric that calls out saying, “But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will” (Sam Cooke). A simple, but powerful line on the state of being marginalized since the years of slavery. The change that Cooke so dearly desired is upended by the other lyrics that surround this optimistic line. The clouds of uncertainty shroud the light of hope in this song where there is only one…

    • 1448 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics