No Such Thing (John Mayer song)
Encyclopedia
"No Such Thing" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter John Mayer
. It was released in February 2002 as the lead single from his first album, 1999's Inside Wants Out
. Like many of the songs from Mayer's early musical career, the song was co-written with Clay Cook
. The song has been used in episode 15 of the first season of Alias
.
. It was Cook's and Mayer's response to the standard high school practice of guidance counselors telling students to "stay inside the lines" when instead it's better to follow the path you want and not do something you don't like to do just because the odds aren't in favor of it. This song is perhaps the most autobiographical and personal song Mayer has played a part in, mainly due to the fact unlike his classmates he didn't go to college right away, instead working at a gas station to save up money to buy a guitar. He eventually went to school for about 6 months at the Berklee College of Music
before dropping out to move to Atlanta to begin his career with Clay Cook
.
The song is sung from the perspective of a soon to be high school graduate. He is frustrated with the "typical" path of high school, college and career that the adults in his life endorse. He plans to follow his path to reach his dreams. The song's refrain echoes this:
He feels his classmates don't understand. At the end of the song, he proclaims, "I just can't wait 'til my ten-year reunion / I'm gonna bust down the double doors / And when I stand on these tables before you / You will know what all this time was for".
said of the song, "it doesn't move me in any way." Stylus magazine praised "No Such Thing," calling it "lively." In the U.S. pop charts, "No Such Thing" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100
and number 11 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart.
John Mayer (musician)
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
. It was released in February 2002 as the lead single from his first album, 1999's Inside Wants Out
Inside Wants Out
Inside Wants Out is the debut extended play and very first overall release by American blues rock musician John Mayer. Released by Mayer Music on September 24, 1999, the album was later re-released by Columbia Records on August 2, 2002 with the omission of "Neon 12:47 AM"...
. Like many of the songs from Mayer's early musical career, the song was co-written with Clay Cook
Clay Cook
Douglas "Clay" Cook is a songwriter, producer and musician who co-wrote several songs with Grammy-winner John Mayer including "No Such Thing", "Comfortable", and "Neon"...
. The song has been used in episode 15 of the first season of Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...
.
Content
This song was written in about a week's time in 1999 in Duluth, GeorgiaDuluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits...
. It was Cook's and Mayer's response to the standard high school practice of guidance counselors telling students to "stay inside the lines" when instead it's better to follow the path you want and not do something you don't like to do just because the odds aren't in favor of it. This song is perhaps the most autobiographical and personal song Mayer has played a part in, mainly due to the fact unlike his classmates he didn't go to college right away, instead working at a gas station to save up money to buy a guitar. He eventually went to school for about 6 months at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
before dropping out to move to Atlanta to begin his career with Clay Cook
Clay Cook
Douglas "Clay" Cook is a songwriter, producer and musician who co-wrote several songs with Grammy-winner John Mayer including "No Such Thing", "Comfortable", and "Neon"...
.
The song is sung from the perspective of a soon to be high school graduate. He is frustrated with the "typical" path of high school, college and career that the adults in his life endorse. He plans to follow his path to reach his dreams. The song's refrain echoes this:
They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something's better
On the other side
He feels his classmates don't understand. At the end of the song, he proclaims, "I just can't wait 'til my ten-year reunion / I'm gonna bust down the double doors / And when I stand on these tables before you / You will know what all this time was for".
Response
Billboard said of the song's vocals, lyrics and melody, "What's not to love?" Jason Thompson with PopMattersPopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
said of the song, "it doesn't move me in any way." Stylus magazine praised "No Such Thing," calling it "lively." In the U.S. pop charts, "No Such Thing" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number 11 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart.
Track listing
All songs are by John Mayer unless otherwise noted.- "No Such Thing" - 3:51
- "My Stupid Mouth" - 3:45
- "Lenny" (Live at the X Lounge) (Stevie Ray VaughanStevie Ray VaughanStephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
) - "The Wind Cries Mary" (Live at the X Lounge) (Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
)
Personnel
- John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, omnichordOmnichordThe Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument, introduced in 1981 and manufactured by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. It typically features a touch plate, and buttons for major, minor, and diminished chords...
, Korg TritonKorg TritonKorg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer featuring digital sampling and sequencing created by Korg. All Tritons use Korg's HI Synthesis tone generator. They are available in several models and various upgrade configurations. The Triton is world famous among many musicians for being a...
synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - David LaBruyereDavid LaBruyereDavid "DeLa" LaBruyere is a musician, songwriter and producer, most notably known as the former longtime bass guitarist for John Mayer. He has also been a member of Vigilantes of Love and worked with Michelle Malone.-External links:*...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Nir ZidkyahuNir ZidkyahuNir Zidkyahu is a well-established studio-session drummer, and the brother of Blackfield's drummer Tomer Z. He played the drums for eight songs on Genesis' 1997 album, Calling All Stations, and subsequently joined the band for their 1998 tour.In 2001, he drummed on John Mayer's breakthrough album,...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Brandon Bush – Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, Wurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York... - John AlagiaJohn AlagíaJohn Alagía is an accomplished music producer. He is best known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. Alagia is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Georgetown University...
– percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Jack Joseph PuigJack Joseph PuigJack Joseph Puig is a Grammy Award-winning music engineer and producer with a long track record of successful productions, including the mid-1990s production of Tonic. Puig also worked with Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Green Day, The Counting Crows, No Doubt,...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
Chart performance
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Top 40 Digital Tracks |
28 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 97 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Top 40 Singles Chart |
14 |
| UK Singles Chart | 42 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
13 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 11 |
External link
- "No Such Thing" music video on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....