That's a pretty terrible song, and damn Nicholson is looking rough.
Why does corporate America sell such shit? Because we Americans buy shit by the car load. And in this case, John Mayer (although he's really not that bad) is a heart throb of girls in their senior year of high school and young women in the freshman year of college. Can you say, Important Demographic?
I went to a John Mayer concert years ago when he first started getting big (boring show, btw...his opener Nickel Creek was much more fun to watch.) and I was amazed to be surrounded by hundreds of young (and quite nubile fwiw) young women screaming his praise. I had been listening to him on the "contemporary adult" station...where in Dobbs name did all the teenybobbers come from?
But what's not too love? He's good looking, does play the guitar really well, "sensitive" and writes songs that cause you to swoon if you like 'em and want to take a ballpeen hammer to your head if not (think Tomorrow). His music is digestable, all vegetable, environmentally green, never obscene, and smooth as the last mint julep you get to drink when you're in Hell's lobby.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
Well, a lot of folks were asking themselves the same question when The Macarena (no link, out of mercy) was the hottest craze going. Was the song all that terrible? Sure, but that wasn't the point. (Though I could admire the production, a quality to music that's often derided.) The happiest I've ever seen customers at the store was when we had the 70s Soft Rock channel on the satellite feed-- all Bee Gees, Air Supply, Bread, etc. Judging by the CDs folks bring in to trade, there are plenty of consumers snapping up whatever corporate artist is big that year*.
I have to admit to accepting a "live and let live" attitude to the whole mess. For one, I don't want to be a jaded hipster, although that may not have ever been in my power :) For another, there are plenty of artists in my collection that have made my coworkers run for the off switch. Nina Hagen, for one-- I love Nunsexmonkrock, but am always very considerate about putting it on. Roxy Music is another band that can unnerve people; one morning a coworker said "For Your Pleasure" sounded like being caught in somebody's nightmare. Hell, I've even had Steely Dan on the no-play list, but there's a little more history behind that one.
So what's to do? If I were to say, "c'mon, you're not giving it a chance", I'd be no better than someone who might say the same about, say, the Dave Matthews Band. Yeah, maybe it will grow on me-- but I doubt it, and if it doesn't I've gone through a lot of audio agony for nothing. As Sam Johnson noted, a man cannot be pleased against his will, and that seems like better advice every year I go along.
PS. If you really want corporate nightmare music, might I suggest tuning in to a modern country station for an hour or two? Might make you want to hear that John Mayer tune again, though YMMV.
*One thing you also get to see working second hand is all the bands that didn't pull off the formula well enough to sell, artists who were trying very hard to be the New Kids, or En Vogue, or even Nickelback. Does put quite a dent into conspiracy theorists who believe Big Media has some kind of mind control powers.
Ex ignorantia ad sapientiam; e luce ad tenebras
As of this writing, the John Mayer Wikipedia page announces "AVRIL LAVIGNE ROKZ MY SOCKZ!"
Yikes.
As much as I don't like John Mayer, I just heard Come When I Call and at first listen I thought it was Stevie Ray Vaughan for a few seconds.
I hate to admit it, but I liked it. :(
"It was an ancient rule of Hawaiians that no one should hurt another bodily, or through theft of goods or through injury to feelings.These were the only sins."
