John Mayer, a popular American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, has reached significant fame by playing acoustic, blues, and rock and recorded many songs that have become a special part of the music-world puzzle.
He was first refining his skills and playing in local bars. After his appearance at the 2001 South By Southwest Fest, he signed some contracts and began to build his career. He used to play acoustic music first, but later, he was a more blues-and-rock guy. Mayer was a member of many bands during his career, including Dead & Company, John Mayer Trio, and Lo-Fi Masters. Despite many struggles he had, he made his wishes come true and became a successful musician who even won seven Grammys.
Mayer is one of the most recognizable and accomplished artists, and he is the king of the six-string. His songs are popular, uplifting, and pretty easy to perform.
Free Fallin’
John Mayer is known for his songs covers of his idols. He decided to record a cover version of Tom Petty’s song Free Fallin’, and it instantly became popular worldwide. His cover stands out as one of his best. Mayer wrote on Twitter that he loved Petty, and he covered his songs because ‘he wanted to know what it felt like to fly.
It’s an easy, three-chord song suitable for everyone.’ You don’t need to be a pro to learn and play it. Use a capo on the 3rd fret for a more original sound.
Your Body Is A Wonderland
Your Body Is A Wonderland is a beautiful song from Mayer’s 2001 studio album Room For Squares. He wrote the song for his first girlfriend, and the initial title was Strawberry Wonderland. Later, it was changed by him. His ex-girlfriend later said and joked she doesn’t believe the song is about her because her body is a disaster. Mayer won a Grammy for this song, and he performed it at the ceremony using an acoustic guitar.
The song is not hard at all and includes C, G, F, Am, and Em with a down-up-up-down-up strumming pattern. It will be great for you to include this Grammy winner in your repertoire.
Your Body Is A Wonderland Guitar Chords
If you wish to learn more pop songs, check out my other list Top 50 Famous&Easy Pop Songs For Guitar – Tabs Included
Waiting On The World To Change
Another Grammy winner and it is one of the favorite songs among Mayer’s fans. It’s like he wanted to invite people to stand up and try to change things in this world. It’s Mayer’s most successful single, and it even reached the top of the Billboard chart. Politics is a theme that Mayer didn’t use to tackle, but he decided to talk about it in this song. Maybe it reached this enormous success because people love hearing something they think but are afraid of saying that.
The song has both rock and soul elements, and it’s great for newbies, as it requires only open chords. If you want to sing it and sound like Mayer, use a capo on the 7th fret.
Waiting On The World To Change Guitar Chords
Daughters
Daughters is a 2004 song and has some autobiographical elements involved. Mayer had a girlfriend who couldn’t believe him. Therefore, he wrote this song as an admonition to parents, especially fathers, to be nice to their daughters because he thinks it’s a good way for daughters to gain faith in people.
It was honored with Grammy, and many people think it’s because of the strong message the song gives us. If you want to play it, you need to know Am, Dm, G7, and C. There are various ways to play a G7 chord, and therefore, you can play om the easiest one for you.
You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me
You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me is a song written by Mayer in one night. He admitted that was the first time he sang in a state of emotion, not just intellectualizing how to sing it. It was covered several times, including Matt Johnson & Noah Guthrie’s and Kina Grannis’ cover.
It’s an easy song with only open chords required. Play G, C, Em, A, Am, and D with a basic strumming pattern that includes downstrokes only.
You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me Guitar Chords
If you love rock and wish to learn some songs to play on your guitar, check out my other article Top 105 Easy & Epic Rock Guitar Songs For Beginners – Tabs Included
Something Like Olivia
I bet Olivia Wilde was feeling great while listening to the song Something Like Olivia because it is dedicated to her. Mayer glorifies her beauty and admits to having a celebrity crush on her. On the other hand, some people think Olivia is just a metaphor. Everyone loves this song, especially those people who love someone they can’t have.
It includes a beginner-friendly G-C-D-Am chord progression and an easy strumming pattern. Oh, if only love was easy to handle like this song!
Something Like Olivia Guitar Chords
Love On The Weekend
Mayer said Love On The Weekend is his favorite song for dancing in the kitchen. He wrote it suddenly while playing something random on his guitar. The song shows Mayer’s softer side with his smooth-talking self. He premiered the song in 2017 through Facebook Live.
An easy G-C-D strumming pattern makes the song available even for newbies. It’s a mixture of pop and soft rock, and it’s easy in tempo, so beginners have more time for switching between chords.
Love On The Weekend Guitar Chords
Shadow Days
Shadow Days is a song from Mayer’s fifth studio album called Born And Raised. The motive for writing this song is still unknown, but there are some suppositions. Many people think the song is dedicated to his ex, Jennifer Aniston. They were dating for ten months, and people think that Mayer was spending shadow days after their breakup. Another possible reason for writing the song is that Mayer wanted to let people know his shadow days full of health issues and scandals are finally over.
You need five open chords and one barre chord to play this song. It’s pretty easy – you only need to practice switching between them, with a focus on the barre chord. You have to play it so you can’t hear any fret buzz.
If you are down to playing some blues songs, you need to check out my other article Top 30 Famous & Easy Blues Songs For Beginners – Tabs Included
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
This song is one of John Mayer’s most commercially successful songs. The song title is a metaphor that alludes to a specific feeling in a relationship – when you date someone, you both see it’s going downhill, and you can’t stop it or control it. BLACKPINKS’ Rosé covered this song, and Mayer marked it on Twitter as gorgeous.
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room has R&B, pop, and soft rock elements. It’s quite easy to perform, as it includes Am, F, C, and G. You can put a capo on the 4th fret.
Slow Dancing In A Burning Room Guitar Chords
Outta My Head
The song sees Khalid linking up with Mayer. This collab was a pure accident – Khalid accidentally saw Mayer while leaving the studio and asked him to listen to his new project. And that’s how the magic began. The story of how the song was created is proof that the best things happen accidentally.
It’s in the key of C major and requires four chords – F, Am, G, C. Practice an F chord more because it’s a barre chord and a bit challenging if you’re an entry-level guitarist.
In The Blood
In The Blood is a song from his 2017 album, and it has a similar background story as his creation called Daughters – it talks about a family influence and how the family can have an impact on the way you love someone. One magazine once said the song was the first one that ever talked about nature versus nurture.
This is a simple song to play on your guitar with a capo on the 1st fret, but it’s not a necessary thing. It’s set in common time and requires a down-down-down-down-up strumming pattern and basic open chords only.
Queen Of California
Another cool song from Mayer’s album called Born And Raised. In an interview, he said the song is about him, and there is no girl he sings about. He expressed his self-perception as a famous person and illustrated him moving from the spotlight to focusing more on creating quality music.
This absolute-beginner song requires four open chords – G, C, Am, and D. You can put a capo on the 4th fret to sound like Mayer’s version.
Queen Of California Guitar Chords
I Guess I Just Feel Like
I Guess I Just Feel Like is another creation that deserves applause. Mayer said he wrote it and knew it’s not a hit-like song, but it was needed to be released, to tell the truth. It was first performed at iHeartRadio Live in 2018.
It’s set in common time, and it’s easy to memorize and play. Tune your guitar to standard tuning, put a capo on the 2nd fret, grab a guitar pick, and enjoy this magic song.
I Guess I Just Feel Like Guitar Chords
Shot In The Dark
Shot In The Dark is another worldwide hit that talks about taking chances on finding true love, but he realized it’s just a shot in the dark. The metaphors present in most of his songs make Mayer very recognizable. A YouTube video turns up the nostalgia and reminds everyone of the ‘80s.
This 2021 song is in the key of D major, and it’s very easy to learn and perform. It requires D, G, A, and Bm. No capo or special guitar tuning is needed.
Shot In The Dark Guitar Chords
Wild Blue
A song that helped people to stay positive and find joy during a pandemic. It soon became the eighth Mayer’s song that was on the top of the Billboard charts. Wild Blue talks about self-discovery after a breakup and it’s probably helping people in those shadow days to gain more confidence and be aware of who they are.
You can hear a stunning, deep bass and an enchanting Mayer’s voice in this song. It’s in the key of A minor and includes some open chords and one barre chord. Practice switching between barre and open chords and you will soon be able to play Wild Blue perfectly.
Changing
As Mayer said, Changing is a spiritual centerpiece of his album called The Search For Everything. He said he was sitting in the studio started singing randomly. Suddenly, he realized he was on a good way to having a perfect song.
It’s a beginner song, so you don’t have to possess advanced skills to perform this song. You need four open chords, one barre chord, and one slash chord that you have to practice a bit. It’s an inversion of the C chord, so you may struggle with the transition between chords because your fingers have already memorized the C major position, and you have to learn how to disconnect the chord and its inversion.
I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You
I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You is a song that represents the singer as a bad boy who warns his date about his previous behavior within relationships. Therefore, he can’t be the guy she deserves. The song is full of empathy, doubts, honesty, and insecurity, and the music follows everything in the best possible way.
It’s set in 4/4 time signature, includes Am, C, G, Dm, Em, and F, and a basic strumming pattern with downstrokes only.
I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You Guitar Chords
Vultures
This timeless song talks about Mayer’s path to becoming famous, including all of the challenges he had to deal with. Mayer sings about the fact that our dreams can have drawbacks too, and you have to go through them to get the position you want.
A funky piano and bluesy riffs perfectly follow the whole song story. It’s a two-chord song, and it’s really easy to perform. The lyrics are easy to learn, and therefore, you can learn to sing and play the whole song very fast.
Speak For Me
The song was created in the studio while John was thinking about the music people love to listen to nowadays. He felt desperate about the way pop culture was moving. During an interview, he said he hoped that he ‘speaks to us as much as his audience speaks for him’.
Speak For Me is such a nice song with a powerful message. It includes an easy A-D-E chord progression, and no capo is needed.
On The Way Home
On The Way Home is one of the favorite songs among JM fans, and they assumed the song is pretty underrated because not so many people talk about it. They feel like John is talking to them. John wrote on Twitter that some songlines are the best ones he ever wrote.
Tune your guitar, play G, D, A, and Bm, and enjoy the beauty of this song. You can listen to an original version. You don’t need a capo or any special skills.
Say
Say is a song known for its appearance in the comedy-drama movie The Bucket List. He had to watch the movie first and then write it so people could have a full package in the cinema. It won a Grammy and gained significant success. ‘Say what you need to say’ is a repetitive songline that can’t go out of your head even after the first listening.
The song contains only basic chords – G, Am, Em, C, and D. You can put a capo on the 3rd fret for a more original sound.
The Heart Of Life
It is not unusual that Mayer’s songs are connected. The Heart Of Life shares the same topic with many of his songs and talks about all the bad things life brings us. It’s like Mayer wanted to touch every life aspect. One line that many JM fans love, goes like this – “Fear is a friend who’s misunderstood”. It teaches us that fear has positive things, not only drawbacks. It needs to motivate us, not to make us give up.
So, if you’re an absolute beginner and want to learn this song, you have to know that it includes a barre chord. Yes, you’re afraid now, but remember what John Mayer said in the song.
The Heart Of Life Guitar Chords
Why Georgia
Why Georgia is an excellent presentation of the person having a quarter-life crisis. John Mayer felt like life had no purpose. He was thinking about leaving everything behind him and keeping driving the car, how he said once, where his guitar takes him.
This beginner song includes G, A, D, C, Em, and a barre F major chord. So, what are you waiting for – take your guitar and let the magic begin.
I’m On Fire
I’m On Fire is actually a Bruce Springsteen song, and John covered it and included it on one of his albums as a bonus track. You can see there are many YouTube videos of him performing it live, which means he loves the cover to be included in his concerts’ repertoire.
It’s in a moderate tempo and is set in common time. Required chores are Am, F, G, and C. You need a capo to be put on the 4th fret.
Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967
To better understand this Mayer’s tune, it’s good to know some things. First of all, the song is about Walt Grace, a man who dreamed about having a ride in his homemade submarine. The end is still a mystery, but JM fans believe Walt Grace completed his journey, even though some song parts don’t prove that.
It’s an epic ballad-like song with a snare drum and piano. Play six chords with a capo on the 6th fret and enjoy this lovely song.
Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967 Guitar Chords
Assassin
Another song that gives you goosebumps every time you listen to it. He represented himself as a rebel and heart stealer. Once, he said that now he is not in that place where he was while writing Assassin. And that’s okay because years give us maturity.
It has an addictive melody, and you can’t say you don’t like it. Assassin is a three-chord song that is pretty simple to learn and play.
War Of My Life
War Of My Life presents life as a battlefield, and the song begins like the sun is out, then it gets darker, and then the sun comes back out, as a happy ending. Fans think it’s an underrated song and deserves more spotlight than usually. Mayer said it’s a gift to people because the song is a voice of people who don’t have it to admit they’re in a war of life and they have two options – fight or flight.
This creation is full of empathy and encouragement. It includes four chords that are pretty easy to learn. You need a capo on the 2nd fret to sound more Mayer-like.
The Age Of Worry
Fans describe The Age Of Worry as a hopeful song that gives strength to people. It became a motto for many people. It gives hope and makes people more forward, no matter what happens and which obstacles are on our way.
It’s one of the easiest Mayer’s songs to learn and play, as it includes only G, D, and C. Transitions are so easy – you don’t have to make a lot of fingers movements, which is important for you as a beginner.
The Age Of Worry Guitar Chords
Split Screen Sadness
Another song describes a dissolution in a relationship. The accent is on the reconsideration – what you should or could or ought to do in a specific situation. Mayer sings about sadness because of the breakup, and he was even feeling guilty for everything that happened.
His soft voice makes your heart beat fast and gives you a special feeling that can’t be described with this-world words. You won’t regret it if you learn it and play to the person you love – maybe everything will be perfect after a dissolution.
Split Screen Sadness Guitar Chords
Not Myself
Not Myself is a 2001 song that many people use to describe their lives. Many people struggle with the feeling of not loving themselves. They just pretend to be someone else to make others love them. The song is like a mirror and inner voice to them, and that’s why it became popular.
This rock song requires some easy chords, a capo on the 1st fret, and a state of emotion while playing and singing.
Conclusion
John Mayer is a popular musician that prefers blues and rock the most. He recorded many songs that have become a special part of the music-world puzzle.
His songs are connected, and you can freely perceive his repertoire as one story about life and love as a battlefield. They are Grammy winners and contributed to musical history a lot.
Mayer’s songs are not just songs – they are a story, support, and a mirror of every single person in this world. You don’t have to be a professional to perform his songs – it’s enough for you to know basic things to learn them.
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