Every artist likely has a song in their catalog that they wish they did a little differently. Sometimes, they wish they never made it completely. But there’s always a bit of regret somewhere in the creation process, especially if you’re a perfectionist. For John Mayer, that moment stemmed from one of the most successful songs of his career.
In 2003, he released “Daughters” from his album Heavier Things. Eventually, that song would win Song of The Year at the 47th annual GRAMMY Awards. It revolved around how daughters, and children in general, will grow up as reflections of their parents. If they aren’t taken care of properly, it would inevitably ruin future relationships.
Decades later, John Mayer is much colder toward the song. In a clip from a recent performance, he took an aside to admit it came from an egotistical place rather than real wisdom. “I was being overly high-minded and haughty because my heart was broken at 24. I probably should have minded my own business,” he told the crowd.
Then, he clarified further, revealing that the song was birthed in the aftermath of a bad breakup. Ultimately, he tried to make sense of it and searched for a simple explanation. By the end, Mayer projected their problems onto his ex’s parents and her upbringing.
John Mayer Has Serious Regrets Over How He Made ‘Daughters’
“And I’ll take the truth over, like, you know, a shinier lie, but I was so heartbroken,” Mayer continued. “You know, when you’re young, and you’re heartbroken, and you start looking for reasons why something worked and start huffing and puffing. I was so desperate that I just turned to the past.”
Nowadays, John Mayer hates the mindset that he used to have. But the singer and guitarist also offered himself a bit of grace for being young, dumb, and trying to have all the answers.
“Imagine being so broken about — you’re heartbroken over somebody that you’re like, ‘Why couldn’t you have been raised to be more like a match for me?” he reflected. “But the thing about being a songwriter at 24 is you don’t know what isn’t your business.”
By the end of his talk with the audience, he called the 24-year-old version of himself a “weird messenger” for “Daughters”. At almost 49 years old today, the record took on a new meaning. “I’m glad I have the song because I left myself a beautiful thing that I can put a different context on,” John Mayer concluded.
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