John Mayer - Hotel Cafe 5/6/09 Who Says I Can't (new song)

[nikgottheblues]

i wouldve prob hit someone that night, they were gettin the sneak peek. a very special moment and they took it for granted. listen to the tone and the pace of the music, does that really sound like a joke.

[Pissupboiz]

brilliant song, beautiful n so truuu

[alezb]

why they laugh so much?

[rasco5]

Cuz they are drunk.... This song is nice.

[spliffbunker]

haha

[AZNGoSu]

i don't get whats so funny about his lyrics... its a very serious and heartwarming tone...

[jake3189]

lol i love how the crowd like laughs throughout the whole song though this is meant as like a pretty serious song

[JesseDean929]

i don't think people really appreciate the amount of thought that goes into his songs. even though the lyrics to this song seem simple on the surface, the way they interplay with the guitar is brilliant. check out his "clinic" from berklee for more on "dynamics" and song "events" -- it will blow your mind.

[elizabethforsure]

so good! i love it so much

cant wait for the new album! <3

[pie1pie2pie3pie4]

"I personally love it, just not from a business prospective. " - gu1tarslinger

Playing by the book for too long is boring, especially if its the book of "How to make the most money you can in any situation"

John Mayer did that, captured an audience and now he's gonna try to change popular culture ^^; maybe... idk +)

[pie1pie2pie3pie4]

; ; sorry that sounds kinda mean, especially my first line. i'm having a hard time getting youtube to erase it so i can edit though ^^:

[guitarzach65]

i like "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing" the most, but anything john does is worth a listen

[sixstringsick]

best new song so far

[guitarskater11]

there not their jackass

[gu1tarslinger]

"Perfectly Lonely" should be his first single from this album in my opinion. A single should be a song that speaks to most people, catchy, and carries the tone of the entire album well. This song will turn a lot of people away. I personally love it, just not from a business prospective.

[HeartBeatOfYourLife]

John<3

[surfingers]

This song is called "Who Says"

I'm properly looking forward to battle studies :)

[AFXisgreat]

I like this as a single. I was a fan of his for a while, lost interest about a year ago. This song and Heartbreak Warfare have restored my interest. it sounds fresh. Hopefully this record won't disappoint.

[Danielmcdnld]

I hate it when clueless people try to analyze music. People did it with Nirvana and Cobain said himself his songs didn't mean anything. He just wrote off the top of his head. Just fucking listen and enjoy. Stop trying to be clever cos youre clearly not!!!!

[allfitch84]

I don't claim to be clever. I'm just saying what I get from the lyrics and it could just be what I want to hear. And Cobain killed himself, so I could care less about what he said about his songs. Clearly his life didn't mean anything to him either, so why would I care if his songs did or not? Get what I'm saying? I'm not trying to be an ass, its just how selfish and lame do you have to be to kill yourself? Stupid.

[moesh]

John Mayer on Twitter:

'Battle Studies' will be released on November 17. Single "Who Says" is coming soon... I am going to make some coffee.

[allfitch84]

I don't think the song itself is supposed to be funny. It's an ironic thing which give it a humorous feel. That part "I dont remember, you looking any better, then again I dont remember you"-- Its double meaning. I mean, stoned, you don't remember but then it seems to be that He's saying the person is just like anyone else hes been with. There's nothing special which is why he doesn't remember. I mean that line "fake love for an hour or so" a very deep line. That tells me the song is not a joke

[checkoutthisblues]

Brilliant insight, I agree 100%

[WonderlandVII]

I agree. There's a lot more of a whistful kind of meaning behind it. The joke is gonna draw public in though.

[tocoolforschool11rts]

who said I can't bet stoned ???

[footballfriend]

does anyone know when he is dropping battle studies ?

[live4491]

November 17, 2009

[smithdonone]

omg really that close!, thanks

[soundlaboratorium]

Why is everybody laughing at the weirdest moments?

I don't think this song was supposed to be intentionally funny. The yelling was sort of obnoxious.

[checkoutthisblues]

People are ignorant, their insecurities allow them to only here the surface...

[blues970123]

it sounds like a mix between alex murdock's all of my days and jm's can't stop this train

[smithdonone]

stop this train*

[IanGuitarhero]

sounds alot like stop this train

[acousticaptitude]

the exakt same picking pattern

[guitarskater11]

Starts On The Same Chord...And He does the Slap Technique

[zombiebutt7]

really, mayer?! really?!

[zeldasc]

Loved it

[Doud92]

It's called Who Says actually

[egaMhcrA]

verse:

xx0320, 3x0320, 2x0320, x2203x, x0333x, x1202x, x2423x, x2213, 3x003x, 2x023x, xx0230

chorus:

3x003x, 2x023x, x0222x, play that twice then, 3x003x, 2x023x, x1202x, x2423x, x2203x, x0222x

[kinney1990]

anyone know the chords? think i have an idea not too sure tho

[gu1tarslinger]

Verse: D, G, D Em, F#/D, A7sus4, BbDiminished Bm7, E7 G, A7sus4, D Chorus: G, D, A7sus4, A7 G, D, A7sus4, A7 G, D, BbDiminished, Bm7 E7, A7sus4, A7 Right hand is the doing pretty much the same thing as in "Stop This Train"

[kinney1990]

thanks man

[tocoolforschool11rts]

who said I can't get stoned?lol

[guitarskater11]

I really hope that this is the acoustic song that he was talking about on twitter where he said his pants were too loud so he had to change them.

[StockholmSyndrome08]

This song could be about anything and still be so beautiful.

My new fav mayer song, please appear on battle studies.

I can't believe some people can't read further into the lyrics and figure out its deeper meaning.

[kogalife]

This song is beautiful!

Truly hope it's on Battle Studies

[MadmanAcrossTheWater]

this is my new favorite song. if you can get over the line about him getting high the message in this song is just stripped down, raw, and beautiful. The full John Mayer effect.

[ruipsoa]

what he says after this "I don't remember you looking any better but then" (?) "I don't remember you"

[caspersvapors]

but then again

[ruipsoa]

thank you, it is want i think :)

[caspersvapors]

huh? can you rephrase that

[ruipsoa]

forget it :P

[ruipsoa]

god, i've listen to it, but i've to be high to don't understand the beauty of this song....

[jpriest87]

this songs is so awesome

[Craigm1841]

those people dont even know what they are laughing at.

[RuecianG]

true. well, the song's pretty good anyway, haha.

[empowerment09]

What this in Austin????

[empowerment09]

Great song wish I could have been their.

[JustBeyondTheVeil]

Man, I hope this is on Battle Studies. I love this song.

[MrIanRanter]

could be . but it sounds like an intro to stop this train. but it is prtty good

[tissuechang]

This and Puking blood in my spine !

[blueridge7]

this a great song. mayer keeps on re-inventing himself and that shows that hes not some pop guy that comes and goes. keep on your path john cos were all following it

[hanlucas]

It would be a shame if this song didn't end up on Battle Studies 1) because it was recorded and posted when it wasn't supposed to be and/or 2) because of all the people laughing for who knows what reason.

[heartagram1881]

anyone know the guitar tabs for this?

[Jordaddy35]

haha this song is actually really good but definitley not his normal style

[moesh]

haha 'planned a trip to Japan alone'

his new Battle Studies video is about that trip

[byrnnryb]

Actually about the trip he took a couple years ago.

[togotiger1]

actually a trip he took last month... (According to his Twitter posts...)

[byrnnryb]

I know about that. This was before he went.

Both were by himself. Could be either.

[poely92]

did you rec anymore cus i cant find a good version of war of my life so i thought maybe you have 1 :D

[uresse1]

I dont remember you isnt supposed to be funny. idiot. John said so himself

[TRT406]

they're all drunk, i think thats the root of the laughter

[leif77]

The song is hilarious and he was being sarcastic when he said that... he never asks for silence when he plays stop this train or heart of life and he always gets it anyway... he doesn't need to ask for that shit... his crowd is smart enough to know better and he knows it... they all got the joke but apparently you guys didn't...

[merc2b]

i see him changing the lyrics around a bit... when he starts humming in the middle that is the part that is played on the piano in Battle Studies update no. 2..... therefore he is recording a song with that piece of music and this very well could be it... even if he doesnt change the lyrics...its still beautiful if you look at it like a musician/artist/listener should

[campb423]

wow that was mighty perceptive of you recognizing this from battlestudies n. 2. makes me hopeful to see this song on the record, its a good tune. I wanna see why did you mess with forever released

[Jordaddy35]

what part of this tune is in batlestudies n. 2?? i didnt hear it...

[ruipsoa]

it's a relative old song (why did you mess with forever) and in my opinion i think the 100% acoustic version is absolutely beautiful and perfect :D

[ak231510]

They are laughing cause it is supposed to be funny. I hope people are not sitting there thinking this is gonna be a song on the new album. "But then again I dont remember you." It supposed to be a joke,

[Craigm1841]

yeah but he specifically told the audience he wanted to "operate over a dead silence" funny or not, it has meaning to him. everyone should have just shut up and listened. most people dont truly appreciate music. musicians are affected by the vibe during a performance in a small venue like this. he wanted silence, he should have had it.

[ak231510]

Do you not have a grasp on irony? He said that becuase he was pretending it was a meaningful stop this train type of song, and then no one expects it to be funny. That is just his style of humor, go look up "john mayer how to write a song" and watch that video, he does that sort of thing all the time. Believe me, the asking for silence was a joke, why then has he never asked for silence with stop this trian or in repair, which both have a lot more meaning?

[gehlii]

I think people are laughing because they are surprised by the lyrics:) Great song!

[ryman1230]

do people think this like standup hour for john mayer? why the fuck are they laughing the whole time?

[mbrtfan]

Wow. His voice has really gotten closer and closer to perfection over the years. Amazing.

[jayjaywalker123]

so true

[chelseymax]

aghhh....hate the laugh track

[omarsponch]

Great song!

[kdense08]

sounds like stop this train at some points

[omarsponch]

totally :D haha

[caspersvapors]

mostly just due to the picking pattern

[Sulphrous]

people are laughing because the lyrics are funny.

[chaferbud]

why did everyone give this a thumbs down?  yeah there are parts that are funny, and the crowd laughs appropriately. its definitely a meaningful song though.

[marshallwallace]

Kinda sucks how he says he'd like a quiet crowd, which changes the meaning of the song (rather than humorous), and still everyone's laughing.

[mamabean76]

Absolutely awesome!

[salvamg89]

this is like the 20th time that i listened to this song and i just can't get enough of it! the lyrics are so accurate and so are the chords, i really don't know how john comes up with this stuff... genius, i guess

[thchruan]

The lyrics are really moving... Why are those morons laughing? How frustrating must it be when that happens?

[JohnMayer07]

this reminds me almost of a more musical bob dylan tune... this isn't a comedic song,

[jwtninety]

the lyrics are moving, but also kinda funny? and it's written to be quite funny and it's quite a light topic, hence why they are laughing?

[ajfanchristine]

Love it!

[jwlthv]

I'm glad someone else posted something too. Good on ya for ignoring the dip shits out there telling you not to post.

[parkercr]

well, you have to figure he's smart enough to know that someone is gonna tape it and post it. If he really didn't want people to hear it he wouldn't have played it. Its a great tune with great lyrics I hope he keeps playing it

[HollBeth]

You're an jerk for posting this when he asked nothing be recorded. You're obviously not a fan of his.

[antonnygi]

It´s been a long night in New York City.

This song really makes sense to me. Hope to see it on the new album.

[mbrtfan]

The woman that keeps yelling during the song obviously doesn't know how to listen, and the people laughing don't either and I don't think they get the song...

I think it's BRILLIANT!! I absolutely love it!

[tissuechang]

Haha, and the tutorials too; "Ok you guys, the song starts off just like stop this train, only its different !".

[emiliabolsas]

That's not what he was saying. It sounds like he was finishing a story or making a quip "...and it ain't stopping strangers..."

[mbrtfan]

No, he said something like "This song starts out like Stop This Train, but it ain't stop this train."

[emiliabolsas]

You're right. Listening on my iPhone is a whole different sound than what I was originally hearing on this crummy Dell.

I was thrown off by the people laughing so hard at lines that weren't intended to be funny. The Japan line? He really did go alone.

[tissuechang]

I can't wait for the YouTube covers on this ! hahahaha !

[zylaxis]

frankly, this is the best John Mayer tune I've heard yet- it's the first one he's written that isn't a self-absorbed crock of shît.

[JohnMayer07]

you're calling Continuum a crock of shit?

[leif77]

heart of life and gravity?

[ajfanchristine]

I don't get why people are laughing? What's funny? They're actually very thoughtful, poignant lyrics. And for all those of you who think that it's about getting stoned, think again, and don't be so literal!

[SJMR94]

You know what,

this is actually pretty briliant

[junckzproductions]

I thought people think its a joke. I think it could or couldnt be.

[aplever4]

My favorite forum for JM is the small venue, and I certainly here the argument for preservation of that forum by adhering to his requests. Nonetheless, he has to realize he forfeited the low-key profile with his first hit and his past company. Not saying that is fair; I'm just saying that is the way it goes. Furthermore, I don't think he will ever abandon small venues b/c they are engraved in his style and writing process. It may though come to the point where he doesn't allow phones/cameras.

[bootsyg]

Who says I cant get stoned?

Call up the girl that I used to know

Fake love for an hour or so

Who says I cant get stoned?

[bootsyg]

Its been a long night in NYC

Its been a long night in Baton Rouge

I dont remember you looking any better

But then again I dont remember you

[bootsyg]

Who says I cant be free?

From all of the things that I used to be

Be right now in history

Who says I cant be free?

[gabrieltsiry]

how about 'rewrite my history'?

[bootsyg]

Who says I cant get stoned?

Turn off the lights and the telephone

Me and my house alone

Who says I cant get stoned?

[FenderStrat6218]

This sucks.

[justins9]

Society (including John) has welcomed the benefits of YouTube and the like, so we all must also be willing to accept its burdens too.

[dompascarella]

take this down

[sqlife]

i feel guilty for watching this...

[mayerville]

What part of "I'll trade you new songs for no videoing them?" did you fail to understand. I think he was perfectly clear.

I second the "You=douche" statement, except I would haveused a stronger word.

[forjamplay]

Exactly. If John says "Don't tape this please" that means exactly that. This whole thing will end up him not preforming those type of songs at all.

[mayerville]

You're a douche as well. So if someone commits a crime then that just makes it okay or correct for everyone else to do it. Grow up! You and Kyle are wrong and are too immature to admit it! I hpe you get caught and prosecuted for illegal downloading of copyrighted materal.

[benuncerta]

Now dont get personal, this is the internet. You didnt understand the question. My question was why give this guy a hard time when other (!not me!) people post up his full dvds and take money directly out of his pocket? My status on the subject is its neither right or wrong it just happens and i'm sure this song will reach the ears of more fans than critics (rolling stone mag) since that seems to be the root of this. Go over to the Eddies Attic vidoes and give them shit too they did the same.

[YogiSizzle]

I think the problem is that John specifically asked for people not to film this one. Normally he doesn't care

[rivalius13]

You = douche.

[bingbanggirl1]

way to ignore john's request not to video tape these songs and post them all over the internet! you should be ashamed at yourself for violating the man's trust. i suggest you make this video private before it ends up in millions of gossip blogs.