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Originally Posted by MOWJO8185
Are all the Room For Squares fans like die-hard fans from day 1? Like the album has a bit of nostalgia for you in addition to being just a very good acoustic pop album? I didn't get really into Mayer until around the Continuum era, other than being aware of No Such Thing, Wonderland, and Daughters, and as such I don't feel like I've ever been as completely enthralled with it as early Mayer fans.
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Yes, there is definitely some nostalgia that factors into my love for it. Just because of the way it changed my whole outlook on songwriting. I first discovered JM when I was randomly perusing the "M" section at a CD store (remember those?) back in like 2001 (I was 16). I had a habit back then of buying CDs just based on the look of the album, the song names, etc. I'd never heard of him, but the album looked cool - a guy on the front with a guitar, songs like "My Stupid Mouth", "3x5", and "Great Indoors". Plus, the CD was only like $7, so I bought it. I remember popping it into the CD player in my car for the drive home, and BOOM that intro to No Such Thing floored me. I think I listened to that song three more times before I allowed myself to listen to the remainder of the album. Even better when I started hearing it on the radio. Probably why that song ranked #2 on that silly every-JM-song ranking I did a couple pages back here. Other RFS songs rank higher on my list than probably on some people's (ahem, Great Indoors), and again, I fully admit to a nostalgia bias. But even then, Wonderland was at the very bottom - dead last - on my rankings. Can't stand it.
It's easy to see John's evolution from that album, but it still holds a special place in my heart simply because of how it changed my outlook on music. I'd always been a fan of the blues and jazz, as well as a fan of good acoustic folk/pop/rock stuff. But never had the idea occurred to me that you could COMBINE the two
. I remember sitting down in my room trying to figure out No Such Thing early on. Finally I gave up and found a tab of it... I was like, "holy shit... he's playing jazzy/blues stuff over pop melodies and rhythms!!! Why didn't I think of that?!" A lot to handle for an innocent little teenager
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Originally Posted by whygohome?
Faith in one's self is really powerful and not easily attained. We spend our childhood relying on our parents. Then after college we rely on relationships and friends. In the end if you aren't happy with YOU nothing will fill that void. At a certain point it takes something extreme (like building a motherfuckin submarine and pedaling across the pacific) to bring yourself that inner peace. It sounds a little hippy but it's very, very real and I can see how someone like john who seemingly has it all but obviously sometimes isn't happy with himself (as evidenced with almost everything on born and raised) would explore this theme. Ok im done now.
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Very well said. I'd always kinda considered the song to be a metaphor of John's life; kinda autobiographical in nature. Even after I read/watched an interview where he said it was just a character he made up, I still can't help but wonder if he's projecting a bit of himself onto Walt. This was another song that finished near the top of my silly rankings.