"Why Georgia" is a song by American singer-songwriter

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

from his first album, ''

Room for Squares ''Room for Squares'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer, originally released on June 5, 2001, and re-released on September 18, 2001, by both Aware and Columbia Records. Upon its release, it peaked a ...

'' (2001). As a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, the Australian

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

features the live version of "Why Georgia" as it appeared on Mayer's first live album, '' Any Given Thursday'', as the single followed the live album's release. "Why Georgia" was released as the third single from ''Room for Squares'' in January 2003.

Lyrics

The song is autobiographic, and touches on Mayer's experience of having a " quarterlife crisis", a phenomenon of 20-somethings. He moved to Atlanta with Clay Cook after dropping out of

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

, and, though pursuing his dreams, had doubts if he would be successful or not. In one interview he said

I remember getting into some pretty dismal places money-wise and opportunity-wise. I kind of looked at my guitar and said, 'It's just you and me. I'll go where you take me.'Small, Mark (2005)
"John Mayer '98: Running with the Big Dogs"
Berklee.edu. Retrieved on April 23, 2007.

Response

Rolling Stone magazine said that the song "lifts into a melodic chorus you won't soon forget".Decurtis, Anthony (December 6, 2001)
"John Mayer"
''Rolling Stone''. (883/884):152 Stylus magazine praised "Why Georgia," saying of the single, "pure pop guitar lines resonate."

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

bemoaned that on songs like "Why Georgia", Mayer sounds just like

Dave Matthews David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...

Track listings

All songs by John Mayer unless otherwise indicated. US version # "Why Georgia" – 4:28 # "3x5" (Live at the X Lounge) – 5:18 # " No Such Thing" (demo version) (John Mayer, Clay Cook) – 3:51 International version # "Why Georgia" – 4:28 # "3x5" (live at the X Lounge)(feat.

Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...

) – 5:18 # "No Such Thing" (demo version) (Mayer, Cook) – 3:51 # "Why Georgia" ('' Any Given Thursday'' version) – 6:51

Personnel

— vocals, guitar * David LaBruyere — bass * Nir Z — drums, loops * Brandon Bush — Hammond organ * John Alagia — percussion * Clay Cook — backing vocals * Doug Derryberry — backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions

In 2004, saxophonist

Gerald Albright Gerald Albright (born August 30, 1957) is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for the albums ''24/7 (Gerald Albright and Norman Brown album), 24/7'' in 2012 and ''Slam Dunk'' in 2014 and was nominated for ''New Beginnings (Gerald Albr ...

covered the song from the album "Kickin' It Up".

References

External links

*
John Mayer plays "Why Georgia" live in New York for MSN.com.
{{Authority control 2001 songs 2003 singles Columbia Records singles John Mayer songs Songs written by John Mayer Songs about Georgia (U.S. state)