Waiting on the World to Change
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| “Waiting on the World to Change” | |||||
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| Single by John Mayer from the album Continuum |
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| B-side | "Good Love Is on the Way" Limited Edition EP version only |
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| Released | August 2006 | ||||
| Format | Digital download | ||||
| Recorded | July 11, 2006 | ||||
| Genre | Blues rock | ||||
| Length | 3:23 | ||||
| Label | Aware Records Columbia Records Sony Music |
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| Writer(s) | John Mayer | ||||
| Producer | John Mayer Steve Jordan |
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| John Mayer singles chronology | |||||
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| Other covers | |||||
Limited Edition EP cover
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"Waiting on the World to Change" is the first single released from John Mayer's 2006 studio album, Continuum. The song enjoyed general critical acclaim as well as commercial success as a single. For this song, Mayer won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. Because of its theme of discontent and hope, it quickly came into demand in a variety of television programs, charity benefits, and other events.
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[edit] Background and production
In a Rolling Stone interview, Mayer recalled that after former Columbia Records head, Don Ienner, panned the first incarnation of Continuum, Mayer was brought to tears and briefly considered quitting music and studying design full time. However, that same day, Mayer wrapped work on a Curtis Mayfield-inspired tune called "Waiting on the World to Change," which would become Continuum's first single. Mayer knew it would be a hit for the album, remarking, "By the end of the day, I'd gone back to 'Nah, this is a great record.'"[1]
[edit] Lyrics and structure
"Waiting on the World to Change" contains a highly popular chord progression often found in blues, rock and soul songs, such as The Impressions's "People Get Ready" and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing". The chord progression is "1-6m-4-1 - 5-6m-4-1" and, in the case of "Waiting on the World to Change", is in the key of D.[citation needed] Another interesting fact is the accenting of the beats in the verses. Contrary to most popular music, the second snare backbeat of the second measure of the two-bar beat that repeats through most of the song features an accent on the "and" of "4", and not directly on "4."
The song's theme centers on the singer and his generation's inaction in regard to current world conditions. However, he attributes this inaction to a lack of power:
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
He also laments the corruption among leaders:
It's not that we don't care,
We just know that the fight ain't fair
John Mayer confirmed this feeling of disconnect between the leaders and the led in an interview with The Advocate, explaining the song this way: "It’s saying, ‘Well, I’ll just watch American Idol because I know that if I were engaged in changing anything for the better, or the better as I see it, it would go unnoticed or be completely ineffective. A lot of people have that feeling."[2] Even so, the song alludes to hope for the future, with the singer intoning that with his generation's ascension to power, things will change:
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Politics was a topic that Mayer had not previously tackled. On his decision to include a politically-tinged song, he commented, "You cannot avoid war in life, you cannot avoid the fear of terrorism, you cannot avoid those things now, they are a part of everyday demeanor. So in that sense it's become more of an acceptable thing to comment on because it's just so much of a white elephant."[3]
[edit] Promotion and release
The music video for the song was directed by Philip Andelman and features Mayer walking along the East River while commissioned graffiti artists Futura, Tats Cru, and Daze spray paint messages relating to the song's content on New York City billboards.
A limited-edition EP of "Waiting on the World to Change" was released featuring both an album version and a bonus, acoustic version of the song (which features Ben Harper). The EP also has a studio version of "Good Love Is on the Way", which was previously released on the live album Try! by the John Mayer Trio. This particular EP has only been made available through Best Buy and with the purchase of the Continuum album. However, acoustic and studio versions of this song are also available on Mayer's EP entitled, The Village Sessions, released on December 12, 2006.
[edit] Reception
"Waiting on the World to Change"
Kelefa Sanneh of the New York Times called the song "a lovely and anger-free ode to a vaguely dissatisfied generation,"[4] while Matt Collar with AMG wrote that "Nobody — not a single one of Mayer's contemporaries — has come up with anything resembling a worthwhile anti-war anthem that is as good and speaks for their generation as much as his "Waiting on the World to Change"[5] Rolling Stone called the opening track and first single "a moving apologia for Gen Y's seeming 'apathy'"[6] Other reviewers commented on his progression as an artist; Tony Pascarella found the song "gives listeners, both old and new, an idea of how far Mayer has come. To be frank, this is no 'Your Body Is A Wonderland.' With Continuum, Mayer broadens his fan base by infusing a very blues and R&B-influenced sound."[7] Not all reviews were glowing: Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times were both less than impressed, with the Times saying that, in the song, "his mood tightens up unpleasantly."[8] Greg Kot in The Chicago Tribune also referred to the song (in his report on Mayer's appearance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival) as '[perhaps] the most spineless social-justice song ever written. It advocates a passive approach, whereas the song it most closely resembles --- Curtis Mayfield’s classic “People Get Ready” --- urges everyone to get involved, or risk being left behind'. [9] Pitchfork Media found in the track "the gravitas of an infomercial but only a fraction of the soul", giving it the least grade.[10]
On February 22, 2007, it peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. It has stayed on the charts for 41 weeks.[11][update needed] The single also reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Chart, remaining on the chart for over a year. It is Mayer's most successful single (both in sales and chart positions). To date, in the U.S., the single has sold 1,650,493 in digital downloads. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA, a distinction for downloads and sales in excess of one million. The song has found success internationally as well. It peaked at #17 on the Australian ARIA Digital Singles Chart. It also peaked at #36 on the New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart.
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Australia ARIA Top 40 Digital Tracks | 17 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 Singles Chart | 36 |
[edit] Appearances in the media
The song's theme of discontent in world conditions, but optimism for future change, contributed to its use in many television programs, movies and charity events. The song was chosen as accompaniment to shows about world conditions, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, 7th Heaven, and a 20/20 special actually titled "Waiting on the World to Change". The Deaf Performing Artists Network (D-PAN), an organization that raises awareness for performing art of the deaf, produced a video showing people signing ASL interpretations of the song intermixed with a montage of deaf civil-rights images.
"Waiting on the World to Change" was also featured on several competition shows. Sanjaya Malakar (in 2007) and David Archuleta (in 2008) chose to sing the song on American Idol. Likewise, Australian Idol contestant Dean Geyer made it his selection in a 2006 episode. But most prominently, choreographer Wade Robson choreographed a dance routine to an abbreviated version of the song for the third season of the US version of So You Think You Can Dance.
The single was heard in the 2007 comedy film Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman, and on an episode of CSI: Las Vegas.
On July 7, 2007, Mayer performed the song at Live Earth, changing the lyrics to "we're not waiting on the world to change" to reflect the proactive nature of the event. Mayer also performed a brief acoustic version of the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on July 12, 2007 on the recurring 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien Summer Concert Series', a spin-off on the popular 'Today Show Summer Concert Series', also on NBC.
On April 12, 2008, on a episode of Saturday Night Live, Ashton Kutcher parodied the song on the sketch The Mellow Show.
The song is regularly used as a "bumper" on the Air America radio program Ring of Fire starring Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio.
[edit] Awards won
- Grammy: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change", 49th Grammy Awards (2007).
[edit] References
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (2006). "My Big Mouth Strikes Again" Rolling Stone magazine. Retrieved on September 18, 2006.
- ^ Wirt, John (January 26, 2007), "John Mayer finding unexpected deeper connection with fans through 'Continuum'" Advocate volume unknown:16
- ^ Mumbi Moody, Nekesa (2006). "John Mayer: Better With Pop" MSN.com Retrieved August 20, 2007
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (March 2, 2007) "The Apologetic Pop Star, Still Trying to Claim the Blues" The New York Times Retrieved August 20, 2007.
- ^ Collar, Matt (date unknown) "Review " All Music Guide. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (September 11, 2006). "Album Reviews" Retrieved August 20, 2007.
- ^ Pascarella, Tony (September 28, 2006). "John Mayer - Continuum" AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
- ^ Kane, Rich (September 29, 2006), "It's hard to dislike him" Los Angeles Times volume unknown:E.2
- ^ Crossroads Guitar Festival press coverage. Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 website.
- ^ Strew, Roque (August 16, 2006). "Track Reviews" Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ The Hot 100. Billboard Magazine.
[edit] External links
- Live "Waiting on the World to Change" performance, on MSN.com
- D-PAN music video with ASL accompaniment, on D-PAN.com
- "Waiting on the World to Change" lyrics, at Yahoo! Music
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