Helpless by John Mayer

Album: The Search for Everything (2017)

License This Song

lyrics

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

This song was written during the sessions for John Mayer's 2012 Born and Raised album. The singer told MSM's Richard Young that though he "adored" the track, everybody else "did not like it." Mayer added: " It was one of the only times where my compass was off."
Mayer eventually recorded the song live in the studio along with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan. The threesome released a live album in 2005 Try! as the John Mayer Trio. Following the release of that record, Palladino kept busy with session work, and as the touring bassist for The Who, while Jordan was also much in demand in his role as a record producer.

The John Mayer Trio eventually reconvened in the mid-2010s to work on The Search For Everything. "Pino is so inventive without trying that this track is his track," Mayer told Rolling Stone of the bassist's contribution to this tune. "You get disco overtones but it's all implied."
The song is led by a guitar line which is reminiscent, according to Rolling Stone, of late Seventies and early Eighties Stones. Mayer described the track as "wish fulfillment recording," because it allowed him to dabble with retro guitar tones he's always loved. "I picture myself opening a show with this song," he said. "It straddles a lot of different vibes at once."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

RespectAretha Franklin

Props to Aretha Franklin: her song "Respect" introduced the term "propers" as a sign of proper respect.

Brown Eyed GirlVan Morrison

Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" was originally called "Brown Skinned Girl," and was about an interracial relationship.

Red Red WineUB40

UB40's cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" was a minor hit when first released in 1983, but it went to #1 five years later when radio stations in Phoenix started playing it.

Rock And Roll All NiteKiss

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss wrote "Rock And Roll All Nite" as a "rallying cry for all of our fans." In later years, members of Kiss wrote songs separately.

Santa Claus Is Coming To TownEddie Cantor

"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" was first recorded in 1934 by Eddie Cantor, but in 1962 it was one of the first hits for The Four Seasons, who became one of the most popular groups of that decade.

Dido helped shut down a Neo-Nazi Web site after learning it was using "White Flag" to promote its hateful messages. Owners of the site had misinterpreted the track as racist and thought they represented their white supremacy views.

Editor's Picks

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.