Shouldn't Matter But It Does

Album: Sob Rock (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • During this song, John Mayer laments a failed relationship. Rather than moving on, the singer continues to brood over where they went wrong. He pins the blame on his ex over the first two verses, listing various "should haves" on her part:

    Shoulda been honest
    Shoulda just cried
    Shoulda told me there was nothing left inside
  • In verse three, Mayer admits to reacting angrily to his lover losing interest in him. One consequence of this was leaving hidden messages to her in some songs.

    I shouldn't be angry
    I shouldn't hold on
    I shouldn't leave messages in every little song


    Mayer dated Katy Perry on and off from 2012 until early 2016. Several tracks on his The Search for Everything album, including "Still Feel Like Your Man" are about their breakup. Some fans speculated this song is about the Californian pop star as well.
  • During the chorus, Mayer admits what happened in the past can't be changed and it shouldn't matter, but it does matter to him.
  • John Mayer recorded this track for his Sob Rock album. It was the only cut he wrote for the record in his head rather than writing it down. "I'd stand in the shower and work on the song," he told Apple Music. "And then I went up and wrote it up in the studio in Montana. I wrote it in an evening. I just put it down, and I thought it was nice."
  • Don Was (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones) produced the track. Was has earned several Grammy Awards including the 1994 Grammy for Producer of the Year.
  • Don Was produced seven out of Sob Rock's 10 tracks. "The songwriting on the record is decidedly modern - there's no throwback sensibility," the producer said to The Wall Street Journal. "As a musician and a songwriter, he's as good as anybody at finding something that's going on in his emotional inner life and expressing it eloquently."
  • John Mayer debuted the song when he performed it on the July 15, 2021 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon along with "Last Train Home."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.