No Such Thing (John Mayer song)

"No Such Thing" is the debut single of John Mayer. It was released in April 2002 as the lead single from his first album Room for Squares. Like many of the songs from Mayer's early musical career, the song was co-written with Clay Cook. The song has been used in episode 15 of the first season of Alias, also in episode 20 ("Obscura") of the first season of Smallville. It was Mayer's breakthrough hit, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, and becoming his highest-charting song until "Say" hit number 12 in 2007.

"No Such Thing"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Room for Squares
ReleasedApril 15, 2002
GenrePop rock
Length3:51
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)John Mayer, Clay Cook
Producer(s)John Alagia
John Mayer singles chronology
"No Such Thing"
(2002)		 "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
(2002)

Content

This song was written in about a week's time in 1998 in Duluth, Georgia. It was Cook's and Mayer's response to the standard high school practice of guidance counselors telling students to "stay inside the lines" when instead it's better to follow the path you want and not do something you might like to do just because the odds aren't in favor of it. This song is perhaps the most autobiographical and personal song Mayer has played a part in, mainly due to the fact unlike his classmates he didn't go to college right away, instead working at a gas station to save up money to buy a guitar. He eventually went to school for about 6 months at the Berklee College of Music before dropping out to move to Atlanta to begin his career with Clay Cook. The song is sung from the perspective of a soon to be high school graduate. He is frustrated with the "typical" path of high school, college and career that the adults in his life endorse. He plans to follow his path to reach his dreams. The song's refrain echoes this:

They love to tell you
Stay inside the lines
But something's better
On the other side

He feels his classmates don't understand. At the end of the song, he proclaims, "I just can't wait 'til my ten-year reunion / I'm gonna bust down the double doors / And when I stand on these tables before you / You will know what all this time was for".

Music video

Initially, Mayer requested permission to film the music video at Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield, Connecticut, the high school of which he is an alumnus. However, due to the disparaging nature of the song's lyrics towards the school and its faculty, the administration denied Mayer's request.

The song's promotional video was debuted on Mayer's official website.[1] VH1 chose the video for its Inside Track promotion, a distinction which endorses emerging artists.[1] The official music video was released on October 2, 2009, on YouTube. As of January 4, 2019, the video has generated more than 12 million views.[2]

Directed by Sam Erickson, it is a performance piece of Mayer singing the song to an audience at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA.

Critical reception

Haley Jones, who was the assistant PD of KFOG San Francisco—an early station to play the song, said, "It sounds great on the radio."[3] Billboard said of the song's vocals, lyrics and melody, "What's not to love?"[4] Jason Thompson with PopMatters said of the song, "it doesn't move me in any way."[5] Stylus magazine praised "No Such Thing," calling it "lively."[6]

Commercial performance

In the US, "No Such Thing" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also made appearances on four other Billboard charts; its highest peak was on the Triple A chart, where the song reached number one. The song was Mayer's highest-charting single in the US until 2008, when "Say" bested the peak of "No Such Thing" by one spot, hitting number 12.

Outside the US, the song found the most success in Australasia. It first charted in New Zealand in June 2002, reaching a peak of number 14 on September 22 and staying in the chart for 23 weeks in total; it ended 2002 as the country's 42nd best-selling single. In Australia, the single debuted at number 45 on September 29 and reached its peak position of number 28 on October 13. It spent five more week in top 50 before dropping out. To date, the song is Mayer's second best-charting solo single in both countries, after "Your Body Is a Wonderland".[7][8] The song failed to make a significant impact in Europe, only reaching number 97 in the Netherlands and peaking outside the UK top 40 at number 42 in August 2003.

Track listing

All songs are by John Mayer unless otherwise noted.

  1. "No Such Thing" - 3:51
  2. "My Stupid Mouth" - 3:45
  3. "Lenny" (Live at the X Lounge) (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
  4. "The Wind Cries Mary" (Live at the X Lounge) (Jimi Hendrix)

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[20] Gold 35,000
United States (RIAA)[21] Gold 500,000*

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Hay, Carla (April 6, 2002), "Aware/Columbia's John Mayer Makes 'Room For Squares' A Hit." Billboard. 114 (14):22
  2. johnmayerVEVO, John Mayer - No Such Thing, retrieved 2019-01-04
  3. Newman, Melinda (November 24, 2001), "Mayer Proves He's No 'Square' With Release Of Aware/Columbia Disc." Billboard. 113 (47):14
  4. C.T.; Taylor, Chuck (2002-05-18), "No Such Thing". Billboard. 114 (20):22
  5. Thompson, Jason (2001). "Room for Squares" PopMatters.com Retrieved 2007-11-19
  6. Blanford, Roxanne (2003-09-01). "Room For Squares" Stylus Magazine Retrieved November 19, 2007
  7. "Search for: John Mayer". Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  8. "Search for: John Mayer". Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  9. "Australian-charts.com – John Mayer – No Such Thing". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – John Mayer – No Such Thing" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  11. "Charts.nz – John Mayer – No Such Thing". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  13. "John Mayer: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  14. "John Mayer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  15. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  16. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  17. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  18. "John Mayer Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  19. "End of Year Charts 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  20. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  21. "American single certifications – John Mayer – No Such Thing". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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