Following his first two pop-rock-leaning albums and his John Mayer Trio stint with renowned bassist Pino Palladino and drummer/producer Steve Jordan, John Mayer’s Continuum marked a noticeable shift toward a bluesier and more soulful sound, which has gone on to define some of his most enduring work.
Released on Sept. 12, 2006, Mayer’s third studio album builds a world of introspective lyricism that grapples with the idea of the passage of time, weaves between reality and a dream-like state and touches upon some of the political discourse of a post-September 11 world — but at its core, it’s a heartbreak album.
Written and produced before his dating life reached a boiling point in the tabloids during the mid-’00s, Mayer waded through the different stages of grief in the grooviest way possible on Continuum. From denial to anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, Mayer brought the listener one step further with plans for his future relationships.
The album was commercially and critically successful, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and being nominated for Album of the Year at the 49th Grammy Awards. It lost in that category to the Chicks’ Taking the Long Way, but it won best pop vocal album, while lead single “Waiting on the World to Change” took home best male pop vocal performance.
In the 20 years since Continuum’s release, Mayer has continually made efforts to evolve his sound on subsequent projects, served as an inspiration and mentor for a new generation of musicians, quietly become a top philanthropist and cemented himself as one of the highest-regarded guitarists of our time.
Below, we revisit each track on the seminal album on the week of its 20th anniversary, ranking them from our least favorite to our favorite.
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“Waiting on the World to Change”
A top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit and Grammy winner to boot, the mildly politically charged “Waiting on the World to Change” is the biggest commercial hit on Continuum, and one of the biggest of his career. That being said, it simply does not match the lyricism and grooviness of the rest of the project.
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“Bold as Love”
What’s bolder than love? Covering a track by arguably the best guitarist in music history so well that it finds a permanent spot on your studio release. Today, Mayer is widely known to be one of the best guitarists of modern times — but even then, he did justice to the late, great Jimi Hendrix.
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“I’m Gonna Find Another You”
“I’m Gonna Find Another You” puts a bow on Continuum. Mayer reaches the final stage of his grief and heartbreak — acceptance — as he sings of the future. With a well-rounded mix of the various drums, saxophone, keyboards and organs that comprise the sound of the entire album, it’s a solid closing track on the project.
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“Belief”
Similar thematically to “Waiting on the World to Change” (“We’re never gonna win the world/ We’re never gonna stop the war”), this track takes a bluesier route that makes it a better sonic fit for the larger project.
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“In Repair”
The penultimate track on the journey of this heartbreak album, “In Repair” feels like we’re rounding the corner. While acknowledging his brokenness, he looks toward the future (“I’m in repair/ I’m not together but I’m getting there”). Of course, he tosses in another epic guitar solo, for good measure.
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“I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)”
This one is straight easy listening. From the groove through the vocal runs, you could easily have this song play on repeat in your favorite lounge and be perfectly content.
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“Dreaming With a Broken Heart”
The delicate piano intro lulls you into Mayer’s heartsick subconcious on “Dreaming with a Broken Heart,” and the dreamlike state continues until it burts at the climax of the track. By the end, he’s practically shouting with urgency until he’s awake in his solo reality again: “Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?/ Would you get them if I did?/ No, you won’t, because you’re gone.”
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“Vultures”
Mayer is facing his critics, or rather, his “vultures,” head-on here, but what makes “Vultures” a standout cut on Continuum is Mayer’s vocal range. It’s not often he’ll flex those high highs — yet nearly the entire track is composed of them, layered with a punctuating keyboard and searing guitar solo.
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“The Heart of Life”
John, your optimist is showing! The steady, upbeat strumming throughout pulls you into and makes you believe the message that it’s going to be okay: “No, it won’t all go the way it should / But I know the heart of life is good.”
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“Stop This Train”
Mayer has a way of verbalizing the innermost thoughts people are either afraid to, or can’t find the words to say. “Stop This Train” embodies the feelings of it all being too much coupled with not knowing what the heck we’re all doing in this life. He opts for bluntness in the verses, a direct foil to the clear-as-day metaphoric chorus — “Don’t know how else to say it, don’t want to see my parents go/ One generation’s length away from fighting life out on my own” — and, later, “So scared of getting older/ I’m only good at being young/ So I play the numbers game to find a way to say that life has just begun.”
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“Gravity”
Bluesy and soulful, “Gravity” brings Mayer’s guitar playing to the forefront. The track has gone on to become a quintessential JM track, and an always-on-rotation curtain-closer for his live sets, with one of his most enduring lyrics powering through the outro: “Just keep me where the light is.”
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“Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”
The John Mayer song to end all John Mayer songs. Despite never being released as a single, it’s often cited as one of the best songs in his entire discography. While titled with perhaps his most poignant visual metaphor to date, the ever-evolving guitar solo is what helped cement him as a live music legend over the last 20 years.
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