Daughters (song)

"Daughters"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Heavier Things
B-side	"Come Back to Bed", "Home Life"
Released	September 28, 2004
Format	Digital download, CD single
Recorded	2003
Genre	Acoustic rock, blues
Length	3:59
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	John Mayer
Producer	Jack Joseph Puig
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
John Mayer singles chronology
"Clarity" (2004) "Daughters" (2004) "Go!" (2005)

"Daughters" is the third single from Heavier Things, the 2003 studio album from blues singer-songwriter, John Mayer. The critically acclaimed song won numerous awards, including the 2005 Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 47th Grammy Awards.

Lyrics

Lyrically, "Daughters" is an admonition to fathers (and to a lesser extent mothers) to nurture their daughters in their childhood, because the relationship will affect their future relationships with men as adults.^[1] He uses his own troubled lover to illustrate his belief:

Mayer has at various times told different, and sometimes conflicting, stories as to the inspiration for the song, ranging from MTVs "Real World" (in a Sirius Morning Mash Up Show interview in May 2007) to an unnamed ex-girlfriend.

In 2010, on VH1's "Storytellers", Mayer stated that he wrote the song about an ex girlfriend who had trust issues because of her absent father, which lead to the decline and eventual split of their relationship.

Release controversy

Mayer had been resistant on releasing the song as a single,^[2] and was still skeptical despite the Grammy win, which he mentioned in his speech upon receiving the award.^[3] On several occasions, Mayer had pushed to release the songs "Come Back to Bed" and "Something's Missing" as singles, as they were more the kind of music he was leaning towards making.^{[citation needed]} However, the label decided that "Daughters" would be more well-received by radio. In 2005, Mayer converted the song into an all-out blues song with his group John Mayer Trio on the live album, Try!, stripping away the acoustic elements the song had become known for,^[4] although not similar version to the "Electric Guitar Mix" of the song as included on the single's re-release.

Music video

The music video is a grayscale video of Mayer playing the guitar and singing the song in a dark studio, intercut between scenes of a girl (i.e., a "daughter"). The video clip, directed by Mario Sorrenti, features the Australian Supermodel Gemma Ward.

Response

Chart performance

The song topped the American Adult Top 40 chart in the summer of 2005, and reached #19 on the US Pop charts and Billboard Hot 100.

Track listings

All songs are by Mayer unless otherwise noted.

Original release

1. "Daughters" – 3:59
2. "Come Back to Bed" – 11:56 (Live at the C.W. Mitchell Pavilion, July 24, 2004)
3. "Home Life" (David LaBruyere/Mayer) – 6:50 (Live at the Shoreline Amplitheaer, July 16, 2004)

"Come Back to Bed" and "Home Life" are the same live versions that appear on Mayer's as/is volumes released in 2004

Re-release

1. "Daughters" – 3:59
2. "Daughters" (Electric guitar mix) – 3:59
3. "Daughters" (Home demo) – 4:07

Cover versions

In 2005, trumpeter Rick Braun covered an instrumental version from album "Yours Truly."^[5][6]

References

1. ^ Miller, Brian (2004). "JOHN MAYER AND HIS INSPIRATION FOR DAUGHTERS" ArtisanNews.com Retrieved 2007-11-15
2. ^ No byline (2005-02-26), "Backstage Banter". Billboard. 117 (9):69
3. ^ Mayer's Grammy speech where he indicated he'd intended other songs for release instead of "Daughters"
4. ^ Big Mouth Strikes Again
5. ^ "Yours Truly overview". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r801629. 
6. ^ "Rick Braun Yours Truly". SmoothViews.com. http://smoothviews.com/cdreviews/braun_yourstruly.htm. 

External links

• John Mayer playing "Daughters" live in New York
• "Daughters" music video on Youtube
• "Daughters" lyrics, at Yahoo! Music
• "John Mayer and His Inspiration for Daughters" (requires Real Player)