BY: Alexis Eichelberger

After a long break between albums, John Mayer is back with a brand new record.

Sob Rock dropped July 16, and it was everything we hoped. The ten-track album is a blend of 80s-inspired synth-pop and Mayer’s signature stellar guitar playing. It’s fabulous and makes us fall in love with Mayer all over again.

To celebrate the album’s release and Mayer’s entire incredible discography, we’re counting down his top tracks to date. Here are our ten favorite John Mayer songs, ranked.

10: NEW LIGHT

To kick off our list, we’ve picked our favorite song from Sob Rock. “New Light” was a single released in 2018, long before the album itself. But it’s fun, electronic feel gave us the perfect taste of what was to come.

 

9: EDGE OF DESIRE

“Edge of Desire” comes from Battle Studies, Mayer’s fourth studio album. It’s instrumentally beautiful, as are all of Mayers’ songs. But this song is particularly moving as well.

8: WALT GRACE’S SUBMARINE TEST, JANUARY 1967

At number eight is a song you might not have heard before but deserves a spot on your playlist of top John Mayer tracks. “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” is undoubtedly Mayer’s most creative song to date. It tells the tale of a man’s “homemade fan blade one-man submarine,” and is magnificent.

7: WHY GEORGIA

Next up is an oldie but a goodie. “Why Georgia” is one of the best songs on Mayer’s debut album, Room For Squares, which was released in 2001. Twenty years later and we’re still comforted by its easy acoustic melody.

6: IN THE BLOOD

“In the Blood” is our favorite song from Mayer’s last record before Sob Rock. The album The Search for Everything is an introspective journey through heartbreak and self-realization. This track is a beautiful examination of how a family makes (or doesn’t make) us who we are.

5: STOP THIS TRAIN

This is yet another well-known acoustic masterpiece by Mayer. “Stop This Train” is all about how quickly time passes by, but the smooth melody gives us comfort to get through it all.

4: WHO SAYS

At number four is a more carefree track. “Who Says,” asks the questions we all should be asking ourselves. Who says we can’t live our lives the way we want to, traveling, eating, loving, and indulging ourselves to the fullest?

 

3: DAUGHTERS

This John Mayer classic is a gentle reminder for parents everywhere. “Daughters” is one of Mayer’s beloved songs to date and will always hold a special place in our hearts, too.

2: GRAVITY

Our top two selections are some of our favorite songs by any artist. “Gravity” is a timeless, beautiful song about remaining in the glow of goodness and gratitude. It is unusual and can truly resonate with anyone.

1: SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

At the top of our list is the devastatingly beautiful song “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” It’s almost universally recognized as Mayer’s best song — for several excellent reasons. First, this tale of doomed love makes our hearts ache with every listen. Second, when something is lost and cannot be saved, we might ignore the obvious and dance through the danger. But eventually, it must come to a tragic end.

BONUS: FREE FALLIN’ (LIVE)

As a bonus track, we’ve included Mayer’s live cover of the Tom Petty classic “Free Fallin’.” No disrespect to the legendary Petty, but we MIGHT like this version even more than the original.