Born and Raised (John Mayer album)

2012 studio album by John Mayer

Born and Raised

Studio album by

John Mayer

Released| May 22, 2012 (2012-05-22)
Recorded|

* April–September 2011
* February 2012

Studio|

* Electric Lady Studios, New York City
* The Village, Los Angeles, California
* Berkeley Street, Santa Monica, California
* Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California

Genre|

* Folk rock
* country rock
* Southern rock
* Americana

Length| 46:25
Label| Columbia
Producer|

* John Mayer
* Don Was

John Mayer chronology
| Battle Studies
(2009)  | Born and Raised
(2012)  | Paradise Valley
(2013)

|
|

Singles from  Born and Raised

1. "Shadow Days"
Released: March 6, 2012
2. "Queen of California"
Released: August 13, 2012[1]
3. "Something Like Olivia"
Released: November 5, 2012[2]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| 73/100[3]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AbsolutePunk| 91%[4]
AllMusic| [5]
American Songwriter| [6]
Billboard| (favorable)[7]
The Boston Globe| (favorable)[8]
Entertainment Weekly| B[9]
The Independent| [10]
Robert Christgau| [11]
Rolling Stone| [12]
Uncut| (7/10)[3]

Born and Raised is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mayer, released on May 22, 2012, by Columbia Records. It marked yet another change in Mayer's musical style, incorporating elements of folk and Americana, as well as influences from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. Its cover, as well as that of the single "Queen of California", was designed by David Adrian Smith.

Born and Raised received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Mayer's technical skills as well as Don Was' production work.[6] The first single "Shadow Days" was released on Mayer's blog on February 27, 2012, and was made available for purchase as a digital download on March 6, 2012.[13] The second single "Queen of California" impacted Hot AC radio on August 13, 2012, and the third single "Something Like Olivia" impacted Triple A radio on November 5, 2012.

## Background

[edit]

Mayer has stated that he began to gravitate towards new "musical ideals" during the Winter leg of the Battle Studies World Tour, and he credits listening to records by Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (namely, the Neil Young album After the Gold Rush), as well as other Americana, as influential for this. He has expressed minor frustration at not being able to begin new musical pursuits as soon as he would have liked, due to commitments to complete the touring for Battle Studies.[14]

Upon finishing the tour, and experiencing a backlash for controversial comments made in a Playboy interview, Mayer decided to step away from the media and out of the public eye for a while.

Early reports indicated that the follow-up to Battle Studies would be called Born and Raised and would be released in October 2011.[15]

On September 16, 2011, Mayer posted on his blog that his new record, Born and Raised, was being delayed due to granulomas discovered in his throat. The granulomas were found next to the vocal chords and were treatable. Mayer described this as a "temporary setback" and that recording and mixing of Born and Raised was entirely finished except for a few remaining vocal tracks. He expected the album to be out in early 2012.[16] He told, "I did a lot of therapy, like anti-acid reflux, and it didn’t work, then I went on vocal rest. No alcohol. No spicy food. No talking. Most of September I wasn’t talking at all. I’d have a Bluetooth keyboard, and someone would have an iPad to read what I type. I had to point to menus at restaurants. People look at me like I’m crazy."[17]

On October 20, 2011, Mayer updated his fans about the treatment of his throat granuloma, announcing that he "had surgery this afternoon to remove it and am now on complete vocal rest for a month or more", during which he plans to "travel the country, look, and listen."[18] Recovering from surgery, and after taking a road trip with friends through Middle America, Mayer moved to Bozeman, Montana.[19]

On February 27, 2012, the first single from Born and Raised, "Shadow Days", was released. On February 28, 2012, Mayer released the track listing for the album and announced that Born and Raised would be released on May 22, 2012.[20]

### Artwork

[edit]

The album cover and artwork for single "Queen of California" were designed in a turn-of-the-century, trade-card style by British traditional signwriter and designer David Adrian Smith.[21] Known for his expertise in high-quality ornamental hand-crafted reverse glass signs and decorative silvered and gilded mirrors, Smith was commissioned by Columbia Records to collaborate with Mayer on the artwork, which took approximately one month to complete.[22]

On August 8, 2022, during a Rise For The River Benefit concert aimed at supporting those affected by damaging floods in Montana, Mayer revealed the hidden meaning behind the clock featured on the album cover. Mayer shared that the clock, set to 10:38, holds personal significance to him due to his "obsession with time" and contemplation of his place in life. Mayer explained that if the average male life expectancy was a 24-hour day, then at the time he released the album, it was 10:38 AM in the entire day of his life. He further expressed that as he stood there on stage, it was metaphorically "about lunch time" in his life and encouraged others to reflect on the time of day in their own lives as a source of inspiration.[23][24]

## Promotion

[edit]

Promotion for Born and Raised was hampered by the return of his throat granuloma, and thus he was limited to only interviews. Mainstream promotion included interviews on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in which he described Born and Raised as his most "honest" and "cohesive" album.[19][25] He also appeared as a musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, playing guitar with the house band.[26] On May 10, 2012, the Clive Davis Theater hosted An Evening with John Mayer in which Mayer discussed Born and Raised and his career.[27]

## Touring

[edit]

In September 2011, Mayer was forced to cancel a small run of live dates upon the discovery of a throat granuloma. In spring 2012, he was scheduled to tour North America, but was forced to cancel the tour after being informed by doctors that his throat granuloma had returned. He has said that he is to undergo surgery again, but that he has "no choice but to take an indefinite break from live performing."[28][29]

On January 16, 2013, Mayer performed on stage for the first time since April 1, 2011. He was joined by David Ryan Harris, Sean Hurley, Aaron Sterling, Ben Bullington, and Lil Jane & The Pistol Whips at the Emerson Theater in Bozeman, Montana. The concert was part of a benefit organized to help firefighters who battled the previous summer's Pine Creek Fire.[30][31]

The Born and Raised World Tour began on July 6, 2013, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[32] In November 2013, Mayer enjoyed the number one Boxscore on the Billboard chart, grossing a $2.3 million box-office from his first concert appearance in Brazil on September 19. The sold-out performance at São Paulo's Arena Anhembi had more than 30,000 in attendance.[33]

## Reception

[edit]

### Commercial performance

[edit]

Born and Raised was John Mayer's third number one album on the Billboard 200 in the United States, selling 219,000 units in its first week.[34] The following week, it was again placed at the top spot, being Mayer's first album to spend more than a week in the top spot on the chart.[35] In Canada, the album debuted at number one, selling 17,800 copies, making it Mayer's first number one album in Canada.[36] The album also entered the UK album charts at number four.[37][38] On September 12, 2012, Born and Raised was certified Gold by the RIAA, selling 500,000 copies.[39] As of December 6, 2012, the album had sold 514,000 copies.[40]

### Critical reception

[edit]

The album garnered generally positive reviews. The album was listed at #17 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "It's a shot at redemption that's as on target as anything he's done."[41] People magazine stated, "This is a shimmering album, perfect for taking on the road in the glow of spring and summer."[42] Billboard called the album "his most consistently satisfying release yet."[43] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a "B," saying that the Laurel Canyon-inspired, "ramble-tamble style suits him."[44]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by John Mayer

No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Queen of California"| 4:10
2.| "The Age of Worry"| 2:38
3.| "Shadow Days"| 3:53
4.| "Speak for Me"| 3:45
5.| "Something Like Olivia"| 3:01
6.| "Born and Raised"| 4:48
7.| "If I Ever Get Around to Living"| 5:22
8.| "Love Is a Verb"| 2:24
9.| "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967"| 5:08
10.| "Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey"| 4:39
11.| "A Face to Call Home"| 4:45
12.| "Born and Raised (Reprise)"| 2:01
13.| "Fool to Love You" (bonus track)| 2:16

## Personnel

[edit]

Musical personnel

* John Mayer – vocals, guitars, harmonica, keyboards, percussion, production
* Sean Hurley – bass guitar
* Aaron Sterling – drums, percussion
* Chuck Leavell – keyboards

Primary production personnel

* Don Was – production
* Chad Franscoviak – engineering
* Michael Brauer – mixing
* Manny Marroquin – mixing
* Martin Pradler – digital editing
* Bob Ludwig – mastering

Featured artists

* Chris Botti – trumpet on "Walt Grace's Submarine Test, January 1967"
* David Crosby – vocals on "Born and Raised"
* Jim Keltner – drums on "Something Like Olivia"
* Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar on "Queen of California", "Shadow Days", "Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey", "Born and Raised (Reprise)"; lap steel guitar on "Born and Raised"
* Graham Nash – vocals on "Born and Raised"
* Sara Watkins – vocals and violin on "A Face to Call Home"

Additional production personnel

* Travis McGehee – engineering/mixing assistance
* Phil Joly – engineering assistance
* Pete Bischoff – engineering assistance
* Ian Shea – engineering assistance
* Jared Nugent – engineering assistance
* Scott Smith – engineering assistance
* Chris Owens – engineering assistance
* Chris Claypool – engineering assistance
* Patrick Spain – engineering assistance
* Ryan Gilligan – mixing assistance
* Chris Calland – mixing assistance

Additional personnel

* David A. Smith – artwork
* Danny Clinch – photography
* Roger Love – vocal consultant

|

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2012)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[45] | 1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[46] | 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[47] | 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[48] | 59
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[49] | 1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[50] | 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[51] | 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[52] | 49
French Albums (SNEP)[53] | 56
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[54] | 17
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[55] | 1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[56] | 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[57] | 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[58] | 21
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[59] | 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[60] | 9
UK Albums (OCC)[61] | 4
US Billboard 200[62] | 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[63] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2012)  | Position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[64] | 97
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[65] | 26
US Billboard 200[66] | 43
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[67] | 10

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[68] | Gold  | 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[69] | Platinum  | 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[70] | Platinum  | 20,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[71] | Gold  | 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] | Silver  | 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[73] | Gold  | 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## Release history

[edit]

Region  | Date  | Format(s)  | Label

|
|
|

Austria[74] | May 18, 2012  | CD, digital download, LP | Columbia, Sony Music
Germany[74]
Ireland[75]
Switzerland[74]
United Kingdom  | May 21, 2012[76]
United States  | May 22, 2012[77]

## External links

[edit]

Born and Raised at Metacritic

## References

[edit]

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3. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Born and Raised". Metacritic. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
4. ^ Robson, Stephen Gregory (May 21, 2012). "John Mayer - Born and Raised - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Born and Raised - John Mayer". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
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7. ^ Graff, Gary (May 22, 2012). "John Mayer, 'Born and Raised': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
8. ^ Reed, James (May 24, 2012). "Soul searching suits John Mayer well". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
9. ^ Maerz, Melissa (May 25, 2012). "Born and Raised Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
10. ^ Gill, Andy (May 21, 2012). "Album: John Mayer, Born and Raised (Columbia)". The Independent. London. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
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14. ^ "John Mayer Alan Light Interview Part 1". YouTube. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
15. ^ @coltondaniel (May 17, 2011). "John Mayer to Release New Album in October". andPOP.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
16. ^ "One Forty Plus". Jhnmyr.tumblr.com. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
17. ^ Dish, Daily (August 18, 2005). "John Mayer: 'I was silent for a month' | Daily Dish | an SFGate.com blog". Blog.sfgate.com. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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28. ^ [1][dead link‍]
29. ^ "John Mayer Cancels Tour Due To Throat Condition". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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32. ^ Lopez, Korina (March 22, 2013). "John Mayer to go on tour". USA Today.
33. ^ Allen, Bob (November 9, 2013), "Mayer Plays First Brazil Concert". Billboard. 125 (43):75
34. ^ "John Mayer Earns Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
35. ^ Derschowitz, Jessica (June 7, 2012). "John Mayer scores second week at No. 1 on Billboard chart". CBS News. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
36. ^ "CANOE - JAM! Music: Mayer clobbers Lambert on charts". Jam.canoe.ca. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
37. ^ "Bee Gees re-enter UK album chart". BBC News. May 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
38. ^ "JOHN MAYER | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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43. ^ G. G. (May 26, 2012), "Born and Raised." Billboard. 124 (21):32
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56. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – John Mayer – Born and Raised". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
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59. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – John Mayer – Born and Raised". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
60. ^ "Swisscharts.com – John Mayer – Born and Raised". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
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71. ^ "Dutch album certifications – John Mayer – Born and Raised" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Born and Raised  in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2013 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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* v
* t
* e

John Mayer

Discography

Studio albums|

* Room for Squares
* Heavier Things
* Continuum
* Battle Studies
* Born and Raised
* Paradise Valley
* The Search for Everything
* Sob Rock

Live albums|

* Any Given Thursday
* As/Is
* Try!
* Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles

Extended plays|

* Inside Wants Out
* The Village Sessions
* The Complete 2012 Performances Collection
* The Search for Everything: Wave One
* The Search for Everything: Wave Two

Singles|

* "No Such Thing"
* "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
* "Why Georgia"
* "Bigger Than My Body"
* "Clarity"
* "Daughters"
* "Waiting on the World to Change"
* "Belief"
* "Gravity"
* "Dreaming with a Broken Heart"
* "Say"
* "Free Fallin'"
* "Who Says"
* "Heartbreak Warfare"
* "Half of My Heart"
* "Shadow Days"
* "Queen of California"
* "Who You Love"
* "XO"
* "Love on the Weekend"
* "In the Blood"
* "New Light"
* "Last Train Home"

Featured singles|

* "Go!"
* "Streetcorner Symphony"
* "Beat It"

Video albums|

* Any Given Thursday
* Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles

Concert tours|

* John Mayer 2008 Summer Tour
* Battle Studies World Tour
* Born and Raised World Tour
* The Search for Everything World Tour

Related articles|

* John Mayer Trio
* Annual John Mayer Holiday Charity Revue
* Dead & Company
* PRS Silver Sky

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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