Your Body Is a Wonderland explained

Your Body Is a Wonderland
Cover:Your Body Is a Wonderland (John Mayer single - cover art).jpg
Type:single
Artist:John Mayer
Album:Room for Squares
B-Side:
  • "No Such Thing" (acoustic)
  • "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (acoustic)
  • "Not Myself" (demo)
Genre:
Length:
  • 4:09 (album version)
  • 3:46 (radio edit)
Label:
Producer:John Alagía
Prev Title:No Such Thing
Prev Year:2001
Next Title:Why Georgia
Next Year:2003

"Your Body Is a Wonderland" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter John Mayer. It was released on June 3, 2002, as the second single from his debut studio album, Room for Squares (2001). It reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Background

During his "VH1 Storytellers" performance, Mayer stated that he wrote the song about his first girlfriend at age 14. The song was actually named "Strawberry Wonderland" but was later changed by Mayer.

There has been speculation that Mayer wrote the song about Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom he dated in 2002, but she denied it.[4] [5] Hewitt told Entertainment Weekly, "My body is far from a wonderland. My body is more like a pawnshop. There's a lot of interesting things put together, and if you look closely you'd probably be excited, but at first glance, not so much".[6]

According to the liner notes, a toy piano is used as an instrument in the song.

Critical reception

Billboard said the song showcases Mayer's "smooth, casual singing style and barroom instrumentation."[7] In 2003, "Your Body Is a Wonderland" won Mayer the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[8] Conversely, the song ranked at No. 28 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever" in 2010.[9]

Music video

The video starred the actress Holly Lynch. The video was directed by Jim Gable, and edited by Scott C. Wilson.

Track listing

All songs are written by John Mayer except where noted otherwise.

  1. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" – 4:09
  2. "No Such Thing" (Acoustic version, live from WXPN) (John Mayer & Clay Cook) – 3:46
  3. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (acoustic version, live from WXPN) – 5:46
  4. "Not Myself" (demo version) – 4:05

Personnel

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)Position
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[11] 33
US Triple-A (Billboard)[12] 6
Chart (2003)Position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 90
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 48
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[15] 32
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[16] 7
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[17] 44

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesJune 3, 2002Triple A radio[18]
August 19, 2002Hot adult contemporary radio[19]
September 16, 2002Contemporary hit radio[20]
AustraliaNovember 25, 2002CD[21]
EuropeJanuary 17, 2003[22]
ItalyJanuary 24, 2003
DenmarkJanuary 27, 2003[23]

Appearances in the media

In 2006, the song was used in an episode of U.S. version of The Office, entitled "A Benihana Christmas". Characters Michael Scott and Andy Bernard sing the song as a karaoke duet. Mayer agreed to let the show use the song, in exchange for a Dundie,[24] which was for "Tallest Music Dude".

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wood. Mikael. August 13, 2013. Musical sniping, a la John Mayer and Taylor Swift. February 12, 2021. Los Angeles Times.
  2. Web site: Raihala. Ross. November 22, 2013. Review: John Mayer brings '70s vibe and plenty of guitars to Target Center show. February 12, 2021. Twin Cities.
  3. Web site: Leahey. Andrew. Room for Squares - John Mayer Songs, Reviews, Credits. February 12, 2021. AllMusic.
  4. Web site: Celebrity Central. John Mayer. People. August 28, 2012.
  5. News: L. Loinaz. Alexis. Bitter Ex Alert! John Mayer "Humiliated" by Taylor Swift Song "Dear John". E!. June 6, 2012.
  6. News: John Mayer's love life: A timeline. CNN. August 27, 2012.
  7. Taylor, Chuck (June 29, 2002), "Your Body Is a Wonderland". Billboard. 114 (26):33
  8. News: The Time Keeper: John Mayer Is An Up-To-The-Moment Watch Connoisseur David Colman Clocks I. New York Times. March 8, 2009. .
  9. The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! . . August 20, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100106010448/http://www.blender.com/lists/61412/the50worstsongseverwatchlistenandcringe.html?p=5 . January 6, 2010.
  10. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20050407223203/http://www.crosscanadacountdown.com/pdfs/2003.pdf. April 7, 2005. Canadian Top 20 in 2003. Cross Canada Countdown. November 13, 2023.
  11. Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002. Airplay Monitor. 10. 51. 16. December 20, 2002.
  12. The 2002 Allstars: Most-Played Triple-A Songs. Airplay Monitor. 10. 51. 52. December 20, 2002.
  13. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2003. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 10, 2020.
  14. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 2003. billboardtop100of.com. January 10, 2020.
  15. The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played AC Songs. Airplay Monitor. 11. 51. 25. December 19, 2003.
  16. Year in Music: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. Billboard. 115. 52. YE-80. December 27, 2003. November 15, 2023.
  17. Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs. Airplay Monitor. 11. 51. 14. December 19, 2003.
  18. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1455. 26. May 31, 2002. May 6, 2021.
  19. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1466. 31. August 16, 2002. May 6, 2021.
  20. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1470. 45. September 13, 2002. May 6, 2021.
  21. Web site: The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 25th November 2002. ARIA. 26. November 25, 2002. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222222423/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20030107-0000/Issue665.pdf. February 22, 2008. May 6, 2021.
  22. Airborne. Doherty. Sean. Music & Media. 21. 7. 14. February 8, 2003. June 13, 2021.
  23. Web site: Nye Udgivelser. New Releases. Sony Music Denmark. da. https://web.archive.org/web/20030301095202fw_/http://www.sonymusic.dk/dk/udgivelser.php. March 1, 2003. November 11, 2023.
  24. http://www.johnmayer.com/blog/john/200612#239 John Mayer wins a Dundie

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Your Body Is a Wonderland".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.