Shadow Days

Album: Born and Raised (2012)
Charted: 42
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Over the two years following the release of his Battle Studies album, John Mayer experienced a number of difficulties, including a backlash following a controversial Playboy interview and throat surgery for a granuloma near his vocal chord. "My shadow days are over," he sings in this country-tinged song reflecting the hope that his bad times are over.
  • The song was co-produced by Don Was, who as one half of Was (Not Was) found commercial success in the 1980s. Since then he has received multiple Grammy Awards for his production work including Producer of the Year in 1995.
  • American pianist and keyboardist Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers Band, plays on this track. He also worked with The Rolling Stones throughout the '80s.
  • Mayer broke up with Jennifer Aniston in March 2009, after dating her for 10 months. He continued to retain strong feelings for the actress, and its been suggested that the singer penned this as a "goodbye letter" to his former girlfriend. A source told US Weekly: "'Shadow Days' is about Jen. It really took him a long time to get over her. He really loved her a lot. He wrote the song as a farewell letter knowing [Jen] would hear it. Ultimately he's done a lot of self reflection though and he realizes they weren't right for each other."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.