Songs of 2019
May 9, 2019
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer
It’s been a while since we talked about John here on Songs of 2019, so I think it’s time we bring him back into the fold. And we all know I’m a sucker for sad and languid love song.
Which is what this is.
Slow Dancing in A Burning Room is a slow jam. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s beautiful. It is lyrically evocative in its imagery. Melodically, it is the kind of song that you can continue to hear long after the last note has played. Instrumentally, it does something interesting near the end of the chorus where the same notes are played over and over again at a quick pace to create a secondary melody (it reminds me a lot of the way the beginning of Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World sounds). And then, of course, there is the electric guitar solo that comes in and out throughout the last minute or so of the song.
It really gives you soft-rock/rock ballad vibes, and I absolutely adore it. John Mayer’s voice is incredible, and his tone fits so well with this beautiful song he has created.
This is a song that will get you all up in your feelings. You’ll find yourself sitting in your car under a gray sky, watching the rain fall while this song plays in the back–and everything you’ve been trying to keep at bay will come flooding back toward you. But you won’t be alone with it–John will be there with you. And that makes it bearable.
