Bold, Bold As Love

I broke down and purchased the John Mayer, Live at the Nokia Theatre album a couple of weeks ago. I knew it had many of the same songs as the Continuum album, which I already have, but I really, really wanted his version of Free Fallin' (it makes you say, "Tom Petty who?"). To my surprise, the narcissistic Mayer pontificates in the middle of the song, Bold As Love.

Great. I can't wait to hear a self-consumed musician speak. Just stick to what you know Mayer. Really, I don't care what you have to say.

But, within the first couple of sentences, I found myself actually leaning in, engaged and wondering what Mr. Mayer was going to say next. He had almost stripped his mega-star air and traded it for a down-to-earth, refreshing humility. It seemed as if he wanted to share something he had learned through years of mistakes and wasted arrogance.

This is what he said:
So check it out right, I've tried every approach to living. I've tried it all. I haven't tried every thing, but I've tried every approach. Sometimes you have to try everything to get the approach the same, but whatever. I've tried it all. I've bought a buncha stuff. I went "ehh, I don't like that." I kinda came in and out of that a coupla times.

I thought I would shut myself off. I thought maybe that's cool. Maybe that's what you have to do to become a genius is you have to be mad. So if you can get mad before the word genius, then maybe you can make genius appear. Right? That doesn't work either.

And I'm in a good place. I've paced myself pretty well. I'm 30, I've seen some cool stuff. I made a lot of stuff happen for myself. I made a lot of stuff happen for myself. That's a really cool sentence when you're in your 20s, right? "I made it happen for myself." But all that means is that I've just somehow or another found a way to synthesize love. Or synthesize soothing. You can't get that, and what I'm saying is I've messed with all the approaches except for one, and it's gonna sound really corny, but that's just love. That's just love.

I've done everything in my life that I've wanted to do except just give and feel love for my living. And I don't mean like, uh, Roman candle, fireworks, Hollywood hot pink love. I mean, like, "I got your back"-love. I don't need to hear "I love ya." You guys love me. I love you. We got that down. But some of the people who would tell you they love ya were the last people to just have your back. So I'm gonna experiment with this love thing. Giving love. Feeling love. I know it's corny, but it's the last thing I've got to check out before I check out.

- "Bold As Love (Live)," from Where the Light Is, by John Mayer


I especially appreciate how Mayer speaks of the "Hollywood hot pink love". That is what we see way too much of in our culture. That love is easy and empty and selfish. It gives little and requires even less...from us.

It all comes down to love, doesn't it? You can't buy it, trade it, fake it, consume it. You experience it. It requires you to give...of yourself...

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ~1John 4:16