16th March, 2005

JUSTIN MICHAEL

Ever since I discovered my parents' record collection could be used to change the atmosphere of a family dinner I’ve been fascinated by the way music messes with our day-to-day. It can flick a switch in us that changes what we’re thinking, changes our body language and possibly provides entertainment for the person sitting beside you at the lights.

When I first heard John Mayer, possibly on a late night music video show, that switch was tweaked to full. The sincere delivery; the undeniable intellect and poetry of his lyrics; the song construction that was nothing short of ‘pop-perfect’. It was, as they say, disarming. It was his first international release at age 22 titled Room for Squares and the single No Such Thing that made me make one of those rash, “I shouldn’t be spending money today but I must have that CD” decisions.

Since then, Mayer has released the live double album and DVD, Any Given Thursday and the platinum selling follow-up studio album Heavier Things. Apart from anything else, Heavier Things is an interesting dissection of John’s life post international fame featuring songs like Home Life - seemingly longing for a middle America suburban life - and the searching Something’s Missing which echoes the eternal sentiment that after you gain everything you want, do you end up with what you need?

While much of the CD could be neatly slotted into the ‘searching melancholic young artist’ category, track eight, Daughters is one out-of-the-box. The Grammy folks dug it so much they gave it the gong for song of the year in 2004. (I knew the Grammy’s were good for something other than rewarding ex-presidents' spoken word efforts.)

“I know a girl, she puts the colour inside of my world - but she’s just like a maze - where all of the walls all continually change.”

An opening lyric that is more than just poetic. It’s a subtle set-up for an emotional punch so simplistic that it may cause a salty discharge from a tear duct. The chorus - “Fathers, be good to your daughter - daughters will love like you do - girls become lovers who turn into mothers - so mothers, be good to your daughters too.”

There’s Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, there’s Steve Biddulph's books on fatherhood and of course, there’s Dr Phil. It’s all great I’m sure, but sometimes you just need to speak a truth in a rhyme that sticks in your brain with an unobtrusive acoustic guitar giving the life lesson a groove.

It’s simple. We learn by example. Make the example good - no, make it great - and you’ll end up with better people at the end of the day. How do I love? Well, I'm not sure, but I know how I laugh. I laugh like my dad. I know how I tell a joke. I do it just like my dad. I saw my dad love my mum before and after an argument. I saw mum do the same in return for dad. My sisters saw the same thing. Put us in a room together at Christmas and you’ll see nothing but a blur. We talk loud, we eat fast and we leave visitors for dead when it comes to opinions on, well, just about anything.

Still, post-discussion (which some would be inclined to describe as argument) we all still love each other, and it’s honestly that simple.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve got two parents that are still maried 30 years after the “I do” and the biggest hassles I have with them are over antiquated ideology (don’t tell them I said that) and how to organise my mother’s kitchen (don’t ask, I don’t get it either - the spice rack just bugs me, alright!)

Mr. Mayer simply gave rhyme to the fact that it’s hard to love if you’ve never been taught. It’s also hard to understand someone who hasn’t been loved when you’re trying to love them.

“And I’ve done all I can - to stand on her steps with my heart in my hands - now I’m starting to see - maybe it’s got nothing to do with me.”

Great music is hard to find. Great lyrics even harder. With Daughters, Mayer combines both with a social conscience that will make sure I bring this one out to change the family dinner atmosphere in a generations time.

Justin Michael can be heard weekday mornings on Geelong-based radio station 96.3 Rhema FM - www.rhemafm.org.au.