Rating: 8.5/10
Continuum is often considered to be John Mayer’s masterpiece album, but it’s also a departure from the sound he had established for himself prior to the album’s release. Continuum is a blues/soul-inspired album, and though I think some songs work better than others, I do think that John created a wonderful and endurable piece of work.
In this post I’ll be ranking all the songs from John Mayer’s third studio album, Continuum, from least favorite to favorite. Hope you enjoy!
12. Bold As Love (Track 9)
Eh. I don’t love this song but I don’t dislike it. John sounds really good and the instrumentation is great. It’s enjoyable to listen to but I don’t see myself going out of my way to listen to it. It’s kind of boring, sorry to say. But no disrespect to Jimi Hendrix, who made the original song.
11. Waiting On the World to Change (Track 1)
I’m pretty sure this is one of the most popular songs on the album, so I hope that people don’t hate me for putting it second-to-last. It’s not a bad song by any means, and I like the message, as well as the descriptive nature of the verses. I guess it’s just not for me, it’s not really my sound.
10. I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You) (Track 2)
This is a broody and atmospheric song, and it’s pretty soulful. John restrains his vocals in order to give the song a more mellow and withdrawn feeling, which makes sense, but I think I would like this song better if the vocals were more showy. Still, this isn’t a bad song, it just doesn’t completely hit the mark for me.
9. The Heart of Life (Track 5)
This is such a sweet and reassuring song, I wish I could rank it higher because of that alone. It’s an acoustic track about how life, despite all the crap it throws at you, is good. This song is like a breath of fresh air when compared to the heavier songs on Continuum, but it’s not one of my absolute favorites from this album. I appreciate it though. “Pain throws your heart to the ground. Love turns the whole thing around. No, it won’t all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.”
8. Dreaming With a Broken Heart (Track 10)
I used to have this way higher, but I relistened to it and it’s not quite as good as I remember it being. Still, this is a lovely song. It starts off with a gentle piano melody, and John’s soft vocals add a vulnerability to the song. As the song goes on, the instrumentation gets more and more powerful which is cool. It’s a good song, but again, not my absolute favorite to listen to. I think it’s a great addition to the album though.
7. Vultures (Track 6)
Ugh, this song has such a nice groove to it. Vultures is laid back and catchy and just enjoyable to listen to. John gives a really good vocal performance, and the way he sings the outro is just awesome. The outro of this song is just awesome in general, though.
6. Belief (Track 3)
When I was listening to this album for the first time, this was the first song in the tracklist where I was really impressed. This is such a good song. The drumming, the guitar, the melody. It’s so catchy and great to listen to, and the guitar solo is so cool. I don’t envision myself listening to this outside of the album, but I’ll always look forward to hearing it within Continuum.
5. In Repair (Track 11)
This is a really long song (6 minutes!) and I will say that I think it goes on longer than it needs to, but it’s pretty thoroughly enjoyable all throughout. The lyrics have a nice message to them, but this song just sounds great. The chorus has a wonderful melody, and the way John sings, “I could be ready” is just great. Plus, the guitar solo before the last verse absolutely shreds (there’s plenty of outstanding guitar work to be found in John Mayer’s work, though, so maybe I should stop pointing it out so much).
4. I’m Gonna Find Another You (Track 12)
“You take your sweaters, you take your time. You might have your reasons but you will never have my rhyme. I’m going to sing my way away from blue, I’m going to find another you.” This is a short little note to end the album on, but it’s pretty lovely all throughout. Honestly, John’s vocals are beautiful and the instrumentation adds a nice punch to his voice. I also love the lyrics of the song, which are about finding someone else who’s better for you after a rough breakup. And the little flourish right before the song ends is great. “So go on baby, make your little getaway. My pride will keep me company, and you just gave yours all away. Now I’m going to dress myself for two, once for me and once for someone new. I’m going to do some things you wouldn’t let me do. Oh, I’m going to find another you.”
3. Stop This Train (Track 7)
Honestly, this song really hits me in my emotions. Not to get too deep on my anonymous blog, but I’d say that growing up and watching people leave my life is one of my biggest fears/dreads in life. Not to mention, adjusting to new environments, while exciting, has always been a really scary thing for me, and that’s sort of about to happen to me in a few weeks. I’m glad I found this song, because it’s a nice, gentle reminder that there’s nothing we can do to slow life down, and we just have to keep moving forward and accept the changes that might hit us. I imagine I’ll be listening to this song a lot in the future whenever I’m about to face a big change, because a lot of the time I just want to stop the train that is my life and stay where I am. This song reminds me that there’s nothing I can do to pause life, so I might as well make the most of what’s to come.
2. Slow Dancing In a Burning Room (Track 8)
“It’s not a silly little moment, it’s not the storm before the calm. This is the deep and dying breath of this love that we’ve been working on.” ‘Slow Dancing In a Burning Room’ is often considered to be John Mayer’s best song, and I can definitely see why people would say that because it’s incredibly hard-hitting. Between the sorrowful instrumental, John’s vocals, and the piercing lyricism, this song really packs an emotional punch. Not only does this song sound amazing, but it also deals with the well-explored topic of a dying relationship in a detailed and unique way. Using the idea of ‘slow dancing in a burning room’ as a metaphor for staying in a doomed relationship, John vividly paints the picture of a relationship that’s crashing down, slowly but surely and all the emotions that are experienced as a result of this. This truly is a masterpiece in it’s own way, and definitely one of John Mayer’s greatest creations. “We’re going down, and you can see it too. We’re going down, and you know that we’re doomed. My dear, we’re slow dancing in a burning room.”
1. Gravity (Track 4)
See, I have this habit of listening to songs in bed late at night, in complete darkness where I’m really tired. When I do that, I just close my eyes and listen. That was how I first listened to this song, and let me tell you, I LEVITATED. I was absolutely dumbfounded when I opened my eyes again by how amazing this song is. Everything about it is amazing. The guitar, the lyrics, John’s vocals, the drums, the guitar, and did I mention the GUITAR? Ugh, it’s flawless. Even to this day, I still levitate every time I listen to this song. This is a very mellow and slow song, and normally I find songs like that to be boring, but this one keeps me absolutely captivated all throughout. If you can’t tell, I like this song quite a bit, and it’s very important to me. I feel like it’s message is so important. The lyrics in this song are a little vague, so I think they’re somewhat up for interpretation from every person who listens to the song. To me, this song says that if you have something really good going in your life, there’s gonna be opportunities to ruin it in hopes of getting something that you assume is even better, but you should try not to give in to that temptation (now that I think about it, I can kind of relate to this song in terms of my faith). I adore this song, and I hope anyone who reads this gives it a listen ’cause I feel like everyone should hear it. “Just keep me where the light is.”
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