John Mayer on the "Vulgar Relationship" Behind New LP "Battle Studies"

John Mayer may not have set out to make a concept album, but as his fourth LP, Battle Studies, developed, he found the songs' war theme oddly appealing. "I was loving the war theme, the battle theme. The militaristic, vulgar, violent side of a relationship on the down slope," he tells Rolling Stone in an exclusive video interview. "The record starts out sort of like the sun is out, then it gets darker. And then the sun comes back out at the end."

Earlier this month, Mayer unveiled the video for the album's first single, "Who Says," which gives fans a raw look at one of his nights out on the town. In our Fall Music Preview, Mayer told Rolling Stone the song's first lyric, "Who says you can't get stoned?" was not about weed but, being "in control of the pleasure in your life," adding that the record — which also features a duet with Taylor Swift — as a whole is "the next step in the story of who I am."

Fans will get to hear that step on November 17th when Battle Studies hits stores, and pre-orders start today. Mayer has also lined up a string of dates to introduce Battle Studies to the world: a gig in New York on the day the record arrives, as well as stops in Toronto and Australia before New Year's Eve shows with RS Breaking Artist Mayer Hawthorne. Mayer also revealed the locations he'll hit on his 2010 Winter Tour:
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Birmingham, AL
Boston, MA
Calgary, AB
Columbus, OH
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Edmonton, AB
Grand Rapids, MI
Houston, TX
Kansas City, MO
Los Angeles, CA
Memphis, TN
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Montreal, QC
Nashville, TN
New York, NY
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
St Louis, MO
Toronto, ON
Tulsa, OK
Uncasville, CT
Vancouver, BC
Washington, DC

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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