Hear John Mayer’s Stripped-Down Take on Beyoncé’s ‘XO’
John Mayer has released a warm, acoustic cover of Beyoncé’s “XO,” with his stripped-down version featuring the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar accentuated by piano and harmonica in the background. He originally performed a live version of the track during a show in Adelaide, Australia last month. Three days prior, Mayer tweeted his admiration of Beyoncé and “XO”: “The best thing about Beyoncé? The break in her voice on the first ‘baby, love me lights out’ in XO. Real and raw.”
Behind the Scenes: John Mayer on ‘Letterman’
Mayer continues to be a road warrior. On Thursday, the Budweiser Made in America festival announced the singer as one of the headliner for its Los Angeles edition this Labor Day weekend. The singer has been touring internationally in support of his last album, Paradise Valley, having just wrapped up legs in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Beyoncé played “XO” for the first time during a concert in Chicago, which was her first live performance after she unexpectedly released her most recent album, Beyoncé (and subsequently made the Internet explode). She followed up with a music video for the song, directed by Terry Richardson, which showed the diva running around Coney Island.
You can stream the track below: