John Mayer Leaves "Shadow Days" Behind

John Mayer may not be able to perform his new material live, but that doesn't mean he can't pack up his stuff, drive across the Western frontier and lip-synch lyrics about being a "good man, with a good heart." And with that, the scenic "Shadow Days" music video was unveiled on Friday. The video is a road trip, with Mayer dressed up as a cowboy, making his way across the heartland of our great country to just chill out and let it all go. It's a completely uncomplicated premise.
"Shadow Days" is the lead single from Mayer's fifth studio album "Born and Raised," the first album since 2009’s "Battle Studies," which notched the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 and earned him three Grammy nominations. The new CD is still on track for a May 22 release despite the 34-year-old's recent battle with a backlash following a controversial Playboy interview and throat surgery for a granuloma near his vocal chord. "My shadow days are over," he sings in this country-tinged song reflecting the hope that his bad times are over.
"I'm pretty emotionally burnt out at the moment, but please know how hard I tried to resolve this and how disappointed I am that I can't perform this record yet," Mayer told his fans in his blog. "I'm completely bummed, especially for all of you who started making plans to see a show. Nothing feels worse than having to break the stage down before the performance, and I mean nothing. I love this band you were going to hear, I love the guys and girls I work with, and the only thing that stops me from devolving into a puddle of tears is knowing that it's a long life, and the greatest gift in the world is being able to create music no matter what the circumstances. So these are the new circumstances, and I'll find a way to make it mean something. That's all you can ever do."
Mayer leads an unfussy life in the clip for "Shadow Days," a moody track wherein Mayer croons about being a good man who lost his way, the recovering media provocateur and hippie-cowboy heartbreaker Mayer is leaving behind the bright lights and hustle and bustle of the big city for something simpler, he drifts through his own private Idaho, Arizona, and other frontier states. As our wandering hero travels across this great land of ours in his mostly reliable Jeep Wrangler, he makes sure to visit key scenic landscapes in order to play guitar as approving eagles soar above him.