Maps of Music

Room for Squares (2001)

Where the lyrics of Room for Squares take you, and where it was really made.

The album first came out as an internet-only release on a small label, then Columbia remixed and re-released it in September 2001 as a major-label debut.

Key places

Basic tracks at Loho Studios (2001)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The basic tracks for the album were recorded at Loho Studios in New York City. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording and mixing at Sunny Acre (2001)

Recording site The Sandbox Studios — Parts of the album were recorded and mixed at Sunny Acre in Easton, Maryland. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording and mixing at 33 & 1/3 Studios (2001)

Recording site Rough Customer — Parts of the album were also recorded and mixed at 33 & 1/3 Studios in Brooklyn, New York. The point is set at city-center level, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Room for Squares: debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer
• Title refers to Hank Mobley's 1963 album No Room for Squares
• First released 5 June 2001 as an internet-only album by Aware Records
• Re-released 18 September 2001 by Aware and Columbia Records, with a Columbia remix
• Columbia re-release added the track "3x5", which was not on the original
• Best-selling album to date for Mayer

Background

• All songs written by Mayer; three co-written with Clay Cook
• "No Such Thing", "Neon", "My Stupid Mouth" and "Back to You" first appeared on the 1999 EP Inside Wants Out
• Songs largely based on Mayer's personal experiences
• Reputation grew through constant shows, including at Eddie's Attic in the Atlanta area
• An acquaintance who was a lawyer sent an EP to Gregg Latterman at Aware Records
• Aware signed a deal giving Columbia first pick of Aware artists
• Album was relatively unknown at release; it grew through word of mouth and touring
• Reached number one on Billboard's Heatseekers chart by March 2002

Recording

• Basic tracks recorded at Loho Studios, NYC
• Recorded and mixed at Sunny Acre, Easton, MD and 33 & 1/3 Studios, Brooklyn, NY
• "3X5" recorded at Applehead Studios, Woodstock, NY
• Strings recorded at Media Mix Studios, Nashville, TN
• Mastered at Classic Sound, NYC
• Mixing split between Jack Joseph Puig and Jeff Juliano by track

Cover

• Cover art uses a periodic table design running from the back cover to the front
• Alternative covers existed for the planned June 2001 US release and the Japan release
• Photography by Joshua Kessler (Columbia release); artwork by Dan Fallon and Alex Fallon

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• John Clayton Mayer, born October 16, 1977, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
• Attended Berklee College of Music in 1997, then left for Atlanta with guitarist Clay Cook to form the short-lived duo Lo-Fi Masters.
• Released the independent EP Inside Wants Out (1999) and was later signed by Aware Records, a Columbia Records imprint.

Career

• Debut album Room for Squares (2001) produced hits including "Your Body Is a Wonderland", which won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 45th Grammy Awards.
• Heavier Things (2003) peaked atop the Billboard 200.
• Shifted toward blues and rock, forming the John Mayer Trio; Continuum (2006) won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.
• Withdrew from public life in 2010 after controversial interviews; later albums include Born and Raised (2012), Paradise Valley (2013), The Search for Everything (2017), and Sob Rock (2021).
• Member of Dead & Company since 2015 alongside surviving Grateful Dead members.
• Ranked number 61 on Rolling Stone's 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2023).
• Sold over 20 million albums worldwide by 2014.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard 200 and drew generally positive reviews from critics
• Rolling Stone: Anthony DeCurtis gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "irresistible"
• PopMatters gave an unfavorable review, saying it doesn't offend and for the most part is not too exciting
• Robert Christgau said the lyrics on "City Love" were an improvement over Norah Jones

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone's DeCurtis compared Mayer to Elvis Costello, David Gray and Dave Matthews

Records

• US Billboard 200 peak: number 8 on release
• Billboard's Greatest Gainer in April 2002, rising from number 82 to 56, a 36 percent surge
• Reached number seven on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog
• Certified platinum despite never being a top-ten hit
• Best-selling album to date for Mayer, with over 5,485,000 copies sold in the United States as of 2026
• Won the 2003 Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title is a reference to Hank Mobley's 1963 album No Room for Squares.
• The Columbia re-release added "3x5", which was not on the original because its recording was not yet complete.
• In his Grammy speech Mayer said he was sixteen, which many took to mean he was only sixteen at the time.
• "Why Georgia" was a radio-only single, released as a CD single six weeks before the 2003 follow-up Heavier Things.
• On the Columbia release "St. Patrick's Day" is listed as track 14, and track 13 is an unlisted song.
• A March 2002 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was cited as a reason for the chart gain.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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