Say (song)

"Say" is a song by John Mayer written for the Rob Reiner film The Bucket List in 2007. It was released as a single on November 20 and is the first commercial single in Mayer's career that was not originally released on one of his albums, but added to the special edition re-release of his album Continuum. In the US, it has become Mayer's highest charting single to date, reaching number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2008.[1] The song earned Mayer another Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, his fourth win on the category.

For other songs of this name, see Say.

"Say"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Continuum
ReleasedNovember 20, 2007
StudioThe Village (Los Angeles)
GenrePop rock
Length3:49
Label
Songwriter(s)John Mayer
Producer(s)John Mayer
John Mayer singles chronology
"Dreaming with a Broken Heart"
(2007)		 "Say"
(2007)		 "Beat It"
(2008)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Say" on YouTube

Overview

The music video for "Say" was directed by music video director Vem. The song is also referred to as "Say (What You Need to Say)" as this is the main line from the chorus of the song.[2][3][4] The song was also the first "assignment" song that Mayer had ever written. He notes that when writing the song "I don't know how much harder it gets than to see a beautiful, bittersweet movie and then have to write a song that matches the tone."[5] Mayer posted the song on his official blog on November 16.[2]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor of Billboard called "Say" a "lilting, bittersweet ballad" and said that it "is bound to be another staple for the [AC] format."[6] In 2009, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[7]

Commercial and chart performance

In the US, "Say" peaked at number twelve in May 2008[1] on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[8] and number eight on the Hot Digital Songs chart,[9] surpassing his debut single, "No Such Thing", as his highest-peaking Hot 100 single. It was certified platinum by the RIAA,[10] and has sold over 2 million copies in the US.[11] It also peaked at number seventeen on the Pop 100 chart[12] and number six on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks chart.[13]

"Say" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number fifty-six, and climbed to its peak of number forty-seven the following week.[14] On the Canadian Hot 100, it peaked at number twenty-seven.

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000
United States (RIAA)[27] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 17, 2008. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. Mayer, John (2007-11-15). "Say" JohnMayer.com Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  3. Scott, Laure (October 3, 2007). "BOOKED: John Mayer - Vem, director". Video Static. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
  4. "Continuum (special edition) to be released on November 20; includes 6 live tracks and new single, "Say"". www.johnmayer.com. November 14, 2007. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  5. Mayer, John *(2007-09-02). Untitled JohnMayer.com Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  6. Taylor, Chuck (2008-01-05), "Say". Billboard. 120 (1):48
  7. "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Nominations List". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
  8. The Billboard Hot 100: Say. Billboard. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  9. Hot Digital Songs: Say. Billboard. July 12, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  10. "American single certifications – Mayer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  11. Paul Grein (July 27, 2010). "Week Ending July 25, 2010: It's Every Rapper For Himself". Yahoo Music (Chart Watch). Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  12. Pop 100: Say. Billboard. July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  13. Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. Billboard. May 24, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  14. Top 50 Singles Chart - Australian Record Industry Association
  15. "Australian-charts.com – John Mayer – Say". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  16. "John Mayer Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  17. "John Mayer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  18. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  19. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  20. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  21. "John Mayer Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  22. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  23. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  24. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  25. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
  27. "American single certifications – John Mayer – Say". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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