Your Body Is a Wonderland

"Your Body Is a Wonderland" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter John Mayer. It was released in October 2002 as the second single from his debut studio album, Room for Squares (2001). It reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

"Your Body Is a Wonderland"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Room for Squares
B-side
  • No Such Thing" (acoustic version)
  • "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (acoustic version)
  • "Not Myself" (demo version)
ReleasedOctober 14, 2002
Recorded2001
Genre
Length
  • 4:09 (album version)
  • 3:46 (radio edit)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)John Mayer
Producer(s)John Alagía
John Mayer singles chronology
"No Such Thing"
(2002)		 "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
(2002)		 "Why Georgia"
(2003)

Background

During his "VH1 Storytellers" performance, Mayer stated that he wrote the song about his first girlfriend at age 14. The song was actually named "Strawberry Wonderland" but was later changed by Mayer.

There has been speculation that Mayer wrote the song about Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom he dated in 2002, but she denied it.[1][2] Hewitt told Entertainment Weekly, "My body is far from a wonderland. My body is more like a pawnshop. There's a lot of interesting things put together, and if you look closely you'd probably be excited, but at first glance, not so much".[3]

According to the liner notes, a toy piano is used as an instrument in the song.

Lyrical content

The line "I'm never speaking up again", sung in the background, is also prominently featured in the chorus to the song "My Stupid Mouth", which appears just before the song on Room For Squares.

Critical reception

Billboard said the song showcases Mayer's "smooth, casual singing style and barroom instrumentation."[4] In 2003, "Your Body Is a Wonderland" won Mayer the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.[5] The song ranked at No. 28 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".[6]

Music video

The video starred the actress Holly Lynch. The video was directed by Jim Gable, and edited by Scott C. Wilson.

Track listing

All songs are written by John Mayer except where noted otherwise.

  1. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" – 4:09
  2. "No Such Thing" (Acoustic version, live from WXPN) (John Mayer & Clay Cook) – 3:46
  3. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (acoustic version, live from WXPN) – 5:46
  4. "Not Myself" (demo version) – 4:05

Personnel
  • John Mayer – vocals, guitar, toy piano, vibraphone, Korg Triton synthesizer
  • David LaBruyere – bass
  • Nir Z – drums
  • Brandon Bush – Wurlitzer electric piano
  • John Alagia – percussion, Hammond organ
  • Chris Fischer – congas

Appearances in the media

In 2006, the song was used in an episode of U.S. version of The Office, entitled "A Benihana Christmas". Characters Michael Scott and Andy Bernard sing the song as a karaoke duet. Mayer agreed to let the show use the song, in exchange for a Dundie,[7] which was for "Tallest Music Dude".

In the episode of Family Guy titled "Stew-Roids", Stewie sings a song in which he pronounces the word "body" like "bah-dy", which he then explains "That's how John Mayer would say it"; a reference to the pronunciation of the word in "Your Body Is a Wonderland".

Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer performed a rhumba to the song on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] Platinum 70,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[20] Platinum 90,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[22] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Celebrity Central". John Mayer. People. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  2. L. Loinaz, Alexis (June 6, 2012). "Bitter Ex Alert! John Mayer "Humiliated" by Taylor Swift Song "Dear John"". E!.
  3. "John Mayer's love life: A timeline". CNN. August 27, 2012.
  4. Taylor, Chuck (June 29, 2002), "Your Body Is a Wonderland". Billboard. 114 (26):33
  5. "The Time Keeper: John Mayer Is An Up-To-The-Moment Watch Connoisseur David Colman Clocks I". New York Times. March 8, 2009. ProQuest 1030689297.
  6. "The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe!". Blender. Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  7. John Mayer wins a Dundie in exchange for letting The Office use "Your Body Is a Wonderland".
  8. "Australian-charts.com – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  9. "Austriancharts.at – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  11. "Charts.nz – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  12. "John Mayer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  13. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  14. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  15. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  16. "John Mayer Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  17. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  18. "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". billboardtop100of.com/. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  19. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020.
  20. "Danish single certifications – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  21. "British single certifications – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  22. "American single certifications – John Mayer – Your Body Is a Wonderland". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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