John Mayer really wants you, even if you don’t necessarily want him back. The “Your Body Is a Wonderland” star and Dead & Company member released his first new solo single in more than five years on Friday (Oct. 23), the contemplative “Tom and Jerry.”
The midtempo bubbler opens with a shuffling, brushed drum pattern and hypnotic guitar riff as Mayer admits from the jump that things are not going great. “I’m never gonna catch you/ This is never gonna end/ Might as well be my lover/ If you don’t wanna be my friend,” he sings in a resigned voice. “You’re my badge/ Baby, I’m your scar/ Throwin’ daggers at the camera/ Trying to him me from afar,” he adds.
Then comes the real talk, as Mayer concedes, “Now if you ever come through/ Which I doubt you’ll do/ I’ll run away with you” to a lover who only wants him when they’ve already got someone else or when it’s all wrong.
“‘Tom and Jerry’ was the name I used when saving my first voice memo with this song idea,” Mayer wrote in an Instagram post promoting the song, featuring cover art in which he is handcuffed to an unseen woman. “‘And if you ever come through, which I doubt you’ll do, I’ll run away with you.’ From that moment on, the adventure began in bringing that feeling to life,” he continued. “I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating every time – I get to work with a group of incredibly talented and deeply dedicated artists who will stop at nothing until the sound comes into focus and becomes a picture. I can’t wait to tell you more about it, but first, it’s important that you know who contributed to this track.”
The post included the full roster of contributors, which includes co-writer and co-producer Blake Slatkin (Justin Bieber, Sam Smith), beloved Welsh session bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, Adele), drummer Aaron Sterling (Taylor Swift, Harry Styles), percussionist Lenny Castro (Maroon 5, The Rolling Stones) and pianist Larry Goldings (Sia, James Taylor). In addition to co-writing and co-producing the song, Mayer is credited with acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards/synths and programming.
The song — the singer/guitarist’s first solo release since his 2021 Sob Rock album — is the first effort under Mayer’s new deal with Mercury Records for his Sob Rock Records imprint. Sob Rock, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, was Mayer’s final album for Columbia Records.
The “Gravity” star is gearing up to launch his 21-show residency run at Las Vegas’ Sphere, which is slated to kick-off on April 8 and run through a June 12, 2027 show.
Stream “Tom and Jerry” below.