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Say (John Mayer song)

"Say"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Continuum (2008 reissue)
ReleasedNovember 20, 2007
StudioThe Village (Los Angeles)
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
Music video
"Say" on YouTube

"Say" is a song by John Mayer written for the Rob Reiner film The Bucket List in 2007. The ballad was released as a single on November 20, 2007, and was 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.[1] The song earned Mayer his record-tying fourth and final Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Overview

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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

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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

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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.[citation needed] 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

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27] Gold 35,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 17, 2008. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Mayer, John (November 15, 2007). "Say" Archived July 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine 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 *(September 2, 2007). Untitled JohnMayer.com Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  6. ^ Taylor, Chuck (January 5, 2008), "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.
  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. ^ "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. ^ "Top Canada AC Songs". R&R. December 12, 2008. p. 67.
  24. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  25. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  26. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – John Mayer – Say". Recording Industry Association of America.