John Mayer reflected on one of his songs from 2013, “Paper Doll,” during a recent concert at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
In a video that has been circulating on social media, John can be seen strumming the opening chords on his guitar and musing about the song’s reception. He speculated that perhaps people didn’t like it because it sounded “a little pissed off.”
John then went on to express his dislike for “pissed off” as a theme in a song, admitting that there was something “bitchy” about it. While he tries to avoid incorporating “bitchiness” in his music, he acknowledged that it sometimes happens and described “Paper Doll” as having “sarcastic bitch” vibes, adding that it’s a little “bleh.”
“Paper Doll” was released as the lead single for John’s sixth studio album, Paradise Valley, and has long been speculated to be a musical response to his rumored ex Taylor Swift and her 2010 track “Dear John.”
Although neither artist has confirmed the inspiration behind their respective songs, fans have noted similarities in the lyrics, leading to speculation about the connection between the two tracks.
In the chorus of “Paper Doll,” John sings, “‘Cause you’re like 22 girls in one / And none of them know what they’re runnin’ from.”
On the other hand, in her track, Taylor belts out, “And you’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand / And I’ll look back and regret how I ignored when they said ‘run as fast as you can.’”
In 2019, John addressed the speculation surrounding the subject of “Paper Doll,” acknowledging that the song “didn’t get the love it deserved” due to all the chatter about who it was about.
During an Instagram Live session, John explained that as a singer-songwriter, one of the tenets is not to talk about who the songs are inspired by or reference. He revealed that when “Paper Doll” was released, there was widespread belief that it was about a particular person, which led to superficial pop culture back-and-forth.
However, John refused to share the true meaning behind the song, stating that he had to “burn” it to protect the integrity of being a singer-songwriter.
“The song didn’t get the credit it deserves,” John added, expressing his decision to let it go.