Listen up, boys. Five lyrics from the casanova, himself.

John Mayer is a musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist and music producer. He has won many  Grammy Awards, such as Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Many of the songs he writes are on relationships and heart break. Although, he has never been married, John has had his share of relationships. He's been linked to Colbie Caillat, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Taylor Swift (her latest album includes Dear John, which is a not-so-nice song specifically for him) and Cameron Diaz. While he might not be the sweetest of guys in the end, he sure knows how to make a girl swoon.

Maybe there's something in his lyrics that can point out as to why girls are so crazy about him.



"Edge of Desire"
Don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me,
'Cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see,
I want you so bad, I'll go back on the things I believe,
There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me.

The thought of someone telling you "I need you here, now. Don't put up a fight," is something no girl would object to. It sets the stage for the next line of imagery, "I'm just about to set fire to everything I see." I love this line, because I can clearly see someone setting flames to anything and everything around, out of overwhelming emotion. It's not about the actual fire itself, it's about the raw feeling you get out of it. Now I don't know about you, but a lot of people are stubborn about their beliefs. Whether it's rules or promises kept with themselves, morals or opinions, breaking any one of those is a struggle, but when you care that deeply about someone, all those thoughts fade from your memory. In his last line, John admits to feeling terrified of being forgotten, out of desperation, which is exactly the emotion, the song as a whole conveys.

"Half of My Heart"
I was made to believe I'd never love somebody else
I made a plan, stay the man who can only love himself
Lonely was the song I sang, 'til the day you came
Showing me a better way and all that my love can bring

These lyrics are about the invisible guard people put up to others, in avoidance of trust being broken. After anyone is hurt, they immediately go into shut-down mode. Most people want nothing to do with love and getting the door to their heart open, is next to impossible. In the third line, John shows that despite his wants, he couldn't help but to fall for this girl and open up again. Continuing further in the song, he argues that he would be able only to give half of what he should. Unfortunately, girls want what they can't have, more than anything else.

"Heartbreak Warfare"
How come the only way to know how high you get me
is to see how far I fall
God only knows how much I'd love you if you let me
but I can't break through at all.

"Heartbreak Warfare" is entirely about a fighting struggle John is having between his heart and head. These lyrics show that the person he's talking about is an expert at hurting him. Contradicting himself, he writes of how elated she makes him, but yet let's him down, time after time. The last two lines are about his promise to her, if she would only let him in. This song is almost the opposite to "Half of My Heart," showing guarded feelings from the other side.

"Dreaming With a Broken Heart"
When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part
You roll outta bed and down on your knees
And for the moment you can hardly breathe

I love when John incorporates reality with thoughts and feelings. When anyone is broken hearted or depressed, eating and sleeping become two of the most confused things. He uses sleep, in these lyrics, to show not only the actualities, but his hopes and wishes being broken. John is an incredible writer and is very talented at showing lovesick feelings in words that people can relate to.

"Your Body is a Wonderland"
You tell me where to go and
Though I might leave to find it
I'll never let your head hit the bed
Without my hand behind it

Security is on almost any girl's top five list of characteristics she wants in a partner. Girls want to feel taken care of and protected, no matter how independent they may be. These lyrics are an excellent show case of trust. Everyone wants to feel as if they have someone they can rely on and know that there is someone to support them at the end of the day. All four of these lines show his willingness to be her redemption, which is a surefire way to a girl's heart.

Seth Walsh is Making a Difference



"Seth is doing what he always wanted to do — to promote love." – Judy Walsh



On September 19^th, 2010, Seth Walsh, a thirteen year old boy was unconsciously rushed to the hospital. His mother had found his body in their backyard, where Seth had tried to hang himself. He was on life support for nine days, before he died on the 27^th. Relatives said Seth began being teased as early as fourth grade and as he got older, the bullying got worse. He was picked on for his mannerisms, the way he dressed, and his homosexuality.

Seth is not the only suicide that happened in September. Tyler Clementi, a freshman at a New York University, died September 22^nd by jumping off a bridge. He ended his life, shortly, after his roommate posted a video of him and another guy being intimate, for all of YouTube to see. William Lucas and Asher Brown are also other boys that took their own lives due to the bullying they received. The question that the communities of these boys are asking themselves is what they could have done to stop this.

After reading a few articles on the suicides, different theories were suggested as to why all of this was happening. One article suggests that technology is to blame. Cloud writes, “At least bullies of previous decades had to hold you down before they could spit in your face.” But I agree with Jennings when he says, “the machines are not the issue. The behavior is the issue. Hateful behavior is never appropriate, no matter whether it happens online or in person.”

A program that is using technology to make a difference is called, “It Gets Better.” The program is a YouTube channel that lets users upload videos describing how they endured bullying and went on to live happier. Thousands of ordinary people, celebrities, non-profit organizations and elected officials have created videos to tell youth, “it gets better.” Ellen DeGeneres recently said in an article, ''My heart is breaking for their families, for their friends, and for our society that continues to let this happen. These kids needed us.'' Now, the It Gets Better project is letting us be there before it’s too late.

Music Appreciation

Music has changed tremendously over the generations. One thing that has always remained the same for me is the escape. As it does for many others, music allows me to shut out the world and drown myself in the sound. In the past few years, the lyrics and instruments that are used to help me in my getaway aren't nearly what they used to be. Good, old fashion, hands-on keys and strumming acoustics often aren't found on Billboard's Top 100 or iTunes charts.

The talent and hard work that used to be put into a song is typically replaced with synthesizers and various machinery to help capture a "catchy" beat. Lyrics of love, dreams, life struggles and hope are now replaced with "slizzerd" and "glitter on the floor." (What is a G6 anyways? Car or airplane?) Or when musicians can't come up with any new words at all, they can always take the Black Eyed Peas route, as they attempted Dirty Dancing's 1987, "Time of my Life." All of the creative effort, as used by previous muscians, is being thrown away just to earn a quick five minutes of fame. Will Ke$ha and Beiber be remembered by the next generation? Why not really appreciate the artists that have been around 20+ years, like Paul Simon, Neil Young and even more recent aristists such as Jay Z?

In the December issue of Rolling Stones, an article on the Beatles being released to iTunes caught my eye. As a little girl, I can remember my dad playing Elanor Rigby throughout the house. The happy, acoustic melodies often had me dancing at a young age. As I got older, I learned to relate with the lyrics as well. The Beatles being sold on iTunes is a huge accomplishment in letting their music live on. As soon as their discography was launched, the White Album and Abbey Road shot into the top 20. After seeing that, it is a little surprising reading that the Beatles sold more records this year, than any other artist, except Eminem.

At the end of the article, a question is raised as to if the Beatles might have entered the digital world too late. When the article mentioned other classics, it stated, "there will always be new generations that haven't heard the music." But my question is: will they appreciate it?

10 Things to Learn From Children

1. It's not the end of the world. Looking back to your earlier years, I'm sure you can remember the first time a significant other broke your heart, right? The first thought that rushed to your head was, "Who is going to sit next to me on the swings at recess?" But you eventually patched yourself up and found another fifth grade hand to hold, didn't you? At the time, it may have felt like there was no reason to return to school the next day, but years later it's helpful to remember that you're doing just fine.

2. Try, try, again. Making the transfer from training wheels to that dusty old bike in the shed wasn't an easy task. After a while and a few bruises, you got the hang of it. Your parents always said, "you can do anything you put your mind to." While riding a bike seems like a much simpler goal, having the right mindset and not giving up, can help you achieve things you thought were impossible.

3. It's okay to change your mind. From the time I was in first grade to the middle of third, I was set on being a veterinarian. I was called to squeeze animals with affection all day long, I knew it. Later that year, when my hamster took a chunk out of my leg, I decided I might would enjoy being a teacher more.

4. Stay curious. It's almost impossible not to have a conversation with a child because they are so full of questions. They have the mindset that they MUST know the "how's" and the "whys" of everything, whether it truly matters to them or not. Don't you agree though, that there's never an awkward silence when speaking to a kid?

5. Be open to new friendships. Everyone has been asked at one point in their childhood years, "My name is _____, will you be my friend?" A smile was exchanged, a Lego was given, and friendship was instantly built. Too many times in life, people do not have the courage in life to share a smile and create new relationships.

6. Think outside of the box. Being creative is easy to do when you're young. Forts for safaris in the living room, were only one of the many missions accomplished over the years. Getting older, we tend to believe in simplicity. Did we never learn anything from finger-paint and feathers?

7. Don't let fear stop you. At a young age, you are incredibly daring. Jumping off slides and climbing trees was no big deal. The last thing that was on your mind was the broken arm that you were most likely to get. You wanted what you wanted and did what you could to get it. As time passes, we let the simplest of things get in the way of our hopes and dreams, in fear of getting hurt.

8. Don’t be in a hurry to grow up. I can clearly remember sneaking into my mom’s closet and finding my favorite pair of heels that were four sizes too big. I walked around with my Barbie cell phone and pretended to drive my dolls to the mall. At the end of the day, I gladly accepted being tucked in to bed and having my hair braided come morning. It’s important to treasure young age while you have it.

9. Forgive and forget. At an older age, forgiving is so much harder then when you were four and had the attention span of a bug. "You broke my Pretty Princess teacup? That's okay, you can make it up to me by giving me one of your ladybug band aids." Granted, situations are much larger now, forgiving is something all people must learn to do.

10. Be positive. Can you even remember being stressed when you were little? The worst part of your day was making sure you weren't picked last in gym. Usually though, hours later, you were carefree and happy again. When you are young, it’s easier to see the beauty of life that goes unseen. As adults, it’s important to see just the same