John Mayer – “Tom and Jerry”

Are we talking about THE Tom and Jerry? The legendary cat-and-mouse duo whose decades-long relationship consisted almost entirely of attempted murder and an alarming disregard for household appliances? Because if so, I have questions. Is John Tom? Who's Jerry? And at what point does a romantic pursuit become grounds for a restraining order? To be fair, Jerry did once stuff Tom's tail into a waffle iron, so perhaps we're dealing with two individuals who could benefit from couples therapy.

On “Tom and Jerry,” Mayer turns the familiar chase into a romantic stalemate, with that unmistakable guitar playing of his making even the most complicated emotional arrangements sound suspiciously pleasant. The man could probably soundtrack a tax audit and have us asking for an encore. “I'm never gonna catch you / This is never gonna end,” he admits, before entertaining the possibility of running away together if his elusive counterpart ever decides to cooperate. Naturally, there's another man involved, questionable timing, and enough emotional hide-and-seek to keep the entire Hanna-Barbera animation department employed. John, darling, have you considered simply putting down the mallet and communicating?

And yet, there's something rather endearing about two people who can't seem to stop chasing each other, even when neither appears particularly interested in being caught. For all the romantic confusion, Mayer makes the whole thing go down remarkably easily, which is quite an achievement considering the emotional paperwork involved. By the time he's repeating “meet you on the other side,” I'm picturing Tom and Jerry sitting peacefully together on a porch in their retirement years, finally having exhausted their supply of dynamite. Of course, Jerry's probably still got a frying pan tucked behind his back.