If you’ve ever sat in a bedroom with an acoustic guitar trying to master a thumb-over-the-neck blues riff, you’ve probably heard "Who Did You Think I Was." It’s that rare song that defines a specific pivot point in a career. In 2005, John Mayer was basically the "Your Body Is a Wonderland" guy. He was the sensitive, breathy pop star that teen girls loved and "serious" musicians ignored. Then he stepped onto the stage at the Bowery Ballroom with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino.
He played that opening riff. It was dirty. It was loud. It was unapologetically Hendrix-inspired.
That moment changed everything. Honestly, "Who Did You Think I Was" wasn't just a song; it was a middle finger to the persona that had been built around him by the media and the charts. It was a mission statement for the John Mayer Trio.
The Night the Pop Star Died
The song debuted during a time when blues-rock was supposed to be dead. Or at least, it was supposed to be relegated to smoky bars in Chicago, not the Billboard charts. When Mayer released the live album Try! in October 2005, the opening track hit like a freight train.
You’ve got to understand the context here.
Mayer had just won a Song of the Year Grammy for "Daughters." Most artists would have stayed in that lane forever because that’s where the money is. Instead, he teamed up with Steve Jordan—a legendary drummer who’s played with everyone from Keith Richards to Eric Clapton—and Pino Palladino, the bassist who stepped in for The Who. This wasn't a pop session. This was a power trio.
The lyrics of Who Did You Think I Was are almost entirely autobiographical. When he sings "Got a brand new figurehead," he's talking about the shift in his public image. He’s telling the audience that if they expected a soft-spoken crooner, they were in the wrong room. It’s a song about identity. It’s about the frustration of being put in a box and the sheer, adrenaline-fueled joy of breaking out of it.
Breaking Down the Gear and the Tone
People obsess over the tone of this song. For the gear nerds out there, it’s basically a masterclass in "Big Dipper" pickups and overdriven Fender Amps. Most experts agree he was leaning heavily on his signature Black One Stratocaster (or a prototype of it) and a combination of Two-Rock and Dumble-style amplification.
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But it’s not just about the pedals.
It’s the technique. The song relies on a percussive, rhythmic slapping of the strings that he learned by studying Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy. He’s playing the rhythm and the lead at the same time. It sounds full because his right hand is constantly moving, hitting dead notes between the actual chords. This creates a "chugging" sound that drives the track forward even without a second guitarist.
Why This Song Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a song from 2005. It’s because Who Did You Think I Was represents the ultimate successful rebrand. It’s the blueprint for how an artist can pivot without losing their core audience.
- It proved that mainstream audiences still had an appetite for guitar solos.
- It gave Mayer the "street cred" he needed to eventually join Dead & Company.
- It bridged the gap between 1960s blues and 2000s pop production.
Actually, if you look at modern players like Madison Cunningham or Mateus Asato, you can see the DNA of this era of Mayer’s playing. The idea that a guitar doesn’t just accompany a voice, but acts as a second vocalist, is the core of this track.
The Lyrics: A Subversive Identity Crisis
Let's look at the actual words. They’re simple, but they bite.
"You got a lot of nerve to walked in here / To see the man I've been for all these years."
He’s calling out the fans who only liked him for the radio hits. It’s kind of a ballsy move, right? Imagine paying fifty bucks for a ticket and the guy on stage basically tells you that you don't know him at all. But he earns it through the performance. By the time the bridge hits, the audience isn't offended—they're converted.
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The song functions as a gatekeeper. It says: if you can’t handle the 12-bar blues structure and the five-minute jam sessions, you aren't going to like where I’m going next. And he was right. This led directly into Continuum, which is widely considered one of the best guitar albums of the 21st century.
Misconceptions About the Trio Era
A lot of people think the Trio was just a side project. Like a hobby.
That’s totally wrong.
Steve Jordan wasn't just the drummer; he was the producer and the mentor. He pushed Mayer to stop overthinking the lyrics and start feeling the groove. If you listen to the studio version versus the live version on Try!, the live version wins every single time. The studio version feels a bit sanitized. The live version feels like it might fly off the tracks at any second.
Another common mistake is thinking Who Did You Think I Was is a cover. Because it sounds so much like a Jimi Hendrix Experience track (specifically "Fire" or "Wait Until Tomorrow"), people assume it’s an old blues standard. It’s not. It’s an original. That’s perhaps the greatest compliment you can pay to the song—that it feels like it has existed for fifty years.
How to Play It (The Short Version)
Don't try to learn this from a tab. You'll fail.
You have to watch his hands. The main riff is in the key of A, but it’s played with a lot of "blue notes"—that flat fifth and minor third that give it the growl. Your thumb has to hook over the top of the neck to grab the low A on the E string. If you don't use your thumb, you can't get the percussive "pop" on the higher strings.
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- Use a clean boost or a very light overdrive.
- Crank the volume on your amp until it starts to break up naturally.
- Keep your wrist loose. Seriously. If you're tense, you'll miss the swing.
- Focus on the "one." The first beat of every measure needs to be heavy.
The Cultural Impact of the Trio
Before this song, the blues were "old people music" to the average teenager in 2005. Mayer made it cool again. He took the vocabulary of B.B. King and Eric Clapton and translated it for a generation that grew up on MTV.
It also changed how we view celebrity musicians. It showed that you could be a tabloid fixture and a world-class instrumentalist at the same time. You didn't have to choose. You could date starlets and still spend ten hours a day practicing scales.
Actionable Steps for Musicians and Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the depth of Who Did You Think I Was, you need to go beyond the Spotify recording. The real magic is in the evolution of the song over time.
First, go find the 2005 Bowery Ballroom footage. It’s grainy, it’s shaky, but the energy is undeniable. It’s the sound of a man who has nothing to lose and everything to prove. Notice how Steve Jordan anchors the whole thing. Without Jordan’s "pocket," Mayer’s soloing would just be noise.
Next, compare it to the version he played during the 2017 The Search for Everything tour. By then, the song had changed. It was smoother, more confident, maybe a little less "angry." It’s fascinating to see how a song about identity changes once the artist has actually found that identity.
Finally, if you're a guitar player, stop using a pick for a second. Try to play the main riff using just your thumb and index finger. It’s a technique called "clapping the strings," and it’s the secret sauce to the Trio sound. It forces you to interact with the instrument physically rather than just hitting strings with a piece of plastic.
Who Did You Think I Was remains the definitive "statement" song in modern blues-rock. It’s a reminder that we are allowed to change. We are allowed to surprise people. And sometimes, the best way to show the world who you are is to plug in a Stratocaster and turn the volume up to ten.