Best Albums !: John Mayer. Room for Squares (2001)

Room for Squares is the first major-label album by John Mayer, released commercially on September 18, 2001.

The album's title is an inside joke/reference to Hank Mobley's No Room for Squares album. All songs from the album were written by Mayer; however, three of the songs, "No Such Thing", "Neon", and "Love Song for No One", were all co-written with Clay Cook, with whom Mayer had a duo group known as "The LoFi Masters."

Through constant shows, including in the Atlantic-area Eddie's Attic, Mayer's reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at the South by Southwest Music Festival brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Room for Squares as an internet-only album. During that time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released Room for Squares. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added, which didn't appear on the original as the recording wasn't yet complete at the time. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, Inside Wants Out. The cover art for the most recent release of Room for Squares features a periodic table design beginning from the back cover which continues to the front cover, ending at the right-side.

The album was relatively unknown at its time of release, but it became more well-known through word of mouth and John's touring. By the end of 2002, Room for Squares had spawned several radio hits, including "No Such Thing", "Your Body Is a Wonderland", and ultimately, "Why Georgia" (a radio-only single).