Mann attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes; the band released the EP Bark Along with the Young Snakes in 1982, and a compilation album was issued in 2004. In 1983, seeking a return to "sweetness and melody", she co-founded with Berklee classmate and boyfriend Michael Hausman the new wave band 'Til Tuesday, which achieved minor success in 1985 with its first album, Voices Carry. The title song is said to be inspired by Hausman and Mann's breakup; the video became an MTV staple, winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist, though Mann's signature spiky hair would lead some to dismiss the group. Mann performed with the rock band Rush on the song "Time Stand Still" (from Hold Your Fire, 1987), singing backup vocals and appearing in the music video. With Mann playing an increasingly important role in songwriting, 'Til Tuesday released two more albums, Welcome Home and Everything's Different Now. On the final album and tour, musician Jon Brion joined the band, which broke up in 1990 when Mann left to start her solo career.
Around the time of the first album's release, Mann began a romantic relationship with Jules Shear; they broke up before the final 'Til Tuesday album, which contained the song "J For Jules". Professional relationships from the band would continue: Hausman later became Mann's manager, and Brion produced her first two solo albums.
Solo career
In 1993, Mann released Whatever, her first solo album. Promotion suffered due to the collapse of her label, Imago. While only a small hit, the album was critically praised, and paved the way for her next release, 1995's I'm with Stupid, through Geffen Records. Again, reviews were positive, but sales were weak.
Mann had met musician Michael Penn in the 1980s and with comparable songwriting styles and record-industry woes to share, they struck up a friendship during the recording of Stupid, which blossomed into romance and their 1997 marriage. Around this time Brion produced her album Bachelor No. 2, but Geffen saw no hit singles in the material and ordered her back to the studio. The album languished while Mann and the label fought.
Meanwhile, iconoclastic film auteur Paul Thomas Anderson, for whom Penn and Brion had composed a soundtrack, became a close friend. Mann gained greater public recognition in 1999 — indeed, more than anything else since "Voices Carry" — when she contributed eight songs to the soundtrack of Anderson's Magnolia, including the Academy Award-nominated song, "Save Me". Anderson deliberately worked from Mann's lyrics to create the film's characters and situations. Due to this exposure, Mann became sought after to contribute to soundtracks, a success made ironic by the music industry's indifference.
Independence
Fed up with both ineffectual promotion and artistic meddling by her record label, an experience documented in her song "Calling It Quits", she struck out on her own and founded SuperEgo Records in 1999. Mann self-released Bachelor No. 2 in 2000 (see 2000 in music), having negotiated a contract release from Geffen, and though initially only sold at concerts and via her website, the album became successful, allowing her to secure retail distribution through SuperEgo. The album, which included some songs from Magnolia and new material, was widely admired and Mann's "more indie than indie" success was carefully noted by other musicians.
Mann, Penn, Brion, Fiona Apple, and other musicians had by this time developed a subculture around the Largo nightclub in L.A. Penn and Mann formed a concept called Acoustic Vaudeville to recreate it on tour in California and eventually on an irregular, ongoing national tour. The Acoustic Vaudeville shows intermix music and stand-up comedy; among the comedians joining them for individual shows were Janeane Garofalo, Patton Oswalt, and David Cross.
Aimee continued her solo career with Lost in Space (2002), a somewhat more sombre album in the same vein as Bachelor No. 2. In 2004 her website released the Lost in Space Special Edition, which featured a second disc containing six live recordings, as well two B-sides and two previously unreleased songs. In November of that year Live at St. Ann's Warehouse, a live album and DVD recorded at a series of July 2004 shows in Brooklyn, came out; the two discs were sold packaged together in either a CD jewel case or a DVD case.
Mann described her next album, The Forgotten Arm (2005) as a concept album set in the '70s about two lovers who meet at the Virginia state fair and are now on the run. The Joe Henry-produced album, which was recorded mostly live and has few overdubs, was released May 3, 2005. The album reflects Mann's interest in boxing in its illustrations as well as its title, derived from a boxing move in which one arm is used to hit the opponent, causing him to "forget" about the other arm, which is then used to deliver a harsher blow. The album received weaker reviews overall, with critics impressed at the totality but unimpressed with any individual songs.
In October 2006 Aimee released 'One More Drifter in The Snow', an album of Christmas songs. All bar one of the songs, 'Calling on Mary' were covers of holiday classics.
Mann's independence from the industry led her to more explicit political stances. She joined Artists Against Piracy, a group formed to act against the illegal downloading and file sharing of copyrighted music from the Internet. Mann, Penn and Hausman took their experience with SuperEgo to found the independent music collective United Musicians, which is based on the principle that every artist should be able to retain copyright ownership of the work he or she has created, in contrast to normal music industry contracts.
June 2008 brought the release of '@#%&*! Smilers,' a collection of songs featuring greater use of keyboards. Aimee's set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the same month featured a number of selections from the new album as well as a number of her concert standards. Aimee and her band covered Elton John's 'My Father's Gun' as part of the set.
31 Today
Aimee Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a thing to say
Drinking Guinness in the afternoon
Taking shelter in the black cocoon
[Chorus: ]
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
Called some guy I knew
Had a drink or two
And we fumbled as the day grew dark
I pretended that I felt a spark
[Chorus: ]
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
Easter comes and goes
Maybe Jesus knows
So you roll on with the best you can
Getting loaded, watching CNN
[Chorus: ]
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know
where to turn
Aimee Mann's song "31 Today" can be interpreted as a reflection on the disillusionment that comes with growing older and the pressure to have achieved certain milestones by a certain age. The repetition of "I thought my life would be different somehow, I thought my life would be better by now" highlights the singer's disappointment and frustration with their current circumstances. The image of drinking Guinness in the afternoon and taking shelter in the black cocoon suggests a desire to retreat from the world and escape these feelings.
The second verse describes the singer reaching out to someone from their past, perhaps hoping for some kind of connection or validation. However, the encounter is unfulfilling and the singer resorts to pretending to feel a spark. The mention of Easter and Jesus suggests a search for meaning and guidance, but ultimately the singer is left feeling lost and turns to drinking and watching the news to distract themselves from their emotions.
Overall, "31 Today" is a poignant and relatable portrayal of the struggles and uncertainties that come with navigating adulthood.
Line by Line Meaning
Thirty-one today
Another year of her life has gone by and she has turned thirty-one.
What a thing to say
The fact that she is thirty-one has weighed heavily on her mind.
Drinking Guinness in the afternoon
She is drinking alcohol, perhaps to deal with her feelings of disappointment and frustration.
Taking shelter in the black cocoon
She seeks comfort and protection from her negative thoughts and emotions.
I thought my life would be different somehow
She had expectations that her life would be better than it currently is at this age.
I thought my life would be better by now
She assumed that she would have achieved more in her life at this point in time.
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
Her life is not as she expected it to be, and she feels lost and unsure of what to do.
Called some guy I knew
She reaches out to someone from her past, possibly hoping for some comfort or guidance.
Had a drink or two
She drinks to try to numb her feelings of disappointment and regret.
And we fumbled as the day grew dark
Despite her attempts to connect with someone else, she feels awkward and uncertain in their company.
I pretended that I felt a spark
She tries to convince herself that the encounter was meaningful, but deep down she knows it wasn't.
Easter comes and goes
Time passes quickly, and she notes how the holiday has come and gone again.
Maybe Jesus knows
She wonders if a higher power has any answers for her questions or can offer her any guidance.
So you roll on with the best you can
She tries to keep going despite her struggles and disappointment in life.
Getting loaded, watching CNN
She uses alcohol and the news to distract herself from her problems, but it is not a real solution.
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
She repeats this phrase, emphasizing how lost and unsure she feels about her life.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aimee Mann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cafferacer
One of my favorite artists since 1985. Bachelor No. 2 my personal favorite. A genius.
@MoMo-zo1jw
Also a long-time fan. A little hard to picture the spikey-haired Aimee from the past given how she’s “grown up” over the years. Still love listening to her after all of these years!
@raffi_veiga
It's my 31st birthday today and of course I'm listening to this song over and over again! 😊🎶
@emiliojoseguimaraes7617
Aimee Mann and her amazing , say, fancy bitter-sweet style , make us feel well in our sadness and smallness , but not to stay there comfortably . In a way , her songs have a kind of mágical healing power that free us from that “smallness” and make us believe in ourselves again . Listening to her I always feel strength to move out from the darkness and go ahead ! Thanks , Aimee!
@benmaker218
yes! Couldnt express it better!
@emiliojoseguimaraes7617
Ben Maker happy you feel that way, too! She is great!
@hgoodin1013
So well said. Perfect.
@emiliojoseguimaraes7617
H Goodin it’s great to share the same feelings about Aimee!
@songsthatarecatchy
You hit the nail on the head...
@OverkilledUnderdog
Quite possibly one of the most underrated artists ever. She is truly awesome beyond words. Loved her music since the first song I ever heard. LOST IN SPACE. ❤