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.
I've Had It
Aimee Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With everything intact
But as for getting back,
It was boo who made the joke,
They don't give you any hope
But they'll give you plenty of rope
And dan came in from jersey
He went to get the drums
We can get it off the ground
I hope someone's coming down
Else I can't see hanging around
Oh, experience is cheap
If that's the company you keep
And a chance is all that I need
And I've had it
I've had it
So we all just started playing
And then something strange occurred,
Not a person stirred
Oh, it started out one way
But it turned out to be okay
And I felt that someone should say
Oh, experience is cheap
If that's the company you keep
And before you know that it's free
You've had it
Like most amazing things
It's easy to miss and easy to mistake
For when things are really great
It just means everything's in it's place
When everything was over
And we loaded up the van
I turned and said to dan,
Dan, I guess this is our prime
Like they tell us all the time
Weren't you expecting some other kind?
Oh, experience is cheap
If that's the company you keep
But I'll never get that disease
Cause I've had it
I've had it
The song “I’ve Had It” by Aimee Mann is about a failed music career. The lyrics describe a band travelling to New York to perform and their disappointment in the lack of success. The first verse talks about the difficulties of getting back home after the show, with the line “They don’t give you any hope, but they’ll give you plenty of rope” referring to the cut-throat music industry. The second verse describes the band performing in front of a disinterested audience, which ultimately leads to their disillusionment with their dreams.
Mann emphasizes the importance of experience in the music industry, but also recognizes that it can be a double-edged sword; while experience can be valuable, it can also lead to cynicism and disappointment. The final lines of the song show Mann accepting the reality of her situation and rejecting the idea of settling for a mediocre life.
Overall, the lyrics of “I’ve Had It” convey the frustration of struggling artists who pour their passion and energy into their craft, only to be met with rejection and disappointment. It’s a relatable anthem for anyone who has ever chased a dream, only to have it slip through their fingers.
Line by Line Meaning
We made it down to new york
We successfully arrived in New York
With everything intact
We brought everything we needed
But as for getting back,
However, returning home was a challenge
It was boo who made the joke,
Boo made a sarcastic comment
They don't give you any hope
The situation seemed hopeless
But they'll give you plenty of rope
Despite the challenges, there were opportunities to improve the situation
And dan came in from jersey
Dan arrived from New Jersey
He went to get the drums
He went to retrieve the drums
And if buddy ever comes
If Buddy arrives
We can get it off the ground
We can start playing
I hope someone's coming down
I hope someone else joins us
Else I can't see hanging around
Otherwise, I won't stay
Oh, experience is cheap
Having experience is not enough
If that's the company you keep
If the people around you are not motivated
And a chance is all that I need
I just need one opportunity
And I've had it
I've reached my limit
So we all just started playing
We began playing music together
And then something strange occurred,
Something unexpected happened
Not a person stirred
No one seemed to notice
Oh, it started out one way
Things began in a specific way
But it turned out to be okay
But it ended up being fine
And I felt that someone should say
I felt the need to express my thoughts
But I'll never get that disease
I will never become ungrateful
Cause I've had it
Because I've already experienced the best
Like most amazing things
As with all wonderful experiences
It's easy to miss and easy to mistake
It can be overlooked or misinterpreted
For when things are really great
When things are going well
It just means everything's in it's place
It is just a matter of everything coming together
When everything was over
After everything was finished
And we loaded up the van
We packed up the van
I turned and said to Dan,
I spoke to Dan
Dan, I guess this is our prime
Dan, this is the best moment of our lives
Like they tell us all the time
As we are often reminded
Weren't you expecting some other kind?
Did you expect something different?
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: AIMEE MANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind