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.
Mr. Harris
Aimee Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lives with his sister in a furnished flat
He's got this suit that
He'll never wear outside without a hat
His hair is white but he looks half his age
He looks like Jimmy Stewart in his younger days.
[Chorus]
Stupid to think love is love
But I do
And you've waited so long and
I've waited long enough for you.
My mother's calling
From where she's living up in troy, Vermont
She tries to tell me
A father figure must be what I want
I've always thought age makes no difference
Am I the only one to whom that's making sense?
[Chorus]
The day I met him he was raking leaves
In his tiny yard.
Of course I know that
We've only got ten years, or twenty, left
But to be honest
I'm happy with whatever time we get
Depending on which book you read
Sometimes it takes a lifetime to get what you need.
[Chorus]
The song “Mr. Harris” by Aimee Mann tells the story of a woman who falls in love with an older man named Mr. Harris. The song begins by describing how Mr. Harris is retired and living with his sister in a furnished flat. He has a suit that he never wears without a hat and despite having white hair, he looks much younger than his actual age. The woman who sings this song admits that she might be considered stupid for thinking that love is love, regardless of age.
The chorus of the song reveals the woman’s affection for Mr. Harris and the fact that they have both waited a long time for each other. The woman’s mother lives in Vermont and pressures her to find a “father figure,” but the woman insists that age makes no difference in love. She shares a memory of meeting Mr. Harris while he was raking leaves and acknowledges that they may only have a limited amount of time left together. Finally, the woman reminds the audience that depending on the book one reads, sometimes it takes a lifetime to get what you need.
Line by Line Meaning
So he's retired
He is no longer employed and spends his time doing other activities
Lives with his sister in a furnished flat
He resides with his sibling in a fully furnished apartment
He's got this suit that
He owns a particular ensemble that
He'll never wear outside without a hat
He will not put it on unless he is also wearing a head covering
His hair is white but he looks half his age
Despite having white hair, he appears much younger than he actually is
He looks like Jimmy Stewart in his younger days.
His appearance is comparable to that of Jimmy Stewart during his youth
[Chorus]
Refrain
And honestly, I might be
To be truthful, I may be
Stupid to think love is love
It may be foolish to believe that love is unconditional
But I do
However, I do maintain that viewpoint
And you've waited so long and
Furthermore, you have been patient for a prolonged period of time
I've waited long enough for you.
I, too, have waited sufficiently for you
My mother's calling
My mother is telephoning me
From where she's living up in troy, Vermont
She is phoning from her location in Troy, Vermont
She tries to tell me
She is attempting to convey to me
A father figure must be what I want
I may be yearning for a paternal influence in my life
I've always thought age makes no difference
My perspective has always been that age is irrelevant
Am I the only one to whom that's making sense?
I wonder if I am the lone individual who believes this notion
[Chorus]
Refrain
The day I met him he was raking leaves
The day I encountered him, he was tending to the leaves in his yard
In his tiny yard.
Within his petite outdoor space
Of course I know that
Naturally, I understand that
We've only got ten years, or twenty, left
We have limited time remaining, perhaps a decade or two
But to be honest
However, to be frank
I'm happy with whatever time we get
I will be content with the amount of time we are afforded
Depending on which book you read
The interpretation may vary depending on the literature you consult
Sometimes it takes a lifetime to get what you need.
On occasion, it may take an entire life to obtain what one requires
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: AIMEE MANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind