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.
Susan
Aimee Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You knew just how this thing would go
A prognosis that was hopeless
From the very first domino
I guess I see it all in hindsight
I tried to keep perspective despite
The flash of the fuse, the smell of cordite
Now I'm in that place again
And I know he can't come in to get me
And someday he will live to regret me
Susan, I can see it now
Oh, Suzie, they get to me
They can really be wearying
But he threw me rope and buoy
Let me use his decoder ring
There must have been some kind of parade
We kissed for a while to see how it played
And pulled the pin on another grenade
[Chorus]
Oh, Susan, the hope of fusion
Is that the halo will reappear
It may be pure illusion
But it's beautiful while it's here
I had some trouble with the goodbye
I checked my Roman candle supply
And watched the vapor trail in the sky
[Chorus]
The song "Susan" by Aimee Mann is a poignant reflection on a past relationship that didn't work out. The opening lines of the song reveal that Susan - who is likely a close friend or possibly a therapist - had warned the singer that the relationship was doomed from the beginning. Despite this, the singer admits that she tried to remain optimistic and keep things in perspective, but ultimately, the relationship came crashing down. The explosive imagery in the line "The flash of the fuse, the smell of cordite" suggests that this was a particularly intense and painful experience.
In the chorus, the singer reveals that she is in a dark place once again (presumably because of a failed relationship), but this time she knows that her ex-partner won't be there to try and help her. She also acknowledges that her ex will likely come to regret their decision to leave her. The second verse of the song offers a glimmer of hope as the singer refers to her ex as "he" and talks about a moment of connection between them ("We kissed for a while to see how it played"). However, this hope is short-lived as the verse ends with the line "And pulled the pin on another grenade".
Overall, "Susan" is a masterful exploration of the complexities of failed relationships, and the pain and confusion that can result from them. Mann's lyrics are evocative and beautifully written, painting a vivid picture of the singer's emotions throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, Susan, you were clued in
Addressing Susan, the singer acknowledges that Susan had an idea or a plan about what was going to happen
You knew just how this thing would go
The singer acknowledges that Susan had a clear picture of the outcome of the situation
A prognosis that was hopeless
The singer admits that the outlook of the situation was bleak and beyond remedy
From the very first domino
The artist alludes that the situation was beyond saving from the first stage
I guess I see it all in hindsight
The artist admits that they have a better understanding of the situation after it has already happened
I tried to keep perspective despite
The singer tried to hold on to rationality and objectivity despite the circumstances
The flash of the fuse, the smell of cordite
The singer describes a sudden and explosive event that happened in the situation
[Chorus] Now I'm in that place again And I know he can't come in to get me And someday he will live to regret me Susan, I can see it now
The artist reflects on a past experience where they know that the other person cannot come back to save them and they know the other person will regret losing them in the future
Oh, Suzie, they get to me They can really be wearying
The artist addresses Susan and admits that the situation was getting overwhelming
But he threw me rope and buoy Let me use his decoder ring
The artist is grateful for the other person who helped them through the tough times, much like a lifeboat and an access code or tool to interpret the situation
There must have been some kind of parade We kissed for a while to see how it played And pulled the pin on another grenade
The singer recalls a time when they were trying to see how things would go and ended up making the situation worse
[Chorus]
The artist repeats again how they are in a similar situation as before
Oh, Susan, the hope of fusion Is that the halo will reappear
The singer expresses that they hope that things will come together and get better
It may be pure illusion But it's beautiful while it's here
The singer acknowledges that it may not be real or lasting but the momentary happiness is still worth it
I had some trouble with the goodbye I checked my Roman candle supply And watched the vapor trail in the sky
The singer struggled with saying goodbye and used fireworks as a way to cope or express their feelings
[Chorus]
The artist repeats again how they are in a similar situation as before
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Aimee Mann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind