Prior to the release of his 1989 debut album March, Penn performed the song "This & That" with his band The Pull on a 1987 episode of Saturday Night Live. Before that, he was a member of the Los Angeles band Doll Congress and had appeared as an extra on a few television series, including St. Elsewhere.
March, particularly the first single, "No Myth," brought Penn attention, as well as the 1990 MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Penn's follow-up albums Free-for-All (1992), Resigned (1997) and MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident (2000) weren't able to match the success of March, although critics praised his songcraft.
Penn met fellow singer-songwriter Aimee Mann in the late 1980s, and during the recording of her album I'm With Stupid (to which Penn contributed vocals), the two struck up a friendship, which blossomed into romance and their 1997 marriage. Together with manager Michael Hausman they formed United Musicians, which is based on the idea of allowing artists to keep copyright ownership of their works and to assist with their promotion and distribution. Penn and Mann live in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. They have no children, but Penn has a son from a previous marriage.
He moved into film scoring after repeated requests from director Paul Thomas Anderson, who had apparently listened to Free-for-All extensively while writing his first feature Hard Eight and wanted Penn to score the film. Penn also scored Anderson's follow-up Boogie Nights (in which he appeared briefly as a recording engineer), The Anniversary Party, Melvin Goes to Dinner and the documentary The Comedians of Comedy.
His fifth album, Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947, was released August 2, 2005, on Mimeograph Records (Penn's own label) and SpinART Records. Penn has said that the album, which may be the first of two parts, is set after World War II and involves "the trauma that a war brings to a person's psychology." [1]
Penn's music "Walter Reed" was used in the fifth episode of House MD's third season, "Fools For Love".
Battle Room
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's no lie
But that's not why I'm standing, dear
I only want to whisper to your heart
But I'm too smart for starting here...
We get into that battle room
We choose to get into the battle room
In twos, we get into the battle room
It's kind of small
But there's no wall between us here
Every move you make's a somersault
In this altered atmosphere
We get into the battle room
We choose to get into the battle room
In twos, we get into the battle room
Windows, cover the windows
Don't you know the neighbors talk
Windows, cover the windows
If you don't then I might walk away...
There will always be a different key
Always be a souvenir
But when we're at the door we never pause
It's not because we've got no fear
To get into the battle room
Into, we get into that battle room.
The song "Battle Room" by Michael Penn is about a difficult or tumultuous relationship, in which the singer recognizes that the situation is not ideal, but still cannot resist the desire to be with the person they are singing to. The lyrics suggest an intimate moment between two people in a battle room, which Penn metaphorically uses to represent the struggles within the relationship. The singer wants to whisper to their partner's heart, but acknowledges that they are too smart to start at this particular point, implying that their significant other may not be ready to hear what they have to say.
The battle room is described as having no floor but also being small, with no walls between the two people. This imagery conveys a sense of infinity and boundlessness, yet also claustrophobia and suffocation, suggesting that the relationship is both freeing and confining. The singer acknowledges the risk of being caught and shamed by neighbors, but cannot resist the pull of being with their loved one. The song ends with the two people going through the door to the battle room without fear, knowing that there will always be a different key and souvenir.
Line by Line Meaning
This one is a bad one
This situation that we're in is not good.
It's no lie
I'm not lying about the situation being bad.
But that's not why I'm standing, dear
However, the reason I'm standing here is not related to the bad situation.
I only want to whisper to your heart
I want to communicate with you intimately.
But I'm too smart for starting here...
But I'm hesitant to start communicating here because of my intelligence.
We get into that battle room
We actively engage in conflict with each other.
We choose to get into the battle room
We intentionally enter into the situation of conflict with each other.
In twos, we get into the battle room
We enter the conflict with each other in pairs.
It doesn't have a floor
The conflict we're engaging in has no set foundation or boundaries.
It's kind of small
The conflict may seem insignificant or trivial to outside observers.
But there's no wall between us here
However, the conflict has the potential to deeply affect our relationship or connection with each other.
Every move you make's a somersault
Each action or decision you make in this conflict feels unpredictable and destabilizing.
In this altered atmosphere
The conflict creates an intense, unfamiliar environment or mood between us.
Windows, cover the windows
We need to conceal our conflict from the outside world to avoid judgment or gossip.
Don't you know the neighbors talk
The people around us are prone to gossip and make assumptions about our relationship.
If you don't then I might walk away...
If we can't keep the conflict private, I might choose to leave the situation altogether.
There will always be a different key
Each situation or conflict brings unique challenges or aspects.
Always be a souvenir
Every conflict will leave a lasting impact on our relationship or communication.
But when we're at the door we never pause
Despite previous conflicts or challenges, we never hesitate to engage with each other again.
It's not because we've got no fear
This persistence is not due to a lack of concern or worry about the conflict.
To get into the battle room
To engage in conflict with each other again.
Into, we get into that battle room.
We enter the conflict once again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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