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".
Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of every sacred place
Before the ambush you won't want to
Recognize its face
It slithers like a viper
Readies its attack
Tears your flesh and soul apart
Then clings on to your back
Can you feel the pain of all the damage done
And you may notice that
This quick opiate
Might wear the wings of angels
That's when you realize
You've been shot down
Wounded unto death by something called love
It followed you to hell, Ange
A double agentwho
Will listen your every lie
But never tell on you
(just whisper to you true)
It promises you silk things
But burns the clothes you wear
Gives you leave in heaven
And you scream that it's unfair
To force you to compare
But not till it turns away
Can you feel the pain of all the damage done
And you may notice that
This quick opiate
Might wear the wings of angels
That's when you realize
You've been shot down
Wounded unto death by something called love...
The lyrics of Michael Penn's song Cupid's Got A Brand New Gun describe the destructive and painful nature of love. The first verse describes how love is always present, lurking in the background, ready to strike at any moment. The second verse talks about how love can deceive and manipulate, promising beautiful things but ultimately causing pain and destruction. The chorus expresses the realization that love can be like a gunshot wound, leaving one wounded unto death.
The use of imagery is particularly effective in conveying the theme of the song. Love is compared to a viper, slithering and waiting to attack. It is described as a double agent, always listening but never revealing secrets. The line "It promises you silk things but burns the clothes you wear" is particularly poetic, highlighting the way love can seem desirable but ultimately end up hurting us.
The overall message of the song seems to warn against the dangers of love, suggesting that it can be a powerful and destructive force. However, the use of angelic imagery in the chorus suggests that there may be a sense of beauty or even transcendence in this pain.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hiding in the corner
Love is always present and waiting to strike, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the perfect opportunity to ambush us.
Of every sacred place
Love can be found in the most unexpected places and situations, even in those that are deemed holy or untouchable.
Before the ambush you won't want to
We tend to overlook the signs of love's arrival, trying to ignore or deny them beforehand.
Recognize its face
Sometimes, we fail to see love coming for us, struggling to identify its appearance and its true intentions.
It slithers like a viper
Love can be deceiving and poisonous, like a venomous snake, tempting us with its fangs and seductive moves.
Readies its attack
Love prepares itself for the strike, getting ready to pounce on us and catch us off guard.
Tears your flesh and soul apart
Love has the power to hurt and break us, damaging not just our body but also our spirit and our being.
Then clings on to your back
Once love gets you, it doesn't let go easily, holding on to you tightly and refusing to release you from its grip.
But not till it turns away
We only realize the depth of the pain and the damage caused by love when it's already gone, or when it retreats and gives us some space to breathe.
Can you feel the pain of all the damage done
Only when we look back and reflect on the impact of love on our lives, both positive and negative, do we finally comprehend its true impact and its cost.
And you may notice that
We may come to understand, in hindsight, that love had already left some clues and hints behind, giving us a chance to be more perceptive and aware.
This quick opiate
Love can also be a drug, providing a short-lived high and sense of euphoria that can be addictive and dangerous.
Might wear the wings of angels
Sometimes, love appears in a beautiful and divine manner, almost resembling an angelic force, but this is just a disguise that masks its true nature.
That's when you realize
In moments of clarity and truth, we finally understand, without any doubt or denial, the power and the pain of love in our lives.
You've been shot down
Love can also be a weapon, a bullet that hits us hard and knocks us down, leaving us vulnerable and exposed.
Wounded unto death by something called love
Love can be deadly, hurting us in ways that can last a lifetime, even leading to our demise, both physically and emotionally.
It followed you to hell, Ange
Love can chase us to the darkest depths of our soul, even to hell, haunting and tormenting us with its presence.
A double agentwho
Love can also betray us, playing a double game that involves lies, secrets, and hidden motives, making us doubt our own feelings and trust.
Will listen your every lie
Love can be a passive listener, allowing us to pour out our deepest secrets and lies, without revealing its own truth or intentions in return.
But never tell on you
Love can also keep our secrets safe, guarding them jealously and not revealing them to others or to the world, creating a bond of trust and intimacy between us.
(just whisper to you true)
Love can also provide us with moments of tenderness and sincerity, telling us sweet nothings and affirmations that boost our confidence and self-worth.
It promises you silk things
Love can lure us with extravagant promises, tempting us with luxurious and beautiful things that we desire and crave.
But burns the clothes you wear
Love can also destroy what we hold dear and cherish, burning the very fabric and identity of who we are, leaving us naked and vulnerable.
Gives you leave in heaven
Love can also transport us to moments of ecstasy and bliss, granting us permission to live in a state of euphoria, like heaven on earth.
And you scream that it's unfair
Love can also be unfair and cruel, making us suffer and feel the agony of unrequited love or betrayal, leaving us to scream and cry out in frustration and anger.
To force you to compare
Love can also be a trigger, making us compare ourselves to others, to our past or future selves, to some ideal or standard that is impossible to reach, causing us to doubt and question our worth and purpose.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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