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".
Invisible
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Orange from rind
And I sit at her station every time
So what ever happened to
Common courtesy
Now one in a million
Seems one more than me
I don't mind just watching her
But everybody bayed as I
Slowly fade
I go invisible
Don't give me away
She's there pouring coffee
Watching the time
And I sit half amazed
That she's pouring mine
She said that she'd always
Pegged me as gay
And she only plays for keeps
When she plays
Well isn't that something
You're pulling my heart strings
But what you gonna do when you
Slowly fade
I feel invincible
She went invisible
Don't give me away
I go invisible
Don't give me away
The song "Invisible" by Michael Penn speaks about feeling unnoticed and insignificant. The singer is at a station and observes a woman separating orange from rind. He admires her from a distance and feels content just watching her do her job. However, he slowly realizes that he has become invisible in her eyes, and the customers around him seem to notice her more than they do him. He feels ignored and unimportant. Despite his admiration for her, the woman pegs him as gay, leading the singer to feel that she doesn't truly see him at all. The chorus repeats the words "I go invisible, don't give me away" as he tries to hide the hurt and longing that he feels for this woman.
The song highlights the loss of common courtesy in society, where people are more interested in themselves and their own desires, rather than showing kindness and respect to others. The lyrics also touch upon the feeling of being invisible and not being seen for who you truly are. The singer longs to be acknowledged and appreciated, but instead feels like he is fading away into the background. The wordplay of "invisible" and "invincible" in the chorus speaks to this desire to be seen, to feel powerful and significant, but ultimately remaining unnoticed.
Overall, "Invisible" is a melancholic portrayal of feeling invisible and unimportant in a world where individualism trumps kindness and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
She's there separating
The singer is in the presence of a person who is busy separating orange from its rind.
Orange from rind
The person is separating the outer layer of an orange from its edible part.
And I sit at her station every time
The singer is sitting at the same place as this person on a regular basis.
So what ever happened to
The artist is wondering about something that has changed.
Common courtesy
The artist believes that common courtesy is now rare.
Now one in a million
The singer feels that common courtesy is one in a million.
Seems one more than me
The singer feels that they do not receive common courtesy.
I don't mind just watching her
The artist is comfortable just observing this person's activities.
Parading for customers
The person is performing their duties in front of customers.
But everybody bayed as I
People have started to criticize the artist even though they are minding their own business.
Slowly fade
The singer feels neglected as their presence is gradually ignored.
I go invisible
The artist feels unnoticed or unimportant.
Don't give me away
The singer does not want anyone to notice their disappearance or importance.
She's there pouring coffee
The person is now pouring coffee, continuing with their duties.
Watching the time
The person is keeping track of the time while performing their duties.
And I sit half amazed
The artist is surprised or fascinated by this person's actions.
That she's pouring mine
The artist realizes that they are receiving the coffee that the person is pouring.
She said that she'd always
The person had previously shared their opinion on the singer's sexuality.
Pegged me as gay
The person assumed that the singer is gay.
And she only plays for keeps
The person is only interested in serious relationships.
When she plays
The person is talking about their dating preferences.
Well isn't that something
The artist is impressed or amused by this person's attitude.
You're pulling my heart strings
The person is making the singer feel emotional or vulnerable.
But what you gonna do when you
The artist is asking what will happen if the person faces a similar situation.
Slowly fade
The singer uses the phrase 'slowly fade' as a metaphor to describe their own situation before.
I feel invincible
The singer now feels very strong or confident.
She went invisible
This phrase is used to show that the person seemingly ignored the singer.
Don't give me away
The artist does not want anyone to reveal that they were feeling ignored.
I go invisible
The artist is once again not receiving attention from the person.
Don't give me away
The singer requests not to be given away or exposed this time either.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
QuestionPDX
She's there separating orange from rind
And I sit at her station every time
So what ever happened to common courtesy?
Now one in a million seems one more than me
I don't mind just watching her parading for customers
But everybody bayed as I'd slowly fade
I'd go invisible
I'd go invisible
I'd go invisible
Don't give me away
She's there pouring coffee, watching the time
And I sit half-amazed that she's pouring mine
She said that she'd always pegged me as gay
And she only plays for keeps when she plays
Well isn't that something?
You're pulling my heart strings
But what you gonna do when you slowly fade?
I feel invincible
She went invisible
She went invisible
She went invisible
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
I go invisible
I go invisible
I go invisible
I go invisible
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
GoldenMomentsByJT
I cannot get enough of this song. I play it over and over and over. I saw him live in Philadelphia shortly after this album came out. I can't remember who he opened for but they were a pretty medium-big sized name. But I only went to see Michael perform. Great show.
Brian O'Neel
My favorite track off an incredibly strong album.
vincenT ross
Another gem unearthed. Evidence there is raw talent in the Penn Family. Ty for posting 😀
Patrice Catanio
This album is perfect
QuestionPDX
She's there separating orange from rind
And I sit at her station every time
So what ever happened to common courtesy?
Now one in a million seems one more than me
I don't mind just watching her parading for customers
But everybody bayed as I'd slowly fade
I'd go invisible
I'd go invisible
I'd go invisible
Don't give me away
She's there pouring coffee, watching the time
And I sit half-amazed that she's pouring mine
She said that she'd always pegged me as gay
And she only plays for keeps when she plays
Well isn't that something?
You're pulling my heart strings
But what you gonna do when you slowly fade?
I feel invincible
She went invisible
She went invisible
She went invisible
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
I go invisible
I go invisible
I go invisible
I go invisible
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Don't give me away
Juggling Zero
A friend pointed out a wonderful mondegreen he'd taken from this song - "she's their separating knowledge from rhyme."
Tony Lovell
@PAYBACKiszaB2 This track blows No Myth out of the water. Best track on the album!
Joey Vitales
My Favorite 💟
Katherine Durgin
@emaclynch I'm aware of that, that's why what I quoted was admittedly a mondegreen.
Juggling Zero
So... Yes, anyway, just to clarify- a mondegreen is when you hear something incorrectly and as a result of near homophony you come up with something other than what it really is. For example, "she's there separating knowledge from rhyme/orange from rind." Make sense?