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".
Long Way Down
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look what the cat drug in
It's got the dress, tho the color's gone
That I gave my one true love on
Oh man, look what the wind blew home
Never had this much stimulation
Since her low down elevation, but
Oh, don't look in those eyes
Her rule's on the rise
And if I wear apathy's crown
Don't call me higness
It's a long way down
Oh, what terrible things she shows
I'm overwhelmed by rumors this high
And overcome by lows
Oh, what use is it to pretend
That I have the strength for this anymore
This is all in the world that she lives for but...
Oh, don't look in those eyes
Bluer than blue
Her rule's on the rise
And if I wear apathy's crown
Don't call me highness
('cause) it's a long way down
Now I would suppose
That I'm not the only one
And one never knows...
But I got a feeling she's been
Sleeping with the whole wide world
Oh, don't look in those eyes
Bluer than blue
Her rule's on the rise
And if I wear apathy's crown
Don't call me highness
It's a long way down
The lyrics in "Long Way Down" by Michael Penn are a contemplative and introspective reflection on a relationship gone awry. From the opening lines, the singer's tone is downtrodden and resigned, as he begins with the phrase "Oh man," suggesting that he is both surprised and dismayed by what he sees. He notes that "the cat" has brought back a dress that he had given to his one true love, but its color is gone, indicating the fading of passion and the loss of what they once had. He reflects on how the relationship was once more stimulating, alluding to a time of greater intimacy, but now it seems like just a memory. He notes that her eyes are "bluer than blue" and that her rule is on the rise, indicating her increasing power and influence over him.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to reflect on the highs and lows of the relationship, noting that he is overwhelmed by rumors and overcome by lows. He questions the point of pretending to have strength when it seems that he doesn't. The repeated refrain that "it's a long way down" reinforces this sense of resignation and inevitability. The final lines suggest that the singer is not the only one who has been hurt by this person, and that he has a feeling that she has been "sleeping with the whole wide world." This final observation adds another dimension to the relationship and suggests that the singer's pain is not just personal but also a reflection of a larger societal issue.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh man, Look what the cat drug in
Surprised to see someone familiar who has something unpleasant about them
It's got the dress, tho the color's gone That I gave my one true love on
The person has the dress that he gave to his one true love previously but the color faded away
Oh man, look what the wind blew home Never had this much stimulation Since her low down elevation, but
Another person has arrived and it stimulates the person's emotions more than his previous one but she was low in terms of status
Oh, don't look in those eyes Bluer than blue Her rule's on the rise And if I wear apathy's crown Don't call me higness It's a long way down
The person is warning to not get carried away by the blue eyes of the new person as their dominance is increasing and if he shows any disinterest, it will be a huge fall
Oh, what terrible things she shows I'm overwhelmed by rumors this high And overcome by lows
The person is finding out some unfavorable things about the new person but he is still unsure due to different opinions
Oh, what use is it to pretend That I have the strength for this anymore This is all in the world that she lives for but...
The person thinks that he can't handle the situation anymore and it seems that the new person is living for those difficult situations
Now I would suppose That I'm not the only one And one never knows...
The person thinks that he is probably not the only one who is going through this and nobody knows for sure what is happening
But I got a feeling she's been Sleeping with the whole wide world
The person has a feeling that the new person has been involved with a lot of people
Oh, don't look in those eyes Bluer than blue Her rule's on the rise And if I wear apathy's crown Don't call me highness It's a long way down
The person repeats the warning, indicating how careful he needs to be or things might fall apart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gambit7025
this song is so poignant and beautiful.
@KraftKreations
I LOVE the track 'Long Way Down'! Really shows his songwriting talent and definitely shows off his beautiful singing! Writing, playing an insturment, AND singing (well)....definitely a long lost art these days!!!!
@debradoernbach5548
Pure genius, is he not?
@velvetgardenia
He is, indeed.
@billymilam3342
One of my favorite songs ever.
@Jojoseahorse
Beautiful, haunting song.
@edwardormsby1515
Totally underrated artist...like Mason Jennings, Elvis Perkins and Langhorne Slim he should have been HUGE!
@RavenSelena
So very true, I love Elvis Perkins as well!
@MrJcenter7
man I really feel this song 'don't call me majesty... wearing apathy's crown don't call me highness its a long way down... I got a feeling shes been sleeping with the whole wide world.' I spent a lot of years living on the street and I felt that way all of the time especially shes been sleeping with the whole wide world bit. I blamed God/her for my troubles or for just not being there. Good song
@joshchristian8598
Says a lot for those of us up here ...