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".
No Myth
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But wanted to be sure I know
She hopes we can be friends
"I think, yeah, I guess we can", say I
But didn't think to ask her why
She blocked her eyes and drew the curtains
With knots I've got yet to untie
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth
Maybe she's just looking for
Someone to dance with
See, it was just too soon to tell
And looking for some parallel
Can be an endless game
We said goodbye before hello
My secrets she will never know
And if I dig a hole to China
I'll catch the first junk to SoHo
What if I were Romeo in black jeans
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth
Maybe she's just looking for
Someone to dance with
Sometime from now you'll bow to pressure
Some things in life you cannot measure by degrees
I'm between the poles and the equator
Don't send no private investigator to find me, please
'Less he speaks Chinese
And can dance like Astaire overseas (ok)
What if I was
So what if I was
Maybe she's just looking for
Someone to dance with
What if I was Romeo in black jeans
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth
Maybe she's just looking for
Someone to dance with
The song "No Myth" by Michael Penn is about a relationship that ended before it even began. The singer of the song is reflecting on a romantic encounter he had with a woman who has now decided to end things. She tells him that she wants to leave, but states that she hopes they can still be friends. The singer agrees to be friends, yet he does not understand why she has made this decision. He is left confused as to what went wrong and why their relationship never got off the ground.
The song explores the idea of the singer being the right person for the woman. He wonders if he was Romeo or Heathcliff, two iconic literary figures known for their romantic and passionate love stories, would she stay with him? The question is rhetorical, as the singer knows that he cannot make her stay. The woman is perhaps just looking for someone to dance with, to have a fun and carefree relationship without any strings attached.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of fate and the unknown. The singer stresses that sometimes in life, it is too soon to tell what a relationship will become. Yet, he is still searching for a connection, still hoping to find the one who will dance with him. The song concludes with a lighthearted commentary on how the singer cannot be found, unless the detective speaks Chinese and can dance like Fred Astaire overseas.
Overall, "No Myth" is a melancholic yet hopeful song about love and missed connections. It explores the idea that sometimes it is not about being the right person, but about being the right person for the right moment.
Line by Line Meaning
So, she says it's time she goes
She tells me that it's time for her to leave.
But wanted to be sure I know
She wants to make sure that I understand.
She hopes we can be friends
She expresses a desire to be friends with me.
"I think, yeah, I guess we can", say I
I respond somewhat noncommittally, agreeing that we can be friends.
But didn't think to ask her why
However, I don't ask her why she wants us to be friends.
She blocked her eyes and drew the curtains
She shields herself from view and closes the curtains.
With knots I've got yet to untie
There are still some unresolved issues between us.
What if I were Romeo in black jeans
I wonder what would happen if I were a mysterious, romantic figure.
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth
I compare myself to the brooding, passionate hero of Wuthering Heights.
Maybe she's just looking for
Perhaps what she really needs is
Someone to dance with
someone to share a special connection with.
See, it was just too soon to tell
Our relationship ended before it truly began.
And looking for some parallel
I was searching for someone similar to myself.
Can be an endless game
But that can become a never-ending battle.
We said goodbye before hello
We parted ways before we had a chance to truly start a relationship.
My secrets she will never know
She will never have access to some of my deepest thoughts and feelings.
And if I dig a hole to China
Even if I try to escape to the other side of the world.
I'll catch the first junk to SoHo
I'll still end up back in my hometown.
Sometime from now you'll bow to pressure
In the future, she may give in to societal expectations.
Some things in life you cannot measure by degrees
There are some things in life that can't be quantified or measured precisely.
I'm between the poles and the equator
I find myself in a difficult, uncertain position.
Don't send no private investigator to find me, please
Please don't try to track me down and invade my privacy.
'Less he speaks Chinese
Unless he's fluent in Chinese.
And can dance like Astaire overseas (ok)
And has the smooth, elegant moves of Fred Astaire in foreign countries.
So what if I was
What if I were,
Maybe she's just looking for
Perhaps she's simply searching for
Someone to dance with
someone to share a special connection with.
What if I was Romeo in black jeans
What if I were a mysterious, romantic figure wearing black jeans.
What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth
What if I resembled the passionate, brooding hero of Wuthering Heights.
Maybe she's just looking for
Perhaps what she really needs is
Someone to dance with
someone to share a special connection with.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL PENN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mattstephenson8450
had this on cassette in the 90’s , still listening in 2024 …a Gem ❤
@catskpop9167
Same. I seem to remember an acoustic version on the b-side?
@rachelgowans6853
The song of my life since 1989
My kids have been instructed to play this at my funeral
Thankyou Mr Penn, from the bottom of my heart
@z3ph3us6
The best Penn there ever was. Sean and Chris are his younger brothers.
@DeborahSmith-jm4fh
Great song x.
@YaM95
Dont focus on death focus on your god given gift. ❤
@YaM95
I need to learn to do that aswell
@cbob7
You don’t have to have an endless list of hit songs to have deeply affected people. This is such a great piece of music.
@waterox73
This whole album was pretty good. The dude had talent. Where'd he go?
@metalmanmike3815
Who Actually listened to in 1990?! ♥️