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".
Try
Michael Penn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could still try to make
Then watch me blink and overlook
What I undertake
'Til I don't try
I don't try
And I don't want to try to anymore
Strike the fire
Issue a decree
Ask you why
Watch you take the fifth as I
Give you the third degree
But I don't try
I don't try
I don't want to try you anymore
I don't try to anymore
I won't try you anymore
With a witness dismisses it's adjourned
And by heart the only rope that it's learned is
Mercifully do not prolong
If the way I'm rubbing you is wrong
That is why I kept away so
I'd look strange at your door
In my way, in a nutshell
I don't try
I won't try
I don't want to try you anymore
I can't try to anymore
I can't try you anymore
I don't try
(nine!)
The lyrics of Michael Penn's "Try" express the singer's desire to give up trying in a relationship. The song begins with the singer acknowledging that there is something he could still try to make work in his relationship, but he ends up overlooking it. He then declares that he doesn't want to try anymore. He goes on to say that he would rather accuse his partner of wrongdoing, issue a decree, and give them the third degree than try to make the relationship work. The singer acknowledges that he has been rubbing his partner the wrong way, and that's why he has been avoiding them.
The repeated refrain of "I don't try" emphasizes the singer's disillusionment with trying to make the relationship work. He realizes that his efforts have been fruitless, and that he can no longer sustain them. The line "in my way, in a nutshell" speaks to the singer's realization that he has been hindering his relationship by not trying hard enough. Overall, the song conveys the singer's frustration with trying to make a relationship work when the other person is unwilling to meet him halfway.
Line by Line Meaning
I picked up that something of it
I discovered that there was something worth pursuing
I could still try to make
I could attempt to achieve it
Then watch me blink and overlook
But I often hesitate and miss the opportunity
What I undertake
When I do take action
'Til I don't try
Until I give up trying
I don't try
I don't put in the effort anymore
And I don't want to try to anymore
I've lost my desire to pursue it
I would choose to accuse you
I might blame you for my lack of success
Strike the fire
Get angry and confrontational
Issue a decree
Make a strong statement or demand
Ask you why
Question you
Watch you take the fifth as I
See you refuse to answer
Give you the third degree
Press you for answers
But I don't try
Nevertheless, I don't act on my desire to confront you
I don't want to try you anymore
I'm tired of attempting to hold you accountable
With a witness dismisses it's adjourned
If the evidence doesn't support accusing you, I'll let it go
And by heart the only rope that it's learned is
To trust my instincts
Mercifully do not prolong
I'll try to end this gracefully
If the way I'm rubbing you is wrong
If I'm causing harm instead of good
That is why I kept away so
That's why I've avoided confrontation
I'd look strange at your door
Confronting you would make me uncomfortable
In my way, in a nutshell
Basically
I don't want to try you anymore
I don't want to keep trying to hold you accountable
I can't try to anymore
I lack the energy or motivation to try
I can't try you anymore
I can't attempt to hold you accountable anymore
I don't try
I'm no longer trying
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sword and Scale
Michael Penn was never recognized for his brilliance. Maybe some day he will be, but it's getting dimmer out there. Love you, Michael. You've been a lifelong inspiration to me and I hope one day you get the recognition you deserve.
Myisa
Aimee Mann recognizes his brilliance!! Lucky dude!
S.A.L
Agree
Sean McCue
Without Question a charmed talent and meeting up, collaborating and marrying Aimee Mann, an equal. That’s just a smorgasbord manifest. 🙌🏼🙏🏼👏🏼
Bruce Wayne
absolute subtle brilliance !!!
David Verplank
This is a great song and a great video.
It's too bad Phillip Seymour Hoffman can't be with us today. RIP.
Scott Baines
Absolutely brilliant production by Brendan O'Brien. I think this is his best work.
sumit
Honestly, I don't know how but this song is different. You can feel through the chords. I listen this song daily. It's like time makes me remind to hear this. You don't hear such pop songs daily, I didn't expect it was so great at that time✨🌠
kendo_shane
Had the cassettes and wore them out. Bought CDs, then digital downloads. I've sung every song till I had it memorized, only to find new meaning each time. Michael Penn uses language like a painter and music like the pied piper.
John Anthony
This song is the crest of Hauntingly Beautiful...