"(Believe You Were) Lucky" by 'til Tuesday

Song#:  3768

Date:  01/21/1989

Debut:  98

Peak:  95

Weeks:  3

Genre:  Alternative Rock

Pop Bits:  The Boston band's second album Welcome Home (#49) became their second to go gold. It got there mainly on the strength of the single "What About Love," which got to #26 Pop/#9 Rock. After everything was wrapped up with that album, the band went back into the studio to record their third effort. Everything's Different Now would be ready by the beginning of '89 and this first single kicked things off. Unfortunately, it barely got any attention. The tune got to #30 at Modern Rock while making to #32 AC. On the Pop chart it would spend a very minor three weeks near the bottom. Further singles failed to chart and that left the LP peaking at #124. The results were disappointing and not long after the LP was released, the band would call it quits.

ReduxReview:  This was a band that got better after their debut. While I liked that debut, it wasn't until their second album when Aimee Mann really took over the writing that I really started to hook into them. Everything Is Different Now was their peak. It was full of excellent tunes including this first single, which Mann wrote with her former boyfriend Jules Shear. I thought the song had a chance to do well, but I'm not sure the style/sound of the song was what folks were looking for from 'til Tuesday. The band was no longer slinging out new wave confections like their #8 "Voices Carry" and it was becoming a struggle to win over fans with their newer (and better) alt rock sound. That was too bad as the band was really hitting their stride. However, you could see that it was becoming Aimee Mann's show and it was inevitable that she was going to go solo at some point, which was a good thing. It was going to give her an opportunity to get out from under of the 'til Tuesday umbrella. Unfortunately, she had roadblocks, but luckily those didn't stop her. Mann's solo debut is one of my favorite LPs and she's been able to have a long and varied career that I've enjoyed and followed.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Lead singer/songwriter Aimee Mann decided to head out on a solo career after the band split. Unfortunately, obstacles would end up blocking the release of her first two efforts. After the band broke up, Mann had contractual commitments to Epic Records which kept her from beginning a solo career. Once free from Epic, she signed on with the indie label Imago and was able to record her debut solo LP Whatever. Released in '93, it was a critical success but it failed to gain a large audience. It peaked at a #127 with the track "I Should've Known" reaching #16 at Modern Rock. Mann then set out to record her second album and prior to its scheduled release a track from it that was part of the Melrose Place TV show soundtrack, "That's Just What You Are," was pushed out as a single and got to #93 Pop/#24 Modern Rock. It created some anticipation for the album, but then Imago suddenly went out of business and the LP was put in limbo. Luckily, Geffen Records picked up the album and I'm With Stupid was finally released in '95. The loss of momentum due to the delay took a toll and the album failed to chart despite positive reviews. Her career was on the verge of collapsing, but then she got a major boost. Film director Paul Thomas Anderson was a fan of Mann's music and had written a script inspired by some of her songs. Anderson would write and direct the film Magnolia, an ensemble drama that featured Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Of course, he would ask Mann to contribute songs to the film's soundtrack. She would provide nine tracks including "Save Me," which would go on to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. The soundtrack would reach #58 and would be a gold seller. That exposure gave Mann's solo career a new lease on life. But the once again, she got blocked by a label. Mann recorded her third solo disc Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo. Geffen felt that there were no commercially viable tracks to promote it and refused to release it. She got out of her contract with Geffen and started selling it independently. A distribution contract came later and despite a low peak (#134), the album sold over 200k copies based on Mann's own indie efforts and was critically hailed. Mann would go on to release more albums and along the way would win two Grammys including one in 2018 for Best Folk Album for Mental Illness.

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