Songoftheday 1/21/17 - So, she says it's time she goes, but wanted to be sure I know she hopes we can be friends...
from the album March (1989)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 10
Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Michael Penn, who is the older brother of actor Sean Penn (and the late Chris Penn). He did a little acting work himself, but his biggest success came on the release of his debut album March in 1989. The first single from the record, "No Myth", was a catchy piece of jangle-pop that used a baroque electronic keyboard called a Chamberlin. The lyrics remind me of a slowed down Difford & Tilbrook Squeeze track...
"No Myth" became Michael's sole top-40 pop hit in March of 1990. The song climbed to #4 on Billboard's Modern Rock radio chart, while it also made it to #5 on their Mainstream Rock list. It crossed over to the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart at #22. His second single from March, "This & That", was a respectable hit on both the Modern (#10) and Mainstream (#16) rock radio charts, but stopped short on the pop Hot 100 at #53 and the Adult Contemporary list at #39. A third release from the set, "Brave New World", reached #20 on the Modern Rock and #26 on the Mainstream Rock tallies. In 1992, Penn put out his sophomore effort, Free-For-All, and while nothing from it got to the pop charts, "Seen The Doctor" went to #5 on the Modern Rock chart (and #33 Mainstream) and "Long Way Down (Look What The Cat Drug In)" peaked at #14 on the Modern Rock list. He hasn't graced the charts since then, but he still records and performs, and in 1997 married former Til Tuesday's Aimee Mann, who are still together.
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Here's Michael and keyboardist Patrick Warren performing "No Myth" on the Letterman show...
...and finally, on MTV Unplugged in 1989, introduced ironically by Aimee's ex-boyfriend Jules Shear...
Up tomorrow: Canadian rocker loves her fabrics.
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