Thirty years on from the release of her acclaimed album I’m With Stupid, we count down the sucker-punching best tracks by the US singer-songwriter
Aimee Mann has had hits and acclaim from critics and her peers, but the sense that she’s slightly undervalued still clings. A song as deceptive as Build That Wall might explain why: on the surface it seems straightforward and easy-on-the-ear, but beneath its mellow, mellifluous surface lurk stinging lyrics and real emotional force.
A song Mann and bandmate Jules Shear co-created about their collapsed romantic relationship, though with Mann handling the lyrics alone. (Believed You Were) Lucky couches its regret – which curdles into something sharper in the sweary final chorus – in a lush arrangement and autumnal pop melody.
Mann’s solo debut, Whatever, was also a first production gig for Jon Brion, later to become famed for his work with everyone from Fiona Apple to Frank Ocean. You can hear his influence in the thick blanket of organ that opens Stupid Thing, a marvellously weary dismissal of an ex.
Not everything on the bright-hued, pop-facing Charmer – an album heavy on synth and jangling guitar – is great: its mid-tempo pace can make the songs seem samey. But when it works, it really works. Labrador is funny but fatalistic, a masterclass in compact, unflashy but hugely affecting songwriting.
