I Own That CD! - 'Til Tuesday

In 1985, the song “Voices Carry” zoomed up the charts and made the band ‘Til Tuesday a household name. Three years later, the band released its third and final release, which acted as more of a springboard for lead singer Aimee Mann’s solo career. Everything’s Different Now was melodic, poignant and despite the “meh” production, holds up so well, even to this day. And it’s today’s feature on I Own That CD!

The story goes that Mann and singer-songwriter Jules Shear had a very public relationship end and songs were written. Mostly by Mann, some were collaborations with Shear and others contributed as well (Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet). The songs formed a diary of a broken heart - a suite of songs so very personal, yet so universal.

Kicking things off is the title track, penned by Shear and Sweet. An up-tempo track about love that maybe dives deeper into Mann’s musical life - that the end is near for her band (with only one original member playing on this one) so, everything really is different now.

Heartbreak comes on fully with the next track, “Rip In Heaven” with a killer chorus: “So long and sorry, darling/I was counting to forever/And never even got to ten”. The melody on this track is fantastic and blends pop music with a mature folk-ness.

Mann shows her baroque pop sound that would be evident in her early solo work on the track “J For Jules”. The lyrics paint the journey of her relationship and the hope for both to have something better in the future.

There’s really not a bad song on the album, but the standout track is the one Mann wrote with Elvis Costello (and one that he sings on as well). "The Other End (Of The Telescope)" is a gorgeous piece of music and a ballad that aches for a relationship that’s gone bad. It’s emotional, but what would you expect from two amazing songwriters working together. Makes me wish they had done more together (Note: They did write together once more - the song “The Fall Of The World’s Own Optimist” off of Mann’s solo album Bachelor No. 2).

It’s sad when a band you love records their best work and then breaks-up. But what we got out of it was and continues to remain an amazing solo career for Aimee Mann. However, if you’d like to hear a pop classic from the late 1980s, Everything’s Different Now is just for you, and I have the CD if you’d like to borrow it.