I Should've Known

This week's edition of Retro Friday features Aimee Mann and the song "I Should've Known."

Aimee Mann was born and raised in Bon Air, Virginia, graduated from Open High School in Richmond, Virginia in 1978 and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but decided to drop out to sing with her first punk rock band, the Young Snakes. The band released the album Bark Along with the Young Snakes in 1982, and a compilation album was issued in 2004.

In 1983, she moved on to co-found the new wave band 'Til Tuesday with Berklee classmate and boyfriend Michael Hausman. The band achieved it's first success in 1985 with its first album, Voices Carry. The title song is rumored to have been inspired by Hausman and Mann's breakup. The video became an MTV staple, winning the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Mann went on to write the songs for two more 'Til Tuesday albums, Welcome Home and Everything's Different Now. After Welcome Home was released, Mann told a writer for Nine-O-One Network Magazine that she was much more pleased with it than Voices Carry, as she felt it made more of a personal statement about her life. The band broke up in 1990 when Mann left to start her solo career.

During my first post-college summer in St. Louis, I got addicted to this local radio station called The Point. It was hauntingly similar to my adored KROQ in Los Angeles, and I was absolutely thrilled to finally have a decent radio station, after four years of blah college radio. That summer of 1993 The Point hosted their first Lolopaloosa-esque music festival called Pointfest, and the headlining bands were: Matthew Sweet, They Might Be Giants, Hothouse Flowers, Aimee Mann, Midnight Oil, and Dramarama.

I don't even remember who I went to the concert with, but I do remember being so very excited about seeing They Might Be Giants, Hothouse Flowers, Midnight Oil, and Aimee Mann!! I had absolutely fallen in love with her song "I Should've Known" after a particularly bad breakup Senior Year, and it was awesome to have a rocking night out in my new city of St. Louis. The Point will never quite have the luster and shine that KROQ still has for me, but sometimes you just have to work with what you've got. And thank goodness for the internet and being able to listen to KROQ online!!

Okay ... here's a little Aimee Mann and "I Should've Known" for your listening pleasure!


Cheers!