Forgotten Music #27: Michael Penn - No Myth (1989)

A few songs are simply lightning in a bottle. They are released, they are seemingly inescapable for a few months, then they disappear. M's "Pop Musik" comes to mind. And so does this track.

I was standing in line waiting for a prescription to be filled and heard the opening guitar riff come over the grocery store PA system. I thought... "I know this song". And then it hits you. A song so familiar to you it's impossible to forget, it sat stirring about in your subconscious for years and years, waiting for a time when you heard it again to get you singing along with the lyrics. And you wonder how you could have forgotten what this song sounded like.

Michael Penn is the brother of actors Sean and Christopher Penn. He recorded with a band called Doll Congress before releasing his debut solo album, March, in 1989. It was an immediate critical success and the song "No Myth" rose into the Top 20 in the US, Canada and in Australia. One couldn't go anywhere in 1989 and 1990 without hearing this song. He also won the Best New Artist at the MTV Music Awards in 1990. The album was his only commercial success though, and the song his only Top 40 hit.

He released albums up until 2005. He's also found fame as a film score composer (he did the score for Boogie Nights), and as a producer (producing the Wallflowers and Aimee Mann) amongst others. His work also appeared on the soundtrack for Lena Dunham's project, Girls. He married Aimee Mann in 1997. He continues as a score composer to this day.

"No Myth" was from Michael Penn's 1989 debut March.

Video Playlist #17: Sweet Stuff

I had this done late on Wednesday night, but a huge snowstorm (the first of the winter season) has kept me away from home, and catching up on errands after the storm prevented me from publishing til now.

In honour of Hallowe'en here's some candy sweet music for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewpbwBMpZck&list=PL0QOmyo1JgZeB17lAqG5IzxwmUZPhgx9E

1) The Mighty Lemon Drops - Out of Hand
2) Sugar - Gee Angel
3) Chocolate Genius - Half a Man
4) Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
5) The Candy Skins - Wembley
6) Candi and the Backbeat* - Under Your Spell
7) Glass Candy - Feeling Without Touching
8) The Chocolate Watchband - She Weaves a Tender Trap
9) Sugar Ray - Fly
10) The Sugarcubes - Motorcrash
11) Universal Honey* - Afraid of My Heart
12) Death By Chocolate - Give Me a Reason
13) A Taste of Honey - Boogie Oogie Oogie
14) Mudhoney - Here Comes Sickness