Save Me (Aimee Mann song)

Last updated
"Save Me"
Single by Aimee Mann
from the album Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture
Released1999 (1999)
Genre Contemporary folk
Length4:35
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Aimee Mann
Producer(s) Aimee Mann

"Save Me" is a song by the American songwriter Aimee Mann, written for the 1999 film Magnolia . It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It was released on the Magnolia soundtrack.

Contents

Writing

The actor and comedian Dave Foley said Mann wrote "Save Me" about him while they were in a relationship together. Foley said he was "the only man Aimee's written a positive song about", and that "to have this song written was such a balm to my soul at that point". [1]

Reception

"Save Me" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. [2] Mann performed it at the 72nd Academy Awards. [3] It lost to "You'll Be in My Heart", by Phil Collins, from the Disney film Tarzan . By way of introduction to a live performance, Mann referred to "Save Me" as "the song that lost an Oscar to Phil Collins and his cartoon monkey love song". [4] "Save Me" was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. [2] Mann later said the song "really gave a blood transfusion to my career. But it wasn't like I went from playing to five people to 5,000 people. It was just a real influx of energy." [5]

In 2022, Pitchfork named "Save Me" the 193rd-best song of the 1990s. The critic Eric Torres wrote: "Subtly informed by a long period of disappointment, 'Save Me' is wry but surefooted ... The featherlight production and songwriting belie its inevitable punch: Here, Mann underscores the raw tenderness that comes with searching for help." [6]

Music video

The music video, shot during the filming of Magnolia , was directed by the film's director, Paul Thomas Anderson, and uses many of the film's actors, including Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, and John C. Reilly. The video inserts Mann into various scenes from the film as she performs the song. Unlike many such music videos, the "Save Me" video used no digital manipulation; the scenes were shot at the end of filming days with Mann and actors who were asked to stay in place.

Related Research Articles

The 28th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985. The night's big winner was USA For Africa's "We Are The World", which won four awards, including Song of the Year which went to Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. It marked the first time in their respective careers that they received the Song of the Year Award. For Richie, it was his sixth attempt in eight years. The other three awards for the latter single were given to the song's producer, Quincy Jones.

<i>Magnolia</i> (film) 1999 film by Paul Thomas Anderson

Magnolia is a 1999 American drama film written, directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars an ensemble cast, including Jeremy Blackman, Tom Cruise, Melinda Dillon, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ricky Jay, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Jason Robards and Melora Walters. The film is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The script was inspired by the music of Aimee Mann, who contributed several songs to its soundtrack.

<i>No Jacket Required</i> 1985 studio album by Phil Collins

No Jacket Required is the third solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 18 February 1985 by Virgin Records in the UK and by Atlantic and WEA internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aimee Mann</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1960)

Aimee Elizabeth Mann is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. Her work with the producer Jon Brion in the 1990s was influential on American alternative rock, and she is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Thomas Anderson</span> American filmmaker (born 1970)

Paul Thomas Anderson, also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. His accolades include nominations for eleven Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and eight BAFTA Awards. He has also won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and both the Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Shaiman</span> American composer (born 1959)

Marc Shaiman is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman and director Rob Reiner. Shaiman has received numerous accolades including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. He has also received seven Academy Awards nominations.

<i>Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo</i> 2000 studio album by Aimee Mann

Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo is the third album by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released on May 2, 2000. Some songs were previously released on the Magnolia soundtrack (1999), which Mann wrote in the same period.

<i>Magnolia</i> (soundtrack) 1999 soundtrack album by Aimee Mann

Magnolia: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 1999 film Magnolia. It comprises several songs by Aimee Mann, plus tracks by Gabrielle, Supertramp and Jon Brion. The album received positive reviews and was certified gold in 2001. Mann's song "Save Me" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<i>The Forgotten Arm</i> 2005 studio album by Aimee Mann

The Forgotten Arm is the fifth album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, with illustrations by artist Owen Smith. It was released by SuperEgo Records on May 3, 2005. It is a concept album, telling the story of two characters who run off with each other to escape their problems, but end up in more trouble than either of them could have imagined. The album reflects Mann's own boxing in its story and illustrations. The title is derived from a move in which one arm is used to hit the opponent, causing him to "forget" about the other arm, which is then used to deliver a harsher blow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">48th Annual Grammy Awards</span> Award ceremony

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 were the main recipients with five awards including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Kanye West were each nominated for eight awards and won three; Alison Krauss & Union Station also won three awards; and Kelly Clarkson won two. Green Day were amongst the big winners, winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

<i>Tarzan</i> (1999 soundtrack) 1999 soundtrack album by Phil Collins and Mark Mancina

Tarzan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1999 Disney animated feature film, Tarzan. The songs on the soundtrack were composed by Phil Collins, and the instrumental score by Mark Mancina. The song "You'll Be in My Heart" won both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, while the soundtrack album won a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album. For his contribution to the soundtrack, Collins received an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.

<i>Buster</i> (soundtrack) 1988 soundtrack album by Various artists

Buster: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1988 British film Buster. The album was released on September 19, 1988. It is essentially a collection of oldies, tucked in between two Phil Collins songs that were recorded for the film, in which he starred. "Two Hearts" was specially written for the film, having earned a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1989, a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and "A Groovy Kind of Love" with a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male was a remake of a song taken to #2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1965 by The Mindbenders. Both were released as singles, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with "A Groovy Kind of Love" also reaching #1 in the UK. Other new songs include Collins' "Big Noise" and Four Tops' "Loco in Acapulco", co-written by Collins. At the Brit Awards in 1989 it won for Soundtrack/Cast Recording, while Collins received the award British Male Artist for his contribution to the soundtrack album.

<i>Toy Story 2</i> (soundtrack) 1999 soundtrack album by Randy Newman

Toy Story 2: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 1999 Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2. The score for the film is composed by Randy Newman, who previously composed for its predecessor, Toy Story. It was released by Walt Disney Records on November 9, 1999. Although out of print in the U.S., the CD is available in the U.S. as an import and all but one song is available digitally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voices Carry</span> 1985 single by Til Tuesday

"Voices Carry" is a song by the American rock band 'Til Tuesday. It was produced by Mike Thorne for the band's debut studio album, Voices Carry (1985). The accompanying music video, directed by D.J. Webster, received wide exposure on MTV and positive reactions from critics. It was nominated for numerous awards and is thought to be the reason behind the song's success. It was released in North America in March 1985. "Voices Carry" became the band's highest-charting single and their only top ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally it reached the top twenty in Canada and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ludwig Göransson</span> Swedish composer (born 1984)

Ludwig Emil Tomas Göransson is a Swedish composer, conductor, songwriter, and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Thomas Anderson filmography</span> Filmography of American film director

Paul Thomas Anderson is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has directed nine feature-length films, five short films, twenty three music videos, one documentary, one television episode as a guest segment director, and one theatrical play. He made his directorial debut with the mockumentary short film The Dirk Diggler Story (1988), at the age of 18, about a pornographic actor in the 1970s. Anderson followed it five years later with another short film, Cigarettes & Coffee (1993). Anderson wrote and directed the crime film Hard Eight (1996), starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was well received. Using the basis of The Dirk Diggler Story, Anderson wrote and directed an expansion of the film, Boogie Nights (1997). It stars Mark Wahlberg as an actor in the Golden Age of Porn from the 1970s to the 1980s. The film received acclaim from critics and was a commercial success; at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay.

Tarzan was a Disney media franchise that commenced in 1999 with the theatrical release of the film Tarzan, based on the character Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

<i>Glen Campbell: Ill Be Me</i> 2014 American film

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is a 2014 American documentary film about country music singer Glen Campbell. Campbell and close friend Julian Raymond won a Grammy Award and were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for writing the film's theme "I'm Not Gonna Miss You".

<i>Mental Illness</i> (album) 2017 studio album by Aimee Mann

Mental Illness is the ninth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. It was released on March 31, 2017, by SuperEgo Records. Mann described it as her "saddest, slowest and most acoustic" album. The album won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

References

  1. Seel, Steve (15 November 2012). "Theft of the Dial: Dave Foley". KCMP . Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  2. 1 2 McLevy, Alex (25 June 2020). "Aimee Mann got cinematic with the gorgeous Magnolia soundtrack". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  3. Berman, Judy (17 November 2019). "Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2021-11-07.
  4. "Concert Review: Austin City Limits Music Festival 2006 - Day Two". Blogcritics.org. 2006-09-19. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  5. Doug Bleggi (November 21, 2018). "'Til Today: 25 years after her solo debut, Aimee Mann looks back". Stereogum . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  6. "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". Pitchfork . 27 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.