Stupid Thing (Aimee Mann song)

Last updated
"Stupid Thing"
Aimee Mann Stupid Thing 1993 single cover.jpg
Single by Aimee Mann
from the album Whatever
B-side "I've Had It"
Released1993
Length4:28
Label Imago
Songwriter(s) Aimee Mann
Jon Brion
Producer(s) Jon Brion
Aimee Mann singles chronology
"I Should've Known"
(1993)		"Stupid Thing"
(1993)		"I Should've Known (reissue)"
(1994)

"Stupid Thing" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, which was released in 1993 as the second single from her debut studio album Whatever . The song was written by Mann and Jon Brion, and produced by Brion. "Stupid Thing" peaked at No. 47 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks. [1]

Contents

Background

Speaking of the song, Mann told Tony Clayton-Lea of the Sunday Tribune in 1993, "Most of 'Stupid Thing' comes from a particular relationship and the frustration someone would feel because they're stopping something before it's even started." [2]

Critical reception

Tony Clayton-Lea of the Sunday Tribune commented that "Stupid Thing" was "about the way in which some relationships break apart before they've been given the chance to properly knit together". He added, "Mann matches the unfairness of the situation with an inherent hopelessness that is astoundingly accurate". [3] In a review of Whatever, Kara Manning of Rolling Stone noted the song "aptly targets a disappointing lover from the perspective of his 'dear departed'". [4] John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun described the song as a "sad and beautiful ballad, with a killer chorus". [5]

Track listing

7" and cassette single (UK release)
  1. "Stupid Thing" - 4:28
  2. "I've Had It" - 4:15
Cassette single (US release)
  1. "Stupid Thing" - 4:28
  2. "Say Anything" (Acoustic) - 3:45
  3. "I've Had It" - 4:15
CD single (UK release #1)
  1. "Stupid Thing" - 4:28
  2. "Baby Blue" - 3:50
  3. "The Other End (Of the Telescope)" (Live) - 4:03
  4. "Say Anything" (Live) - 3:48
CD single (UK release #2)
  1. "Stupid Thing" (Live) - 4:29
  2. "Put Me on Top" (Live) - 3:36
  3. "4th of July" (Live) - 3:15
  4. "I Should've Known" (Live) - 4:33
CD single (US release)
  1. "Stupid Thing" - 4:28
  2. "Say Anything" (Acoustic) - 3:45
  3. "I've Had It" - 4:15

Personnel

Stupid Thing

Production

Other

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) [6] 47

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References

  1. ↑ "AIMEE MANN; full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (September 12, 1993). "Musical clues to why Aimee is true". The Sunday Tribune. p. B6.
  3. ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (September 12, 1993). "Musical clues to why Aimee is true". The Sunday Tribune. p. B6.
  4. ↑ Manning, Kara (August 5, 1993). "Aimee Mann: Whatever". Rolling Stone . No. 662. p. 68. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ Mackie, John (June 3, 1993). "Recordings". The Vancouver Sun. p. D12.
  6. ↑ "Aimee Mann: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
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