Whatever (Aimee Mann album)

Whatever
Studio album by Aimee Mann
Released	May 11, 1993
Studio	Q Division, Capitol Studios, Clubhouse, Blue Jay, Bearsville, Zeitgeist, Sunset Sound, Presence
Genre	Pop rock alternative rock [1]
Length	52:14
Label	Imago (original release); Geffen (reissue)
Producer	Tony Berg Jon Brion Michael Hausman Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann chronology
Whatever (1993) I'm with Stupid (1995)

Whatever is the first solo album by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released in 1993. It earned positive reviews but did not meet sales expectations. It was also included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list. ^[2]

Background

In the 1980s, Mann co-founded the new wave band 'Til Tuesday and wrote their top-ten single "Voices Carry" (1985). ^{[3] [4]} 'Til Tuesday released three albums and disbanded in 1990 when Mann left to pursue a solo career. ^{[5] [6]} She said later that her musical interests had changed, and that she was more interested in "acoustic guitar music" than the new wave pop of 'Til Tuesday. ^[4]

Michael Hausman, the 'Til Tuesday drummer and Mann's former boyfriend, became her manager. ^[7] Epic Records did not release Mann from her record contract for another three years, which prevented her from releasing new material. It was the first of several disputes Mann had with record labels, which Hausman said had a lasting effect on her attitude to the music industry. ^[8]

Recording

Mann recorded Whatever with the producer Jon Brion, ^[9] a member of the 'Til Tuesday touring band. ^[10] Mann found working with Brion exciting and felt her songwriting improved with him. ^[4] She cited English bands such as the Kinks, the Zombies and Squeeze as influences. ^[11] Mann wrote "I've Had It" about her frustrations with Epic when they would not release her from her record contract, and said it was influenced by Simon & Garfunkel. ^[4] In a retrospective interview in 2018, Mann said she felt "4th of July" was the best song on the record. ^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The Buffalo News	[13]
Chicago Tribune	[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[15]
Entertainment Weekly	A [16]
Los Angeles Times	[17]
Orlando Sentinel	[18]
Q	[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[21]

Whatever was released in 1993 on the independent label Imago. It earned positive reviews but did not meet sales expectations. ^{[22] [23]} As of February 2001, Whatever had sold 170,000 copies in United States. ^[24]

Most praised her sense of melody and the wordplay of her lyrics, exemplified by Entertainment Weekly in "hooky songs" and "evocative lyrics". ^[16] The Los Angeles Times reflected this by saying she "mixes words like a master, catching lifetimes of ache and Angst" ^[17] while the Chicago Tribune compared her to Elvis Costello. ^[14] Rolling Stone cited her music as "sunny, surreal melodies" with "razor-sharp lyrics". ^[20] The Independent 's Andy Gill highly recommended the album, concluding that "it's the tension between Mann's disarmingly direct, conversational lyric style and the complexity of her musical design that gives Whatever its peculiar charge". ^[25] Robert Christgau only cited "Mr. Harris" as a "choice cut", finding nothing else to say about it. ^[26]

In 2000, the songwriter Elvis Costello included Whatever in his list of 500 greatest albums for Vanity Fair . ^[27] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ^[28] and in Pitchfork's "150 Best Albums of the 1990s". ^[29] In 2003, the English writer Nick Hornby included "I've Had It" in Songbook , a list of songs that changed his life. ^[30]

Track listing

1. "I Should've Known" – 4:53
2. "Fifty Years After the Fair" – 3:46
3. "4th of July" – 3:21
4. "Could've Been Anyone" (Lyrics by Mann, Music by Mann, Jules Shear, Marty Willson-Piper) – 4:23
5. "Put Me on Top" – 3:28
6. "Stupid Thing" (Mann, Jon Brion) – 4:27
7. "Say Anything" (Mann, Jon Brion) – 4:57
8. "Jacob Marley's Chain" – 3:01
9. "Mr. Harris" – 4:05
10. "I Could Hurt You Now" – 4:17
11. "I Know There's a Word" (Mann, Jon Brion) – 3:16
12. "I've Had It" – 4:42
13. "Way Back When" – 4:05
14. "Nothing" – 0:09

Personnel

• Aimee Mann – vocals (all songs), electric guitar (1), bass (1–3, 5, 6, 10, 11), Dixie cup (1), acoustic guitar (3, 13), pump organ (4), Mellotron (5), percussion (7), lo-fi acoustic guitar (10), nylon-string guitar (12)
• Michael Hausman – drums (3, 10, 13), percussion (4), orchestral percussion (8), bass drum (12), tongue drum (12), congas (12), cymbals (12)
• Jim Keltner – drums (2, 5, 6)
• Milt Sutton – drums (7)
• Jon Brion – drums (1, 4, 11), bass (1, 4, 7, 13), electric guitar (1, 2, 5–7, 10, 12, 13), pump organ (1, 6, 8), Mellotron (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10), Chamberlain (1, 4, 6, 8), vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13), Optigan (2, 4, 6, 12, 13), glockenspiel (2, 4, 10), tambourine (2, 10), vibraphone (3, 4), guitar (4), piano (4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13), harmonium (6, 8), acoustic guitar (7), acoustic bass (8), kazoo (8), woodwind arrangement (9), Hammond organ (10, 13), Indian harmonium (10), bass harmonica (10, 12), keyboards (11), cottage organ (12), B-3 organ (12), Wurlitzer organ (12), celesta (12), tack piano (12), piccolo flute (12), bottles (12), turtle guitar (13), toy piano (13), marimba (13), pipes (13)
• Buddy Judge – vocals (1, 10–13), acoustic guitar (5, 6, 8, 11, 13), hi-fi acoustic guitar (10), bottles (12), pipes (13)
• Todd Nelson – intro guitar (1)
• Randy Brion – euphonium (9), trombone (13)
• Mike Breaux – oboe (9), bassoon (12)
• Roger McGuinn – 12-string electric guitar (2), vocals (2)
• David Coleman – electric cello (10)
• The Sid Sharp Strings – Sid Sharp (9, 11), Joy Lyle (9, 11), Harry Shirinian (9, 11), Harry Shultz (9, 11)
• Jimmie Haskell – string arrangement (9)

Charts

Weekly charts

Source ^[31]

Year	Chart	Position
1993	Heatseekers	3
1993	Billboard 200	127

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1993	"I Should've Known"	Modern Rock Tracks [32]	16

References

1. de Visé, Daniel (August 12, 2025). "Besides Nirvana: 13 Great Alternative Rock Albums from the Early 1990s". AllMusic . Retrieved August 15, 2025.
2. "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". 1001beforeyoudie.com. Cassell Illustrated. 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
3. "Aimee Mann". Berklee College of Music . Retrieved August 8, 2022.
4. Bleggi, Doug (November 21, 2018). "'Til Today: 25 years after her solo debut, Aimee Mann looks back". Stereogum . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
5. Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: MojoBooks. p. 603. ISBN   1-84195-017-3.
6. Meter, Jonathan Van (July 11, 1999). "What's a record exec to do with Aimee Mann?" . The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 7, 2021.
7. Wiltz, Teresa (February 18, 2001). "Her own Mann: independent-minded singer sheds labels". Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved August 8, 2022.
8. Meter, Jonathan Van (July 11, 1999). "What's a record exec to do with Aimee Mann?" . The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 7, 2021.
9. Bleggi, Doug (November 21, 2018). "'Til Today: 25 years after her solo debut, Aimee Mann looks back". Stereogum . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
10. Pelly, Jenn (November 4, 2021). "Aimee Mann: 'I have an enormous amount of compassion for people who are struggling'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 9, 2021.
11. Torres, Eric (November 24, 2020). "Aimee Mann on the music that made her". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 19, 2023.
12. McCartney, Kelly. "Whatever – Aimee Mann". AllMusic . Retrieved October 11, 2004.
13. "Voices of Youth". The Buffalo News . May 28, 1993. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
14. Caro, Mark (June 3, 1993). "Aimee Mann: Whatever (Imago)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
15. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0-85712-595-8.
16. Sinclair, Tom (May 14, 1993). "Whatever". Entertainment Weekly . No. 170. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2007.
17. Rosenbluth, Jean (May 23, 1993). "Record Rack: Adult True Confessions". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 6, 2013.
18. Gettelman, Parry (July 23, 1993). "Aimee Mann". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved September 15, 2018.
19. "Aimee Mann: Whatever". Q (84): 86. September 1993.
20. Manning, Kara (August 5, 1993). "Aimee Mann: Whatever". Rolling Stone . No. 662. p. 68. Archived from the original on December 5, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
21. Randall, Mac (2004). "Aimee Mann". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  511–12. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
22. Berman, Judy (November 17, 2019). "Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 7, 2021.
23. Baker, Brian (October 1, 2002). "The evolution of Aimee Mann". Paste . Retrieved July 19, 2023.
24. Wiltz, Teresa (February 18, 2001). "Her Own Mann: Independent-Minded Singer Sheds Labels". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
25. Gill, Andy (August 26, 1993). "Records: Aimee Mann Whatever". The Independent . London. p. 19. Posted at "The Independent – August 26, 1993". aimeemaninprint.com. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
26. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved November 7, 2011.
27. Costello, Elvis (November 2000). "Costello's 500". Vanity Fair (483): 158–164. Posted at "Vanity Fair 2000-11-01". elviscostello.info. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
28. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (March 23, 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN   978-0-7893-2074-2.
29. "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. September 28, 2022.
30. Garis, Kirsty de (January 19, 2003). "31 songs that changed my life". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved October 2, 2025.
31. Whatever – Aimee Mann > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums at AllMusic . Retrieved 27 July 2005.
32. Whatever – Aimee Mann > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic . Retrieved 27 July 2005.