Now that I've met you
would you object to
never seeing each other again
cause I can't afford to
climb aboard you
no one's got that much ego to spend
because I've got troubles enough
no, don't pick on me
when one act of kindness could be
deathly
deathly
definitely Cause I'm just a problem
for you to solve and
watch dissolve in the heat of your charm
but what will you do when
you run it through and
you can't get me back on the farm So don't work your stuff
because I've got troubles enough
no, don't pick on me
when one act of kindness could be
deathly
deathly
definitely You're on your honor
cause I'm a goner
and you haven't even begun
so do me a favor
if I should waver
be my savior
and get out the gun Just don't work your stuff
because I've got troubles enough
no, don't pick on me
when one act of kindness could be
deathly
deathly
definitely Apart from the devastating impact of the first three lines, I have always admired the production of this song by Aimee Mann. It was first heard in 1999 on the soundtrack of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, but then later re-recorded for Mann's unmatched Bachelor No. 2, in 2000. There are two aspects of the song production I want to highlight.
- The soaring guitar solo. I can admit that I have broken my unspoken rules of listening to unbroken albums, and have actually skipped right to this song. Hell, I have even gone so far as to skip to the solo, just to figure it out. I know it's an electric guitar, but the near infinite sustain made me think of strings or synth. However, according to the song credit, it's both: Scientologist Michael Lockwood plays the guitar, and the solo is matched, note for note by Patrick Warren on the keyboards. It's a brilliant idea as the two are similar but different enough to be slightly out of tune with each other.
- The fade-out ending. When sequencing an entire CD, artists always have to make these difficult decisions. Oftentimes, the fade-out is a sign of a weak song: no one has a clue how to end it, so it's mercifully cut short. But this song exhibits the strength of the fade-out: listen to the guitar/synth solo in the outro — at the fade-out the synth clone drops and all that's left is the electric guitar. But the guitarist is just getting started: you can feel that he can elaborate on the solo for another 8 measures, at least, but the mixer, most likely Bob Clearmountain has made the tough decision — he cuts this way short, making you want more. I think this is the reason I keep coming back to this song.