'Til Tuesday | |
---|---|
Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
Genres | New wave, alternative rock |
Years active | 1982–1989 |
Labels | Epic |
Past members |
Aimee Mann Robert Holmes Joey Pesce Michael Hausman |
'Til Tuesday (often written as ’til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston in 1982. Its original lineup was bassist/vocalist Aimee Mann, guitarist/vocalist Robert Holmes, keyboardist Joey Pesce, and drummer Michael Hausman. They are best known for their 1985 hit single "Voices Carry".
'Til Tuesday first gained fame six months after its formation when it won Boston's WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble in 1983. Their original composition "Love in a Vacuum" (credited to all members of the group) received a fair amount of airplay on the station, and the group was eventually signed to Epic Records.
"Love in a Vacuum" was re-recorded for the Epic debut album, 1985's Voices Carry; however, the breakthrough song turned out to be the title track. The "Voices Carry" single peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and is said to have been inspired by an argument between Mann and Hausman, who had broken off a relationship before the album's release. According to producer Mike Thorne on his Stereo Society web site, "The title track was originally written and sung by Aimee as if to a woman.... The record company was predictably unhappy with such lyrics."Rolling Stone magazine would later report that Epic Records labelmate Cyndi Lauper was interested in recording "Voices Carry" with the original lyric, but only if the band didn't put it on their own release. The band declined.
The band became an early MTV staple with the "Voices Carry" video, which depicts an oppressive boyfriend trying to convert Mann to his upper-class lifestyle; she finally lashes out at him during a concert at Carnegie Hall, though filmed at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, Massachusetts, standing up from her seat in the audience and belting the lyrics, "He said, shut up! He said, shut up! Oh God, can't you keep it down...?" as she removes her cap to reveal her signature spiky, rat-tailed hair. As a result, the group won that year's MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.